It seems like the research program you use is the most intensive app you need to run but I'd say that maxing the computer out isn't the way to go. If a program that holds just 2,000 books is running search queries that use up 12GB RAM and maxes out a quad i7, it seems like the software needs tuning/better caching mechanisms. If you specified a search pattern for example, it should only need to open 1 page at a time offset by your pattern size. Once it locates the matches, it can then operate on those results.
.
Posting on my iPad 2 windows is doing a system restore..... Aaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!
Now down to business. Take a look at this video of the software at work it will show you more than I can explain here and it's just a sample.....
A nice statistic. Something to consider. Bang for buck compared to a mid range iMac and entry Mac Pro.
The iMac does add value with the display, GPU and kb/mouse but I think the Minis are good value for the performance they offer. I often hear the Mini being considered low power because of its size and it's because people have a hard time accepting that you can get similar performance from one box that is 1/20th the size of another.
The laptops should really demonstrate this by now (Cinebench 5.23):
Take a look at this video of the software at work it will show you more than I can explain here and it's just a sample....
I figured it might be religious texts that were cross-linked with multiple languages. Some of those software packages are fairly pricey (over $4,000 for 1700+ books):
It would be good if they offered a server version of the software. Then you'd just put your high-end PC in the cupboard hooked up to your home network, buy a Macbook Air or iPad and be able to generate search results remotely, in bed or even outside the house.
You could for example be in a church session on wifi or 3G and simply send a search request to your home server and retrieve a page of compiled results. This way you get the high performance per dollar from the PC, the nice user experience from the Mac as well as convenient access anywhere you are.
This is why I think Apple should go the route of Thunderbolt chaining too with smaller Mac Pros. For people who have the money to dedicate lots of hardware to a particular task, being able to simply plug in another machine via Thunderbolt and have it act like a co-processor (effectively increasing processing power linearly without dealing with network processing setup) is a good option to have.
The iMac does add value with the display, GPU and kb/mouse but I think the Minis are good value for the performance they offer. I often hear the Mini being considered low power because of its size and it's because people have a hard time accepting that you can get similar performance from one box that is 1/20th the size of another.
The laptops should really demonstrate this by now (Cinebench 5.23):
I figured it might be religious texts that were cross-linked with multiple languages. Some of those software packages are fairly pricey (over $4,000 for 1700+ books):
It would be good if they offered a server version of the software. Then you'd just put your high-end PC in the cupboard hooked up to your home network, buy a Macbook Air or iPad and be able to generate search results remotely, in bed or even outside the house.
You could for example be in a church session on wifi or 3G and simply send a search request to your home server and retrieve a page of compiled results. This way you get the high performance per dollar from the PC, the nice user experience from the Mac as well as convenient access anywhere you are.
Yes it is a load on the pc. It does store your library in the cloud but can't be run from there it would be nice. They have mobile versions of it but its very limited as far as what i do. and yes I I have a LOT of $$$ tied up in this, I have one of the higher levels...
Thanks for the benchmarks. I have a lot to think about.... Thanks a bunch
This is why I think Apple should go the route of Thunderbolt chaining too with smaller Mac Pros. For people who have the money to dedicate lots of hardware to a particular task, being able to simply plug in another machine via Thunderbolt and have it act like a co-processor (effectively increasing processing power linearly without dealing with network processing setup) is a good option to have.
I'm posting on my ipad because my Dell XPS is gone bonkers again and I am doing a compete reformat and reinstall of windows (again) removing a bunch of JUNK this time... I am hating windows more and more...
Anyway, are you saying that this would enagle me to use a dual setup by linking my windows pc with a Mac via TB? therefore increasing the overal power? if so that would be great!
Anyway, are you saying that this would enagle me to use a dual setup by linking my windows pc with a Mac via TB? therefore increasing the overal power? if so that would be great!
No, it would be for a redesigned Mac Pro or Mini that could be scaled up in processing by linking them together. The only way to link up the PC would be by networking, which wouldn't be acting like a co-processor but rather a network node.
