$23,397 Mac Pro

[Losenrout]

I'm a private individual interested in buying a custom top-of-the-line Mac Pro, mostly as a toy since I'm blessed enough to be able to afford it. The machine I'm interested in would be 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 32GB, four 300GB SAS drives, NVIDIAQuadro FX 5600, and a couple Cinema HD Displays. With accessories, it runs about $23,397.

I recently talked with an apple representative who actually tried to convince me to acquire a somewhat lower-end "suggested configuration" Mac Pro. He told me that the technical upkeep for such a high-end mac is more demanding than I could handle. Is this accurate? He also told me that he wasn't aware of any use a private individual could have for that amount of processing power, but I enjoy knowing the power is available, so this doesn't concern me.

The only high-end software I run is some naval architecture CAD programs (Maxsurf, ShipConstructor and Navisworks) -- I'm a ship-building hobbyist. These programs would run in Windows under bootcamp. I would also use the machine for mostly mundane tasks -- internet, email, record-keeping, and my large music library.

Any thoughts about the upkeep of this machine would be greatly appreciated. Is it possible for me to maintain this machine myself, with good computer proficiency, but no special skills?

[jessica.]

Spend your money. To keep it up...plug it in and welcome that next electric bill.
I cannot see how anyone would buy a machine that is $20k more than what i needed, but as you said you've been "blessed" and consider the way to show it is to spend. There is no additional technical upkeep that I can see.

Good luck in your blessed ventures.

[Schtumple]

Pretty expensive toy if you ask me, but if you've been blessed, then cor blimey, go at it like the clappers...

[Peace]

Just spend 10 grand and give the rest to charity.

[Losenrout]

Jessica, thank you for your response.

I hadn't actually considered the power consumption of the machine -- how enormous would it be compared to a "suggested configuration" Mac Pro? Is there any way to diminish power consumption while maintaining the specs (e.g. can the hard drives individually sleep when not in use?) To what extent does a machine consume power based on the hardware installed, as opposed to what demands are actually being placed on it at a particular moment? Thank you -- I'm as concerned about my "carbon footprint" as anyone else.

[bc008]

dont buy apple ram! lol

[Schtumple]

Jessica, thank you for your response.

I hadn't actually considered the power consumption of the machine -- how enormous would it be compared to a "suggested configuration" Mac Pro? Is there any way to diminish power consumption while maintaining the specs (e.g. can the hard drives individually sleep when not in use?) To what extent does a machine consume power based on the hardware installed, as opposed to what demands are actually being placed on it at a particular moment? Thank you -- I'm as concerned about my "carbon footprint" as anyone else.

Well as it runs with a 1000w power supply, that gives you a rough indication of how much power you can use, it would effectively be like running a small kettle all day long, however, if you plant a tree everyday for the duration in which you keep and use the machine, you should be fine... (carbon footprint wise)

[Kingsly]

Why? Just... why?
I mean, we just acquired three fully-loaded Mac Pros but they're being used in a quad-system render farm for HD video. For email and safari, I can't possibly imagine any justification for such a machine.

Your system (and subsequently $23k) will be obsolete long before you manage to use all that power.
Therefore I highly recommend that you simply go with a stock Mac Pro (since you want processing power to spare - in reality a first gen MacBook has power to spare for those tasks!) and a few Cinema Displays. Then in two years get a new Mac Pro. And in a few years after that get a NEW Mac Pro. You're future proof and get to save money. ;)

[idonotliketostu]

send me money

[RevK]

Just spend 10 grand and give the rest to charity.

No kidding. Seriously, does ANYONE need a machine that costs about $20k?

[Digital Skunk]

If you are spending that much, then buy the Apple RAM since it would be covered by Apple Care.

The upkeep that they were talking about, is pretty much non existent unless they are talking about electricity and hardware support, but you should be okay.

Either way, for a single user that may not be contributing anything useful to society with your machine, why not NOT spend the 20k for your machine and spend about 6k and save the rest for future updates, or like another poster said give it to someone that could actually get more use out of the cash.

p.s. I wouldn't call it blessed, since that implies divine intervention, which would also imply that you use the money for the greater good in some aspect, and I don't know if your 20k machine would benefit anyone other than yourself.

Just speaking my mind here.

[Losenrout]

Why? Just... why?
I mean, we just acquired three fully-loaded Mac Pros but they're being used in a quad-system render farm for HD video. For email and safari, I can't possibly imagine any justification for such a machine.

