High-end users on 'Why I'm buying the new Mac Pro'

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  • Reply 61 of 175
    bigtdsbigtds Posts: 167member
    "yes Windows updates are garbage but  malware is more prevalent only because so many people use Windows, and the Windows interface hasn't been terrible/inconstant (this is subjective I know) since Windows 8."

    1. If you're a pro and can't be sure when you'll be without your main tool because Windows decided to take over for three hours, that seems pretty disqualifying to me.

    2. It doesn't matter why there are more viruses that are far easier to be infected with, it matters that there are.

    3. This....    Hot. Garbage.

    Really?  How often do you modify your network parameters? This is a ridiculous example. Very few reasons for most people to be messing with this anyway. And if you need to, you should know what you're doing.
  • Reply 62 of 175
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,919administrator
    nsummy2 said:
    After reading this article a couple of times, my BS radar has been set off.  This article is similar to the Apple press release about how excited "pros" were for this.  I do have to hand it to apple though, they have managed to stoke plenty of arguments of what a "pro" is!  Its almost to the audiophile level of arguments  :D

    Lets break down the sample of people though:

    1.  A video editor that AppleInsider has known for 30 years  -  "I have to cut, render and output HD and 4K video very quickly. The video files can be very large and sometimes I'm running multiple programs. I need as much horsepower as I can get." 

    2.  Blake Garner, an Automation Architect at Adobe - "The rack mount option is huge for Adobe," Garner said, "as we host a lot of Macs in server rooms doing Xcode builds and automated testing..... "the memory capacity is going to be a very noticeable improvement. Running large RAM virtual machines or sets of virtual machines for homelab work will eat all the RAM you can afford, let alone the large Xcode builds."      I mean this is kind of like cherrypicking your audience. Without a doubt Adobe will be buying plenty of these as they develop for these!  Kind of funny that the buying point he mentions is that its rack mountable and that currently they have these things on baker racks, like some sort of bitcoin mining farm.  At first I thought it was BS that he would buy one of these for a homelab, but I guess since the Mac mini tops out at 64 GB with zero expandability and you need a mac to (legally) virtualize OS X, this might sadly be his only choice.

    3.  An anonymous photographer who is working on sensitive projects - He said that the new Mac Pro was appealing because of "raw horsepower" in his workflow. "Not having to wait while rendering [is key]," he said, "especially since Adobe makes minimal use of GPU processing in Lightroom and Photoshop."    Is this guy working for the CIA or something?  Or is he in the witness protection program?  :D   And wait a minute, since he says he doesn't need high end GPUs, is he really buying this thing for a modern Xeon processor and more RAM?  If so this seems to perpetuate the claim that there are Pros who don't need quad GPUs and a 1000 watt PSU.

    4.  Michael Trauffer, senior video editor for a large post production facility -  "The Keynote mentioned that Adobe is one of the software providers that is on board with the new Mac Pro," he says. "I'm hoping that their software will finally be able to take advantage of all of that horsepower that is being made available. Premiere Pro doesn't [currently] utilize multiple GPU when playing/editing.....  We are planning on getting one of the new Mac Pros to test it as a possible upgrade/replacement for our 2013 Mac Pros."      Finally someone who says what he is currently using.  That said, considering the last Mac Pro could be configured with dual GPUs, I don't really see why this new computer would relate to Adobe's software features.  The fact that they are buying one for testing to see if its even a viable replacement shows his company isn't sold.

    5.  Keith R. Sbiral, Photographer and owner (or IT Manager, can't really tell) of a career-development consultancy business. - "Our office is an all-Mac one," he said, "and that alone makes my work and my life easier. There is something to be said for the dependability and expandability of a Mac Pro that simply make it a great machine... "For a vast majority of Mac users, admittedly including myself," he continued, "the specs are likely far beyond what I really need to do my job. But I love to work on a blazing fast machine, particularly when I'm working on photography projects."   - So is he buying one or not?  He thinks its overkill but likes it because its expandable and fast.  This doesn't sound like something you would find at career development consultancy.

