What do YOU think ?
Im buying a Mac Pro mainly for gaming purposes (However, a bit of work may be done. Possibly some photo editing and video making).
In the long run, will it be better to buy a 2.66GHz Processor, or a 3.0GHz ?
I have seen similar benchmarks in games, and am wondering if in a few years spending that £540 will pay off.
Im buying this computer to last me 4-5 years, and will at some point buy myself a 8950GTX/R680
for it.
What do you think ? Save the money, or bite the bullet ?
In the long run, will it be better to buy a 2.66GHz Processor, or a 3.0GHz ?
I have seen similar benchmarks in games, and am wondering if in a few years spending that £540 will pay off.
Im buying this computer to last me 4-5 years, and will at some point buy myself a 8950GTX/R680
for it.
What do you think ? Save the money, or bite the bullet ?
Comments
Plus, you will be better off to wait until 3.0 becomes the middle model and then eBay the old computer and buy a new one. Mac resale is very high, sometimes more than a new one would cost - eBay buyers can be crazy.
Also, depending on the total price on your invoice, by paying $500 for an Apple Developer Select membership, you get a hardware discount that saves $500 off the price of the low-end Mac Pro and also gives you Leopard and Leopard Server for free.
Im buying a Mac Pro mainly for gaming purposes (However, a bit of work may be done. Possibly some photo editing and video making).
In the long run, will it be better to buy a 2.66GHz Processor, or a 3.0GHz?
Nope, 2.66 is fine.
I have seen similar benchmarks in games, and am wondering if in a few years spending that £540 will pay off.
I highly doubt it. I'd spend it on Applecare instead if you plan on 4-5 years or what Lundy suggested.
Im buying this computer to last me 4-5 years, and will at some point buy myself a 8950GTX/R680 for it.
4-5 years is a bit long for any computer because the industry moves so fast but the Mac Pro will last for most things and being able to upgrade the GPU gives it some longevity. Just be careful that the machine doesn't drop too much in value. I'd aim for 3 years.
What do you think ? Save the money, or bite the bullet ?
If you really plan on having this for a while, you may want to hang off a couple of months. Steve said that there are loads of Mac things coming over the next several months so you can probably expect product updates. You may also get Leopard with the machine, although you probably shouldn't hang off for that reason. I know that I would be disappointed to spend so much on a Mac Pro and they release a dual Core 2 Quad shortly after, possibly with better GPU offerings and better Ram support. Remember the Mac Pro is the first revision and they improved the G5 a fair bit in later releases.
4-5 years is a bit long for any computer because the industry moves so fast but the Mac Pro will last for most things and being able to upgrade the GPU gives it some longevity. Just be careful that the machine doesn't drop too much in value. I'd aim for 3 years.
4-5 years is not unrealistic with a workstation type system. I have bought several such systems after the third year and even after that, they tend to hold up well for a long time. The oldest I have in use was made in 1998, it's a dual 500MHz Xeon.
I'm not sure about your value statement, three years vs four or five doesn't make much difference as most depreciation happens in the first three years anyway.
I wouldn't buy the uppermost processor though, it's rarely a good value for any but the absolutely most demanding markets such that the cost difference can actually be paid for by the minor improvement in productivity that it might give.
You have been very helpful.
If you really plan on having this for a while, you may want to hang off a couple of months. Steve said that there are loads of Mac things coming over the next several months so you can probably expect product updates. You may also get Leopard with the machine, although you probably shouldn't hang off for that reason. I know that I would be disappointed to spend so much on a Mac Pro and they release a dual Core 2 Quad shortly after, possibly with better GPU offerings and better Ram support. Remember the Mac Pro is the first revision and they improved the G5 a fair bit in later releases.
Hmm-
I see.
When do you think this stuff should be revealed ? WWDC ?
Im buying a Mac Pro mainly for gaming purposes (However, a bit of work may be done. Possibly some photo editing and video making).
In the long run, will it be better to buy a 2.66GHz Processor, or a 3.0GHz ?
I have seen similar benchmarks in games, and am wondering if in a few years spending that £540 will pay off.
Im buying this computer to last me 4-5 years, and will at some point buy myself a 8950GTX/R680
for it.
What do you think ? Save the money, or bite the bullet ?
Ah, go for it. You'll see in 2-3 years by the end of the 3rd year you'll be ready to eBay it and move on, all cool bro 8)
My opinion is the 2.66ghz QuadXeon. MAKE SURE YOU GET THE X1900XT. That will last you a solid 2 years of high resolution gaming. The 3rd year, you can get a new graphics card that would be out by then. Remember though your graphics card options in the 2nd and 3rd year of your MacPro's life will be limited to cards that Apple support (if you want to use the same card in BootcampWindows and OSX, which is the most sensible and convenient...) ... Nonetheless I'm sure there'll be a nVidia 8-series supported sometime this year or next... Which would be ridiculously overpowered compared to the X1900XT for 2007/2008.
2GB RAM now is fine, you can up it later on since there are 8 slots and only 4 will be used in the 2GB RAM config (512x4)...
£2,069
Enjoy....
thanks
My actual configuration is
2.66Ghz
4GB RAM
X1900XT
23" ACD
500GB HDD
However, I will tell you im planning to install a 8950GTX or a R680 in a about a year perhaps for just for use in Windoze (Unless of course Apple unveils something along the same lines)
Oh, and actually, im not going to go Octo.
Too long wait,
and if I do come to reget being impatient, I can always put in Octo myself in about 2 years.
Yay ! Happy days are here again...