In short, the first usable workstation will be > $5k as you will need an external NAS system for storage [sure we can slap on a single External TBolt/USB3 drive but you won't].
It depends on how much storage is needed. With an enclosure like:
you can get 4x 3TB drives for ~$100 each so say $650 for 12TB. If that's all that's needed along with the entry model, it's $3,650. There are even cheaper enclosures too:
The AMD FirePro D300 are entry level FirePro GPGPUs. Instead of up to 4GB each we get dual 2GB GPGPUs.
Apple builds a new design forcing people to go all external on storage and knee caps the workstation with 4GB max GPGPUs which are no where need what you want for performance.
They go up to dual 6GB D700 GPUs. The spec page is here:
In short, the first usable workstation will be > $5k as you will need an external NAS system for storage [sure we can slap on a single External TBolt/USB3 drive but you won't].
It's always been the better and cheaper option to have a large centralized storage for multiple workstations. Especially when you factor in redundancy and off-site backups.
Handicapped: GPGPUs.
The AMD FirePro D300 are entry level FirePro GPGPUs. Instead of up to 4GB each we get dual 2GB GPGPUs.
Graphics pros and video editors will opt for the dual D700 (configurable upgrade), audio engineers and similar pros don't need it. Different configurations for different pros.
These machines are for real professionals who work in fields doing real-time modeling far beyond the already demanding fields of Computer Animation, Motional Picture industry, etc.
Because no other professions where a differently configured Mac Pro is preferred exist?
Apple has no answer for working in any field that requires applied physics on a level you need real-time analysis for CFD, FEA, Power Systems, etc.
Has the software used in those fields ever been ported to OS X before? Apple tends to design their pro machines in close contact with major software manufacturers in a given field.
They got my hopes up higher than they probably should have been by starting off the keynote with all the FREE stuff and then the price cuts on the MacBooks. I am a little disappointed at the price point. I was hoping for the same price points as the current set. However, I'm not TOO disappointed. Given the tech I think it's a good price. Count me in.
Of course, the manager at our local Apple store has given me a sweetheart deal! For those of you who know me, and remember...my 2006 Mac Pro died in August causing me great angst, as I had been waiting for the new Mac Pro to upgrade. When mine died, I begrudgingly went into the Apple store to replace...whining the whole time.
The manager heard my grieving and said if I would by the current Mac Pro...he would swap it out for the new one when it was released. All I had to do was make up any price difference!!! I went back in the store this afternoon, just to make sure the deal was set in stone (and ask a few technical questions about the new setup). It's a done deal and I have it in writing. He basically gave me a loaner system for 6 months...free of charge!
At $3000 it is a rip off! I really see no other way to look at it. I really though Apple wanted to rescue the model from the dumpster, they had a new design that certainly could have done that. Instead they price the entry level model so high it will never have the volume to justify keeping the machine around.
The price for the entry level machine was pretty much what I was expecting. However the 256GB storage was disappointing. Once they list the pricing on configuring your own it'll be interesting to see what the cost of upgrading to 512GB will be. The other disappointment was that it won't be available until December rather than November as was rumored. And December probably means in limited numbers so January will probably be closer to the actual date for all but a lucky few who get their order in as soon as it's possible.
Audience seemed very underwhelmed, but I thought $3k was a good price, although I don't shop in that market.
Wouldn't you be disappointed with the pricing announced for an entry level machine? Especially considering how close Apple was to dumping the Mac Pro for good due to poor sales. This isn't an invitation to volume sales at all, it is more of an insult to users with a bit of technical know how. Mind you the Mac Pro comes with a power cord, that is it.
By the way I'm not saying the hardware isn't worth it in this model, frankly I haven't even looked closely. What I'm saying is that Apple needs a model that can sell in volume to assure the mac Pros future. A desktop machine that starts at $3000 is just stupid.
At $3000 it is a rip off! I really see no other way to look at it.
rip-off |?r?p ??f|
noun informal
- a fraud or swindle, esp. something that is grossly overpriced
- an inferior imitation of something
How so? Even before you consider quality, when you price the major components there is a huge amount of that revenue going back to a handful of vendors.
Here is the problem, it is priced out of the range of the Home Pro or even commercial users on a budget. It is pretty obvious that the audience was underwhelmed with the pricing and for good reason, the machine is basically a rip off. This machine will only feed the downward spiral that the Mac Pro has been in for some time.
Comments
*grabby hands*
That pricing is nowhere near as bad as I was expecting, I just want to see the configuration options now
It depends on how much storage is needed. With an enclosure like:
http://www.amazon.com/Mobius-trade-5-Bay-FireWire-Enclosure/dp/B00CH94GMK/
you can get 4x 3TB drives for ~$100 each so say $650 for 12TB. If that's all that's needed along with the entry model, it's $3,650. There are even cheaper enclosures too:
http://www.amazon.com/Sans-Digital-External-Drive-Enclosure/dp/B005JW6VXY
They go up to dual 6GB D700 GPUs. The spec page is here:
http://www.apple.com/mac-pro/specs/
The model numbers don't match with anything from AMD as they aren't off-the-shelf GPUs. The entry CPU appears to be the E5-1620v2:
http://ark.intel.com/products/75779/Intel-Xeon-Processor-E5-1620-v2-10M-Cache-3_70-GHz
The D300 is 2GB, 1280 SP, 256-bit, 160GB/s, 2TFlops = V7900 ( http://www.amd.com/us/products/workstation/graphics/ati-firepro-3d/v7900/Pages/v7900.aspx = $629 each on newegg )
D500 is 3GB, 1526 SP, 384-bit, 240GB/s, 2.2TFlops = roughly half an S10000? ( http://www.amd.com/us/products/workstation/graphics/firepro-remote-graphics/S10000/Pages/S10000.aspx#3 )
D700 is 6GB, 2048 SP, 384-bit, 264GB/s, 3.5TFlops = S9000/W9000 ( http://www.amd.com/us/products/workstation/graphics/firepro-remote-graphics/S9000/Pages/S9000.aspx#3 = $2199 S9000, $3399 W9000)
This would be quite good if the D300 was the V7900 as that's higher than the W5000 in some tests:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/workstation-graphics-card-gaming,3425-8.html
Cumulative shows them about even:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/workstation-graphics-card-gaming,3425-14.html
The W5000 seems faster for compute though ( http://compubench.com ). Still, there's two of them so it should still be good value.
