Hello,
I have owned an 8-core 3 GHz Mac Pro 6,1 since early 2023, and it worked well until about three days after the return period expired. I began encountering recurring issues like freezing and video corruption. After shipping it back to OWC under warranty, they claimed to have adjusted something called ‘the watchdog.’
Despite this fix, I faced more problems. Over the following months, I would put the screen to sleep and leave the Mac Pro idle overnight. From my experience, I’ve learned that letting computers sleep can lead to issues.
I often found that the keyboard and mouse would become unresponsive each morning, while the rest of the system appeared to function normally. This was frustrating, especially since it sometimes occurred during intensive development work. I suspected that my USB hub might be the culprit, but the problem persisted even when I connected directly.
Feeling increasingly frustrated, I considered selling the Mac Pro, but the offers were disappointing. Eventually, I disassembled it with the intention of selling it for parts. However, after a major illness and some recovery time, I reassembled the Mac Pro because I needed a machine for software testing that was more up-to-date than my 2012 Mini.
Thanks to some guides from iFixit, it booted up successfully, though the keyboard and mouse issue returned. Financially, I’m unable to buy a new machine at the moment. I’m saving for an M4 Mini with 32 GB RAM and a 1 TB SSD, but progress is slow.
Iād prefer not to use my 2012 Mini as it runs Catalina and cannot be upgraded further. The 2013 Mac Pro still supports Monterey, allowing me to use essential software for my work. I’ve tried several remedies:
– Removing unnecessary USB devices, leaving only my keyboard and mouse connected,
– Using pmset commands in Terminal to disable background sleep functions, which slightly improved the situation,
– Searching for affordable Thunderbolt 2 to USB docks but found prices too high,
– Pairing a Bluetooth keyboard so that I can shut down properly if the USB fails.
Has anyone else experienced similar issues with the 2013 Mac Pro? If so, were there any strategies that helped mitigate the USB problem? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Leave a Reply