<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">I wanted to quickly share some recent experience with a serious Mac upgrade - for me, at least - which finally removes some barriers for MacPorts development and testing.<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">But first, some brief history, which folks might enjoy:</div><div class=""><br class=""></div></div><blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="">My first “real" desktop Mac was a 2005 PowerMac G5/2.7 DP - the liquid-cooled beast - purchased new at CompUSA back in 2006. This was their last 2005-era G5, and they were highly-motivated to sell it, so they dropped the price by $250. They also included free AppleCare, essentially adding another $250-ish discount, making it a compelling deal.</div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="">That machine performed well - and also served as a literal space heater, when running at full tilt - and served me well for a few years. It also reduced my heating costs! LOL</div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="">Fast forward to fall of 2008: While running some CPU-intensive processes for an extended period, the machine suddenly powered off with no warning. It was as if I had yanked the power cord from the rear of the machine!</div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="">“Hmmm,” I thought to myself, as I bent down and took a closer look. I removed the side cover, and inspected the inside, but didn’t see anything obvious. Nor was there a scent of burnt-out electronics, which provided some sense of relief. So I pressed the power button, to see what would happen.</div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="">There was a brief sound - perhaps a subtle zap? - followed by a small whiff of smoke expelled from the rear. Since the machine otherwise showed no signs of life - and the smoke was a wee-bit concerning - I immediately pulled the power cord. Then I promptly loaded the machine into my vehicle, and headed to my local Apple store. (Despite living in a smaller city, we thankfully did have an Apple store, which happened to appear just a few months prior. Talk about timing, thank you Apple!)</div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="">Anyhow, I carried my PowerMac into the store, and briefly recapped the situation to the techs. So they proceeded to open the side cover, flashlight in hand, and immediately noticed a problem: There was a small pool of green cooling fluid. They chuckled, and explained that this isn’t uncommon. So then they asked whether I had a need for a PPC-based PowerMac, or whether my situation allowed the use of an Intel-based machine.</div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="">So I replied with, “Well, I love the machine, and it would be great to fix it. But with the caveat that I never considered the Intel route. Why do you ask?”</div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="">The tech then explained that, while they could repair it - and happily would, if that’s what I wanted - it would involve a complete motherboard replacement. (Apparently the PPC CPUs are immediately cooked beyond recognition, when the cooling system fails.) And because of the costs involved, they’d happily provide a shiny-new Intel-based MacPro as a replacement. [Sidebar: Thank Gawd for AppleCare!]</div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="">I was a bit flabbergasted, and completely speechless for 10 seconds: This was my pride-and-joy after all! And never expected it to be so far gone, that a full replacement - and a new Intel-based MacPro at that! - would be an option. So once I regained the ability to speak, I smiled gleefully, and responded with, “Well, it’ll be a bit of a sacrifice... but I think a new MacPro would be acceptable...” (Followed by a not-so-subtle wink! LOL)</div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="">10 minutes later, they loaded the monstrous black box - containing my dream machine, a 2008 MacPro 3,1 dual-quad-core - into my vehicle. (The box was so large, that it was a tight squeeze!)</div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="">I giggled excitedly during the entire 20-minute drive back to my home. But it was still so surreal, that it took a while for it to sink in. “A brand-new, dual-quad-core MacPro?!? Holy crap!!!”</div></div></blockquote><br class=""><div class="">So fast forward to present-day: After plenty of research - and nearly a year of pondering - I finally took the plunge, and ordered a top-of-the-line MacPro 5,1 dual-hex-core, outfitted with the fastest supported CPUs: X5690 Xeons.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">And WOW, what an upgrade! I can finally virtualize Big Sur and Monterey - which I wasn’t able to do before - and run multiple macOS VMs at true native speed. (While Parallels worked remarkably well on my MacPro 3,1, the older CPUs lacked certain key virtualization features - including hardware-assisted IO virtualization, nested page tables, etc - all of which significantly impacted performance.)</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Meanwhile the increase in the physical CPU core count - combined with HyperThreading - certainly speeds up port build times!</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">For anyone interested, I purchased mine from <a href="https://ibuildmacs.com" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">iBuildMacs</a>.
The machine was immaculate inside and out - including the exterior
case, which is free of dings and scratches - and they did an awesome
job! (That includes the shipping box, constructed with beefy double-walled cardboard… along with excellent molded protection for the machine.)</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Anyhow, I’d highly recommend them, based on my experience. And the value is amazing, given the price. (The total was $1,425, plus $75 shipping.)</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Cheers,</div><div class="">-Chris</div></body></html>