The developers could possibly put a .Net front-end onto that and allow you to submit commands over the network. Having a dedicated machine will allow it to run faster as there wouldn't be any other apps slowing it down. Plus you could be working on a Mac doing all sorts of cool stuff , submit a search and keep working while it's processing on the server. This way, you aren't waiting for it to finish.
Usually if you invest a lot in software, the developers will be prepared to build you custom solutions. It might be worth asking if they could build a server interface you could call from another machine.
No, it would be for a redesigned Mac Pro or Mini that could be scaled up in processing by linking them together. The only way to link up the PC would be by networking, which wouldn't be acting like a co-processor but rather a network node.
The developers could possibly put a .Net front-end onto that and allow you to submit commands over the network. Having a dedicated machine will allow it to run faster as there wouldn't be any other apps slowing it down. Plus you could be working on a Mac doing all sorts of cool stuff , submit a search and keep working while it's processing on the server. This way, you aren't waiting for it to finish.
Usually if you invest a lot in software, the developers will be prepared to build you custom solutions. It might be worth asking if they could build a server interface you could call from another machine.
sounds interesting! they do have several forums and sugestion avenues. I'll be sure to submit this like you said there are a lot of folks that have invested a lot of money in this software and they are working to improve it all the time. I have used it for several years and it has just gotten better and better and changed a lot. It was good at first but nothing like it is now. Actually the ones on the forums are who have encouraged me to get a Mac saying that the software runs much better on a Mac and doesnt slow down the machine anything like it does windows. well there are a few that say otherwise but you know you always have a few of those in a crowd... by the way... still... working ... on... the ... fresh... install... of windows ... on .. the... Dell....
No, it would be for a redesigned Mac Pro or Mini that could be scaled up in processing by linking them together. The only way to link up the PC would be by networking, which wouldn't be acting like a co-processor but rather a network node.
The developers could possibly put a .Net front-end onto that and allow you to submit commands over the network. Having a dedicated machine will allow it to run faster as there wouldn't be any other apps slowing it down. Plus you could be working on a Mac doing all sorts of cool stuff , submit a search and keep working while it's processing on the server. This way, you aren't waiting for it to finish.
Usually if you invest a lot in software, the developers will be prepared to build you custom solutions. It might be worth asking if they could build a server interface you could call from another machine.
I was about to ask for any suggetions since you see what I am doing with my machine; what kind of Mac would you all suggest I get ? Lemon bon bon just suggeted an iMac I dont want to over kill but I want to be confident I will be able to use this machine for many years as I will be investing a lot of money in it and I hate changing machines after getting used to one. any suggestions would be helpful. I know I have asked this before but now you know more about what I have and what do so you could make a more informed suggestion. Thanks
I want to be confident I will be able to use this machine for many years as I will be investing a lot of money in it and I hate changing machines after getting used to one.
The Mini is the kind of machine you'd want to upgrade often - every year or two - so if you want a machine for a long time, the iMac or Mac Pro are better options. Right now, the Mac Pro is not great value for money and I'd say it was overkill anyway.
If you are after performance more than screen size, the 21.5" model has an i7 CPU option that's faster than the top-end 27" i5.
You'd really want to get a 3 year warranty with the iMac though so that if anything happened to the display, you aren't paying out a lot of money for a repair.
In general, long term investments aren't worthwhile for computers as they tend to go out of date fairly quickly. The 2011 Mini outperforms the 2009 quad-core Mac Pro for example. Hard drives and SSDs are only generally expected to last 5 years tops. Some do last much longer as it depends on the wear but it's not likely that you'll hang onto a machine longer than 5 years.
There should be a new iMac coming at the end of April so I wouldn't consider buying one just now.
If you want to try the Mac environment out, the entry Mini is a great starting point. You can always sell the Mini again when the new iMac is out and you'd lose very little money.