    6.  Jules Ryckebusch, product development for medical visualization - "I work in product development for medical visualization," Jules Ryckebusch told us, "specifically in the minimally-invasive surgery space. I am also a long-time hobby photographer and a video guy."    LOL thanks for the insight Jules.  

    7.  High-ranking members of the Department of Defense - "Without divulging specifics, use cases cited include real-time image processing, and time-sensitive audio classification and identification."   Beep Beep Beep, BS detected.  What exactly is a high ranking member of the DoD? No one is going to use a Mac workstation for this type of stuff.


    So what is the verdict about purchasing and what they think of the price?

    1.  The anonymous Video Editor - Not Buying  "I won't buy it right away," he says. "My current Mac Pro is still getting the job done. I [also] want to take it for a test drive and see how well (or poorly) it performs with Adobe Premiere."  This guy seems the most grounded.  If you are doing fine with a 6 year old machine, buying one of these things would be a luxury purpose.  Considering he isn't getting one though, I wonder if he is truly a "Pro."

    2. Blake Garner -  Buying for work   "Personally, cost is a factor.  I'll likely go with the bottom-end and enjoy using third party storage and RAM. Adding upgrades over time is a great way to get value from a high-end system like this. In the work context, teams will pick configurations that are optimized to save time, and high-end configurations will be worth the cost."  No surprise Adobe will be buying these in droves.  I thought he was buying one for his house too, but then the article said this:  As certain as he is that he and Adobe will be buying Mac Pro machines, Garner is also waiting for more details. "Thoughts will evolve once the third-party MPX modules and pricing is posted to the Apple Store," he said.   Translation: Not a pro

    3.  The Anonymous Photographer - Buying  "Price is not too much of a concern," said the photographer. "I'm expecting to spend around $9,000-$10,000"  Well I was wrong about this guy.  When he dismissed the use of high spec GPUs I figured he wasn't a true pro.  Throwing $10k at a computer like someone driving through the toll lane though speaks otherwise. He also said he expects it to last a decade, which makes me question if he is a true pro after all.

    4.  Michael Trauffer - Buying 

    5. Keith R. Sbiral - Buying "I've had most every pro-level Mac since the 840AV, and I think the one fantastic part about the product is the longevity of use. I had a 2008 Mac Pro and a 2013 Mac Pro and now I'm ready for the 2019 version. I'm really excited about the power, graphics, and upgradability."  Apple has to love customers like this

    6.  Jules Ryckebusch - Not Buying   "I expect it will be in the $10,000 - $20,000 range when I purchase," he says. "The other thing to take into account here is where the rest of it is going. We will need a 10gig LAN to really take advantage of the whole ecosystem... All of that also will need to catch up"    Sounds like this guy might be too Pro for this machine!


    The article glosses over and cherry coats a lot of the quotes that should really be considered criticisms.  One of them says he plans to add in a RAID card along with NVME PCI cards.  Others cite the lack of 10 GB ethernet.  Another plans on populating the memory and GPU with 3rd party options.  All of this makes me wonder, why not just build your own computer?!  You pay a premium to Dell, HP, Apple, etc because they support what they build.  If you are forced to add your own cards to make up for the shortcomings it seems a little counterproductive.

    You're welcome to believe what you want. But, you really don't know what you're talking about. In regards to #7, The DOD has been using Macs for literally decades for this kind of use, and in all kinds of other ways. And, speaking about arguments about what a "true pro" is -- you don't seem to have any problems declaring who is and who isn't, based on your own arbitrary definition.

    Interviewees 1 and 6 said straight-up that they were buying the machines, so I'm not sure where you get "not buying." It may not be first day, but it will be quickly after release. And the criticisms? What is the point of PCI-E if you don't put in things like a GPU or NVME cards that you want to put in?

    Source on number 7, by the way: been there, done that, supported it over three decades. Still doing so to this date.
    edited June 2019 radarthekatcgWerkspscooter63fastasleepchiaurahara
  • Reply 63 of 175
    I just want to say something about the price, and maybe bring back some memories for those who’ve been around a while.   I remember the day, as clear as if it were yesterday, when John Jurewicz (author of UltraVision) showed up at work one morning with his new Compaq 386 portable.  A cool $12k+.