As mentioned in my original post, I also plan to run some naval architecture software under bootcamp. I probably use these programs maybe five days each month when I have time to work on my boat project. I don't know exactly what the minimum system requirements are to run these programs, but I'd like some power to spare, especially under bootcamp.

[Saladinos]

If that's the machine you want, go for it.

Don't go for the QuadroFX though. It seems like it'll be a better card, because it's more expensive. It's not. It's a workstation card, and is rubbish at games. I don't use CAD, so maybe it's different there.

If you have a large music library, I'd get at least one 1Tb drive. It's marginally slower, but the capacity means you can fit your whole library on it with room to grow.

Electricity shouldn't be much more (if at all) than a standard Mac Pro. The power supply in the Mac Pros is a constant.

[Beric]

As mentioned in my original post, I also plan to run some naval architecture software under bootcamp. I probably use these programs maybe five days each month when I have time to work on my boat project. I don't know exactly what the minimum system requirements are to run these programs, but I'd like some power to spare, especially under bootcamp.

Then maybe you should find out EXACTLY what you need, before spending 20K.

And as another poster said, spend less and give 10K to charity. People with that much money available should want to give to those who have less.

[Umbongo]

As mentioned in my original post, I also plan to run some naval architecture software under bootcamp. I probably use these programs maybe five days each month when I have time to work on my boat project. I don't know exactly what the minimum system requirements are to run these programs, but I'd like some power to spare, especially under bootcamp.

So rather than look in to the system requirements you are going to drop over $20,000 on a system? There is no way it requires this kind of power as it will most certainly be running on older workstations.

By the way, you will be able to buy an equivalent system for under $10,000 come January.

[Digital Skunk]

As mentioned in my original post, I also plan to run some naval architecture software under bootcamp. I probably use these programs maybe five days each month when I have time to work on my boat project. I don't know exactly what the minimum system requirements are to run these programs, but I'd like some power to spare, especially under bootcamp.

If that's all you're going to be using it for then forget about it. You are better off getting the maxed out machine without the SAS, RAID card needed to run those, 32GB of RAM, and such.... kinda like I said, spend about 6k - 7k and you'll be fine.

The FX is a great card if you're not a gamer, some of us to actually use workstation class cards.

p.s. we are kind of urging you to cut your spending only because others really could use that money, and yes, some of us do give what we can to charity in some way. Or if anything not wasting it on a machine that is over kill now, and will be a lot cheaper in the future when you need it.... especially since you aren't a high end operation.

[Schtumple]

As mentioned in my original post, I also plan to run some naval architecture software under bootcamp. I probably use these programs maybe five days each month when I have time to work on my boat project. I don't know exactly what the minimum system requirements are to run these programs, but I'd like some power to spare, especially under bootcamp.

A basic CAD application such as AutoCAD for example can be run on very VERY basic hardware, my dad runs autoCAD and mastercam on his little 1.8ghz Celeron laptop, and it actually runs surprisingly fast, you'd have power to spare even with the lowest spec mac mini for what you want to do...

[Fatal Darkness]

I'm a private individual interested in buying a custom top-of-the-line Mac Pro, mostly as a toy since I'm blessed enough to be able to afford it. The machine I'm interested in would be 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 32GB, four 300GB SAS drives, NVIDIAQuadro FX 5600, and a couple Cinema HD Displays. With accessories, it runs about $23,397.

I recently talked with an apple representative who actually tried to convince me to acquire a somewhat lower-end "suggested configuration" Mac Pro. He told me that the technical upkeep for such a high-end mac is more demanding than I could handle. Is this accurate? He also told me that he wasn't aware of any use a private individual could have for that amount of processing power, but I enjoy knowing the power is available, so this doesn't concern me.

The only high-end software I run is some naval architecture CAD programs (Maxsurf, ShipConstructor and Navisworks) -- I'm a ship-building hobbyist. These programs would run in Windows under bootcamp. I would also use the machine for mostly mundane tasks -- internet, email, record-keeping, and my large music library.

Any thoughts about the upkeep of this machine would be greatly appreciated. Is it possible for me to maintain this machine myself, with good computer proficiency, but no special skills?


Obvious troll is obvious.
I'm having a little trouble finding the Rick Roll however.