The Mini is the kind of machine you'd want to upgrade often - every year or two - so if you want a machine for a long time, the iMac or Mac Pro are better options. Right now, the Mac Pro is not great value for money and I'd say it was overkill anyway.
If you are after performance more than screen size, the 21.5" model has an i7 CPU option that's faster than the top-end 27" i5.
You'd really want to get a 3 year warranty with the iMac though so that if anything happened to the display, you aren't paying out a lot of money for a repair.
In general, long term investments aren't worthwhile for computers as they tend to go out of date fairly quickly. The 2011 Mini outperforms the 2009 quad-core Mac Pro for example. Hard drives and SSDs are only generally expected to last 5 years tops. Some do last much longer as it depends on the wear but it's not likely that you'll hang onto a machine longer than 5 years.
There should be a new iMac coming at the end of April so I wouldn't consider buying one just now.
If you want to try the Mac environment out, the entry Mini is a great starting point. You can always sell the Mini again when the new iMac is out and you'd lose very little money.
Thanks Marvin, some solid advice. I think I'll wait till the end of April or first of June anyway. I've overhauled this Dell again and it's doing ok for now. I stripped it completely and did a fresh install of just windows 7 the drivers and necessary software and left all the Dell junk out. Probably voided the rest of my warranty but oh well... it seems to be snappier and the processor and memory seem to not be working as hard. Dell had a LOT of stuff in that other system that was attached to everything and was totally unnecessary... So it will do for me to wait till the new Macs come out - hopefully soon! I might even eat my words and get another laptop... I looked at the Macbook Pro and I was pretty impressed... Guess I could just slide my monitor over to the side of the desk and use the MBP and it that way, I don't know I am looking at all my options but definitely getting a Mac!
PS
When I said I wanted to use the new Mac for several years I meant 4-5 years like you said technology is moving so fast they are nearly outdated when you walk out the door. and they do wear out when you use them a lot. I use my computer 8-12 hours a day so I dont expect them to last even as long as an average user..
Comments
It seems like the research program you use is the most intensive app you need to run but I'd say that maxing the computer out isn't the way to go. If a program that holds just 2,000 books is running search queries that use up 12GB RAM and maxes out a quad i7, it seems like the software needs tuning/better caching mechanisms. If you specified a search pattern for example, it should only need to open 1 page at a time offset by your pattern size. Once it locates the matches, it can then operate on those results.
.
Posting on my iPad 2 windows is doing a system restore..... Aaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!
Now down to business. Take a look at this video of the software at work it will show you more than I can explain here and it's just a sample.....
http://www.logos.com/4
A nice statistic. Something to consider. Bang for buck compared to a mid range iMac and entry Mac Pro.
The iMac does add value with the display, GPU and kb/mouse but I think the Minis are good value for the performance they offer. I often hear the Mini being considered low power because of its size and it's because people have a hard time accepting that you can get similar performance from one box that is 1/20th the size of another.
The laptops should really demonstrate this by now (Cinebench 5.23):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9770So2nZ0Q
Compared to the XPS 8300 (Cinebench 4.65):
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/review...urbo-mode.html
Take a look at this video of the software at work it will show you more than I can explain here and it's just a sample....
I figured it might be religious texts that were cross-linked with multiple languages. Some of those software packages are fairly pricey (over $4,000 for 1700+ books):
http://www.logos.com/product/10426/l...tfolio-edition
It would be good if they offered a server version of the software. Then you'd just put your high-end PC in the cupboard hooked up to your home network, buy a Macbook Air or iPad and be able to generate search results remotely, in bed or even outside the house.
You could for example be in a church session on wifi or 3G and simply send a search request to your home server and retrieve a page of compiled results. This way you get the high performance per dollar from the PC, the nice user experience from the Mac as well as convenient access anywhere you are.
This is why I think Apple should go the route of Thunderbolt chaining too with smaller Mac Pros. For people who have the money to dedicate lots of hardware to a particular task, being able to simply plug in another machine via Thunderbolt and have it act like a co-processor (effectively increasing processing power linearly without dealing with network processing setup) is a good option to have.
