Is it worth it to buy a 2019 Mac Pro in 2024?

Those old machines have some advantages for niche applications.

• They can take enormous amounts of RAM, which might be a requirement for certain narrow scientific application niches. (Though if you're one of the people who needs this, you probably already know it.)
• They can take beefy add-on PCIe graphics cards and MPX graphics module – unlike the ones that preceded and followed them. The 2013 "trash can" Mac Pros had twin GPUs, but did not have the space or cooling to accept a single really beefy one. The M2 Ultra Mac Pros do not support add-on graphics cards.
• They can run Intel versions of Windows, dual-boot or in virtual machines.

On the other hand, they are bulky, and consume large amounts of power. They don't have Apple Silicon processors, and for all we know, Sequoia is the last version of macOS they will ever get.

That is a terrible choice for lightweight uses like that.

That machine is capable of airframe stress analysis, weather forecasting, or extreme video editing. It is HUGE to use for college, weighs about 42 pounds, is not silent, and dims the lights when it powers up.

A recent MacBook Air can run circles around it for your stated uses for far less money, provide you up the default RAM above 8 GB.

What do you have now...?

What App's are you running...?

What type of work are you doing...?

My advise, is to buy new from Apple instead of buying someone else's problem off E-Bay.

see > Mac - Which Mac is best for me? - Apple

FWIW an upgraded M2 or M2 Pro Mac mini is more than adequate for most user's.

see > Buy Mac mini - Apple

FWIW 2 if you need a stronger machine, then the Mac Studio is the way to go.

see > Buy Mac Studio - Apple

HiyaThereLovely wrote:

Just basic college apps and PowerPoint and also late night movies

You do not need that machine to do that.

If you are going to school, then the MacBook Air that Grant suggested or MacBook Pro is the way to go.

If you are taking on-line courses from home or want a desktop, then a Mac Mini is all that you need.

I did not say it was noisy... I said "Not silent". If you press it, it heats up, and when it does, the fans ramp up.

it is far quieter than a comparable Windows Server-class machine. Apple has done everything they can to get it quiet enough to not be horrendous in an office environment. But it is not silent.

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if that machine "fell on you" for next to nothing, I would say take, use it. Paying that much for machine that does not correspond with your needs makes no sense.

Will you also need a laptop to take notes in class? At 42 lbs and no battery, you will not be moving that big boy around. so no working at a cafe with collaborators.

"Nothing is more expensive than things you do not need."

What do you expect to do with that power-guzzling beast?

Thing is, when I see the usage intended for the machine and compare it with the hardware, I think that's like buying an 18-Wheeler to drive to school. Ever hear of overkill?