New Mac Pro - Just a speed bump or is it a must have?
I need your help and opinions here folks. I bought the original G5 dual 2.0GHz processor computer 4 1/2 years ago. I used to upgrade my desktop pretty much yearly but settled in nicely with the G5. But I know it is time to get an Intel-based Mac Pro and, indeed, I'm way overdue.
However, I don't want buyer's remorse if there is something revolutionary coming in six more months. For "it" I'd wait.
I don't want to make this just about "the box" and I know there have been decent internal changes since I got my G5 but I was rather shocked to see that the 5-year old external look has barely changed. It's a wonderful design but has it worn out its welcome? Am I putting too much attention on the packaging instead of what is inside? Or does this Mac Pro just represent a holding pattern?
So, using your crystal balls, (ahem), would you all advise jumping on this Mac Pro generation "8 cores standard" or hanging tough for a truly new from-the-ground-up processor and enclosure? Is there something revolutionary on the horizon or is this "as good as it gets?" Am I wrong to want something that looks and acts like the Mac Pro of the future?
I look forward to your various points of view.
Thanks all!
SNazz123
However, I don't want buyer's remorse if there is something revolutionary coming in six more months. For "it" I'd wait.
I don't want to make this just about "the box" and I know there have been decent internal changes since I got my G5 but I was rather shocked to see that the 5-year old external look has barely changed. It's a wonderful design but has it worn out its welcome? Am I putting too much attention on the packaging instead of what is inside? Or does this Mac Pro just represent a holding pattern?
So, using your crystal balls, (ahem), would you all advise jumping on this Mac Pro generation "8 cores standard" or hanging tough for a truly new from-the-ground-up processor and enclosure? Is there something revolutionary on the horizon or is this "as good as it gets?" Am I wrong to want something that looks and acts like the Mac Pro of the future?
I look forward to your various points of view.
Thanks all!
SNazz123
Comments
However, I don't want buyer's remorse if there is something revolutionary coming in six more months. For "it" I'd wait.
As far as i know, nothing major will come in the next 6 months concerning the Mac Pro:
- brand new motherboard i5400 chipset
- brand new cpus (up to 3.20GHz, 1600FSB)
There is nothing in Intel's roadmaps that suggest something better before Nehalem (late Q4 2008).
Am I putting too much attention on the packaging instead of what is inside?
Yes you are.
As far as i know, nothing major will come in the next 6 months concerning the Mac Pro:
- brand new motherboard i5400 chipset
- brand new cpus (up to 3.20GHz, 1600FSB)
There is nothing in Intel's roadmaps that suggest something better before Nehalem (late Q4 2008).
Yes you are.
Ah...I believe it was Nehalem that I had read would be a GREAT update to the Mac Pro. Thanks for your response mjteix. So now I say: Would Nehalem be worth the wait?
SNazz123
It is possible that later on the year the next batch of chips hit the market Apple will update the MacPro design and the ACDs. But I will not wait. You can always sell this machine now and get the next one without losing too much money. You'll make it for it anyway in your work productivity.
I will go for it, placing my order the day after the Keynote.
So, I plan on waiting.
Maybe the new ultra notebook coming out will become my new desktop system.
tj
Would Nehalem be worth the wait?
No. It'll be an improvement much like this machine is over its predecessor, but it won't be an earth shaking revolution that will suddenly invalidate all that has come before.
This new machine (and its predecessor, for that matter) will crush your G5. Buy it, you won't regret it.
Usually people were waiting a month or 2 after the new product announcement to ask if this is the right time to buy.
But come on!!!! The day the new machines are announced???? This is really insane!
The new machines are significantly faster than your G5 and it will last you a for years to come.
If you want to wait 6-12 months for a few more Mhz, just do it.
And if you're just waiting for a new tower design than the only thing I can say is OH MY!!!!
What you have to figure out is if you really need a new machine or just want the latest and greatest.
If you can still do all the things you wanna do with the G5 then by all means wait and upgrade only when you feel that the machine isn't quite doing the job
It is simple - answer few questions and you get the answer:
1 First: do you use a CPU sensitive software, a software that will have a performance boost using server architecture with Xeons?
Hint: it is a 3d modeling and rendering software, so-called CAD, video editing, sound editing, scientific programs.
Note: Photoshop, Flash, Illustrator, In Design, other Adobe products excepting Premier and After Effects do NOT need server architecture as “a must”.
2 Second: if you answered NO in first question go to question number 4, if you answered YES:
Do you do 3D modeling, CAD?
If yes – you need a pro video card, GeForse 8800GT is not the one, quadro is good but you can achieve the same performance with ATI new fire GL series twice the price, literally saving a 1000 usd on video card only. So probably you either should spent near 6000 usd on a new MAC PRO (will be descent machine for your needs) or assemble it yourself using custom hardware (will save you up to 2000 usd, more likely a 1500 aprox), it will be a PC but you still can run a MAC OS X what ever you want natively with the same performance.
If NO go to question 3.
3 third: So you use a CPU sensitive software but it is not 3D related… and you are sure Xeons will give you more that 15% performance boost?
