Mac Pro - Should I?

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
I have a friend that's a manager of a store that I've bought all my Macs from for over 10 years. I'm in the market for a Mac Pro for my wife (Christmas) to replace her MDD. I'm aware of the "don't buy" recommendation, but he's offering me a sweet deal that I'm not sure whether to take or not.



The machine is current (MA356LL/A), and although he has to order it, he says that the configuration cannot be changed.



Two 2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon/1GB 667MHz DDR2 FB-DIMM/GeForce 7300 GT/250GB Serial ATA/ 1874.0016x SuperDrive. All for $1899. That's even below student pricing.



This does not include Bluetooth or an AirPort card. Since it won't come with it will Apple sell me the two and I install myself for the $79 that they offer online? I'm not interested any aftermarket products for these two; memory, HDD's etc. are a different story.



Good deal or no deal? What are your thoughts? Wait for Penryn?



Thanks for any help

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 7
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,310moderator
    Yeah, that's a good deal. It's $300 cheaper than the same model as a refurb:



    http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPL...nplm=FA356LL/A



    Penryn would be nice but that machine is very powerful and will completely blow a MDD out the water. The performance increase will be absolutely staggering. A single core on that machine will be twice the speed of the MDD. For multi-threaded apps, it will be at least 5 times faster.



    A Mac Mini is faster than an MDD.



    You may be able to pick up a bluetooth & wifi kit etc. from ebay for it. Not sure how easy it is to install though, there are manuals online. You can always get a bluetooth adapator.



    I wish I could pick up a deal like that where I live. There are a lot of people waiting for the equivalent of the old towers and deals like that look to be as close as we're going to get.



    It's possible that Penryn will bring cheaper models but we don't know which ones Apple will go with so they may be the same price. Plus it could be another 2 months before they come out. Even if Penryn Mac Pros came out tomorrow, I'd still say that machine is a good deal so I wouldn't regret buying it.
  • Reply 2 of 7
    lundylundy Posts: 4,466member
    Do you really need BlueTooth?



    If not, then a wireless router obviates the need for Airport in the computer - these desktops don't need an Airport card because you don't carry them around - they can always be connected to the wireless router by ethernet.



    That price is even $100 less than the Developer price. You won't get a better price than that.
  • Reply 3 of 7
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lundy View Post


    Do you really need BlueTooth?



    If not, then a wireless router obviates the need for Airport in the computer - these desktops don't need an Airport card because you don't carry them around - they can always be connected to the wireless router by ethernet.



    That price is even $100 less than the Developer price. You won't get a better price than that.



    I agree with Lundy about the wireless.



    And if you really need bluetooth, Google is your friend.



  • Reply 4 of 7
    tony1tony1 Posts: 259member
    Thanks for the reply's. I found a company that'll sell me what I need for the same $79 as Apple and Apple original parts. Thanks for the Google link, I do usually start there first.



    Great, now I can order the machine which will take about just as long as the parts to come in. Can't wait.



    Thanks again,

    Tony
  • Reply 5 of 7
    Get more ram from OWC after you buy it.
  • Reply 6 of 7
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Joe_the_dragon View Post


    Get more ram from OWC after you buy it.



    I second that. OWC is great, has low prices and backs up what they sell.
  • Reply 7 of 7
    tony1tony1 Posts: 259member
    I know OWC rather well as I've given them more than a few pay checks.



    I was a bit let down with the 1gb, but at Apples prices it actually saves me money. I'll load fill er up in the next few months. Even with all the talk of a possible new MP at MWSF I'm sure that we won't be dissatisfied with this machine, especially compared to the MDD... and I am saving a few bucks so all in all I won't feel so bad.



    Tony
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