I haven't posted on this forum for many weeks now. This is unusual for me, since this is my favorite place on the internet. I had considered staying quiet about this, because it's both demoralizing and embarrassing to talk about. However, assuming that anyone is still reading these posts, I wanted to share my cautionary story, one which should have this thread renamed "The Tale of Colstan's Folly". I'll try to not repeat too much of what I've already said.
My previous computer was a 2018 Mac mini that I purchased to replace a 2011 model. I got the base model, i3/8GB RAM/128GB SSD, because the rumors of the Arm transition were strong back in 2018, and this was going to be a "stopgap" until the Apple Silicon models were released. The software transition to the M-series took longer than I expected, particularly with Arm native games, so I instead upgraded the RAM to 64GB and added a BlackMagic RX 580 eGPU to the mix, along with a 21.5-inch LG UltraFine for the full "Retina" experience. In the past, I avoided auctions and used parts, but since this was a stopgap computer, I got all of this tech off of Ebay. I think I saved about $900 in the process.
Fast-forward to a month ago, I got a Mac Pro off of Ebay for $2,000 in U.S. currency, one which costs nearly $10,000 new on Apple's website. The only weak point was the graphics card, so I tried out a series of options. I started with a Sonnet 6800XT from Amazon, but it was too loud. I then tried a 6600X from Apple, but it wasn't powerful enough. I finally found a Gigabyte 6900XT, one of the few that will fit inside the Mac Pro case, as an open box from Newegg. So, there was a lot of churn on my credit card as a result of this.
This is the point where I went silent on this forum, because I had a big mess to clean up. I put the 6900XT inside of the Mac Pro and booted up. The computer "struggled" for a lack of a better word. I got random graphical glitches, reboots, weird problems like being unable to adjust the volume and display brightness, the screen going blank, and various other odd occurrences. Then, the Mac Pro got stuck in a boot loop, where it would power on, show the Apple logo, shut itself off, and then repeat this process ad infinitum. At first, I assumed this was a compatibility issue with the Gigabyte card, because it wasn't designed to work with the Mac Pro. This was strange, because other users had no problem running them inside their Mac Pro.
Then I put the 580X back inside the Mac Pro...and the boot loop continued. This was the "oh shit" moment, when I realized this was serious. I spent a lot of time diagnosing the problem, and this was clearly a major hardware failure. I wasn't even able to load Apple's low-level diagnostic program, nor could I use Internet Recovery. In fact, I got an error code that I could find no record of, including Apple's boot code list and those from unofficial third-parties.
While I don't have access to Apple's service tools, I'm 99% certain that something was faulty with the motherboard, which is the worst thing it could be. From what I gather, the T2 was functioning, but any handoff to the x86 side was failing. I suppose that's another reason not to have a dual-architecture, and those who think that Apple will release an M(x)/x86 device are living on another planet. Regardless, this wasn't like a faulty RAM chip or something else that could be easily fixed.
By the time this had happened the clock was running out. Fortunately, I purchased this from a store on Ebay which is part of the 30-day money back guarantee, covering faulty merchandise, which this certainly was. If I had the time then perhaps I would have taken it to an Apple authorized service center to have it analyzed, which in my area would be Best Buy, but time was not on my side. The failure happened exactly 30 days after the auction ended, and 25 days after I received the product. The clock starts when the package is delivered, hence I had 5 days left to make a decision.
If my hunch was correct that it was a dead motherboard, then that would be very expensive to replace, perhaps more than the $2,000 that I spent on it. I bought this Mac Pro because it was the last of the Mac/PC hybrids, and therefore I could use it as my daily driver, while switching over to Windows to play an occasional PC game. Putting more funds into it, for this task, wasn't worth it. Perhaps I could have sold it for more than $2,000 broken, or replace the offending motherboard, and still sell it for a profit. Those hypotheticals weren't worth considering, since I only had five days left, so I went ahead and filed for a return through Ebay.