Yes? Than new Mac Pro is for you… wait no longer, don’t forget to have at least 8 GB of ram …
4 fourth: You actually don’t need a server platform.
Do you need a Mac?
If yes wait for 5 more days, if no new form factor PC is announced go for the best iMac you can…
You don’t need a Mac?
Well buy a Dell, HP, anything you like, or assemble it yourself. (you still, will be able to run Mac OS X if you have a Intel based PC)
My story: I’ve been using an ASUS based PC workstation for three years now. I do web design, graphic design and 3D, concept, modeling, prototyping. I use ATI Fire GL pro graphics in my workstation (we have thee more PCs in the studio – one Apple ibook, two other asus based PCs) BUT I don’t do the 80% of renderings and modeling, if I work 3D it is mostly a product design, we do character animation and video on another workstation with graphics from NVIDIA, use windows XP x64. I am going to switch to the new Mac Pro with 4 or 8 GB of RAM, will use Vista or XP x64 with it, I buying Mac Pro because in Japan it is quite pricey to assemble everything yourself ordering mother board separately, cpu separately and so on, and I will not go for Quadro FX… I use: 3DsMax, Photoshop, Flash, Aptana, Illustrator, Corel Draw, Swish Max…
the imac screen is not meant for Photoshop type work.
well apple doesn't have displays for graphic design, new imac 24 inch is quite average, if you can go for Eizo or Nec (it is near 1400 usd for 23 inches display) when of course iMac is not a choice but I?m very sceptic about dells and so on...
With the video card slip on the Belgian site yesterday, and the possibility of changes of video cards with 10.5.2, I'd personaly wait for a month or 2, but other than that... i you need one, and it'll speed your workflow, why wait
What video card slip?
What video card slip?
Yesterday, when you clicked on the 'learn more' tab in the video card area of the Mac Pro config page, you got info on the ATI Radeon HD 3870. Text read as follows:
ATI Radeon HD 3870
Als u met bewegende beelden, animatie of 3D-ontwerp en visualisatie werkt, is de snellere ATI Radeon HD 3870 met 512 MB speciaal GDDR4-geheugen waarschijnlijk precies wat u nodig hebt. Op de twee dual-link DVI-poorten kunt u tegelijkertijd twee 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Displays aansluiten, zodat u een extra groot werkoppervlak hebt. We need performance numbers to position this card relative to 8800 GT. Also, a PCIe2.0 card.
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT
We need performance numbers to position this card relative to 3870. Also, a PCIe2.0 card.
They then noticed this and replaced the info with a duplication of the HDD info from the section below.
All in all, it looks like a new Radeon card may be in the offing...
(Tread with screen grab here: http://forums.appleinsider.com/showthread.php?t=82936)
Get the entry level with GT. Sweeeet. Spot.
Lemon Bon Bon.
IMO, once this model gets bumped with a Blu-Ray drive and the new Firewire 3200 standard, it will become an absolute must-have.
Thanks Frank 777.
To all of you: I'm not so shallow as to reject the new Mac Pros just because of the enclosure but usually when Apple wants to strongly signal "next-gen" they revamp everything. As Frank777 mentions, unless MacWorld adds a new SKU, the next-gen Mac Pro may raise the bar and I'd hate to pull the trigger now when a major upgrade to the Mac Pro may be Q4. I could live for 9-10 months more to get a huge update to the Mac Pro especially if the Nehalem Intel processor is the revolutionary bump that some claim it will be.
From Wikipedia:
Nehalem has the most significant new architectural changes as of today since the Pentium Pro back in 1995. Nehalem is highly scalable[4] with different components for different tasks. According to Intel it will have 1 through 8+ cores, integrated memory controllers for DDR3 SDRAM with 1 to 4 memory channels and be manufactured using the same 45 nm manufacturing process as its predecessor, Penryn. Intel announced at the Intel Developer Forum in September 2007 that some versions of Nehalem will also have an integrated graphics subsystem off-die, but in the same CPU package. Nehalem processors will also utilize the new point-to-point processor interconnect, the Intel QuickPath Interconnect, replacing the legacy front side bus.
Nehalem will be launched in both native quad core and native octo core. [4] The definition of "native" (monolithic) is the configuration with all the cores situated on a single silicon die. The quad core variant is already known to have 731 million transistors, and a currently unknown amount of L2 cache. For Nehalem processors with additional features, such as GPUs, there will be two separate dies; one with the cores, and the other one will have the additional features. [5]
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If I wait, a new FireWire standard and Blu-Ray (burning?) and Nehalem and, perhaps, a new enclosure and further innovation are in the offing. I know that things are always faster, better, cheaper in the future. Patience or pouncing now...hmmmm...that remains the tough one and, I suppose, only I can decide that.
Again, what would most of you do?
SNazz123
If so, get the new Mac Pro. It will run rings around your G5. The case has been thoroughly redesigned as you will find out the minute you pop it open. (Apple kept their external hardware redesigns through the Intel transition to send a message that it was a smooth transition rather than a highly disruptive change.) It's a great piece of kit at a good price, and if something comes along within the next year you should have no trouble getting a good price for it.
If you're basically happy with the G5 then maybe consider getting a used Mac Pro?