Just ordered a Hex :) - Gaming & Other Benchmarks Inside!

[w00tini]

Configuration
One 3.33GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon “Westmere”
6GB (3x2GB)
1TB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s hard drive
ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB
One 18x SuperDrive
Apple Magic Mouse
Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad (English) & User's Guide
Apple Mini DisplayPort to DVI AdapterWell, I just ordered my first MacPro. I'm a four year Apple user that is finally taking the plunge to a single computer solution after years of various MacBooks and a MacMini sitting next to my PC tower. It seems more efficient to have a powerful Mac like the MacPro which is capable of running both the OS X and Windows platforms instead of two large, power-hungry machines running at one time.

My use for the MacPro will be gaming (in both OS X and Win7 via Bootcamp), using iMovie to create movies of my family (one 2.5 year old daughter and another baby on the way), and doing both work and schoolwork (currently working towards an MBA). I'm hoping this computer lasts me around two years, and it should as long as I can get one more graphics card cycle out of Apple.

I was torn on the Quad vs Hex debate but after reading a lot about the differences between them and my needs the Hex was a better solution, albeit a more expensive one. I'm planning on acquiring the new Apple 27" Cinema display when they start shipping and I feel that the Hex will be more capable of running video games at the beautiful full 2560x1440 resolution given the CPU power needed to push the GPU to such higher resolutions. It also appears, given the current benchmarks of StarCraft 2, that Blizzard is utilizing multiple cores in their latest engines. I'm a huge Diablo fan and plan on spending way too many hours on Diablo 3 when it hits so I'm hoping the Hex will also be of benefit in that instance. Not that the Quad is bad, but the Hex is well... the Hex :D

I did the memory upgrade through Apple because it was only $10 more than buying it from another vendor. The real memory savings come in the higher memory sizes. I do plan on buying another HDD for the Bootcamp installation but will buy that from my local CompUSA (Tiger Direct) because they're priced accordingly with NewEgg for the most part on drives.

I plan on doing a lot of gaming benchmarks once the unit arrives and will certainly post them here for everyone that may be interested.

The order acknowledgment says that the unit should arrive between Sept 17th and the 23rd. Thanks to everyone here on the MacRumors MacPro forums for all of your help. Now, let the waiting begin!

Update after arrival:


Ok so it has been here for a few days now and I've had some time to dig into it. I've installed Windows 7 via Bootcamp and have Steam running on both the OS X and Windows side of things. I have also run some various benchmarking software where applicable given which OS platform they run on.

Here's what I have so far....

XBench
http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz55/straferight/MacPro/XBench.jpg
(XBench in OS X)

Some solid numbers here. Very impressive memory and CPU bandwidth. I'm running 2x 3GB memory sticks in triple channel mode which is accounting for the memory test numbers. Know that you will certainly slow down to a degree running 4 memory sticks, but also understand that not all programs require fast speeds, some require more memory overhead and not such a fast thoroughfare through the bus.

GeekBench
http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz55/straferight/MacPro/geekbenchWin.jpg
(GeekBench in Windows7)

I'm not sure why it is reporting 32-bit as I'm running Windows7 Professional in 64-bit mode. But nonetheless, great metrics were taken away from running this benchmark.

Cinebench OS X
http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz55/straferight/MacPro/CinebenchOSX.jpg
(OS X Cinebench)

As you can see, very poor 3D capabilities in Cinebench on the OS X side given the rather disappointing OpenGL support Apple has at this time. While the CPU score is solid, OpenGL is lacking.

Cinebench Windows7
http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz55/straferight/MacPro/CinebenchWin.jpg
(Cinebench Windows7)

Using Windows7 via Bootcamp is where the MacPro really shines for an all around good gaming experience. Not the near-double OpenGL score in Win7 as compared to the OS X benchmark. The MacPro is a flat out scorcher in Windows7.

3DMark 06
Note: Windows Only

http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz55/straferight/MacPro/3DMark06.jpg
(3DMark 06 in Windows7)

Need I say more? That's a very, very respectable score for any custom PC build rocking a single core/single graphics card configuration, and will surely satisfy any current PC game's requirements.

