The best trash can Mac Pro money can buy 

Do you think the Trash Can has any relevance in 2021? Also, don't worry I'll be covering the new iMac but I have to wait until Friday like everybody else because Apple doesn't acknowledge my existence in any way so I don’t get review units

that spinning trashcan shot with a fading case went under-appreciated.

Everyone : reviews m1 imac Luke : haha trashcan upgrade go brrr

Conspiracy theory: You discouraged others from buying these machines so that prices drop enough to buy two of them. ;-P

This was breath of fresh air, considering that my notifications timeline was packed with identical m1 iMac reviews today.

Luke: Apple, can I have a new iMac to unbox like everyone else Apple: Nope, remember that mean video you made about the 21inch iMac? And you didn't take it down when we told you to? So Nope. Luke: Fine, I'm going to go make another video about a product you wish everyone would forget about

Is it just me who thinks that these Macs are somehow beautiful?😂 I love the design and I don’t know why

I still recommend the trashcan over the M1 for music production especially for people who run a lot of tracks. Got the 12 core with 128gb ram and it performs great with virtual instruments and live recording. I get as many tracks as the last 2020 i9 27" Mac, a lot more than my M1 MacBook Air on the Logic Pro benchmark. I found my Late 2017 trashcan for $700 (D300) with the quad core, already had 128gb ram which is very important if you run sound libraries and upgraded the CPU to the 12-core myself in less than 30min for $80. I love the design too, it has a lot of TB ports and its dead silent, no problem if you record in the same room as the computer. For anything else than music though I'd recommend the M1.

Luke, I bought my "used" 2013 Trash can Mac Pro two months before you bought yours and did your first video. with it. It has 6 Cores, 64 GB of RAM, Dual D500's, and 2 TB Intel SSD storage. I purchased mine from eBay for 2K$. I use my Mac Pro for video editing (personal hobby type editing) and various other graphics projects. I like the many Thunderbolt 2 ports, and I like it that it drives my 34" ultra wide monitor (Thunderbolt to display port) in 3440x1440 resolution. It is small and it keeps things centered around the device so I don't have peripherals strewn all over the place on the desk. It sits on my sit/stand desk and elevates with the desk without issue. I enjoy your videos on the trashcan and can state that I am one fo the Apple Fanboys who I feel am getting my monies' worth out of it. To each his own I suppose... my computing requirements are my own and bound to be different from other people's computer requirements. Also, I wanted to point out that Apple originally stated that the 6.1 Mac Pro could only be fitted with 64 GB of RAM... but like a few of their other models, more memory would function. This is the case for this device as well, but depending on the number of cores that the Mac Pro has, the slower the memory access. If I remember correctly, the core configuration is 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12. I believe that the 4 and 6 core processors allow the memory to be accessed at its fastest setting, while the 8, 10, and 12 cores means that it has to drop down to a slower speed. The analysis that I saw on the web details that if you are using programs that can use large amounts of RAM (like me using Davinci Resolve Studio 17) that loading up on cores and having 128 GB of RAM will still kick ass on these type of applications and will more than compensate for the slower memory access speed. Also, as a person who has several felines helping me work on the Mac Pro, the Trashcan can get clogged with dust/fur/etc. on the bottom. I 3D printed a stand (which is freely downloadable from the internet) which raises the whole Trashcan off the desk. This lets me quickly blow things out with compressed air and keeps the Trashcan cool and running efficiently. Thanks again for your Channel Luke !!!

Personally, I’ve always liked the “Trash Can” design. It makes for a really clean look. Now that M1 & M1x are the direction…why not use a similar chassis for PRO designs? I know, I know… cheese grader look is all the rage. But, I really do love the look. It’s much more interesting than rectangles.

