Is it worth the upgrade ??

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I own a Mac Pro 3,1 2 x 2.8 Ghz Xeon with 8Gb Mem

The model I'm considering is the Mac Pro 4,1 3.2Ghz (Upgraded from 2.66Ghz) 12Gb Memory

Is it worth going from 3,1 to 4,1 ??
 
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Compare geekbench tests here:
Apple Mac Desktop Benchmarks (Intel) @ EveryMac.com

After that, you need to carefully compare selling price on a couple of sites like ebay (watch and wait to see actual selling prices, not asking price) and mac2sell, appleinsider, etc.

Last but not least - most people here will tell you that's a 5 year-old computer - why not look for something newer with faster bus speed and newer processor, etc?
 

pigoo3

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Can't really answer the question unless we know how much the upgrade is going to cost. And the number of cores the 4,1 has wasn't mentioned.

- Nick
 

pigoo3

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Thanks for the info.

It looks to me that your Mac Pro 3,1 has 8 cores...and the 4,1 has 4 cores.

The 3.2ghz cpu "upgrade" on a Mac Pro 4,1 wasn't a standard configuration. So if I was purchasing this computer...I was want to know how it was upgraded.

The 3.2ghz quad core cpu was a standard config. on the 2010 5,1 Mac Pro's...and has a Geekbench 3 64-bit score of 9541. Your current Mac Pro 3,1 (2.8ghz 8-core)...has a Geekbench 3 64-bit score of 11214.

So as you can see...if your computing tasks (software you use)...take advantage of all 8-cores...then your current computer is faster. But here's the "rub"...if the apps you use do not take advantage of all 8-cores...then the 2009 4,1 Mac Pro is faster...with the 3.2ghz cpu's (4-cores).

Single core scores (Geekbench 3 64-bit) are:

- Mac Pro 3,1 2.8ghz 8-core = 1650
- Mac Pro 4,1 3.2ghz 4-core = 2407

As you can see...the Mac Pro 4,1 @ 3.2ghz is MUCH faster on a single core basis. Many many apps only take advantage of a couple/few cores (not all cores)...this is why you need to know if the apps you use take advantage of all 8-cores (not many apps do).

Bottom line. The Mac Pro 4,1 is much faster on a core vs. core basis...but is a bit slower on a 4-core (Mac Pro 4,1) versus 8-core (Mac Pro 3,1) basis. So if you DON'T use apps that take advantage of all cores...then the Mac Pro 4,1 is better.

Of course there is the upgrade cost. And in the end...this would depend on how much you can sell the Mac Pro 3,1 for...and how much the Mac Pro 4,1 costs.

Of course #2. If the Mac Pro 4,1 was an 8-core computer...then there would be no discussion necessary. The Mac Pro 4,1 would be MUCH faster than the 8-core Mac Pro 3,1 (no matter how things were measured). Of course the Mac Pro 4,1 would probably be more expensive as well.

HTH,:)

- Nick
 
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And to add to what Nick has said, check out the CPUs used. Note Profiler says at one point 3.19GHz. There was an old 3.19GHz Pentium 4 from about ten years ago. If it is a 3.2 from a 4.1 Mac Pro reasonable deal.
 

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