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Mac Mini Upgrade options VS Used Mac Pro? Help Please!

Hello Everyone, I have some questions I hope you can all help with!

For those who read this and help me, Thank You!

For the past few days I have been considering my options, and almost traded my Mac Mini and $400 for a used 2008 Mac Pro with 6 Cores. But I cant make up my mind. I currently have a Mac Mini (Late 2012) with a 2.5 GHz Intel Core I% (2 Cores right?) with a 16gb Ram Upgrade, 500 Macintosh HD, and a Intel HD Graphics 4000 1024 mb card.

I primarily use my mac for Editing videos. And over the past year I have gotten pretty good at editing and now Used Final Cut Pro X and Animation programs etc.. And I feel like im pusing it to its limits. Its constantly rendering to the point that I always get stuck waiting and pausing waiting for it to catch up. for a while I though this was normal. And was just planning to get a new Mac Book Pro later and just use that. (Since the new mac pro beats my current setup) so then I went to the apple store to buy a 3TB Thunder bolt drive, and when there I played with the new Macs (Of course) and OMG! The Mac Pro Is F***Ing Fast as ****! I couldn't believe it! I was messing with a 4K Video, doing all types of stuff that normally would lock up on my mac mini, and it never even stopped to Render! It was Instant!

Now, I don't have $3,000 to spend on a mac pro right now. and wont for a long time most likely. So I started looking at used options, I considered finding a used Mac pro and trading my mac mini plus some cash, But are they really any better? Will Final cut pro utilize the extra processing power?

I'm down to Two Options. Should I just upgrade my HDD to a SSD? Will that even make a significant difference? or is my slow Mac Mini simply slow due to lack of processing power? Will a lot more processers really make a difference? What should I do?

Basically, I want a Mac that can handle Editing problem free! Fast, efficient, beat mode all the time!

Thanks for the help guys.

P.S. Wifi and Bluetooth is important to me in older used macs as well 😉

Posted on Oct 8, 2015 5:20 PM

18 replies

jndupuis1

Level 2

462 points

Oct 9, 2015 7:16 AM in response to Michael_Price1990

Good move! Check out the official Apple Refurbishment site. Apple Refurbs are backed by the same warranty and AppleCare program as a new one. They ship in a cardboard padded box instead of the pretty white Apple box. All refurbs come with all new accessories as well. I bought a refurb MacBook Pro (late 2012) haven't been disappointed. It was like brand new out of box!

Cheers!!

kahjot

Level 4

2,462 points

Oct 9, 2015 7:50 AM in response to lllaass

lllaass wrote:

If you do get a Mac Pro only get a 2009-2012 one. They have better memory management and have less problems than a 2008...do not get a 2006/2007 Mac Pro

This. The starting point if you want a used Mac Pro should be the 2009 model.

smorg007

Level 1

4 points

Oct 9, 2015 9:16 AM in response to Michael_Price1990

I concur with the 2009 Pro as a starting point. I started with the quad 2.66 base 2009 MP. (purchased new in 2010) As it got long in the tooth, I upgraded to an SSD and multiple larger internal HDs, which you can't do in the mini. I added 16 Gb Ram, I even updated to a hex core 3.46 processor, Updated the firmware to 5,1 which allows faster memory buss speeds. (though it only works with 3 matching Ram sticks, not 4) and added a GeForce 760 graphics card.

This thing will easily hold it's own with most of the latest macs short of the latest Pros.. It is fast enough to do just about any audio or video editing task. As far as upgrading, the MPs are the best.

You could probably pick up a stock 2009 4,1 Pro for a few hundred, sink another $700 into upgrades, and end up with a powerhouse that will blow away the mini. I would hold off on El Capitan for a while though. The older machines are more finicky with system updates.

Mac Mini Upgrade options VS Used Mac Pro? Help Please!