3D Mark Vantage
Note: Windows Only

http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz55/straferight/MacPro/3DMarkVantage.jpg
(3DMark Vantage in Windows7)

Game Benchmarks

Counter-Strike Source Stress Test

Note: Run with monitor resolution of 1920x1200 with all graphics and advanced graphics settings at maximum in Windows7.

While Counter-Strike Source is an old game, the Stress Test built into it is still a good indicator of CPU and GPU bandwidth due to the how the two need to work together to push FPS in PC games. Source is dependent on the CPU pushing a lot of information through the GPU since the CPU is where the bottleneck would most likely occur in an older game like this.

The FPS were pegged at 300 (the maximum Source records in this benchmark) for most of the run but did dip down to ~ 200 for the more taxing parts of the stress test. Still, slowed down to 200 fps?? After several runs the average stress test score was 225.04 FPS in Windows7.

Unfortunately the OS X version of CS:Source does not have the stress test so I was not able to run it for a good comparison.


Left4Dead and Left4Dead 2

Note: Run with monitor resolution of 1920x1200 with all graphics and advanced graphics settings at maximum. Windows Only for now. Rumors are October 4th for OS X versions of this game.

Given that timedemos are usually broken whenever a game is updated I was not able to run any specific in-game benchmark for either of the L4D titles. But I did take pretty detailed notes on FPS with hordes of zombies running around me, being boomed, and attacked by all angles to really push the MacPro in this game.

The lowest FPS I saw at any one time in the most massive of horde attacks was 150 FPS in Left4Dead and 90 FPS in Left4Dead 2. In most cases it was over 200 FPS in both games. The games played beautifully no matter what was going on on-screen. Just a great gaming experience and much, much better than the Intel i7/Nvidia Gforce GTX260 that this MacPro replaced.

Team-Fortress 2

Note: Run with monitor resolution of 1920x1200 with all graphics and advanced graphics settings at maximum. Tested in both Windows7 and OS X.

Much like the previous two titles here, I ran this game with a screen full of 24 bots in a server to get a feel for how well the game would run. I never saw TF2 game drop below 120 FPS in Windows. OS X fared a bit lower with an average FPS of around 80 FPS.

Considering the CPU time required to run 23 bots in expert mode, it is a testament to the great multi-core utilization we're seeing from Valve in their games.

Battlefield Bad Company 2

Note: Run with monitor resolution of 1920x1200 with all graphics and advanced graphics settings at maximum. Tested in Windows7.

http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz55/straferight/MacPro/BC2.jpg

http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz55/straferight/MacPro/BC2c.jpg

http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz55/straferight/MacPro/BC2a.jpg

Overall, BC2 is a smooth and lag/stutter-free gaming experience. Even with a lot of things happening at one time on the screen the game is a cinematic experience on the Mac Pro with every single video enhancement enabled to its highest setting.


That's it for now. I'm going to mess around with more games as time goes on and update this thread. Please be sure to post any of your own gaming or benchmark metrics here so we can all share our experiences with the MacPro.

[jjahshik32]

Congrats on your purchase. I'm heavily looking into a Mac Pro as well but I'm on the fence about the 3.2GHz vs the 3.33GHz model. For me I'm leaning closer to the 3.2GHz as I wont be needing the additional 2 cores but the only reason that is swaying me from buying yet is the GPU card upgradability. When I say GPU upgradability, I mean I'm deathly afraid that the next GPU might not be supported on the current Mac Pro systems sometime late next year (Sandy bridge) via PCIe 3.0.

But I think you might be correct when you mentioned that we can get at least one more cycle on the GPU. Probably will be a PCIe 3.0 GPU but should be backwards compatible with 2.0.

[ntrigue]

I'm very happy for you. Gorgeous machine. Why not an iMac Core i7?

