Advice needed for Mac Pro purchase

appstate98appstate98
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
After getting burned (again and again) with Dell, I've decided to make the move to the dark side.



I've looked at my options and I've decided to go with this Mac Pro.



I've searched to find Mac compatible RAM, but I can't get a definite answer. Do these fit the bill?

Corsair Dominator 8 GB PC3-10666 1333mHz (PC3 10666) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM



Corsair 8 GB DDR3 Laptop Memory Kit CMSO8GX3M2A1333C9



G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Desktop Memory Model F3-8500CL7S-4GBRL

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 6
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    We're nearing the end of the product cycle right now. Unless you absolutely need one (it's a Mac Pro; you very well might, given that you're a workstation-level user. You are a workstation-level user, aren't you?), you might be better served waiting until they're updated (or discontinued).



    OWC will show you what kind of RAM you need, but don't buy from them. Buy from Newegg or whoever has the cheapest price for that kind of RAM.
  • Reply 2 of 6
    appstate98appstate98 Posts: 50member
    Regarding your question about if I'm a "workstation user"- here are the tasks I will use this for:
    • Graphic Design- Photoshop

    • Website Development- Dreamweaver

    • Some HD Video Editing- Premiere Pro

    • Screencasting videos for tutorials (Camstasia)

    • MS Office apps

    • Tons of multitasking

    I'm a web marketing consultant and wear many hats- SEO, website design, graphic design, etc.



    My Dell just died on me and I'm done w/ PCs. BUT- I have a 3 monitor setup which is a must for me. I can't afford to buy 3 Apple displays- so I plan on using my 3 monitors (2 dells, 1 samsung).



    I also have 2 extra HDDs of data that I want to add to the new MAC.



    --------

    I looked that the i7 iMac and it cost more than the Mac Pro AND I'm limited with addons and upgrades- i.e. I can't add my 2 internal HDDs to an iMac.



    --------



    Tell me- am I looking at this right?



    I've never owned a MAC, but I'm so fed up w/ Dell... I keep buying their products and they keep failing every 16-24 months.
  • Reply 3 of 6
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by appstate98 View Post


    Regarding your question about if I'm a "workstation user"- here are the tasks I will use this for:



    Yeah, you'll need one right now (or whenever you choose), then.



    Quote:

    I also have 2 extra HDDs of data that I want to add to the new MAC.



    Not a problem.



    Quote:

    I looked that the i7 iMac and it cost more than the Mac Pro AND I'm limited with addons and upgrades- i.e. I can't add my 2 internal HDDs to an iMac.



    Indeed. The Mac Pro is definitely the way for you to go.



    Quote:

    I've never owned a MAC, but I'm so fed up w/ Dell... I keep buying their products and they keep failing every 16-24 months.



    Welcome to the light.
  • Reply 4 of 6
    appstate98appstate98 Posts: 50member
    I'm gonna do it! Someone better stop me or I'm gonna do it!



    I can't believe I'm about to drop $2500 on a computer.



    But this is for work. No computer, no work.
  • Reply 5 of 6
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,322moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by appstate98 View Post


    I can't believe I'm about to drop $2500 on a computer.



    Personally I wouldn't. The Mac Mini is a pretty good option. You will get 2 displays running from the main ports and if you have to, get an adaptor for a 3rd over USB. Put the data you have on an external FW800 drive.



    The quad i7 Mac Mini is around the same performance as the entry Mac Pro (the Mac Pro is due an update). The GPU isn't great but supports HD video acceleration. Video editing isn't an intensive process if you edit in an intraframe codec and regardless, the Mini will perform the same anyway.



    You won't be able to put your Windows drives in a Mac as NTFS is read-only (you can use NTFS-3G for read/write but it's not something to rely on) so you'll have to copy the data off and put it onto new drives or copy one, format the drive and copy the data back onto it.



    Even if you just buy a Mini in the interim and find it's too slow, you can sell it again for a minor loss and get the latest Sandy Bridge Mac Pro, which will be significantly faster.
  • Reply 6 of 6
    accessoriesguyaccessoriesguy Posts: 86member
    check up a mac mini, see if that has what you need to save some dough.



    The mac pro should be updated soon. If i had to take a wild guess it should be soon (oct-dec) if you can't wait that long and or really want a mac just get the plunge.



    I think apple is just waiting on SandyBridge-E and BullDozer to come out to make their final processor decision.
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