It's probably the worst deal for people working with audio as the GPUs don't do much good but at least they can drive 4K displays and run quiet.
In short, the first usable workstation will be > $5k as you will need an external NAS system for storage [sure we can slap on a single External TBolt/USB3 drive but you won't].
It's always been the better and cheaper option to have a large centralized storage for multiple workstations. Especially when you factor in redundancy and off-site backups.
The AMD FirePro D300 are entry level FirePro GPGPUs. Instead of up to 4GB each we get dual 2GB GPGPUs.
Graphics pros and video editors will opt for the dual D700 (configurable upgrade), audio engineers and similar pros don't need it. Different configurations for different pros.
Because no other professions where a differently configured Mac Pro is preferred exist?
Has the software used in those fields ever been ported to OS X before? Apple tends to design their pro machines in close contact with major software manufacturers in a given field.
They got my hopes up higher than they probably should have been by starting off the keynote with all the FREE stuff and then the price cuts on the MacBooks. I am a little disappointed at the price point. I was hoping for the same price points as the current set. However, I'm not TOO disappointed. Given the tech I think it's a good price. Count me in.
Of course, the manager at our local Apple store has given me a sweetheart deal! For those of you who know me, and remember...my 2006 Mac Pro died in August causing me great angst, as I had been waiting for the new Mac Pro to upgrade. When mine died, I begrudgingly went into the Apple store to replace...whining the whole time.
The manager heard my grieving and said if I would by the current Mac Pro...he would swap it out for the new one when it was released. All I had to do was make up any price difference!!! I went back in the store this afternoon, just to make sure the deal was set in stone (and ask a few technical questions about the new setup). It's a done deal and I have it in writing. He basically gave me a loaner system for 6 months...free of charge!
Apple is AWESOME!!!!
Anybody know the quad Xeon chip that is being used for the entry MacPro?
It's probably a six-core that didn't pass QA. ;-)
That and the box isn’t big enough to hold either.
I'm surprised it comes in a square box. I'd love to have seen it packaged in a cardboard tube, that'd have been quite neat.
Very significant tidbit they dropped there
So it supports up to 3x 4K displays, so where is the 4K Cinema Display?!?!
too much for a still photographer or people just doing graphics.
Those people need to charge more for their services so they can afford nice things.
They are traditionally late with their own display updates but there are plenty of 4K display options to choose from.
Audience seemed very underwhelmed, but I thought $3k was a good price, although I don't shop in that market.
Nobody cares. They were there to see shiny iToys.
Of course, they didn't exactly bring down the roof for those either.
I still say it’s a dalek. Especially when they do one of those disassembly views.
No one is talking about channel bonding.
Very significant tidbit they dropped there
WTF is channel bonding?
At $3000 it is a rip off! I really see no other way to look at it. I really though Apple wanted to rescue the model from the dumpster, they had a new design that certainly could have done that. Instead they price the entry level model so high it will never have the volume to justify keeping the machine around.
I’m not so sure about that.
The price for the entry level machine was pretty much what I was expecting. However the 256GB storage was disappointing. Once they list the pricing on configuring your own it'll be interesting to see what the cost of upgrading to 512GB will be. The other disappointment was that it won't be available until December rather than November as was rumored. And December probably means in limited numbers so January will probably be closer to the actual date for all but a lucky few who get their order in as soon as it's possible.
But overall it still looks like a buy.
Wouldn't you be disappointed with the pricing announced for an entry level machine? Especially considering how close Apple was to dumping the Mac Pro for good due to poor sales. This isn't an invitation to volume sales at all, it is more of an insult to users with a bit of technical know how. Mind you the Mac Pro comes with a power cord, that is it.
By the way I'm not saying the hardware isn't worth it in this model, frankly I haven't even looked closely. What I'm saying is that Apple needs a model that can sell in volume to assure the mac Pros future. A desktop machine that starts at $3000 is just stupid.
rip-off |?r?p ??f|
noun informal
- a fraud or swindle, esp. something that is grossly overpriced
- an inferior imitation of something
How so? Even before you consider quality, when you price the major components there is a huge amount of that revenue going back to a handful of vendors.
Here is the problem, it is priced out of the range of the Home Pro or even commercial users on a budget. It is pretty obvious that the audience was underwhelmed with the pricing and for good reason, the machine is basically a rip off. This machine will only feed the downward spiral that the Mac Pro has been in for some time.