The iMac does add value with the display, GPU and kb/mouse but I think the Minis are good value for the performance they offer. I often hear the Mini being considered low power because of its size and it's because people have a hard time accepting that you can get similar performance from one box that is 1/20th the size of another.
The laptops should really demonstrate this by now (Cinebench 5.23):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9770So2nZ0Q
Compared to the XPS 8300 (Cinebench 4.65):
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/review...urbo-mode.html
I figured it might be religious texts that were cross-linked with multiple languages. Some of those software packages are fairly pricey (over $4,000 for 1700+ books):
http://www.logos.com/product/10426/l...tfolio-edition
It would be good if they offered a server version of the software. Then you'd just put your high-end PC in the cupboard hooked up to your home network, buy a Macbook Air or iPad and be able to generate search results remotely, in bed or even outside the house.
You could for example be in a church session on wifi or 3G and simply send a search request to your home server and retrieve a page of compiled results. This way you get the high performance per dollar from the PC, the nice user experience from the Mac as well as convenient access anywhere you are.
Yes it is a load on the pc. It does store your library in the cloud but can't be run from there
Thanks for the benchmarks. I have a lot to think about.... Thanks a bunch
This is why I think Apple should go the route of Thunderbolt chaining too with smaller Mac Pros. For people who have the money to dedicate lots of hardware to a particular task, being able to simply plug in another machine via Thunderbolt and have it act like a co-processor (effectively increasing processing power linearly without dealing with network processing setup) is a good option to have.
I'm posting on my ipad because my Dell XPS is gone bonkers again and I am doing a compete reformat and reinstall of windows (again) removing a bunch of JUNK this time... I am hating windows more and more...
Anyway, are you saying that this would enagle me to use a dual setup by linking my windows pc with a Mac via TB? therefore increasing the overal power? if so that would be great!
Anyway, are you saying that this would enagle me to use a dual setup by linking my windows pc with a Mac via TB? therefore increasing the overal power? if so that would be great!
No, it would be for a redesigned Mac Pro or Mini that could be scaled up in processing by linking them together. The only way to link up the PC would be by networking, which wouldn't be acting like a co-processor but rather a network node.
The software seems to have an API:
http://wiki.logos.com/Logos_4_COM_API
The developers could possibly put a .Net front-end onto that and allow you to submit commands over the network. Having a dedicated machine will allow it to run faster as there wouldn't be any other apps slowing it down. Plus you could be working on a Mac doing all sorts of cool stuff
Usually if you invest a lot in software, the developers will be prepared to build you custom solutions. It might be worth asking if they could build a server interface you could call from another machine.
No, it would be for a redesigned Mac Pro or Mini that could be scaled up in processing by linking them together. The only way to link up the PC would be by networking, which wouldn't be acting like a co-processor but rather a network node.
The software seems to have an API:
http://wiki.logos.com/Logos_4_COM_API
The developers could possibly put a .Net front-end onto that and allow you to submit commands over the network. Having a dedicated machine will allow it to run faster as there wouldn't be any other apps slowing it down. Plus you could be working on a Mac doing all sorts of cool stuff
Usually if you invest a lot in software, the developers will be prepared to build you custom solutions. It might be worth asking if they could build a server interface you could call from another machine.
sounds interesting! they do have several forums and sugestion avenues. I'll be sure to submit this like you said there are a lot of folks that have invested a lot of money in this software and they are working to improve it all the time. I have used it for several years and it has just gotten better and better and changed a lot. It was good at first but nothing like it is now. Actually the ones on the forums are who have encouraged me to get a Mac saying that the software runs much better on a Mac and doesnt slow down the machine anything like it does windows. well there are a few that say otherwise but you know you always have a few of those in a crowd...
No, it would be for a redesigned Mac Pro or Mini that could be scaled up in processing by linking them together. The only way to link up the PC would be by networking, which wouldn't be acting like a co-processor but rather a network node.