[Losenrout]

Either way, for a single user that may not be contributing anything useful to society with your machine, why not NOT spend the 20k for your machine and spend about 6k and save the rest for future updates, or like another poster said give it to someone that could actually get more use out of the cash.

p.s. I wouldn't call it blessed, since that implies divine intervention, which would also imply that you use the money for the greater good in some aspect, and I don't know if your 20k machine would benefit anyone other than yourself.

Just speaking my mind here.

Besides what's relevant to the thread, you don't know the particulars of my situation. Perhaps I contribute to "the greater good", perhaps I don't. Who's to judge? But in any case, it's simply not relevant to the question at hand.

[thomahawk]

i say dont spend the whole 20K
just buy the 32gb of RAM and you dont need 4 7200rpm drives. i say get 1 7200rpm drive and buy a 1TB drive for the 2nd one. the 7200 one as your OS hard drive. it will make things a lil easier

as for the graphics card. The FX ones are made by Ati which are much more efficient for CAD programs. Nvidia cards are more for gaming and not very much on the high graphical editing/creating. so i say get those FX cards. ATi cards are much better on graphic editing/creating and HD movie viewing.

and the CPU, 3.2 is more like overkill not to mention you might stack up the electric bill... 2.8 is enough.

but really its your money just buy what you want and like. im just giving a suggestion. you shouldnt be needing to spend 20K on a computer

[sammich]

Well as it runs with a 1000w power supply, that gives you a rough indication of how much power you can use, it would effectively be like running a small kettle all day long, however, if you plant a tree everyday for the duration in which you keep and use the machine, you should be fine... (carbon footprint wise)

The '1000W' PSU means that it can supply a maximum of 1000W, not that it will consume 1000W constantly. Sure he's gonna load it up with everything but that 1000W is for the like a 4x video card config and full usage of every component. It's so powerful to accommodate a safety margin.

It's gonna take a lot of usage to get it close to get it close to the peak output.

[Schtumple]

Obvious troll is obvious.
I'm having a little trouble finding the Rick Roll however.

I know but let's humour him for now, he's probably only 12, this is probably his first big outing into the world of forum trolling...

[Umbongo]

If that's the machine you want, go for it.

Don't go for the QuadroFX though. It seems like it'll be a better card, because it's more expensive. It's not. It's a workstation card, and is rubbish at games. I don't use CAD, so maybe it's different there.

If you have a large music library, I'd get at least one 1Tb drive. It's marginally slower, but the capacity means you can fit your whole library on it with room to grow.

Electricity shouldn't be much more (if at all) than a standard Mac Pro. The power supply in the Mac Pros is a constant.

It's uses are for CAD. However under OSX there are no real benefits and an FX 3700 would likely offer the same performance for a third of the price under windows.

Power usage is probably close to double when comparing the described system to a base 2x2.8GHz, 2GB RAM, 2600XT Mac Pro.

[curlytch]

Recently my company purchased a MacPro with 16GB of RAM, 3.2 GHz Dual Quad core processor, the machine was maxed out. At the same time I got the CS3 Master Collection - turns out that there was a memory bleed that caused the system and Adobe to fail miserably. After talking to Apple they blamed Adobe. So I called Adobe and they blamed Apple.

Turns out that the problem was the machine was too new and too high end for either apple or adobe or for that matter anyone else to try and help us out. If I were you I'd just go with the 8 GB of ram and save a couple thousand - as for the rest of the hard wear i say go for it.

[Digital Skunk]

Besides what's relevant to the thread, you don't know the particulars of my situation. Perhaps I contribute to "the greater good", perhaps I don't. Who's to judge? But in any case, it's simply not relevant to the question at hand.

So you ignored the rest of the things I talked about in my post huh? :rolleyes:

Do you even know what SAS means without googling it, or how it will benefit you in a CAD application?

This is what I am trying to say, please read the rest of the post and PLEASE stop catching feelings. We ARE trying to save you money.

[Losenrout]

So you ignored the rest of the things I talked about in my post huh? :rolleyes:

No, I read it and I appreciate the advice. I'll consider investing in multiple new machines over the next few years instead of on one system immediately.

By the way, is there anyone out there who actually owns or has experience with a machine with these specs?

[Schtumple]

The '1000W' PSU means that it can supply a maximum of 1000W, not that it will consume 1000W constantly. Sure he's gonna load it up with everything but that 1000W is for the like a 4x video card config and full usage of every component. It's so powerful to accommodate a safety margin.

