Shopping for a "new" used Mac

[greatcow95]

I am finally going to get a used Mac desktop to somewhat replace my extremely trusty and wonderful dual 1.8 GHz G5 (which runs V6 beautifully, but, since Apple gave the screwjob to PPC users, it won't run V7). So off I went to my trusty friend, Mactracker, to figure out which one I am going to go for on the used Mac market.

I've managed to eliminate the Mac mini, because it would likely hiccup on Real View like my current laptop does (oddly enough, it's not a Mac). The iMacs were eliminated also for pretty much the same reason (plus, they tend to go for higher prices due to the integrated screen). So this leaves the 2006 Mac Pro (Mac Pro 1,1).

The question becomes would it be capable of running V7 without hiccups from Real View?

Introduced: August 2006
Discontinued: January 2008
Machine ID: MacPro1,1
Model Number: A1186
Order Number: MA356LL/A (two 2.66 GHz)
Processor: Intel Xeon 5100 series ("Woodcrest")
Number of Cores: 2 per processor
Architecture: 64-bit
Processor Speed: two 2.66 GHz
Cache: 4 MB of shared L2 cache per processor (8 MB total)
Maximum Mac OS: Mac OS 10.7.5 (the reseller I'm looking at puts 10.6 on their machines)
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT, GeForce 8800 GT, Quadro FX 4500, or ATI Radeon X1900 XT
Graphics Memory: 256 MB (7300 GT) or 512 MB (8800 GT, FX 4500, X1900 XT)

[Pyware]

Greg

We have a couple of last years model Mac Minis with the following specs.

Model Name: Mac mini
Model Identifier: Macmini5,2
Processor Name: Intel Core i5
Processor Speed: 2.5 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 2
L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Boot ROM Version: MM51.0077.B10
SMC Version (system): 1.75f0
Serial Number (system): C07G3W4ADJD1
Hardware UUID: A5D045DE-6FC1-5B7F-B575-F3E658590C24

AMD Radeon HD 6630M:

Chipset Model: AMD Radeon HD 6630M
Type: GPU
Bus: PCIe
PCIe Lane Width: x8
VRAM (Total): 256 MB
Vendor: ATI (0x1002)
Device ID: 0x6741
Revision ID: 0x0000
ROM Revision: 113-C0171H-561
EFI Driver Version: 01.00.561
Displays:


The computer you posted would work except for the Graphics card. You would just need to get a newer graphics card and that should work for you.

[greatcow95]

How well do they run V7? Are there any hiccups?

I think I might have found one at about the same price as the used Mac Pros I am looking at so that's why I am asking.

[Pyware]

I have not had any issues with it.
We use it as our benchmark unit for the program. I am able to run all 4 cameras with shadows.

[greatcow95]

Sounds good to me! Thanks for the heads up, because I forgot about that specific mini having an independent graphics card.

[greatcow95]

I took the plunge and got the Mac Mini you described. I guess it was the only one on Mac of All Trades, because it's no longer there for anyone else to purchase. They do have the old Mac Pros, which were around the same price as the mini.