I use a 2013 Mac Pro (mainly for Adobe CC) and over the years it has out-performed many other iMacs in the studio. The stability of this machine is excellent and performs exceptionally well for an old machine and I would hate to lose it. Highly rated if you can get hold of a high spec version. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

Ayy another Luke Miani video! This video reminds me of the videos on your channel when I first found it in 2017

I’m thinking of starting a go fund me for you to get a lightbulb.

i just bought one for 200 dollars 32 gigs of ram d700 and a terabyte with the 8 cores pretty solid imo

Luke Miani disassembling and assembling gadgets in timelapse set to music is the new lo-fi hip hop beats to study to.

Sooo, I have a sentimental connection to my trash can mac. It was the last gift my father gave me before he died. I still use it to edit 4k footage and it works but I want more... I think ill be giving your guy a call!

I bought an eight core trash can when it was first released. It still holds up quite well. I do plan to "retire" it as a main computer, but it is still a solid workhorse.

I work in audio production and still absolutely love my maxed 12 core - I purchased it on day 1 and it still holds up running huge Pro Tools sessions with hundreds of plugins. Also - I can throw it in a backpack and take it on a plane and hook it up in another studio. Never before or since has so much power been so portable!

i bought my trash can mac pro at a pawn shop. for $700 all it needed was mac os reinstalled. they though it was missing the ssd. i love the look of this computer

Recently went for one of these to replace my ageing 2013 i7 Mac mini. The head was saying to wait for a m1x but I've always had my heart on owning one of these at some point. After a bunch of research I settled on the 8 core. The 12 core just seems to sacrifice far too much single threaded performance with it's low boost clocks whereas the 4 and 6 cores have way less cache. So far so good. I landed an 8 core with 64gb of ram, a pair of d500s and much to my collector delight, an original Apple 1tb ssd. Well happy. Hopefully I get a good run out of it before a GPU pops, at least it'll make a beautiful piece of art after it dies =)

I still like this form factor. Granted that with m1 its a completely overkill design, but it still looks clean on a desk. I wouldnt mind another variant of a desktop mac in this body.

They have an attachment that allows you to install 3 NVME drives in it using the one port available. It costs around $600 I was quoted, just for an adapter. Makes it nice to have the main drive for mac os, second drive for windows bootcamp, and the third for exporting videos, cache, etc

I always really liked the trash can Mac! Never owned one, but always loved how unique they are!

I found one of these totally maxed out for $900. Same exact specs as your build. The 2tb storage is a big plus. I know the new M2 Mac mini is out and this system is more on par with an M1 Macbook and M1 Mac Mini. It runs my VM's with ease and have also updated to Ventura with Opencore.

I think I’m going to buy one of these Luke. I just found one for $185 and the 12 core CPU for $24. I believe it has dual D500’s but I will be running a Vega 64 in a Razer Core eGPU enclosure, so the graphics won’t be a problem for me. Thanks for the video!!

The engineers were having a field day with this. This is such an engineering marvel of quiet philosophy and function in the least space possible. The flak it gets is not warrented. Shout out to the engineers at Apple who was responsible for this design. The fan, the connecters, the heatsink design. Everything. Beautiful computer

Recently bought one with D700 GPU, 32gb ram, 512gb SSD, 1650v2 CPU for $650. Excellent exterior condition also.

I love watching videos on the trash can Mac, I can't help it I think they are awesome design that deserves all the second hand love and upgrades they get.

Thanks for this. I just used this video as a guide for renewing the thermal paste on my Mac Pro's GPUs.

Hey Bro, just wanted to say I’ve been subscribed to you for a long time (I want to say almost from your start, but I could be off) but you’ve come a LONG way in terms of video quality. This was one of your most well structured and visually pleasing videos I’ve seen!

I bought mine before the M1 came out, but I love this idea for people that already have an investment in their 6,1. I upgraded mine to 12 core with 64gb of ram and 1tb ssd, but i have the D300's, so i love this idea. Maybe you can do a video focusing on the difference between the D700 and D300?

