Buying MacPro - Have questions.

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I've been waiting for the new MacPro's since Nov, and I'm just about ready to buy (pending reviews). However I have a few questions having never owning a mac before.



What's with the sound? I mean I assume I can hook up speakers but I don't see any ports other then the headphone jack on the front. Is the sound quality good? I have some 5.1 creative speakers - will those work OK?



Will I be able to put in my current hard drives from my PC? My PC is rather old (2002) but my hard drives are all recent. I.e. 3 Ultra ATA Seagate Barracuda 7200 RPM 500GB drives. I'm really hoping they will work with the mac pro.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 7
    santasanta Posts: 67member
    G'day from Oz.



    The sound out port is on the rear...



    http://www.crn.com/hardware/205600695



    Quote

    The Mac Pro is outfitted with five USB 2.0 ports, two FireWire 400 ports, two FireWire 800 ports, optical and analog audio in and out, dual Gigabit Ethernet ports and a headphone jack.

    end quote



    Your speakers should work. Sound quality is excellent.



    edit... http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304901





    Mac Pros use SATA drives, so your best bet is to buy external cases for your Seagate ATA's if you really want to use them (preferably Firewire 800 cases if you're after speed).



    Whatever you do, don't buy additional Apple memory, unless you can afford to light your cigars with $100 bills.



    Regards



    Santa
  • Reply 2 of 7
    Nice! waited just long enough. Here's the description on the Optical audio:



    Connect to decks, receivers, digital instruments, and 5.1 surround-sound speaker systems using standard Toslink cables or fiber-optic cables with a 3.5 mm plastic or nylon optical plug. You can transfer stereo or encoded 5.1 audio using the S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) protocol and Toslink cables.



    Optical (digital) is better for sound quality. Most PC boards have the 3 or 5 analog mini plugs which can actually have some noise from the system. Also, optical in rocks for recording. I've recorded some game audio from a PS2 and it's crystal clear over this interface.
  • Reply 3 of 7
    Hey,



    Regarding the Ram you buy, I just wanted to extend my thoughts on the above mention.



    If you purchase extra Ram through Apple your looking at an extra $500 to outfit your Mac Pro with 4 GB Ram total:



    http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPL...ANGfX4b/2.?p=0



    However, if you buy from another supplier such as OWC, you can buy an extra 8 GB of Ram for $399, and that is on top of the 2 GB you already get included with your new Mac Pro! So you end up with 10 GB Ram for less cash:



    http://eshop.macsales.com/MyOWC/Upgr...=Show+Upgrades



    Ironic, I know.



    I'm purchasing a new Mac Pro too, and can't wait. Mine won't be until the Spring though. Good luck with your new system.
  • Reply 4 of 7
    Thanks for the all the help everyone. I don't plan on buying any additional ram from apple. I was actually thinking about getting another 2-4 gigs. I found a 2gig kit for $98USD -



    http://www.memorytogo.com/e-store/pr...d~99051680.htm



    It's the DDR2-667 I know, but I figure the 800 will be around the same price (hoping!).



    Firewire is what I am aiming for since my drives will have to be external. I need allot of space, and speed will be an issue.



    Feeling rather overwhelmed here. Been using PC's for 22 years (was 11 when I got my first PC) and it's a major change for me.
  • Reply 5 of 7
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JesterDev View Post


    Thanks for the all the help everyone. I don't plan on buying any additional ram from apple. I was actually thinking about getting another 2-4 gigs. I found a 2gig kit for $98USD -



    http://www.memorytogo.com/e-store/pr...d~99051680.htm



    It's the DDR2-667 I know, but I figure the 800 will be around the same price (hoping!).



    Firewire is what I am aiming for since my drives will have to be external. I need allot of space, and speed will be an issue.



    Feeling rather overwhelmed here. Been using PC's for 22 years (was 11 when I got my first PC) and it's a major change for me.



    There is about 30% to 50% increase in price for the new memory. I just bought 8 gigs for $399 from OWC



    http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Mac-Pro-Memory



    Hope this helps.
  • Reply 6 of 7
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JesterDev View Post


    I've been waiting for the new MacPro's since Nov, and I'm just about ready to buy (pending reviews). However I have a few questions having never owning a mac before.



    What's with the sound? I mean I assume I can hook up speakers but I don't see any ports other then the headphone jack on the front. Is the sound quality good? I have some 5.1 creative speakers - will those work OK?



    Will I be able to put in my current hard drives from my PC? My PC is rather old (2002) but my hard drives are all recent. I.e. 3 Ultra ATA Seagate Barracuda 7200 RPM 500GB drives. I'm really hoping they will work with the mac pro.



    You should use the optical digital audio out. And Serial ATA drives not Ultra ATA.

    For best experience.
  • Reply 7 of 7
    royboyroyboy Posts: 458member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by surflordca View Post


    There is about 30% to 50% increase in price for the new memory. I just bought 8 gigs for $399 from OWC



    http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Mac-Pro-Memory



    Hope this helps.



    Using OWC pricing as an example, 8 gig of 667MHz FB-DIMM for Mac Pro (pre-2008 models) is $319.95. 8 gig of 800MHz FB-DIMM for Mac Pro (early 2008 models) is the $399 you paid. That's not quite 25 percent (24.71) difference in price. That really a pretty decent starting price for this newer ram. Should get a little cheaper as production ramps up to meet increased demand and competition starts to show its hand.
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