    There's one problem with that. This is a portable computer for $12,000. NOT a desktop. There is a difference. And yes I do remember the high prices back in the 80s and 90s. 
    The point is - high-end computers are never 'cheap'. No matter the year. The newest, fastest tech, never the cheapest. I don't think the new MacPro is out of the price range for what people will do with it. I've often had the highest end Macs, but when I'm ready to buy again (I seem to upgrade every 5 or 6 years) in a year or so I think a high-end iMac Pro will be fine for my work. But if I was in animation/video/heavy duty computations - I'd easily see the value in the new MacPro.
  • Reply 64 of 175
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,038member
    bigtds said:
    "yes Windows updates are garbage but  malware is more prevalent only because so many people use Windows, and the Windows interface hasn't been terrible/inconstant (this is subjective I know) since Windows 8."

    1. If you're a pro and can't be sure when you'll be without your main tool because Windows decided to take over for three hours, that seems pretty disqualifying to me.

    2. It doesn't matter why there are more viruses that are far easier to be infected with, it matters that there are.

    3. This....    Hot. Garbage.

    Really?  How often do you modify your network parameters? This is a ridiculous example. Very few reasons for most people to be messing with this anyway. And if you need to, you should know what you're doing.
    I have to do it often and that is only one example of where Apple looks at work flows to make their apps function in a way that benefits users. You can keep your "everything has been great since Windows 8" mantra because you clearly don't need to do anything but the most superficial actions with that OS.
    raoulduke42pscooter63chiadysamoria
  • Reply 65 of 175
    flydogflydog Posts: 1,139member
    deminsd said:
    "yes Windows updates are garbage but  malware is more prevalent only because so many people use Windows, and the Windows interface hasn't been terrible/inconstant (this is subjective I know) since Windows 8."

    1. If you're a pro and can't be sure when you'll be without your main tool because Windows decided to take over for three hours, that seems pretty disqualifying to me.

    2. It doesn't matter why there are more viruses that are far easier to be infected with, it matters that there are.

    3. This....    Hot. Garbage.

    We get it.  You hate Windows for whatever reason.  Most people don't spend ANY TIME changing their IP ADDRESS on a regular basis so your example is reaching.  The truth is, we can go back and forth with HOT GARBAGE ways that macOS does something worse or less intuitive than Windows.  WHO CARES?   You're so biased against Windows you probably can't even see the improvements MS has made in the latest Windows.  For me and my clients, Windows is GREAT.  We don't get malware or viruses.  We don't change our IP addresses every day.  And Windows Updates rarely intrude when you actually take the time to configure when "Active hours" are.  

    I have a client with an Arts Dept (all using Trash Can Mac Pro's) and were waiting for the new Mac Pro to upgrade.  Now, they will be looking at Windows Workstations for half the cost, the same or better upgradability and performance, and can STILL run their Adobe CC.  Apple just lost a customer (and I'd bet more than just this client).

    Here's a question for you...this client has 12 Windows users and 8 Mac users.  Guess who has more issues?  Hint -- not the 12 Windows users.
    Windows is absolute garbage. That’s why people hate it. 
    chasmradarthekatpscooter63raoulduke42chiadysamoria
  • Reply 66 of 175
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,525member
    I use Windows 10 for work. It's certainly the best version of Windows I've ever used, but compared to macOS it is just a slap of nice-looking paint over Win7, which itself was barely more than a slap of paint over WinXP. It continues to be maddening how many extra steps nearly EVERYTHING takes to do in Windows v. macOS. That's not to say Windows is quite "hot garbage," but it remains comfortably inferior to even macOS versions from quite a few years ago now IMO.
    raoulduke42macplusplusradarthekatcgWerksrunswithforkpscooter63blastdoorchiadysamoria
  • Reply 67 of 175
    nsummy2 said:
    Others cite the lack of 10 GB ethernet.