[cnstoll]

Congratulations. I think youll be surprised at how long that computer will last you. I'd be shocked if you feel the need to upgrade before you've had it for 4 years.

[w00tini]

I'm very happy for you. Gorgeous machine. Why not an iMac Core i7?

the iMac uses a mobile GPU while the MacPro uses a full-fledged desktop GPU.

the iMac is also not upgradeable after a certain point. I will need three hard drives and the iMac cannot do such.

the iMac is still a beauty and the smaller version may find it's way into our home soon for our kitchen nook as the in-law/guest computer.

[w00tini]

Congratulations. I think youll be surprised at how long that computer will last you. I'd be shocked if you feel the need to upgrade before you've had it for 4 years.
thanks! and I hope you are right :)

I stopped down at CompUSA today and snagged two 1TB drives. I'm ready when it arrives!

one question for you macpro experts: what do you think a fair price would e on eBay if I decided to sell my three 2Gb 1333Mhz sticks should I choose to go for 12Gb?

[Bartman01]

the iMac uses a mobile GPU while the MacPro uses a full-fledged desktop GPU.

the iMac is also not upgradeable after a certain point. I will need three hard drives and the iMac cannot do such.

the iMac is still a beauty and the smaller version may find it's way into our home soon for our kitchen nook as the in-law/guest computer.

The iMac now uses a desktop class CPU, but I am with you on the rest of the reasons not to buy one. To even be a consideration to me for MY system the iMac would need at least 1 accessible PCIe expansion port, 2+ internal user replaceable 3.5" hard drives, and an eSATA port that supported a port replicator.

edit - sorry misread your 'GPU' comment as 'CPU'.

[sboerup]

Ya, the Hexacore is definitely going to last you at least 4 years, unless you are like me and just get bitten by the upgrade bug.

Considering that software, hopefully, will be written better and better in the next few years, your computer will actually be faster and faster as time progresses. Then again, I can't imagine in 4 years what kind of hardware is going to be around.

[Magaman]

Congrats, I've been loving my hex since I got it. I run Final Cut and do gaming on it. As far as gaming goes, I've been running WoW on Ultra without an issue. And with Bootcamp Windows 7 been running STO again everything on ultra and it looks and runs great. There is a ton of gaming power in the machine in both Mac OS and Windows 7(which I'm pretty impressed with)

[jjahshik32]

Ya, the Hexacore is definitely going to last you at least 4 years, unless you are like me and just get bitten by the upgrade bug.

Considering that software, hopefully, will be written better and better in the next few years, your computer will actually be faster and faster as time progresses. Then again, I can't imagine in 4 years what kind of hardware is going to be around.

48 physical core with 2 threads in each core making it 96 core Mac Pro!

[Vylen]

Ya, the Hexacore is definitely going to last you at least 4 years, unless you are like me and just get bitten by the upgrade bug.

Considering that software, hopefully, will be written better and better in the next few years, your computer will actually be faster and faster as time progresses. Then again, I can't imagine in 4 years what kind of hardware is going to be around.

Next year is Sandy Bridge... then Ivy Bridge... then Haswell... then Rockwell..

So if Intel don't screw up, in 4 years time there will be 16nm CPU's with 8-cores minimum (which sorta implies 16 cores for server grade).

Our poor hexacores will eventually be overtaken by then.

[mac88]

Congrats on your purchase! I hope the machine arrives quickly so you can enjoy it. Have you looked at maybe picking up a refurbished 24" so you can save some money? I bought mine from the refurb. store and it is flawless.

[w00tini]

Congrats on your purchase! I hope the machine arrives quickly so you can enjoy it. Have you looked at maybe picking up a refurbished 24" so you can save some money? I bought mine from the refurb. store and it is flawless.

thanks mac88 :)

I am very seriously considering a dual 24" ACD setup. What I've decided is that if there is some unexpected delay on the 27" that pushes it out to the fourth quarter, then I will go the dual 24" route if Apple still has inventory. I noticed last night that they were out of refurb units though.

does anyone have an idea what I could maybe get for my 2Gb memory sticks in the used market? I'm strongly considering a 12Gb upgrade and noticed that the trade-in value was only $30 to the memory vendor. I should be able to do better on my own but I was hoping for a ballpark price from you MacPro vets.

thanks

[w00tini]

one more question...

what's to stop us from running two 5870's in Crossfire? I noticed that neither Barefeats or OWC have tried this.