Bro, why you don't have way more subscribers I'll never know. your videos are way more entertaining than a lot of other tech videos.

Managed to pick up a 12-core with 128GB RAM and a 256 gig SSD with the bottom-end graphics card(s) for $201 on ebay. Ordered an OWC 2TB SSD, so total price is under $400 - going to make a fantastic virtualization/home lab machine.

I have the 4 cores one that I use for development (mainly web development) and honestly it stills holds up pretty well. That said I'm considering the M1X Mac Mini as my next desktop Mac

Few years later, and I got a D700 equipped machine for $325, and the 12 core CPU for $25.

Computer benchmark geeks, i repair/build computers know it all types can eat it. Love the design of this machine and was able to score a 3.5 processor, 32 gb ram, 1tb ssd model as a possible replacement for a mac mini for about 900 and i love it. NO issues. F a cheese grater, too big, too noisy.

watching this now, I currently have an 8 core with 64gb of ram. Looking forward to seeing what you do!

I'm one of those niche users and I know of quite a few like me: I run a recording studio and the Mac Pro Trashcan is still a viable workhorse even in 2021. My system is a Hexcore with 64GB of ram and the D300 graphics and I regularly do 100 - 150 track productions in Logic, Protools, and Ableton. It never has a hiccup. Where it absolutely SUCKS is video and I've had to buy a new updated system just to do video production because its too much for the system to handle (4K especially). I am almost certain I have about 6 more months left in the machine and then I will be looking for a suitable replacement and THEN this will be going in my B room editing suite for much smaller jobs/recording. My only issue - which makes me incredibly nervous - is finding a machine that can 1:1 match the performance EXPERIENCE I've had. A lot of my recording studio friends are going through pains with the M1 macs. I am hoping by the time I can no longer wait to upgrade, they will be on m1x.

Nice video as usual! Keep going this way! I like your work!

Thank you for the insight, very valuable.

Checked local prices (EU) and its still quite pricey around here... I still want to buy one at some point just to cross it of my bucket list. I was fascinated by this incredibly expensive computer back in the day.

you're really good at working on those machines luke ; systematic and methodical and its a hell-of-a-lot-of-work you do. i wouldn't have the patience. lol

These still run every major recording studio in Nashville. They run like butter. The connectivity is a big deal. The mini’s and iMac’s just don’t cut it. It’s like a puzzle you can’t solve, you’re always one port short in the audio world. I made an iMac work for years, it’s fine, but it’s annoying and you bottleneck them quickly. They can’t achieve the latency and struggle when running a 64 buffer. Even with fully maxed specs. Are the iMacs and mini’s fine? Yea, for a consumer or hobbyist. But I just bought one of these maxed out for $1400, and it 100% still serves a whole lot of professional needs better than newer models at a fraction of price. I also own a fully spec’d out M1 Max MacBook Pro. It’s incredible too, but it was $5,000. And there’s not enough ports.

I have had and used the AppleCan since 2013 and have made the most of the upgrades that you did except for the graphics cards. On of the biggest benefits for me is I am running 5) 2560 x1440 Monitors on the D500 Graphics boards along with 10 external NVME sticks on the USB3.0. I am not working anything hard as at this stage I am doing 2D CAD. The screen real estate is a great benefit for my workflow needing Internet access and a dedicated screen for my Filemaker database. Only because I am moving into 3D Design, I am looking for a rational reason to move into a M1 or M2 Mini MacPro when they show up in order to get USB 3.1+/Thunderbolt4. I have had no complaints except for my early OWC 1T ss upgrade which was a problem until I upgraded to OWC 2T SS internal drive. A very serviceable AppleCan for me.

This channel is sick! Intelligent and entertaining, 🖥 keep up the great work buddy! 💻🙏🏽🥰

I'm older than dirt and have alot of apps that are older than some viewers here. What I like about the Trash Can and the Cheese Grater is that I can get lots of cores, lots of storage, and lots of ram for cheap. I get tons of ports as well. Also, I can run OS Safari up to OS Monterey ( open core for 5,1). I absolutely love it.