    The new Mac Pro will come standard with two 10Gig ethernet ports (https://www.apple.com/mac-pro/specs/). Dude in the article was talking about having to buy a new 10gig switch.
    cgWerksfastasleepchiaurahara
  • Reply 68 of 175
    welshdogwelshdog Posts: 1,907member
    Let’s be honest for a second, the new Mac Pro and XDR Display is not a good value if someone isn’t working at a Marvel Studio.
    Wrong.

    Looky here: the 2012 12 Core Mac pro cost $6474 and people bought the shit of of that box. Including one man band editors, photographers, scientists etc. etc. That was seven years ago. What would dissuade the same people from buying this machine which is actually priced lower and is way more powerful?

    A freelance creative video editor who has a good reputation and works with big ad agencies and clients can charge hundreds of dollars an hour. A similar editor working for a editorial house will pull in the same if not larger amounts. There thousands of people like this around the world. They are not part of giant studios. They are talented individuals or well run small creative editorial houses who are in demand and who themselves demand the best, fastest, most capable equipment. Just because you don't realize these people exist doesn't mean they aren't out there. And that's just video editors. When you consider that there are many professionals in similar situations (as described in the article) who will also buy the shit of of this box, you know it's going sell and it's going to begin the re-establishment of the Mac Pro in the professional space.
    edited June 2019 raoulduke42macpluspluspscooter63fastasleepchia
  • Reply 69 of 175
    karmadavekarmadave Posts: 369member
    I'm sure that most people buying the new MacPro will be doing so with OPM (Other People's Money). I won't rehash my issues with the product, but will say that this certainly is NOT the Mac for the rest of us ;-) 
    runswithforkdysamoria
  • Reply 70 of 175
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,919administrator
    karmadave said:
    I'm sure that most people buying the new MacPro will be doing so with OPM (Other People's Money). I won't rehash my issues with the product, but will say that this certainly is NOT the Mac for the rest of us ;-) 
    Yeah, it is absolutely not for the rest of us.

    It also, absolutely, does have a market.
    edited June 2019 raoulduke42welshdogradarthekatpscooter63chiaurahara
  • Reply 71 of 175
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,267member
    karmadave said:
    I'm sure that most people buying the new MacPro will be doing so with OPM (Other People's Money). I won't rehash my issues with the product, but will say that this certainly is NOT the Mac for the rest of us ;-) 
    Yeah, it is absolutely not for the rest of us.

    It also, absolutely, does have a market.
    Right. Where is the user upgradable Mac for the rest of us then?

    edit: TBH, I would be happy if I could just be able to easily replace the storage and ram on the next iMac.
    edited June 2019 elijahgkestraldysamoria
  • Reply 72 of 175
    cgWerkscgWerks Posts: 2,952member
    rob53 said:
    ... then I have to wonder who's taking liability for loss of data.
    Probably more the opposite... who has the responsibility to "lose" the data properly when FOIA requests come in?

    eightzero said:
    Speaking of the DoD, i'd sort of be curious if the new Mac Pro is export controlled technology under ITAR, EAR, OFAC and similar. Can Apple drop this thing in a box and send it anywhere? Asking for a friend. 
    Remember the old G4 (or was it G5) ad campaign?
    (When we lived in San Anselmo, I once got to visit the home of one of the guys who worked on that ad, among others.)

    apple ][ said:
    ... I laugh at the ignoramuses I see on youtube complaining about the price.

    This machine is not for idiot Vloggers on youtube. They're not pro. They're lousy amateurs with amateur opinions and this machine is not for them. They wouldn't know pro if it came down straight from the sky and hit them right in the middle of their ignorant heads.
    ...
    People have been whining about Apple neglecting the "Pros" for a long time. Well, now Apple has released a truly Pro machine, and some people are complaining that it's too "Pro". Hahahaha. 
    I hear you. But, to give them a bit of credit, I can understand their angst. I think many were hoping Apple would come out with a successor (financially) to the 'cheese grater' or 'trash can' MP, which many of those people could afford (actually, the pro YouTubbers could afford this new one, easily).

    Also, besides the iMac Pro, Apple doesn't really have many options for them.