[Schismz]

one more question...

what's to stop us from running two 5870's in Crossfire? I noticed that neither Barefeats or OWC have tried this.

The Mac Pro only has 2 power connectors inside for the video card and the 5870 is using them both.

[w00tini]

The Mac Pro only has 2 power connectors inside for the video card and the 5870 is using them both.
ahhh I see... Hmm...

Has anyone dug into the PSU to see if it is modular?

These are probably elementary questions, and I apologize if so, but I've yet to take delivery of my Mac Pro so I'm not sure.

Thanks :D

[Schismz]

one more question...

what's to stop us from running two 5870's in Crossfire? I noticed that neither Barefeats or OWC have tried this.

Pardon me, wrong quote previously, also, in relation to the above: OS/X doesn't support Crossfire. You may or may not be able to get it to work under Windoze, no clue.

[w00tini]

Pardon me, wrong quote previously, also, in relation to the above: OS/X doesn't support Crossfire. You may or may not be able to get it to work under Windoze, no clue.

cool. thanks for the info Schismz. I smell a weekend project coming on :)

[johnnymg]

Congrats on your purchase. I'm heavily looking into a Mac Pro as well but I'm on the fence about the 3.2GHz vs the 3.33GHz model. For me I'm leaning closer to the 3.2GHz as I wont be needing the additional 2 cores but the only reason that is swaying me from buying yet is the GPU card upgradability. When I say GPU upgradability, I mean I'm deathly afraid that the next GPU might not be supported on the current Mac Pro systems sometime late next year (Sandy bridge) via PCIe 3.0.

But I think you might be correct when you mentioned that we can get at least one more cycle on the GPU. Probably will be a PCIe 3.0 GPU but should be backwards compatible with 2.0.

BIG congrats to the OP ~~~~~ :)

FWIW, I also find the 3.2 Quad pretty compelling from a cost/performance perspective. I'd get the hex if there was better SW support for multicores. Sadly, there are few programs that take advantage of the power of the hex. Someday that will change though.

cheers to us all
JohnG

[ryan0402]

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=11047155#post11047155

You should be very excited

[ZeissmeisteR]

Exact same build as mine! Received it on Wednesday and i absolutely love it! Great purchase.

[w00tini]

Exact same build as mine! Received it on Wednesday and i absolutely love it! Great purchase.
how long did it take for you to receive it from order to ship to delivery Zeissmeister?

[ZeissmeisteR]

how long did it take for you to receive it from order to ship to delivery Zeissmeister?

9 days :), although apple predicted it to be around 16-18 days.

[w00tini]

9 days :), although apple predicted it to be around 16-18 days.
Awesome news!

I ordered on the 11th and have a window of 17th-23rd for delivery. Man, if they got it out the door and on my front door step in six days I would be mightily impressed!

I just dropped a few hundy at the office supply store and totally re-did my office. I love this stuff!

[2contagious]

9 days :), although apple predicted it to be around 16-18 days.

I wonder how that's possible.. do you mean 9 days or 9 working days?
I ordered mine on 31st August, it's been 12 days now (8 working days) and it has been shipped on day number 10 (working day number 8). I can't seem to be able to track it properly.. it just states 'Syncreon Technologies' as the delivery company for the Apple Care box and the iPod Touch and "Merge in Transit GB" for the Mac Pro. Since you live in London as well I wanted to ask.. how long did it take for you to receive the Mac Pro AFTER the shipping confirmation?

