Questions about Mac Pro Late 2013 Trash Can.

[SergeyB]

I plan to purchase Mac Pro Late 2013 Trash Can and upgrade it by myself.

• I’ll install 2 Tb SSD. What is the name of SSD adapter, from proprietary to the NVME M.2? Is it for sale on eBay or AliExpress?
• Do I need an Apple keyboard to reinstall macOS to press Command-R? Is there some lifehack to do it without an Apple keyboard?
• I have read about plastic spring in Mac Pro, which can be damaged during CPU upgrade. Could you tell, where is this plastic spring? So, I will be careful with it.

 

[Raz0rEdge]

While upgradable, that machine is totally outdated by today's Mac standards. It also cannot run any recent version of macOS and it'll be harder and harder to find apps that run on that machine.

It's one thing to get an already upgraded machine of your liking for really cheap to use, but buying it and spending more money to upgrade isn't a wise investment.

Take a look at the newer Macs and stick with that.

 

[SergeyB]

I plan to use Mac Pro for running: Nginx, Python, Django, PostgreSQL, Celery and Postfix, so macOS 12 Monterey suits me.
Upgrade parts for this Mac don’t cost much.

I have started this topic, because I hope, someone will answer my questions about SSD adapters, Apple keyboard and plastic spring.

 

[pigoo3]

Here's a detailed post I made a few months ago regarding a 2013 Mac Pro I purchased.

2013 Mac Pro Purchase & Experiences

So call me crazy...but a couple months ago I purchased a used 2013 Mac Pro via eBay. Pretty much no one out there has anything positive to say about 2013 Mac Pro's ("Trash Can", no video card upgrades, over-priced, etc). Fortunately...2013 Mac Pro RAM and internal SSD storage are...

www.mac-forums.com

I did mention the spring-loaded plastic retainers for the CPU...and mentioned how it would probably be a good idea to purchase some of these ahead of time if you wanted to upgrade the CPU...and/or replace the CPU thermal paste.

I agree with Raz0rEdge...try not to spend too much purchasing a used 2013 Mac Pro...and upgrades.

If you spend too much...you might as well purchase a used M1 Mac Mini...which would be WAYYYY more powerful...able to run much newer versions of the macOS...and cost in the $350-$400 range (in the United States).

Good luck,

Nick