    But, I agree that a lot of the people complaining just seem to have little clue how pro this machine is. That's not to say that there isn't a heck of a lot of equipment that is lesser, but perfectly fine too (and at a lower price). But, I'm not seeing many apples-to-apples discussions going on.

    deminsd said:
    I have a client with an Arts Dept (all using Trash Can Mac Pro's) and were waiting for the new Mac Pro to upgrade.  Now, they will be looking at Windows Workstations for half the cost, the same or better upgradability and performance, and can STILL run their Adobe CC.  Apple just lost a customer (and I'd bet more than just this client).

    Here's a question for you...this client has 12 Windows users and 8 Mac users.  Guess who has more issues?  Hint -- not the 12 Windows users.
    You make one really valid point here that I hope Apple takes seriously. There are a LOT of small-medium shops out there who will probably decide they can't afford Mac Pros now (who maybe have for the last decade or two). What's the alternative? While I suppose we can say to get an iMac (or a mini w/eGPU like I did), they all aren't going to like those options.

    At the same time, I'm not sure just jumping over to Windows is all that easy either. I suppose if ALL the do is Adobe CC, and the rest of the company is PC centric anyway. But, if they were small to medium Mac shops, that would be a rather difficult transition (and probably more expensive than anything they'd save on the hardware).

    Also, note: that example with IP addresses was just an example of the muck and mess that is everywhere lurking just below the surface. Fortunately, once a machine is setup, the typical user just doesn't have to go there often, as you say. But, control panels/config also don't equal the UI mess that the average user DOES have to put up with daily. While I've been a Mac users since the late 80's, I've probably spent more hours on a PC/Windows since, but the actual UI/UX difference keeps me on the Mac when possible. Maybe that difference doesn't bother some, but as someone who is irritated by poor design, it bugs the ever-living-%@*) out of me, every time I use a Windows machine (which unfortunately, is like 75%+ of my time right now).

    For those which are already on Mac Pro workflows the price isn't too contentious, it is par for the course - that said this is actually one of the most affordable MacPros/PowerMacs to date, and that includes considering the new screen. The 2013 MacPro was actually the first MacPro that one *couldn't* BTO into high $ territory - and this truly demonstrated the limited nature of the design - making it more like the Cube than the Pro.
    I can't recall if it was this tread or another, where this was proven inaccurate. Someone posted their 'cheese grater' invoice which was like $2600-ish. And, I've never been rich and owned a PowerMac G4 (I did buy it used, I guess). Yes, back in the Mac IIx and MacIIfx days and such, they were crazy expensive. But, Apple got people used to lower priced high-end machines (and lower end machines) for a couple decades now.
    raoulduke42runswithforkchiadysamoria
  • Reply 73 of 175
    Perfect for editing YouTube cat videos  :)
  • Reply 74 of 175
    cgWerkscgWerks Posts: 2,952member
    welshdog said:
    ... Looky here: the 2012 12 Core Mac pro cost $6474 and people bought the shit of of that box. Including one man band editors, photographers, scientists etc. etc. That was seven years ago. What would dissuade the same people from buying this machine which is actually priced lower and is way more powerful?

    A freelance creative video editor who has a good reputation and works with big ad agencies and clients can charge hundreds of dollars an hour. ...
    I totally agree that any true professional will afford one of these if they need to. But, I disagree a bit about the price-point. That 12-core 2012 would have been a much higher end machine at that time than the base-model of this new Mac Pro is currently. By the time someone adds a reasonable GPU and upgrades the CPU to make it more like that 2012 MP was at the time, they'll be well over $10k.

    I guess what I'm saying is that in comparison to the 'cheese grater' and 'cylinder' MP, the new MP is considerably more expensive. I don't think that will matter to the real pros, as you point out, but it will impact the lower-end professional users (and hobbyists) who might have bought a Mac Pro in the past.

    But, the real problem here, is that it is kind of hard to say what machine these people should be buying. I guess the iMac Pro if they can do with an all-in-one. Otherwise, there is a huge hole in Apple's lineup.