I can't wait to receive my hex. hex-hex!
http://www.brandora.de/news/pics/N-8116.01.jpg

[ZeissmeisteR]

I wonder how that's possible.. do you mean 9 days or 9 working days?
I ordered mine on 31st August, it's been 12 days now (8 working days) and it has been shipped on day number 10 (working day number 8). I can't seem to be able to track it properly.. it just states 'Syncreon Technologies' as the delivery company for the Apple Care box and the iPod Touch and "Merge in Transit GB" for the Mac Pro. Since you live in London as well I wanted to ask.. how long did it take for you to receive the Mac Pro AFTER the shipping confirmation?

I can't wait to receive my hex. hex-hex!
http://www.brandora.de/news/pics/N-8116.01.jpg

Sorry, i meant 9 normal days. Also ordered on the 31st, and it arrived on September 8th.

I believe it was shipped on the 2nd (confirmation also on the 2nd), so it spent 6 days in transit from where ever it was sent from originally.

[2contagious]

Sorry, i meant 9 normal days. Also ordered on the 31st, and it arrived on September 8th.

I believe it was shipped on the 2nd (confirmation also on the 2nd), so it spent 6 days in transit from where ever it was sent from originally.

What was Apple doing in the 8 days between your shipment and my shipment. I don't understand how the delivery times can be this different :confused: At the moment the system gives me an expected delivery of 24th September.. before it shipped, it was expected to be 21st..:confused::confused::confused:

[w00tini]

What was Apple doing in the 8 days between your shipment and my shipment. I don't understand how the delivery times can be this different :confused: At the moment the system gives me an expected delivery of 24th September.. before it shipped, it was expected to be 21st..:confused::confused::confused:

maybe you guys are in different regions/countries?

i noticed that resellers are also reporting late delivery times. if you both ordered from Apple and are in the US that is strange.

[2contagious]

maybe you guys are in different regions/countries?

i noticed that resellers are also reporting late delivery times. if you both ordered from Apple and are in the US that is strange.

We're both in London in the UK :/

EDIT: my order status now says

Current Delivery Status: In Transit to Customer - Shipment on Schedule -Date: 17 Sep 2010
I have no idea if that's supposed to mean that it will be here on 17th September (?) because it still says that the estimated delivery date is 24th September.

[w00tini]

anything that says "in transit" is positive news. congrats!

I've now completely redone my hone office and am ready for my hex. come on apple :)

[ZeissmeisteR]

We're both in London in the UK :/

EDIT: my order status now says

Current Delivery Status: In Transit to Customer - Shipment on Schedule -Date: 17 Sep 2010
I have no idea if that's supposed to mean that it will be here on 17th September (?) because it still says that the estimated delivery date is 24th September.

Good news!

In that situation, i'd normally just go for what it says for the est delivery date. Its normally fairly accurate, at least for my dealings with Apple.

[w00tini]

so is the 'Prepared for Shipment' good news?

how long did your 2010 take from this phase to actually being shipped?

thanks, i'm really excited :)

[2contagious]

Good news!

In that situation, i'd normally just go for what it says for the est delivery date. Its normally fairly accurate, at least for my dealings with Apple.

24th September seems ridiculous though. That would be 2 weeks from shipping date to delivery date!

1) I ordered on 31st August and before they shipped my order, estimated delivery was on 21st September.

2) I called Apple up to see if they could split my order since the printer was on backorder and was holding the shipment. Like this I would maybe get the Mac Pro a bit earlier than on 21st September. The Apple rep told me that by splitting the order, I would get it on 20th (Monday) or the Saturday 18th/Friday 17th before.

3) Then when they finally split the order on 10th September, they shipped the Mac Pro. Now that it's in transit the estimated delivery is 24th September, 3 DAYS AFTER the initial delivery date. :mad:

[w00tini]

Shipped! Due in two days :D

Now to re-schedule my Thursday appointments with clients so I can stay home and go nerd-spaz-crazy with it!

