Work from Home: Mac Pro deal, and what to get with it
Related: backup, computer display, display connectivity, DisplayPort, Mac Pro, memory, telework, Thunderbolt, weather events
Buyer’s guide pages at B&H: Work-from-home overview page | Live streaming from home | Gaming | Home Life
Buyer’s guide pages at OWC: Work from home essentials
Working from home during COVID 19 for now and maybe a lot longer? Want a robust exapandable machine that is whisper quiet, highly expandable (but not portable)?
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OWC: What you Need (and Need to Know) to Work From Home Successfully
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Apple Mac Pro: ultimate robust workstation
See also my Mac wishlist. To avoid throwing away money needlessly on stuff that won’t help you, consult with Lloyd if building a more expensive complex system.
Choose the Mac Pro when you want a robust, quiet, expandable machine that will serve you well for 5+ years. This thing sits on my desk and I hardly notice it, even under load. It’s the ultimate Mac for years to come in terms of memory, storage both internal and external, upgradeable GPU, etc.
The 8-core is the entry level Mac Pro, which is expandable as the other models (well, unless you need 1.5 terabytes of memory!). You'll need a display and will probably want some additional ports and memory. Start with 32GB, and if more is needed, get the memory from OWC as shown below. Get a 1TB SSD, but 2TB or 4TB is desirable over the long term—but you can always add more internally or externally, as shown below. Do NOT upgrade the GPU unless you have very demanding needs; upgrading it is largely a wast of money for most users. I’ve listed the next model up with 12 CPU cores for more demanding users, but that is overkill for many users.
$250 OWC 96GB DDR4 2933 MHz R-DIMM Memory Upgrade Kit (6 x 16GB) OUT OF STOCK in All Other Categories
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$540 OWC 192GB DDR4 2933 MHz R-DIMM Memory Upgrade Kit (6 x 32GB) OUT OF STOCK in All Other Categories
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Connecting a non-Thunderbolt display means you’ll want either the OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock or the OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dual DisplayPort Adapter (for the Mini DisplayPort).
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Additional storage might be needed for large image files, video, etc. At least three backup drives should be used: one always connected for daily or twice-daily backups, and two for off-site storage, safely away from the computer.
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