For digital capture on location this would be incredible. Really enjoyed this video

I just bought a 6-Core, 32GB RAM, D500 trash can for AUD $600 to use as plex media server running windows 11 via bootcamp... lol it's perfect for the job and it should serve me well for the next 5+ years..

Good video Luke. The only reason I would get one of these Mac Pros is the silent operation and those 6 TB ports. Make more comparison videos about this machine if you please.

Got you retro unboxing video in my recommendations few days ago And now i am your regular viewer

I say we buy these cause we can. As you he said, they look cool sitting on your desk. And what a conversation piece for friends. I'd have it set up as a guest Mac & to display as a work of art as they were. A custom acrylic over white w/ RGB effects would be awesome.

Hey, I’m a professional content creator and I created this same build as my main work station! I use it mostly to do After Effects motion graphics, but I also use it to make big complex photoshop composites among other things

Luke, a video on upgrading the SSD would be helpful. The Aura Pro x2 (or any 3rd party) SSD is not recognized by the latest, Big Sur OS and/or Disk Utility. You can’t just simply clone the old drive. - Sorry if I’m late in this comment.

Hi, Luke. I've just subscribed to your channel. You are making pretty interesting content! Thanks! Go on! 👍👌 A little advice, if you don't mind: I've been working as a service engineer for 7 years and I can say for sure - I little dust machine will definitely come in handy! 😃

All of that is really a testament to how far technology has come in eight years. Back in 2014 that machine would have been an absolute BEAST!!!!

I honestly don’t know how you’re able to buy these for the amounts you do, I have been searching for a d700 trash can for literally months and they are never under 2k

Still use my 8 core w D700 and Vega frontier eGPU - can run older software (Aperture *cough*) and just love the design and quietness of the machine. I happen to use software that does take advantage of all GPUs for OpenCL so this machine was and still is great value to me. Of course in 2-3y I'll go to AS Mac but man, this really is a beauty

I hope they put an Mx processor inside and sell it as mac mini pro or something like that. I love this design.

I got one of these (this week- March 2022) that was already partially upgraded and It cost me only $600. It was a great upgrade for me as I have always wanted one. I am still saving for a Mac Studio but this will be a great stepping stone until I get that Mac in a few months. Besides, the 10 Core processor and 32 GB RAM runs much faster than my 2012 iMac with 4 core i5 and a measly 8GB RAM. I did upgrade my iMac about 14 months ago to a 1TB SSD, but decided not to go through the hassle of upgrading the RAM an additional 8 GB. The Mac Pro has the D300 graphics which is slow, but all in all, it's an upgrade to the iMac. Sure, the graphics aren't as peppy rending FCPX like my iMac Pro at work, but at least my Adobe Applications are zippy at home now. When we get to around July, I can get my Mac Studio and still have this pretty Mac Pro to mess around with or sell to someone who wants a pretty desk piece- which is why I may keep it anyway.

"Those graphic's cards alone are expensive, like $1500." Me: *Crying in 2080ti money*

Hi Luke, I enjoy your posts here, very informative and helpful. I have a problem I've been struggling with involving legacy apple hardware and software. I am a documentary filmmaker and have been using Apple's FCP7 suite along with Aperture 3 on MacOS 10.11.6 to the present. I have not updated my system software to insure that my FCP and Aperture libraries which are extensive, stay intact. I've wanted to update everything but have not been able to afford to do so. I will upgrade this coming year, but I still need to access my old projects, many still in progress. So I was looking for a capable mac that I could clone my existing system to, and the newer macs won't run legacy software. Is there a way, or a place that could install the legacy software from scratch for a clean system install and software updates just to the point of my current set up? Then I'd just make sure it didn't get on the internet or stuff like that, it would be strictly an old edit bay and photo library. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Now, if you are using 5,1 Mac Pro as a Plex media server for 1080 and 4K movies/tv shows but want to upgrade to something newer that doesn’t need to be “hacked” to run newer macOS. Would you choose this or a Mac mini? Thanks for the great video. The translucent Mac Pro cose overlay at 2:14 was a nice touch 🤠

How would you compare your trash can build to 2019 iMac 27 with i9, standard graphics, 48 GB RAM and 1 TB NVMe? Thanks for the great videos!