[2contagious]

Oh god.. Apple really messed up.. They told me the printer was on backorder and was holding the overall order, but now that the order is split, the printer is actually the only product on my order that will arrive early (tomorrow) instead of 21st September. My Mac Pro and iPod Touch are still estimated to be delivered on 24th September gahhh... :(

[w00tini]

Oh god.. Apple really messed up.. They told me the printer was on backorder and was holding the overall order, but now that the order is split, the printer is actually the only product on my order that will arrive early (tomorrow) instead of 21st September. My Mac Pro and iPod Touch are still estimated to be delivered on 24th September gahhh... :(

oh man that sucks. I wonder why they are ship-grouping some orders but not others. I got my printer today but the MacPro is coming tomorrow.

[2contagious]

oh man that sucks. I wonder why they are ship-grouping some orders but not others. I got my printer today but the MacPro is coming tomorrow.

Well the printer was split from the order on my request.. because they told me it would speed up the order because they didn't have that printer in stock. Now that they do have it in stock, the printer will arrive earlier than the Mac Pro.. It was supposed to be the other way around :D

[iPadPublisher]

I ordered on the 11th and have a window of 17th-23rd for delivery.

Interesting... I ordered mine on the 11th as well and got a 16-22nd window. My config is different though:

Two 2.66GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon
16GB (8x2GB)
ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB
1TB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
One 18x SuperDrive

[w00tini]

Interesting... I ordered mine on the 11th as well and got a 16-22nd window. My config is different though:

Two 2.66GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon
16GB (8x2GB)
ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB
1TB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
One 18x SuperDrive
my pro arrives tomorrow so they are a day early. im stoked!

thats a sweet rig ipadpublisher. what will you be using it for?

[2contagious]

thats a sweet rig ipadpublisher. what will you be using it for?

For iPad publishing, I bet :rolleyes:

[iPadPublisher]

thats a sweet rig ipadpublisher. what will you be using it for?

Total media rig... Video, ebooks, audio and photo work. This is my first ever Mac! I'm so excited but also nervous. Can't wait to dive in. I've got 3x 2TB Hitachi drives standing by to add-in for mega-storage and some backups. I debated more RAM but figured it's an easy enough upgrade later on if needed.

I think posting here is good luck, just noticed my status is prepared for shipment.

[2contagious]

I debated more RAM but figured it's an easy enough upgrade later on if needed.

Just wondering, why did you go with RAM from Apple? :confused:

[w00tini]

Total media rig... Video, ebooks, audio and photo work. This is my first ever Mac! I'm so excited but also nervous. Can't wait to dive in. I've got 3x 2TB Hitachi drives standing by to add-in for mega-storage and some backups. I debated more RAM but figured it's an easy enough upgrade later on if needed.

I think posting here is good luck, just noticed my status is prepared for shipment.

congrats! mine shipped a few hours after hitting that stage. yours will most likely arrive friday if you chose 2day shipping.

[iPadPublisher]

Just wondering, why did you go with RAM from Apple? :confused:

I'd heard ahead of time that the RAM is cheaper in other places, but for the sake of a super-easy problem-free beginning to my Mac relationship I figured I'd stick with factory parts and expand as-needed. I'm an iTunes VIP and get a discount, also, so it wasn't as bad as if I were paying full price.

My current rig was ordered back in April and is an HP hex (single CPU) with 16GB of RAM and its been a screamer. I've had zero issues, so I figure the Mac to be capable at that level as well. I just hope I don't prove myself wrong the first time I start doing some video work or something...

[iPadPublisher]

congrats! mine shipped a few hours after hitting that stage. yours will most likely arrive friday if you chose 2day shipping.

I got my tracking number, but chose ground shipping, so I assume it'll be here Monday. That gives me time to wrap up some stuff on my PC over the weekend, and wipe it down for a goodbye hug :)

[w00tini]

I'd think you'd get a pretty penny for the HP Hex machine. Heck, I'd probably pull the CPU out and eBay it all by itself, then just throw a new mobo/CPU from the cheap-bin in there and use it as a media server or something.

[w00tini]

On truck and out for delivery, woo hoo!

