Thread

I’m just wondering what everyone’s thoughts are on the new Mac Pro’s?  I’ve been thinking of getting one, but there seems to be some debate on whether the improvements are worth the price.

http://www.macrumors.com/
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2009/03/03consumer.html

My thoughts on any computer upgrades are :

“Do you need it?”

I don’t ever purchase a computer because it has been upgraded or is brand new or anything like that. Whenever I purchase I always go for the most I can afford at the time and get something that is going to hopefully last me quite a few years. It would be great to be able to keep on upgrading every time something new comes out but the reality is that backing up and copying everything across, whilst simple nowadays, is still something that I like to keep to a bare minimum. Then comes the fact that you need to sell your old computer. I’m one of those that absolutely hates doing that unless I can find someone I know is going to look after the computer. Apple computers are a bit like pets to me (shush don’t let our cats hear me say that 😉 ) in that I want them to have a great home if ever I do sell them off. To that end I actually have only ever once let a computer go but that went to a family member and I still get to see it now and then and it is in great shape 😊

Anyway as to the updates if you already have one of the models just before they upgraded them then I personally wouldn’t bother. It could be (I don’t know this for a fact but it might be true) that all they have done is taken off some sort of speed limit on the older computers just to get more out of them and thus bring out a faster line in the interim whilst they are making brand new models of everything. That’s just me speculating though.

Best wishes,

Mark

Thanks for the reply Mark!

I actually have a 5 year old Dell Computer, that I have a felling is on the outs.  I’ve been wanting to switch to a Mac for the last year or so primarily so I could use Final Cut.  About 90% of my files are backed up on an external hard drive so that shouldn’t be an issue.

I had heard rumblings that they were coming out with a new Mac Pro for the past 6 months, so I’ve been waiting for the upgrade, figuring it would have better specs at a lower price and it would perform better with new software into the future.  I’ve seen some message board posts saying that while the new Nehalem processor is much faster, they don’t think the price justifies it.  Some people have been recommending trying to pick up one of the older Mac Pro’s at a reduced price.  I don’t know much on the hardware side so I’m just looking for an opinion outside of the Apple fan boys.

If you’re doing heavy duty video editing, get a Mac Pro with as much power and ram as you can afford.  There is never enough if you’re doing a lot of editing, rendering and encoding.  This is doubly true if you’re doing HD content at 720p, 1080i, etc…

If, however, you aren’t doing a lot of video editing other than hobby work and/or web videos, I’d highly recommend not going the Mac Pro route.  It’s huge, hot and somewhat noisy.  For lighter duty video, the iMac work fine.  Hell, even the Mac Mini is pretty capable.

Having said that, if the Mac Pro is what you really want and need, go for the newer one.  I would advise you to keep in mind the resell value.  Macs hold their value proportionately to their generation.

If, however, you aren’t doing a lot of video editing other than hobby work and/or web videos, I’d highly recommend not going the Mac Pro route.  It’s huge, hot and somewhat noisy.

And don’t forget that there’s a ginormous difference in power consumption as well - depending on your peripherals, almost 10x as much.  When I switched from a Mac Pro to an iMac, my monthly electric bill dropped noticeably.  The new ones are Energy Star 5 compliant, so they probably do a better job than my older tower did, but the iMac is an energy sipper.

“Do you need it?”

Why should that matter? It’s Apple. It’s a MacPro. It’s new. It’s shiny.

😉

I’ve been putting off a new purchase for awhile so I’m ready. I did notice that I could buy a MacBook, Mac mini, and a high end iMac for the same money as a MacPro and LED display.

Sigh.

I don’t ever purchase a computer because it has been upgraded or is brand new or anything like that.

I know there have been some new product gotchas from Apple in the past, particularly the first generation of Intel Macs. My experience has been about the same, whether buying the latest and greatest, or buying at the end of a product cycle.

In fact, I bought one of the first 17-inch PowerBooks back in 2003 and it ran almost flawlessly for almost six years (one hard drive died).

Whenever I purchase I always go for the most I can afford at the time and get something that is going to hopefully last me quite a few years. It would be great to be able to keep on upgrading every time something new comes out but the reality is that backing up and copying everything across, whilst simple nowadays, is still something that I like to keep to a bare minimum.

Yep, I go for max hard drive, max RAM. But copying files over has been a breeze since SuperDuper!. In a couple of hours (500 gigs of files and apps) it’s all ready to go.

Then comes the fact that you need to sell your old computer. I’m one of those that absolutely hates doing that unless I can find someone I know is going to look after the computer. Apple computers are a bit like pets to me (shush don’t let our cats hear me say that 😉 ) in that I want them to have a great home if ever I do sell them off. To that end I actually have only ever once let a computer go but that went to a family member and I still get to see it now and then and it is in great shape.

