• Welcome to the Lightroom Queen Forums! We're a friendly bunch, so please feel free to register and join in the conversation. If you're not familiar with forums, you'll find step by step instructions on how to post your first thread under Help at the bottom of the page. You're also welcome to download our free Lightroom Quick Start eBooks and explore our other FAQ resources.
  • Dark mode now has a single preference for the whole site! It's a simple toggle switch in the bottom right-hand corner of any page. As it uses a cookie to store your preference, you may need to dismiss the cookie banner before you can see it. Any problems, please let us know!

Newbie Question: retiring my old MacPro... what should I buy to replace it?

Status
Not open for further replies.

rtananis

New Member
Joined
May 6, 2018
Messages
16
Lightroom Experience
Intermediate
Lightroom Version
5.x
Lightroom Version Number
5.7
Operating System
  1. Other (please note in thread)
Newbie Question: retiring my old MacPro... what should I buy to replace it?
I use LR 5.7. It suits my needs. Love it.
I own a Canon 5d mk 3 and shoot in RAW
I own a Sony... shoot in their version of RAW called ARW.... my ancient mac pro from 2009 is not upgradeable to modern OS (running 10.9.5) so it doesn't open ARW files. Its big and ugly and I think its time to retire it.
I like the idea of separate monitor and computer so i don't want an I-Mac
should I invest in a present day mac pro?
wait until the new one comes out and buy a leftover version of the present model at a discount?
will mac mini do what i need to do? (Handle RAW and ARW files in LR 5.7... i don't do video and i don't do gaming or anything involving 3D modeling)
 
Contact
Create .Pro
they refurb the Silver towers to a newer hardware enabling faster processors and more memory, they also supplly many go faster features - eg SSDs on PCI cards. The cost is much less than a brand new Mac Pro but with competing performance. There is an online configuration web page where you can configure and price some very interesting machines. They also give a good warranty.
 
I would be very careful with third party Mac upgrade or refurbished system providers. Several years ago when I needed to replace my ageist MacPro1,1 I tried a refurbished 2009 MacPro from a very reputable Mac peripheral seller. It never worked reliably, crashing repeatedly.

I ended up returning it within the return policy and was refunded the purchase price but had to pay the $50 return shipping. Turned out to be a colossal waste of time. So I spent the extra money to get a refurbished 2012 MacPro tower directly from Apple. It has worked without a problem since.

Be sure reviews and read all the terms and conditions before trying a third party upgrade. I would suggest a used 2012, 4 or 6 core system on eBay as a good alternative.

-louie
 
thank u... i don't know if that is an option for me....but will consider it...
 
i really think that i will buy a new mac... then wipe the old one clean and try to sell it on ebay. i need advice on whether i should get
a mac mini (am leaning toward this if it will work well with lightroom and raw files)
an existing mac pro
next year's mac pro (but hate the idea of waiting)
 
I bought a refurbished Mac pro that brought it up to the latest Silver Mac Pro tower spec, it has worked excellently since February 2016. Since then 2 or 3 colleagues at the local Mac User Group have bought machines from Create.Pro all have been satisfied, as we meet on a monthly basis I would have heard if any one had had a problem.

I see that you are in the US, I am referring to a UK supplier.
The US based Other Worlld Computing appear to do a simillar service and to also provide parts so that one can do it one's self.
 
I bought a refurbished Mac pro that brought it up to the latest Silver Mac Pro tower spec, it has worked excellently since February 2016. Since then 2 or 3 colleagues at the local Mac User Group have bought machines from Create.Pro all have been satisfied, as we meet on a monthly basis I would have heard if any one had had a problem.

I see that you are in the US, I am referring to a UK supplier.
The US based Other Worlld Computing appear to do a simillar service and to also provide parts so that one can do it one's self.
thank u!!!
 
next year''s Mac pro will be very expennsive compared to the refurb route. My prefernce to the old tower is that I can have 4 drive bays,plus PCI mounted drives plus USBC connectors.
 
i am not a power computer user.... i am an amateur photographer who tries to shoot professional quality photos... and has some professional photographer like editing skills.
other than using LR and some other photo editing software/applications.... i surf the web and listen to spotify

i really really want a small computer... not sure i want to spend for a mac pro... thank u for pointing me toward OWC... they look intriguing!
 
R, you have probably switched to your new computer by now, but if not, and FWIW, I'm running a Mac Mini and an ASUS ProArt monitor, and find the combination quite satisfactory. (And I listen to Pandora!) Cheers, RWB
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top