Old power mac desktop with new Mac Pro

So, let me see if I have this correctly, that I understand what you have written/posted: you want to connect a Mac Zpro 2009 to a MacBook Pro from say, 2021 and have the old stuff work on the new MacBook Pro?? … I’d say No… your 2009

Mac Pro is Intel and a MacBook Pro from 2021 is M1/M2( regular or Max/Pro)[ Apple Silicon] … it doesn’t really work like that, period… as for your 2009 Mac Pro, maybe do a backup of everything on there , using Time Machine, and maybe look at a 2012 Mac Pro 5,1, those are somewhat viable and upgradeable.. the last version of Mac OS capable of running 32-bit/mixed 32-bit apps/software was either Mojave or El Capitan, that’s as far as you could go there… otherwise ??? Virtualizing/virtual machine/virtual PC/Mac software/Apps such as Parallels/VMWare Fusion… maybe CrossOver ( all paid apps/software) … that’s the best I can do, AdamArts… it’s 2024 now.., that’s 16 years… that’s how old your Mac Pro is… there might be alternatives to what you have now.. be aware that most software apps are pay-by-the year/subscription.. you may be able to buy it once, but that depends on the maker of said software/app… if you wanted to, you could hire me personally and I’d eventually find some kinda solution for you ( it’s a joke)

John B

Old one-time purchase versions of Adobe software like Photoshop and Lightroom will not work on current Macs. While the main bits of Photoshop CS6 and Lightroom 6.14 use 64-bit code, the installer/activation code doesn't.

The cheapest way to get the current version of Photoshop is with one of the Adobe Photography Plans – the one which offers access to Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, and the cloud-oriented version of Lightroom for $10/month.

You’re welcome, AdamArts… apart from the whole new Apple Silicon( M1/2/3 now M4) , the other thing is non-upgrade-ability , eg after you ordered it a certain way, it was made to order for you, shipped to you and you bought it, you really can’t upgrade anything on it, period.. RAM, internal storage, nothing. If you can find a really good deal on a 2019 Intel

Mac Pro, maybe go for it… I just checked eBay USA today, and… $3,000 to $3,500 plus shipping and taxes could get you a 16 core Mac Pro with 96 GB of ram and a Radeon pro 580 X video/graphics card in there… retail when new was $10 to $13,000 depending on exchange rate, what options you wanted, how fast you wanted it, plus AppleCare + ( gotta have it, it’s been a lifesaver for me)

anyways, i think we’re Ok here

john B

if you are not using this for a business, there are a few upgrades you can make to a MacPro 4,1 what would allow it run slightly newer versions of MacOS. Depending on what you upgrade, possibly up to 10.14 Mojave.

Some of these require modifications that are non-standard, and could conceivably damage your computer or your person, so we can not provide set-by-step instruction which might ensnare novices.

What we can suggest is that you search for Green Gant's guide, "The Definitive Classic Mac Pro (2006-2012) Upgrade Guide". Any and all recommendations found there are at your own risk.