From experience, selling Macs is easy, even old ones. Two words: Craigs List. And I never sell to relatives.

Anyway as to the updates if you already have one of the models just before they upgraded them then I personally wouldn’t bother.

Apple does a wonderful product migration and pricing dance. Starting at the low end of every major product it’s just a few dollars more for the next one up the line (certainly for Macs and iPods). I doubt if there’s much in the Mac mini or iMac that makes them notably faster. The octo-core MacPro looks like a screamer. Interest rates are low right now, so that second mortgage might be what I need.

For lighter duty video, the iMac work fine.

Agree wholeheartedly. I’ve been running Final Cut and Aftereffects on my trusty 24” iMac for over a year. With 4GB RAM, it blazes along just fine.

On the new Macs—what’s up with getting rid of the numeric keypad? I know you can still get one as a “free upgrade,” but I’m puzzled as to why Apple would make the numeric keypad-less keyboard the new standard.

For things like accounting, spreadsheets, and database work, I find using my numeric keypad-less Powerbook G4 annoyingly tedious. Glad I got my iMac with a full keyboard before Apple phases them out. Guess we outta just use PCs for that “number crunching” stuff that Justin Long finds uncool?  :lol:

On the new Macs—what’s up with getting rid of the numeric keypad? I know you can still get one as a “free upgrade,” but I’m puzzled as to why Apple would make the numeric keypad-less keyboard the new standard.

I’ve been using the wireless version for over a month and love the compactness.  I admit, I don’t do the accounting around here, so I don’t miss the numeric keypad at all.

Every time I use a keyboard without a number pad, I hit my hand on the desk when I go to type in a zip code or phone number when buying something online or adding a contact to my address book.  I too demand them.

I have to agree, unless you are doing high end video editing each day you would likely get better value from getting a new iMac (or a new Mac Mini if you already have a nice monitor) and a new Macbook, max ram on both.  Get desktop and portable use for the same cost 😊

While I have a few Mac Mini/Intel versions of older varieties for things like my home theater, and small workstations, I will be ordering the new Mac Mini to replace the dual G5/1.8ghz tower I still keep at my desk in the office.  With the ability to put 4 gigs of ram in it, the same video card as my new Macbook has, as there nothing I have found I do on a daily basis that does not scream on my new unibody Macbook, the new Mac Mini will work wonders too.

I used to have one Mac for video (Mac Pro), one Mac for everyday use (iMac) and then a MacBook Pro for portability.  I finally had enough of the madness and sold all of them in exchange for this setup (MBP version).  Now, I have everything I need without the headache of multiple systems.  I can’t express how satisfying it is to plug it into the beautiful display from 8-5 and have a desktop experience and then grab it and go for evenings on the couch or bed.  It’s wonderful!

I have to agree, unless you are doing high end video editing each day you would likely get better value from getting a new iMac (or a new Mac Mini if you already have a nice monitor) and a new Macbook, max ram on both.  Get desktop and portable use for the same cost.

I’ve been looking and waiting for awhile. Now it’s choice time, and frankly it’s not easy. I listed features I wanted on each—the Mac mini, 24-inch iMac, a MacBook, and the MacPro.

The MacPro with LED display and a few extra drives is around $4,500. The iMac, Mac mini, and the MacBook, all three, list out at about $4,500.

Yeeesh.

Or, put another way, two loaded iMacs cost about the same as a mid-range octo-core MacPro.

I’m really considering buying the new Mac Pro in May…

I am looking at the cost of upgrading over the years. It’s a lot easier to upgrade the Pro vs a Macbook or iMac. The laptops and etc are beautiful but I will (possibly) need to upgrade in roughly 2 years.

Just my .02!

I used to have one Mac for video (Mac Pro), one Mac for everyday use (iMac) and then a MacBook Pro for portability.  I finally had enough of the madness and sold all of them in exchange for this setup (MBP version).  Now, I have everything I need without the headache of multiple systems.  I can’t express how satisfying it is to plug it into the beautiful display from 8-5 and have a desktop experience and then grab it and go for evenings on the couch or bed.  It’s wonderful!

I’ll second that.  I have the same setup at my office.

Every time I use a keyboard without a number pad, I hit my hand on the desk when I go to type in a zip code or phone number when buying something online or adding a contact to my address book.  I too demand them.

Amen to that!

I finally had enough of the madness and sold all of them in exchange for this setup (MBP version).

I’ve given thought to going that route myself next time I replace my MacBook Pro (maybe a year from now, when the next new ones hit). Sweet setup.

But looking at the prices on the new iMac ... Well, I’ve got at least to year to ponder all that.  😊