Here's where I'm hoping other folks can learn from my mistakes. First, Amazon delayed the return process for the 6800XT to 30 days. They are doing this to push people to be regular customers of Prime. If you aren't a Prime subscriber with a long history of purchases, they will intentionally delay refunds over $300, particularly expensive electronics. It took them over three weeks to issue my refund, and it was entirely an artificial delay rooted in executive business decisions. This policy seems to have coincided with Bezos leaving and concentrating on Blue Origin. I guess making space ships is more fun than running an over-glorified dollar store.
The 6600X went back to Apple, 14-day return policy, no questions asked, and this was smooth as could be, as expected. Despite taking a reputation hit recently, Newegg took back the 6900XT without any fuss. The Ebay store refunded me entirely for the Mac Pro within two days of receiving it. The only hit I took from a direct return was on the adapter cables for the Mac Pro's proprietary power connectors which I got from B&H, and they deducted about $10 for return shipping. The Mac Pro, once back inside the shipping box, weighed 60 pounds (about 27 kilograms), and I didn't have an easy way to get it to a shipping facility, so I had UPS pick it up from my front porch for another $15.
Because of Amazon dragging its feet, I had about $4,300 in charges sitting on my credit card. Shockingly, after all five of the returns were processed, I only ended up losing $25 on the transactions, entirely on return shipping costs. As much of a disaster as this was, it could have been a lot worse, and I'm relieved to get almost all of my money back.
So, this seemed to be the end of my quixotic quest, tilting at Mac Pro shaped windmills. However, that was not the end, and there's another reason that I have been absent from this forum. That was getting my old computer back. I had given my Mac mini, eGPU, and keyboard to my nephew. I was concerned that I would have to buy him a gaming PC, because I didn't want to disappoint a 10-year old, but he was actually fine with going back to his old Dell PC. He only uses it for Roblox, and liked that it had a microphone port, whereas the Mac mini doesn't. So, not only did I get my old Mac back, but he preferred the functionality of the PC he was using. I dodged that bullet.
Still, this lead to my final mistake, and that was giving my old computer away before I was sure the new one was working as intended. My sister likes to use scented candles, for reasons I do not understand. The heated wax gets everywhere and the oils stick to everything. You can probably see where this is going. I'm allergic to the scents inside of those candles. I have to use unscented detergent for my clothing, etc. My Mac mini was only at my sister's place for three weeks, but that was enough time to embed those oils into my computer stuff. So, I've been airing out the olfactory offensive parts outside, hoping that porch pirates don't steal anything. If you are familiar with the construction of the Mac mini, the large plastic cap on the bottom is held onto the case through tension. The cold temperatures warped the plastic and it lost that tension, thus the bottom falls off. I thought the damage was permanent, but after running the Mac mini for a couple of hours and letting it warm up the plastic, it went through spontaneous recombination.
The offending odors are slowly reducing, and my hands are no longer turning red from exposure to the candle oils, but I'm still airing things out when I'm not using them. When not in use, I'm keeping the Mac mini sealed inside a plastic box, with three open bowls of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), while keeping the eGPU and keyboard on the front porch. This is slowly reducing the scents, but it's hard to juggle being productive, while having enough downtime to get the stink off.
So, in summation, if you aren't a long time subscriber to Amazon Prime, don't purchase expensive electronics that you may have to return. If you are gifting your computer to someone else, be certain that you don't need it after you do. Most of all, buyer beware on used electronics through Ebay. I've saved hundreds of dollars while trying to keep my Mac mini going until the switch to the M-series is complete. However, I avoided near disaster with this Mac Pro venture.
My conclusion is that I didn't purchase a Mac Pro, but actually multiple Mac Pros. When I opened the case up, I noticed that some parts had greasy fingerprints on them, other parts had a layer of dust, while some parts looked brand new. I think this Mac Pro was cobbled together from multiple computers. I like to say that my Mac mini is composed of sticks and bubble gum, but this Mac Pro was entirely held together with spit, prayers, and misplaced hope. I think the Mac Pro was going to fail no matter what; the 6900XT was simply what pushed it over the edge. AMD recommends a 850w power supply, so the 1.4kw inside the Mac Pro shouldn't have had an issue, but this graphics card was enough for it to go daisies up. If you've ever owned a Mac desktop, particularly one without a screen, then you know that they don't just fail after three weeks of ownership. Apple builds them like battle axes, so I think this Mac Pro had a hard life before it found its way to my doorstep. I guess they are going to patch it up and pawn it off on the next person to bid on it. Hopefully, nobody on this forum will be that person.