Oh man, I love my 7,1 but i wished i have a 6,1 for my home office

That was a great video bro bro!!!

Working on a trash can MacPro for years now. They run extremely stable 24/7. Really like the form factor and design. And god are they quite. The price of the new MacPro is absolutely ridiculous. I guess we will replace our trash can park in about 2 years. Lets hope Apple has a new M3/4/6 MacPro ready then.

Great video mate!

So I just bought a 2013 Trash Can a couple weeks ago with 4 core cpu 256gb ssd 32gb ram (2 slots) with the d300 cards for $600. I upgraded the ssd right off to a 2tb (with help from the $7 adapter), I am looking for the 12 core CPU next and at some point I will save enough money to start looking for the d700 cards. Comparing this TC as it sits now to my 27 inch iMac?, I am happy as a pig in slop with it. I cant believe just how quick (for what I do with it) it is, how quiet it is and just how cool it is.

I worked at a studio where we had one of these (just one) it was reasonably spec'd out and sometimes when that guy was on vacation, he would let me use his office. I worked on an iMac, and honestly, I hardly noticed a difference. They weren't great even when they came out.

I just got one and I LOVE it! :D

very interesting. we just baught a base model ( like new ) for our studio to use some old programs . It was cheaper to use the Adobe Suite 3 ( that we own ) under system10.9.5 on this machine, than to take a new version for our MAC Pro 7.1. There is also the possibility use MPEG-Streamclip on this machine and sometimes iDVD . And it looks great on the desk with a 27 inch Cinema Display plus very quiet

Hey it is now 1 year on and you can now buy this Mac Pro 2013 for around £670. This comes with the 12 core Xeon, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD and Dual D500s. This definitely changes the perceived value.

The design is just so nice

Love your videos man. i picked up a 2011 MacBook pro had that kernal error with the video card and went to a repair shop they diabled the nvidia gpu and now I'm running off the cpu i feel like the life on this thing is running out not sure if I should wait for the new ones to come out . it gets tough making music when the cpu starts acting up lol thanks for all your descriptive videos .

Just a tip when you're installing anything to do with die's make sure u apply even pressure when installing the cooler. So put every screw in and tighten them evenly. They chip pretty easily. Also you add way too much thermal paste lol

Been watching your videos for years now. Production value go brrr!

Great video Luke. I think, from my perspective as an architect, that your macpro setup is quite great and good investment if you do Archiviz, because of 128GB Ram and 12c Xeon.... its enough fast for daily work and i think its better investment. But for daily work when you need only 16GB of ram, than iMac M1 is nice machine too :) :) :)

Hi, great video. I was thinking to upgrade my 16gb to 32gb ram, any recommend modal or brand?

Luke, which used 2013 trash can Mac Pro is advisable to purchase? What should it already have? Looking at 12 core machines out there now and they look pretty reasonably priced. I have a late 2009 mac pro that is pretty souped up now but for the video editing, its a little slower than expected even with the upgraded radeon rx580 8gb video card.