The software seems to have an API:
http://wiki.logos.com/Logos_4_COM_API
The developers could possibly put a .Net front-end onto that and allow you to submit commands over the network. Having a dedicated machine will allow it to run faster as there wouldn't be any other apps slowing it down. Plus you could be working on a Mac doing all sorts of cool stuff
Usually if you invest a lot in software, the developers will be prepared to build you custom solutions. It might be worth asking if they could build a server interface you could call from another machine.
I was about to ask for any suggetions since you see what I am doing with my machine; what kind of Mac would you all suggest I get ? Lemon bon bon just suggeted an iMac I dont want to over kill but I want to be confident I will be able to use this machine for many years as I will be investing a lot of money in it and I hate changing machines after getting used to one. any suggestions would be helpful. I know I have asked this before but now you know more about what I have and what do so you could make a more informed suggestion. Thanks
I want to be confident I will be able to use this machine for many years as I will be investing a lot of money in it and I hate changing machines after getting used to one.
The Mini is the kind of machine you'd want to upgrade often - every year or two - so if you want a machine for a long time, the iMac or Mac Pro are better options. Right now, the Mac Pro is not great value for money and I'd say it was overkill anyway.
If you are after performance more than screen size, the 21.5" model has an i7 CPU option that's faster than the top-end 27" i5.
You'd really want to get a 3 year warranty with the iMac though so that if anything happened to the display, you aren't paying out a lot of money for a repair.
In general, long term investments aren't worthwhile for computers as they tend to go out of date fairly quickly. The 2011 Mini outperforms the 2009 quad-core Mac Pro for example. Hard drives and SSDs are only generally expected to last 5 years tops. Some do last much longer as it depends on the wear but it's not likely that you'll hang onto a machine longer than 5 years.
There should be a new iMac coming at the end of April so I wouldn't consider buying one just now.
If you want to try the Mac environment out, the entry Mini is a great starting point. You can always sell the Mini again when the new iMac is out and you'd lose very little money.
The Mini is the kind of machine you'd want to upgrade often - every year or two - so if you want a machine for a long time, the iMac or Mac Pro are better options. Right now, the Mac Pro is not great value for money and I'd say it was overkill anyway.
If you are after performance more than screen size, the 21.5" model has an i7 CPU option that's faster than the top-end 27" i5.
You'd really want to get a 3 year warranty with the iMac though so that if anything happened to the display, you aren't paying out a lot of money for a repair.
In general, long term investments aren't worthwhile for computers as they tend to go out of date fairly quickly. The 2011 Mini outperforms the 2009 quad-core Mac Pro for example. Hard drives and SSDs are only generally expected to last 5 years tops. Some do last much longer as it depends on the wear but it's not likely that you'll hang onto a machine longer than 5 years.
There should be a new iMac coming at the end of April so I wouldn't consider buying one just now.
If you want to try the Mac environment out, the entry Mini is a great starting point. You can always sell the Mini again when the new iMac is out and you'd lose very little money.
Thanks Marvin, some solid advice. I think I'll wait till the end of April or first of June anyway. I've overhauled this Dell again and it's doing ok for now. I stripped it completely and did a fresh install of just windows 7 the drivers and necessary software and left all the Dell junk out. Probably voided the rest of my warranty but oh well... it seems to be snappier and the processor and memory seem to not be working as hard. Dell had a LOT of stuff in that other system that was attached to everything and was totally unnecessary... So it will do for me to wait till the new Macs come out - hopefully soon! I might even eat my words and get another laptop... I looked at the Macbook Pro and I was pretty impressed... Guess I could just slide my monitor over to the side of the desk and use the MBP and it that way, I don't know I am looking at all my options but definitely getting a Mac!
PS
When I said I wanted to use the new Mac for several years I meant 4-5 years like you said technology is moving so fast they are nearly outdated when you walk out the door. and they do wear out when you use them a lot. I use my computer 8-12 hours a day so I dont expect them to last even as long as an average user..