First things I'm going to do:

Setup OS X fresh, no Time Machine backups from MBP
Setup Productivity Suites (Office, iWork)
Setup Steam
Install Win7 Bootcamp
Smash the refresh button on store.apple.com and hope the 27" comes up for sale :)
Benchmark games in both OS X and Bootcamped Win7
Not sleep for three days

[johnnymg]

On truck and out for delivery, woo hoo!

First things I'm going to do:

Setup OS X fresh, no Time Machine backups from MBP
Setup Productivity Suites (Office, iWork)
Setup Steam
Install Win7 Bootcamp
Smash the refresh button on store.apple.com and hope the 27" comes up for sale :)
Benchmark games in both OS X and Bootcamped Win7
Not sleep for three days

Benchmark first ........... mod second.

[2contagious]

I believe it was shipped on the 2nd (confirmation also on the 2nd), so it spent 6 days in transit from where ever it was sent from originally.

ZeissmeisteR, do you remember at what point your order went from "in transit" (China to Europe) to "handed over to final carrier" status (UPS probably?) How many days before delivery was that?

I believe my Mac Pro should arrive in the UK tomorrow, but it needs to be 'merged in transit' (merged with all the accessories, and also with the iPod touch I got with it) and handed over to the final carrier.

The printer arrived in Tamworth, UK yesterday (15th) and was directly handed over to the final carrier (UPS) to be shipped to London and I received it this morning (16th). If I would go by this, I could maybe receive my Mac Pro on Saturday or Monday :confused:

[w00tini]

Benchmark first ........... mod second.
agreed. i'm installing the Win drive right now. the zero-erase (to find any bad sectors) is going to take a few hours.

but i've got most everything else setup.

once i get Win7 installed on the other physical drive, i will start downloading steam games for A/B comparisons and benchmarks. any requests? i own all of the standard Valve titles. Sorry, but RTS isn't my thing so I really can't get into StarCraft 2 benchmarks for you unless they have a demo (which I will look for)

oh ya, btw... it's here :D

[2contagious]

oh ya, btw... it's here :D

d**n you haha :D:) what's it like?

[w00tini]

This is the single best case design I've ever seen. It's built like a tank! Slapping in the new drives was simple and MAN O MAN is it nice to not have to deal with SATA cables :)

I figured I'd get a different picture than most to celebrate the new arrival

http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz55/straferight/6e54300c.jpg

[2contagious]

hehe, nice flag :cool:

[w00tini]

regardless of how we feel about why the troops are in harm's way, we have got support them.

man i just realized how bad my Samsung monitor is calibrated! i didn't plan on keeping it as I want the new 27" ACD, but i never really saw how bad it was on my old i7 rig. tweaking now.

[alphaod]

Congrats. The reward was worth waiting for, I hope! :p

[w00tini]

so far so good. the first 2Tb drive is just about done formatting to zero.

while it was running i fired up TF2 on OS X/Steam. @ 1920x1200 with everything graphically at MAX (16x, 4x, high details, reflection, ect) it was super smooth with 15 bots and me on a map.

now to install Win7

back in a bit

[2contagious]

:eek: YEAAAHH YEAAHHHH WOOOOHOOOOO!! :D

My order status has just changed - without any email or other notification! I have tracked it and it's currently on a night drive in a UPS van from Tamworth to London and will be delivered tomorrow morning (17th September), NOT on the expected 24th September :D

[w00tini]

:eek: YEAAAHH YEAAHHHH WOOOOHOOOOO!! :D

My order status has just changed - without any email or other notification! I have tracked it and it's currently on a night drive in a UPS van from Tamworth to London and will be delivered tomorrow morning (17th September), NOT on the expected 24th September :D
congrats man!

i've got a few more games to install but i can tell you without a doubt that the Hex + HD5780 is a screamer in Windows AND in OS X in the games I've tried. I'm still going to hold judgment until I get a few more metrics on the table, but so far i could not be happier with this purchase.

