Q: Would I be able to get by in 2016 with this?

Hi..

"Mac OS X Ver.10.6.3"

You may be able to upgrade from v10.6 Snow Leopard (Apple no longer provides security updates for such an outdated system) to v10.11 El Capitan >  Upgrade to OS X El Capitan - Apple Support

No matter which OS X is installed on a 2009 Mac, it shouldn't take a minute to boot but it won't be as fast as a new Mac either.

Photoshop minimum requirement is v10.9 (Mavericks) or later so it should work on 10.11 El Capitan.

With v10.11 El Capitan installed you can purchase the Pages app for writing papers. It's available at the App Store for $19.99.

It's kind of hard to describe but this looks like a great machine for somebody who likes older computers.  A person could do all sorts of upgrades and turn it into a real muscle machine if not one that is as fast as newer models.  I am slightly concerned about the age.  It will run the newest OSX but since it came with OSX 10.5.6 originally I am dubious if it will continue to see more OSX upgrades.  I could see myself buying this computer and keeping it going for another 7 years, upping RAM to more than I could possibly need (96 GB!!) but then two months ago I was using my G4 Quicksilver from 2002 as my only machine (now replaced with a new late 2008 MacBook).

This doesn't have USB3 ports.  I don't know if you can get an expansion card for those. It doesn't have Thunderbolt (but then what do you attach to it if you do?)

If your primary concern is speed and keeping up with new software then this may not be the ideal machine.  It may also be excessive for your needs, those all those ports and storage bays might come in handy for recording.  I suspect you could even do something like use one of those bays for a SSD drive for fast booting and applications and use the rest for storage.  A computer like this would be like my G4 still being usable well beyond its time as long as you are willing to live with certain limitations.  This is unlike a new model MacBook with its 8GB RAM that could well be unsellable and very limited in use in 5 years since it can't be upgraded in any manner.  Your Mac Pro may be a good buy but is still a lot of money and it is already 7 years old which means it is obsolete as far as Apple is concerned (though I pay no heed to them as to which computers I regard as usable).  It kind of really depends upon what kind of computer user you are.

That 2009 is a good Mac. Last year I purchased 2009 Mac Pro and love it.

Thunderbolt is a interface that is faster than USB 3 especially when using multiple devices (storage devices). Thunderbolt can also transmit video.

http://www.apple.com/thunderbolt/

However, Thunderbolt has to be built into the logic board so it can't be backup into a computer.

IIIaass answered the Thunderbolt question.

USB is faster than USB2 and has a few other differences. Mostly it is faster and is kind of a replacement for Firewire.  You can do most things over USB2 since fortunately USB3 devices are backward compatible, but have to be patient.  Many users want fast.  Are you patient?

I got by with using a G4 because my whole technology base was frozen in time.  I ran Tiger OS. I ran old software, including iTunes 7.5 (which I still use). I had no iTunes Store account (still don't). No i-devices (still don't).  My printer was purchased in 2008 and getting a new one was one of the reasons why I had to upgrade.  This is an example of when running an older machine causes trouble. As I observed earlier I think there is a good chance (but nothing is guaranteed) that going by past patterns of OSX releases this computer will not be able to run the next OS release, or it may be its last one. Sometimes features, which I can usually do without but that is me, require those new releases. If you are an early adopter you will be excluded from those.  Then too look at iTunes. With the latest iOS release Apple used a version of iTunes which excluded most computers made before mid-2008.  People who have those machines and buy a new iPhone and want to sync have to buy new computers. In general iTunes supports back to about 8 years old, and by buying a 6-7 year old machine you are very close to being part of the excluded group. Now for me that would not make a difference given my requirements, but for the standard user?

You can upgrade RAM which is great. You can add drives which is great (can't with a new Mac Pro).  You can't speed up the processor.  You could probably have a bazillion applications all running at the same time and the multiple cores and massive RAM capability will keep them all from interfering with each other. They will only run as fast as your processor clocks which isn't as fast as a newer computer.  I didn't say it would be faster than a new machine unless you really are running 50 applications at the same time.  Others have taken "older" Macs and put more RAM in them and a SSD to give old machines a new lease on life and make them feel almost as fast as they did when they were new.  That won't be as fast as a new model, just back to what their model felt like when they bought it 8 years ago rather than being sluggish trying to run a newer OSX under an 8 year old configuration.

Anyway, a big part of this really depends upon what kind of user you are and your requirements.  I could see me buying this computer and using it for another 7 years kind of like how I did with my G4, content to run old peripherals, not caring about iCloud services or syncing or files taking minutes to copy to backup drives instead of seconds.  I would love its up-gradable capability even within limitations (can't upgrade processor), tons of ports (vs. stupid one-port configuration of the newest MacBooks). 

evonanthony wrote:

 

Like I said, I'm new to owning a Mac. What's Thunderbolt?

 

Are USB3 ports a necessity nowadays?

 

What makes you say that this might not be my ideal machine if speed and new software are my main concerns? You say one would be able to do a few upgrades and make it fast / faster than a new machine... what upgrades would be necessary to make it up to par with standard computers?

How would this machine be excessive for my needs?

 

Like your G4 being usable well beyond it's time, what limitations would I have? Specifically?

Pretty much anything that can be plugged in to USB3 can be plugged in and used with USB2, it is merely that USB3 is much faster. This would be particularly relevant if you intend to use an external hard disk e.g. for backing up or carrying with you perhaps to college. I have fitted a USB3 card to mine there are several makes available.

The sort of upgrades you can do are -

• Fit faster CPU chips - reasonably easy
• Yours is already a dual processor model which is a bonus
• Fit a faster video card - only necessary if either you are running video editing programs, games, or 4K resolution monitors
• Fit more memory - actually as a dual processor model if you fitted faster CPUs and upgraded the firmware you could in theory go as high as 128GB, however for the stuff you are suggesting 10GB is more than enough to start with
• Fit a faster boot drive such as a PCIe based M2 SSD

there are other upgrade possibilities but I think they would be overkill for you.

You can run the latest 'El Capitan' operating system on your Mac and also can run Windows 10. I personally think it likely this years new Apple operating system will also work but beyond that it is too early to tell. Upgrading to El Capitan is free, this would then make it compatible with Microsoft Office 2016.

It sounds like a pretty good deal to me. You will have room for four internal drives, so you should have plenty of drive space for your projects and for backup. If you want to install a large drive (over 4TB) internally, you may need to buy a drive sled that can accommodate a different depth for the mounting screws. You can get one from OWC, which is a good source for various Mac upgrades:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/MPRODBKTLG6/

You may want to add RAM at some point. I'd suggest OWC as a source for Mac Pro RAM, and that you call them to place your order if you are planning to add larger (8GB or 16GB) DIMMs to get their help on what combinations will work.

I'd suggest that you install both Snow Leopard and El Capitan. Disk Utility in Snow Leopard is in some respects more useful than the El Cap version of Disk Utility. It's unfortunate that Apple has made Mavericks and Yosemite unavailable, because you might be able to avoid some application and hardware compatibility issues by using one of those OS versions; do some research on all the software and hardware you wish to use, and make sure that it can all be used with El Capitan, particularly for audio.

There are some good sites for Mac users. One of my favorites is Macintouch: http://www.macintouch.com/

You can still get Photoshop CS6 from Adobe, which will work with Snow Leopard. Adobe's site obscures that information and forces you to call to order it so that they can try to get you onto their ransomware plan instead. You might want to look at Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo instead, unless you want Adobe holding your work hostage forever.