I thought I got lucky with this Mac Pro purchase. I caught the leprechaun, but he cursed me for stealing his pot of gold. I rode the unicorn, but fell off as she galloped away. I answered the sphinx's riddle, but it was a trick question. I beat the basilisk, but he turned me to stone. I met Medusa, and she did the same. Use whatever mythological metaphor you wish, but I gambled and lost. Fortunately, I was able to get everything refunded, just under the wire, and had to eat a negligible $25 in the process. I didn't get trapped in a sunk cost fallacy, I quickly cut my losses, didn't escalate my commitment, and don't regret pulling the plug when I realized there was a substantial problem.
Other than the mistakes I mentioned above, I also found that upgrading a computer is something that younger me enjoyed, but not now. I haven't built a PC since I switched to the Mac in 2005. Since then, I've owned four Mac minis and upgraded them as much as possible. I was trying the same with the Mac Pro. I no longer enjoy the process of doing upgrades and found it to be a tedious process. Thus, I've ruled out building a side PC, a handful of Windows-only games aren't worth the trouble or cost involved. Plus, I believe
@Cmaier when he says that Apple is planning to make a strong push into gaming. So, in a roundabout way, I may have saved money and time because I realize I no longer have any passion for building computers. I'm fully behind Apple's new integrated approach, because there are considerable advantages to Apple's design philosophy.
Many of the reasons for Apple's switch to Apple Silicon were obvious with the Mac Pro. With the 6900XT inside, it had no less than seven fans running at the same time. When taxed, it became a space heater, and a noisy beast. I mentioned earlier in this thread that I have a hearing condition that results in loud sounds causing physical pain. I had to use programs such as Macs Fan Control and MSI Afterburner to control the aggressive fan curves. With the M-series, you can have a computer that is cool, quiet, and light-weight. With an x86 PC, you can have maybe two of those, but not all three. I'm never again getting a hot, loud, heavy tower computer, no matter how pretty they are.
Also, I found the performance of the Mac Pro to be underwhelming, most of the time. The Xeon inside of it had the same single-core performance as the lowly Core i3 inside my Mac mini, because they used the same basic architecture on the aging 14nm+++++++ process that Intel was stuck on for an eternity. It makes me appreciate the work that Apple's engineers have put into making Apple Silicon performant yet energy efficient.
My philosophy has always been to use your current computer for long as possible, replace it with the best you can reasonably afford, and then enjoy the hell out of it. I'm going to get as much out of my old 2018 Mac mini as possible, and then replace it with an M-series Mac. This Mac mini will be the last x86 computer that I own, and after the tribulations I just went through, I'll gladly take Apple's vertical integration strategy over anything from the PC guys. The journey was unpleasant, but I recovered mostly unscathed, and am looking forward to my Apple Silicon future. Because all of my tech will age out around the same time, I plan on "starting from scratch", with a clean slate and everything brand new. I'll also be purchasing directly from Apple, whenever possible, since they easily have the best service among the retailers that I dealt with.
For anyone who has read this entire message, then I thank you for sticking with me throughout this ordeal. I had considered staying silent about my embarrassing situation, but if just one person benefits from my folly, then it was worth sharing. I won't be mentioning this over at the other place, because the usual suspects will jump on it immediately, but everybody here has been kind to me, so I'm thankful for everyone who has given me feedback during this process. I appreciate it, very much so.
(that's what would rachet up my anxiety is a $2K purchase that could cost me more than the original price or not be worth anything in a few weeks - which is why the most "used" I'll go is an Apple refurb)