[iPadPublisher]

congrats man! i've got a few more games to install but i can tell you without a doubt that the Hex + HD5780 is a screamer in Windows AND in OS X

I have to admit that normally I find unboxing and new product postings a bit silly, but knowing my Mac Pro is coming not too far behind yours has me a bit giddy reading about your adventures. :)

I got a "shipped" email from Apple, but so far the tracking number is a dud. I think I'm getting mine Monday or Tuesday.

Ordered mine with the 1TB drive, and am gonna figure out how to immediately copy that over to a 1TB drive I have on standby. Fry's has the 2TB Hitachi drives for $104 right now, so I got four of them.

[w00tini]

I have to admit that normally I find unboxing and new product postings a bit silly, but knowing my Mac Pro is coming not too far behind yours has me a bit giddy reading about your adventures. :)

I got a "shipped" email from Apple, but so far the tracking number is a dud. I think I'm getting mine Monday or Tuesday.

Ordered mine with the 1TB drive, and am gonna figure out how to immediately copy that over to a 1TB drive I have on standby. Fry's has the 2TB Hitachi drives for $104 right now, so I got four of them.
oh man that's great news on your shipment!

i'm digging into stuff pretty heavily right now and hope to have some benches up soon... it's just the downloading of all the games that takes so long, even over Steam's servers

[InfoSecmgr]

BIG congrats to the OP ~~~~~ :)

FWIW, I also find the 3.2 Quad pretty compelling from a cost/performance perspective.

Especially if you are a developer. I'm an iOS dev and the Mac Pro quad is $1,999 for the base model.

[2contagious]

Ordered mine with the 1TB drive, and am gonna figure how to immediately copy that over to a 1TB drive I have on standby. Fry's has the 2TB Hitachi drives for $104 right now, so I got four of them.

Actually that reminds me.. I will have to get two 2TB drives for storage (actual storing/keeping of media files etc.), but I want something that's not too loud.. what would be the best choice there? A WD Caviar Green?

[InfoSecmgr]

regardless of how we feel about why the troops are in harm's way, we have got support them.



Thanks, I'm one of them :)

[w00tini]

Actually that reminds me.. I will have to get two 2TB drives for storage (actual storing/keeping of media files etc.), but I want something that's not too loud.. what would be the best choice there? A WD Caviar Green?

I found that adding two Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 drives to my system added zero noise. none. the many reviews I have read lead me to these drives because they were very low power and noise.

[w00tini]

Thanks, I'm one of them :)

thanks for your service!

[iPadPublisher]

Thanks, I'm one of them :)

Thanks for your service!

[iPadPublisher]

Actually that reminds me.. I will have to get two 2TB drives for storage (actual storing/keeping of media files etc.), but I want something that's not too loud.. what would be the best choice there? A WD Caviar Green?


I've had a lot of luck with these Hitachi drives lately. My PC is running with three of them and its probably the quietest box I've owned in years.

[2contagious]

How does WD vs. Hitachi vs. Seagate compare? There are always horror stories and good stories about all of them :D
My Mac Pro should arrive any minute now :)

[w00tini]

How does WD vs. Hitachi vs. Seagate compare? There are always horror stories and good stories about all of them :D
My Mac Pro should arrive any minute now :)
so good to hear 2contagious!

here's what sold me on the Seagate: http://techreport.com/articles.x/16472

its very quiet (http://techreport.com/articles.x/16472/11) and has good speeds. i wanted the quietest i could find that wasn't a slug. plus i found them locally for $60 for the 1Tb version.

and yes, i just ordered one of the new 27" cinema displays :)

[w00tini]

I updated the first post in this thread (http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=11040448&postcount=1) with a load of benchmarks from both games and benchmarking tools available online for both Windows and OS X.

Please feel free to share your thoughts and post any questions you might have... oh, and your own benchmarks too! :)

[w00tini]

updated first post with Battlefield Bad Company 2 screenshots and benchmarks

[2contagious]

updated first post with Battlefield Bad Company 2 screenshots and benchmarks

Wow :eek: I think I need to start playing games on computers again. I wonder if consoles will ever reach such amazing and smooth graphics.