I bought a MacPro 2013, 12 core, 64Gb ram and 1Tb SSD this winter (With the much cooler running D300 cards). Together with the Apple 27" Thunderbolt Display. Here in Sweden I payed like 800€ for the whole package, and I must say, it's still a joy to work with. My MacBook Pro (M1 Pro) is sure a bit faster but I don't notice a big difference at all. I work as a photographer so I use Photoshop all the time, but still, no big difference at all. BUT, that for less than half the price you payed, so maybe not comparable (and not the same graphics). Anyway, love it. :-)

I bought a D700 model for $200 which came with the 6 core cpu. I upgraded 256gb to 2tb nvme ssd. I upgraded to 12 cores and 128gb ram. Using Monterey and very happy because the whole thing cost me less than $400

nice touch with the clear cover :))

I'm not an expert but I think, by putting 128 GB of RAM You actually make this machine slower, because the bus frequency drops. So this Mac performance should be better with 64 GB of RAM.

After watching this, I could honestly see this design coming back in to relevance and I wouldn’t mind an Apple silicon trash can

Good use case for this: Home music recording studio where: 1) You need silent operation since you don't have a separate mic room and record by your computer 2) You want a mac and thunderbolt for your software / peripherals 3) You can't afford a mac pro 7,1 4) a 5,1 won't work because you want to run Mac OS 11, and also the 5,1 is not silent 5) An iMac doesn't have enough horsepower or connectivity to do what you need This is my dad's use case. He is selling his 27 inch imac and buying my trash can off me.

So 8 years after this launched and barely changed before being discontinued, are Apples pro apps now taking good advantage of multi GPU? Partially seems like a problem of an idea too early before the software was there.

I was interested I doing this but held out for the 2031 14 inch base model MacBook Pro laptop. I bought an M1 Mac mini earlier this year. I upgraded the memory and storage on it since it is my primary desktop now.

My 6.1 (yes, I'm trying to church it up, but we all know it's a trashcan) has been my primary workhorse since 2015. It's the 6 core 3.5Ghz, with D500s, 1Gb ssd running 4x 32" UHD monitors, a 24" Wacom and a 40" display via cdmi. I waited after the release of the MP19 until I could afford one, about that time the M1 was announced. Now I'm waffling again. I'm going to limp along with this until the end of the year and upgrade to whatever seems fit at the time. This thing has been making me about $100k a year since I got it so I can't really complain about it's performance, though ti do wish it was more... everything! I have upgraded the ram to 128, but seriously considering replacing the HD... I'd like to upgrade the D500 graphics cards I've got, because a fair amount of my work is animation and 3d, I don't think the cost justifies the effort. Still relevant? Hell yes it is for me and any pro can make a living with one... but there will be times that you just shake your head and ask why did Apple abandon me.

I've always wanted to like this Mac Pro. Heck, Phil Schiller introduction of it at WWDC alone is reason enough to love it! But it's intel and that says 'terribly old-fashioned' to me anymore. Graphics cards and thermal paste… I bought a premium thermal paste because someone on here convinced me it could improve the performance of the i9 Mac mini I was looking at at the time (kinda feels like trying to get extra horsepower by adding racing stripes and flame decals). Fortunately Apple Silicon was announced and I could look forward to a much cooler mini. I do look forward to your comparison of this SuperMax Mac Pro and a maxed out M1 iMac. Whenever they finally bring out the successors to the M1, they're gonna just leave EVERYTHING in the dust.

Great video - thank you

Luke, what do you think is the best bang for buck Mac for music production? Solid pricing meets somewhat future proof?

I’d be interested in seeing this one compared to a fully upgraded 5,1 in your next comparison chart.

Outstanding video.

I love it every time he says “trashcan mac”

If you wanted dual SSD's, could you install two of the D700 graphics cards that have the SSD slot?

i kinda wanna get a 2013 mac pro just because of how good it looks, but also decent specs i guess

I'm interested in the wall tiles. What are they made of ? where did you purchase them.

As an audio engineer, I wish you or any Mac youtuber would do some audio processing benchmarks instead of just graphics. Any chance you’d be able to incorporate something like that into future videos?

It would be nice to know/ test if you can daisy chain 3 of theses using mini dp for network and try to run a proxmox cluster.

Awesome episode.. keep it up