    While this machine is a huge blessing to those high-end pros, it is also frustrating for everyone else who may have been hoping it would fall more in line with the previous couple MPs financially.

    karmadave said:
    I'm sure that most people buying the new MacPro will be doing so with OPM (Other People's Money). I won't rehash my issues with the product, but will say that this certainly is NOT the Mac for the rest of us ;-) 
    Yeah, it is absolutely not for the rest of us.
    It also, absolutely, does have a market.
    Yes, people like Alex Lindsay are currently trying to figure out how many of them they can buy.

    entropys said:
    Right. Where is the user upgradable Mac for the rest of us then?
    Yep. Or, even the prosumer level Mac for the rest of us. I guess it's supposed to be the iMac or mini, but it would really be nice to have something a bit more robust at a lower cost than the MP.
    runswithforkbigtdselijahgdysamoria
  • Reply 75 of 175
    welshdogwelshdog Posts: 1,907member
    cgWerks said:I can't recall if it was this tread or another, where this was proven inaccurate. Someone posted their 'cheese grater' invoice which was like $2600-ish.
    There were some Power Mac G5 and Mac Pro Quad Core cheese graters that were sort of affordable but they there not by any measure powerful machines like this new one. You could do work on them, but if you threw too much at them, they bogged down badly.  The more expensive Mac Pros generally were workhorses and had decent power. I think what Apple has done here is make a Mac Pro, that even at it's lowest configuration, is pretty high power. What remains to be seen is if this the first of a whole new line that might eventually include more affordable machines. There's no indication that is what Apple plans to do, other than wishful thinking.
  • Reply 76 of 175
    cgWerkscgWerks Posts: 2,952member
    welshdog said:
    There were some Power Mac G5 and Mac Pro Quad Core cheese graters that were sort of affordable but they there not by any measure powerful machines like this new one. You could do work on them, but if you threw too much at them, they bogged down badly.  The more expensive Mac Pros generally were workhorses and had decent power. I think what Apple has done here is make a Mac Pro, that even at it's lowest configuration, is pretty high power. What remains to be seen is if this the first of a whole new line that might eventually include more affordable machines. There's no indication that is what Apple plans to do, other than wishful thinking.
    Hmm, maybe. At it's lowest config, though, is it that much more powerful than the Mac mini I have on my desk? It can run absolutely silent, full-out and non-stop... which is why I'd want one over what I have. I guess it has a couple extra cores and ECC RAM. But I was kinda thinking the opposite, that until someone starts expanding it, it isn't all that powerful in its base config in comparison to where the industry is currently at.
  • Reply 77 of 175
    Dave_KalamaDave_Kalama Posts: 2unconfirmed, member
    Most serious editing is done on  custom Windows PC. I do 3d cad, 4k editing, audio, write. 

    A Macpro does not support Nvidia drivers and Videocards natively. I rarely interact with Macusers. Intel chips are a step down. Amd cards are noisy and slow. Device drivers are usually late and not as good as the win drivers. 

    Windows software is plenty and very good. The Macversion either dont exist or run slower and are less stable. 

    My minitx custom box runs a watercooled, multifan 8core R1800x/gb32/1gb m2 SSD/1080 card and 4k HDR proofscreen for two years. 4.2k$.
    The Air240 case is dustproof, runs cool and small factor. 

    Its easy and fun to let fe collegepc build a custom pc. There is no reason to buy a macpro. Just not good enough. 








     
    bigtds
  • Reply 78 of 175
    cgWerkscgWerks Posts: 2,952member
    Most serious editing is done on  custom Windows PC. I do 3d cad, 4k editing, audio, write. 

    A Macpro does not support Nvidia drivers and Videocards natively. I rarely interact with Macusers. Intel chips are a step down. Amd cards are noisy and slow. Device drivers are usually late and not as good as the win drivers. 

    Windows software is plenty and very good. The Macversion either dont exist or run slower and are less stable. 

    My minitx custom box runs a watercooled, multifan 8core R1800x/gb32/1gb m2 SSD/1080 card and 4k HDR proofscreen for two years. 4.2k$.
    The Air240 case is dustproof, runs cool and small factor. 

