The 2013 "trash can" Mac Pro in 2026: what it's still good for

What it is

Apple's Late 2013 Mac Pro (model MacPro6,1) is the black cylinder people call the "trash can." It was Apple's top-end workstation: a single tall heatsink in the middle, one big fan on top, and everything else wrapped around it.

Almost nothing inside is standard PC hardware, except the memory. That's what makes it interesting and also what limits it.

macOS: Monterey, and OpenCore after that

The last macOS Apple supports on this Mac is Monterey (12), and Monterey stopped getting security updates in 2024. So on its official software, this is now an unpatched Mac.

The free OpenCore Legacy Patcher (OCLP) changes that. It lets unsupported Intel Macs install newer macOS versions, and the 2013 Mac Pro is on its supported list. I've used it on mine, along with a Time Machine backup to bring my setup over. A few things to know:

• It goes up to macOS Sequoia (15). As of mid-2026, OCLP did not support macOS Tahoe. Don't install Tahoe on a patched Mac.
• Graphics need extra patches on Ventura and newer. OCLP applies them after installing, and you re-apply them after some macOS updates. The app walks you through it.
• It's a community project, not Apple. It works well, but a macOS update can occasionally break something until OCLP catches up. Keep a Time Machine backup and don't rush updates.

Apple has said Tahoe is the last macOS for Intel Macs, so the patched-macOS road for these machines is getting shorter.

Windows on a Mac Pro

Boot Camp supports Windows 10 on this Mac, and it runs well. I've set it up on mine. Windows 10 gets free security updates through October 12, 2027 if you enroll in ESU.

Windows 11 isn't officially supported. The Xeon E5 v2 is well below Microsoft's processor cutoff, and there's no TPM 2.0 chip. You can force it on with the same tricks used on other unsupported PCs, but I'd read the risks of installing Windows 11 on an unsupported PC first.

Linux (Ubuntu and Mint) and Proxmox

This is where a 2013 Mac Pro has the most life left. I've run both Ubuntu and Linux Mint on mine, and installed Proxmox on one of them. Lots of cores, up to 128 GB of ECC memory, and two Ethernet ports make it a capable Linux desktop or a box for virtual machines.

Installing Ubuntu or Linux Mint

1. Back up first. Installing Linux on the internal SSD replaces macOS. If you want to keep macOS, make a Time Machine backup, or install Linux to a separate drive.
2. Write the Ubuntu or Mint installer to a USB stick with balenaEtcher, plug it in, and turn the Mac on while holding the Option key (Alt on a PC keyboard). Pick the EFI Boot icon.
3. If the screen goes black after choosing the installer, restart, highlight the install option at the boot menu, press e, add nomodeset to the end of the line starting with linux, and press F10 to start. That's a temporary graphics workaround for the installer only.
4. Install as usual, with Ethernet plugged in so it can download drivers and updates.

What other owners run into

These come up again and again in Mac Pro owners' Linux write-ups, along with the fixes they use:

• Wi-Fi: the built-in Broadcom BCM4360 card needs Broadcom's proprietary driver. On Mint, open Driver Manager. On Ubuntu, open Additional Drivers. Or just use one of the two Ethernet ports.
• Graphics: the FirePro D300, D500, and D700 are an older AMD generation that Linux runs on the older radeon driver by default. Owners switch to the newer amdgpu driver for better performance by adding radeon.si_support=0 amdgpu.si_support=1 to GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT in /etc/default/grub, then running sudo update-grub and restarting.
• Fans: some owners install mbpfan, a small fan-control tool for Macs, to keep temperatures in check under heavy load.
• Sleep: suspend and wake can be unreliable. For a desktop that stays on or shuts down at night, turning off automatic suspend in the power settings is the simple fix.

Before you change any boot settings, note what you changed. If a setting causes a black screen, you can remove it the same way you added nomodeset above.

Proxmox and servers

The same install approach works for Proxmox, which is Debian underneath.

The catch is storage. There's one internal SSD slot, so extra drives go on Thunderbolt 2 or USB 3.0 enclosures. That works, but it's clunkier than a PC with drive bays. And it uses a lot more power than a small PC doing the same job, which matters for something that runs all day.

Upgrades worth doing

• SSD. The original Apple SSD is small by today's standards. An inexpensive adapter lets you use a standard M.2 NVMe drive instead. To boot from NVMe, the Mac needs a firmware update that comes with installing macOS High Sierra or later, so update it while the original SSD is still in.
• Memory. It uses DDR3 ECC server memory, which is cheap used. Four matching sticks are best.
• Processor. The Xeon is socketed and can be swapped for a higher core count, but it's a deep teardown. Only worth it if you enjoy the project.

Before you pull anything apart, back it up. Time Machine works fine for that.

Heat and GPU problems

The dual AMD graphics cards are this Mac's weak spot. The D500 and D700 especially run hot, and graphics failures are a known problem. Apple ran a repair program for video issues on some of these years ago, and it's long over.

• Keep the vents clear and blow the dust out of the top fan and the central heatsink now and then.
• Artifacts on screen, random crashes under graphics load, or a black screen at startup can mean a failing GPU card.
• If you're buying one, run a graphics stress test before you pay, or buy with returns.

Power use

Apple rates the 2013 Mac Pro at about 43 watts at idle and 205 to 270 watts at full load, depending on the model. In practice, owners often measure 65 to 95 watts at idle with a display and accessories plugged in.

For a desktop you turn off at night, that's fine. Running 24/7 as a server, 70 watts is about $95 a year at Kansas's average rate of 15.7¢/kWh (September 2026). A Lenovo Tiny doing the same job costs about $20.

Should you buy one?

Yes, if you want a cheap, quiet, good-looking machine to tinker with: patched macOS, Linux, or a learning Proxmox box. They're also one of the best-looking computers Apple ever made, which is why mine are on a shelf instead of in the scrap pile.

No, if you want a Mac that just gets updates (a used Apple silicon Mac is the better buy), or a low-power 24/7 server (get a tiny PC).

If you already have one and you're done with it, wipe it before it goes anywhere. Sign out of iCloud, erase the drive from macOS Recovery, and reinstall macOS. My wiping guide covers older Macs.