I know, thank you for re-iterating what I always knew :rolleyes:
With all the extras the OP will add, it'll probably run at say 6-700w under a large load? or would you say that would be a bit much...

[Umbongo]

I know, thank you for re-iterating what I always knew :rolleyes:
With all the extras the OP will add, it'll probably run at say 6-700w under a large load? or would you say that would be a bit much...

Peak load could hit 800W, heavy load 6-700W.

[Digital Skunk]

No, I read it and I appreciate the advice. I'll consider investing in multiple new machines over the next few years instead of on one system immediately.

By the way, is there anyone out there who actually owns or has experience with a machine with these specs?

Yes, which is why I say grab the cheaper one and invest in better machines in the future. My paper bought a few maxed out Mac Pro and now, a year and a half later, they still only have four cores and aren't that much faster at anything sans HD video rendering for 2 minute clips.

The guy that bought them thought the paper had this amazing budget, he was an @$$h0le and now are top of the line machines are great, but we could have gotten a few more good ones down the road.

As for SAS, those 10,000 rpm drives and $900 RAID card won't benefit you at all unless you are streaming multiple streams of uncompressed DVCPRO HD footage in real-time. Other than that, you better be putting those expensive things in a server farm to help cure cancer.

It's all just wasted time, money and space. You could take your hobby and make it into a small business for that kind of cash my friend. Not trying to tell you what you should do, but MAN, the potential is GREAT and goes far beyond buying a $20,000 Mac Pro for bootcamp.

[Schtumple]

I've only just picked up on the fact that the OP wants to buy a $24,000 Mac... to run windows...

The irony is too much, I think I'll leave this for tonight and check back in the morning to see the damage.

[Digital Skunk]

I've only just picked up on the fact that the OP wants to buy a $24,000 Mac... to run windows...

The irony is too much, I think I'll leave this for tonight and check back in the morning to see the damage.

Ouch!
:(

[-Alan-]

If you don't mind the noise of running four drives...or the heat then go for it. If you're blessed with the money, buy the top of the line iMac and see if that works for you. If not, then get the dream machine. :)

[alphaod]

I'm a private individual interested in buying a custom top-of-the-line Mac Pro, mostly as a toy since I'm blessed enough to be able to afford it. The machine I'm interested in would be 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 32GB, four 300GB SAS drives, NVIDIAQuadro FX 5600, and a couple Cinema HD Displays. With accessories, it runs about $23,397.

I recently talked with an apple representative who actually tried to convince me to acquire a somewhat lower-end "suggested configuration" Mac Pro. He told me that the technical upkeep for such a high-end mac is more demanding than I could handle. Is this accurate? He also told me that he wasn't aware of any use a private individual could have for that amount of processing power, but I enjoy knowing the power is available, so this doesn't concern me.

The only high-end software I run is some naval architecture CAD programs (Maxsurf, ShipConstructor and Navisworks) -- I'm a ship-building hobbyist. These programs would run in Windows under bootcamp. I would also use the machine for mostly mundane tasks -- internet, email, record-keeping, and my large music library.

Any thoughts about the upkeep of this machine would be greatly appreciated. Is it possible for me to maintain this machine myself, with good computer proficiency, but no special skills?

No skills needed. Well maybe some common sense

[sammich]

I know, thank you for re-iterating what I always knew :rolleyes:
With all the extras the OP will add, it'll probably run at say 6-700w under a large load? or would you say that would be a bit much...

Your reference to the 'small kettle all day long' might have given the wrong idea, just making sure the OP was clear on that.

To figure out the peak usage you can just add up all the components from the manufacturers sites, like the the 3.2ghz chips run at 150W (someone check me on that please) so 2 together would be 300W, plus the PCI slots have a max of 300W, then there are the HDD's and fans, and bits and pieces so maybe 7-800W is a ballpark range.

[bluedevil14]

I'm not gonna flame you for being fortunate to spend money on what you want, but I don't see any additional upkeep for the extreme-top-of-the line versus just normal top of the line. And this guy is not gonna be worried about an electrical bill if hes lucky enough to be able to drop 23 grand on a computer.:p

[Losenrout]

I've only just picked up on the fact that the OP wants to buy a $24,000 Mac... to run windows...

