Mac Pro 2009 for FCPX? (vs rMBP)

[dmitrizigany]

Hey!

Call me crazy but...

I'm considering upgrading from my 2012 MacBook Pro Retina to a 2009 Mac Pro!

I've found a 2009 Mac Pro upgraded to a hexacore 3.46ghz processor which basically turns it into a MacPro 5,1. It has a Radeon R9 280X 3GB graphics card and 32gb ram. Also comes with a USB3 card.

My rMBP is a 2.6ghz, 16gb ram and internal 256gb ssd.

Do you think this would be an upgrade for FCPX use? (It would be a temporary step until I can afford a new Retina iMac, which seems unlikely in the near future. This one I would get for almost the same money I can sell the rMBP for.

Pros for the Mac Pro:
• Much faster graphics card with 3gb vs 1gb.
• Faster multi-processor speed 16600 vs 12500 on geek bench.
• Twice the ram: 32gb vs 16gb
• It would solve my external hard drive mess: could put most of them internally
• Would solve other external mess: My Thunderports are occupied by second display and audio interface. So can't really take advantage of fast TB drives as it would be too costly. I can use the FireWire ports for the audio interface, the USB2 ports for keyboards (both Mac and MIDI keyboard), dongles etc. Leaving the USB3 card to be used solely for additional external drives.
• Bigger internal system drive (1TB vs 256gb) (would get an SSD)
• Could install Windows for occasional gaming (Fallout 4, I'm looking at you!) (not a very important point, I admit)

Pros MacBook Pro:
• Faster single core: 3200 vs 2800 on geek bench.
• Faster ram: 1600MHz vs 1066MHz.
• Everyday things might be slightly snappier thanks to faster single core, faster ram memory and faster internal bus.
• Portable (which is becoming less and less true as I'm becoming more and more dependant on external drives etc).
• Don't have to do or buy anything new at the moment

So what do you say? Would it be a boost for FCPX? Enough to go through the hoop of selling the MacBook Pro, reinstalling things etc etc? Anyone had a chance to experience FCPX on both a similar Mac Pro and MacBook Pro?

 

[TheTrickster]

Do you think this would be an upgrade for FCPX use? (It would be a temporary step until I can afford a new Retina iMac, which seems unlikely in the near future. This one I would get for almost the same money I can sell the rMBP for.

How much is the difference between this second hand 2009 Mac and the iMac you want?

 

[billg]

Hey!
So what do you say? Would it be a boost for FCPX? Enough to go through the hoop of selling the MacBook Pro, reinstalling things etc etc? Anyone had a chance to experience FCPX on both a similar Mac Pro and MacBook Pro?

You're looking at the trees; I'm looking at the forest. I'm running a 2008 Mac Pro and expect that Apple's support for it will end in the next year or two and you'll be right behind me with that 2009 MP. I'm waiting for the next Trashcan MP, currently expected to ship this fall, before jumping off my sinking ship. That would probably exceed your budget any time soon, so I'd recommend what I think The Trickster is getting at: a current iMac will probably serve you longer and well enough for FCPX than climbing aboard an antiquated, though well-appointed, Tower MP. But, if you're the brave and handy sort, maybe you can get through another few years with it. However, all those silver utensils, fine china, and linen napkins didn't keep the Titanic from sinking in those frigid North Atlantic waters… (I know the Titanic was brand new when it sunk, but it ruins my metaphor, so try to ignore that. Also, I hate going through the hoops you speak of when changing up my workstation, so I'd stick with what you have vs. changing over to a relatively temporary solution.)

 

[dmitrizigany]

How much is the difference between this second hand 2009 Mac and the iMac you want?

That's the thing, the price of this Mac Pro is about equal to what I think I'd get for the MacBook Pro, so I could do the switch without almost no money. There would be some additional cost scuch as a new second monitor etc... The difference between this Mac Pro and the iMac I want is almost €2000...

 

[dmitrizigany]

You're looking at the trees; I'm looking at the forest. I'm running a 2008 Mac Pro and expect that Apple's support for it will end in the next year or two and you'll be right behind me with that 2009 MP.

That is a slight worry. If it would be quite an performace improvement for FCPX (considering twice the ram and faster graphics card) that could be worth it though as it would be very little money spent... If there's no or very little performance gain in FCPX, then abviously it's not worth it!