iphonefiver

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iphonefiver
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  • No, Apple's new Mac Pro isn't overpriced

    iphonefiveriphonefiver
    The following $2905 workstation is equivalent to the $5999 Mac Pro both in terms of performance and in terms of using all workstation-class components:

    $460 - Supermicro MBD-X11SPI-TF-O motherboard
    $749 - Xeon W-3223
    $100 - Noctua NH-U12S DX-3647 CPU cooler
    $200 - 32 GB DDR4 2666 ECC RAM
    $525 - AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 8GB
    $280 - Dune Pro case with a cheese grater
    $160 - Samsung 970 Pro NVMe SSD 512GB
    $231 - Seasonic Prime Ultra 850W 80+ Titanium PSU
    $200 - Windows 10 Pro
    --------------------
    $2,905

    That is not "just a $400 i9 processor jammed in a machine with a plain-as-day Northbridge, a few PCI-E slots, and a couple of I/O options". It is a bona fide workstation, with the same CPU, server-grade ECC RAM, workstation GPU that slightly outdoes the one in the Mac, etc.

    Granted, the article said that build-your-own rigs could come in less expensive, but the authors seemed to imply that such builds would not really be comparable to a Mac Pro because they are made from consumer-grade parts. In any case, there's the equivalent+ custom workstation.
    The component hardware quality may be the same -- no such implication was made that it wouldn't be. But, from a support standpoint, it isn't equivalent. From a labor of assembly standpoint, it isn't. Way fewer PCI-E and one whole X16 slot on yours. Four fewer RAM slots on yours. Zero Thunderbolt 3 on yours as far as I can tell. Louder. Weaker power supply. You do get more SATA slots, and more USB-A. And, like we said in the article, add more money for Windows for Workstations.

    You want to do this? Go nuts. It's probably perfect for what you want to do. But, it isn't equivalent to the Mac Pro in every measure, and falls very short on several key metrics, like most comparisons with part pickers.
    Thanks for your thoughtful reply, those are good points. I'm not a fan of PC part picker tools, partly for the reason you mentioned. My apologies for incorrectly reading an implication into your article.

    The main point from your article which I disagree with is "compared to Windows workstation pricing, the jokes and arguments fall flat". A few inexpensive adjustments to the build I suggested bring it to feature parity with the base Mac Pro on the key metrics, plus some extras:
    +$118: SUPERMICRO MBD-X11SPA-TF-O motherboard
    +$150: Sonnet Thunderbolt 3 expansion card
    +$177: 1500W SilverStone PS-ST1500-TI 80+ Titanium PSU
    -------------
    $3350 total

    I find the title of the article indefensible, at least with respect to the $5999 base model, unless assembly and support are worth over $2500 to you.
    dysamoria

  • No, Apple's new Mac Pro isn't overpriced

    iphonefiveriphonefiver
    The following $2905 workstation is equivalent to the $5999 Mac Pro both in terms of performance and in terms of using all workstation-class components:

    $460 - Supermicro MBD-X11SPI-TF-O motherboard
    $749 - Xeon W-3223
    $100 - Noctua NH-U12S DX-3647 CPU cooler
    $200 - 32 GB DDR4 2666 ECC RAM
    $525 - AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 8GB
    $280 - Dune Pro case with a cheese grater
    $160 - Samsung 970 Pro NVMe SSD 512GB
    $231 - Seasonic Prime Ultra 850W 80+ Titanium PSU
    $200 - Windows 10 Pro
    --------------------
    $2,905

    That is not "just a $400 i9 processor jammed in a machine with a plain-as-day Northbridge, a few PCI-E slots, and a couple of I/O options". It is a bona fide workstation, with the same CPU, server-grade ECC RAM, workstation GPU that slightly outdoes the one in the Mac, etc.

    Granted, the article said that build-your-own rigs could come in less expensive, but the authors seemed to imply that such builds would not really be comparable to a Mac Pro because they are made from consumer-grade parts. In any case, there's the equivalent+ custom workstation.
    nexgenbbdysamoria