    Its easy and fun to let fe collegepc build a custom pc. There is no reason to buy a macpro. Just not good enough.  
    Depends on the industry. One could say similar things about PCs in other areas.
    (Also, you realize your machine, nice as it is, isn't even close to the new MP potential, right?)

    re: Nvidia - Yeah, that's what I thought and heard until recently, as well. You might want to read this, though:
    https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/06/pro-app-developers-react-to-the-new-mac-pro-and-pro-display-xdr/
  • Reply 79 of 175
    michelb76michelb76 Posts: 682member
    bigtds said:
    I was reading that the lack of Nvidia support is a deal breaker for some when it comes to the Mac Pro. I can't imagine that you couldn't build a comparable PC with Nvidia cards for less than the price of a Mac Pro. But then there's the OS. That matters for some. For others, it's the tools that matter. 
    To get similar performance you buy similarly priced pc's from HP, DELL or BOXX.
  • Reply 80 of 175
    I've been a consistent Mac Pro buyer over the last decade and a half, I have two of them, iMacs and various laptops, phones and iPads in my studio because as a small studio I've already started moving to Windows. I hung on long enough that 18 months ago I built a custom PC workstation and haven't looked back.

    I always left the door open for Apple if they were going to give me the Mac Pro I really needed effectively a reboot of the classic Cheese grater. I'm afraid this new Mac Pro is not it even if it might look like it from an aesthetic point of view, the absurd cost does not make financial sense any way you look at. $6k base price for a low end workstation is ridiculous, a teenager would laugh at those specs, a $6k workstation shipping with a 3 year old GPU! It's embarrassing. The Vega II GPUs if you go by the similar mass produced Radeon7 GPUs for the PC are likely going to be minimum $800 for a single GPU and $1600 for the DUO version plus a huge slice of Apple tax. The SSDs in the Mac Pro are proprietary so you're going to get shafted on SSD upgrades to the pathetic 256GB base. I'd be surprised if the 28 core BTO wasn't >$4-5k given the iMac Pro 18 core BTO is $2.5k.

    As a 3D artist I've always had high end Mac Pro requirement, I've always needed as much CPU and GPU power that you can throw at the problem but I there's no way I could justify a Mac Pro built to suit my workflow needs. The Xeon 28 core is already matched by the 32 core Threadripper at half the price and in a few short months AMD are announcing 48 core and maybe even 64 core Threadrippers that will annihilate the very top spec Mac Pro. nVidia's 20 series is already working with the GPU based renderer I use, Redshift who knows if the Vega II GPUs will offer anything like the performance.

    For 3D, compositing and video editing the traditional bread and butter for Mac Pro buyers you'd be insane to consider the new Mac Pro over a vastly higher spec PC at probably a third to half of the cost.

    I find it strange that a professional user in the article would say they'd buy the Mac Pro and use it for 10 years, we've only been able to stretch out the lives of our classic Mac Pros because there was absolutely zero competition in the CPU market. Intel was happy to keep tick tocking 4 cores for the mainstream and did nothing in the HEDT space so our 12 core MPs lasted forever. AMD have kicked down the doors with Ryzen, Threadripper and EPYC and there's going to be an almighty CPU war again. You throw $15k at the Mac Pro in the Fall and by Spring 2020 you're going to feel an epic case of buyers remorse. By this time next year this shiny new cheese grater is going to look unbelievably dated when workstations costing a fraction are running PCIe4, nVidia's 7nm GPUs, much faster SSDs and 200 GigE networking.

    I know Windows isn't as nice as MacOS but when push comes to shove I prefer more powerful hardware over a slightly better OS. All my software is cross platform and works the same on MacOS and Win it just works a heck of a lot faster. Of the artists I converse with on forums and on social media none is impressed with this Mac Pro so for a more balanced view I'd check out the Mac forums of the 3D community and see what less handpicked professionals think of Apple's latest white elephant.
    Sanctum1972bigtdsjdwelijahgkestralrunswithforkdysamoria
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