The irony is too much, I think I'll leave this for tonight and check back in the morning to see the damage.

I only plan to use windows for the FormSys suite (Maxsurf, ShipConstructor and NavisWorks). I'd run the programs under OSX if they existed for it. I will, of course, use OSX for mail, Safari, iTunes, Word, etc.

Thank you all for your advice, I will take it all under consideration. I might skip the SAS drives (if there really is no benefit for what I need to do) and get a few 1TB drives instead. I think my heart is set on the maximum processing power and maximum RAM, however -- power consumption doesn't seem to be as big a concern as initially indicated, and it simply can't hurt to have more under the hood. Thank you again for the kind advice on my decision.

[SwiftLives]

MACRUMORS PLATINUM POST
If you are not a Platinum member of MacRumors, please skip this premium posting and proceed to the next standard-level post. Thank you.
______________________________________________________________

I actually agree that you should buy a slightly less expensive configuration. However, with the money left over in your budget, I'd suggest doing what I did, and getting the Mac Pro and displays gold-plated. I think that would add a wonderful touch of class to your new machine, and I'm sure it will mach the trimmings and fixtures in your computer quarters.

By the way, I'm assuming you have I Am Rich for the iPhone as well as the rest of us MacRumors Premium members. Hasn't that been wonderful? The team of appraisers I hired have informed me that it has actually increased to $1,217.22 in value since Apple pulled it from the store. It's a true collector's item now!

But I digress.

Anyway, congratulations on your purchase! I'll be posting pictures of my setup as soon as soon as I can hire a photographer to take some shots of it. I hope you'll do the same. Just make sure that any diamonds or other reflective jewels don't detract from the photo. Most photographers know how to adjust for that, though.

[samwich]

correct me if I am wrong, but can any application/(os) actually access/use that much ram? I was under the impression that an application has to be 64 bit to be able to use that much ram, and most programs aren't yet/have limits on how much ram the program can use anyways.

[taylorwilsdon]

You shouldn't have put the price in the thread. It went from "help me out" to "look at me."

Anyways, save your money. You don't need (or want) a Quadro, you don't need Apple brand RAM, you definitely don't want a complex SAS raid system to do a job where a 5400rpm hard drive would suffice.

Getting the latest and greatest is great, but in a week it won't be... the latest and greatest, and you'll be stuck with a computer worth $2000 in a couple years, wishing you had spent $8,000 3 times instead of throwing it all at one computer that will be outmoded very quickly.

[KingYaba]

I'd purchase a Mac Pro at 3.2ghz and then upgrade the memory, hard drive(s) & graphic card(s) at a later date when you need them. Since this is the original poster's first post in the forum. I'm just saying it's a bit fishy.

[sushi]

I'm a private individual interested in buying a custom top-of-the-line Mac Pro, mostly as a toy since I'm blessed enough to be able to afford it. The machine I'm interested in would be 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 32GB, four 300GB SAS drives, NVIDIAQuadro FX 5600, and a couple Cinema HD Displays. With accessories, it runs about $23,397.
First post, and you are pricing a computer like this?

Why not start out with a less expensive option, then upgrade in the future. That way you stay more current.

If you are spending that much, then buy the Apple RAM since it would be covered by Apple Care.
Good point if money is not option, which appears to be the case.

I'd purchase a Mac Pro at 3.2ghz and then upgrade the memory, hard drive(s) & graphic card(s) at a later date when you need them.
Agree.

Since this is the original poster's first post in the forum. I'm just saying it's a bit fishy.
Yeah, something doesn't jive.

There are folks who have money to burn, but usually when purchasing something technical they tend to know more about the subject at hand.

To the OP, consider taking those funds and donating a computer lab of iMacs to your local HS or college. They would greatly appreciate it.

And while you are at it either get an iMac or stock Mac Pro for yourself. Learn about computers and upgrade as you see fit.

[Big-TDI-Guy]

If you're looking for the biggest bang for your solitare - then skip the Mac Pro.

http://store.apple.com/us_smb_78313/configure/MA882LL/A?mco=NzU0NTA0

Scoop up as many as you require, they play well together.

You can get some SERIOUS service and support - so you don't have to maintain that pesky hardware. Right now for $49,995.00.

Max out a single unit for the best XP experience ever for only $87,040.00 (only $1,985.00 per month with a Juniper Visa Card). Ships in 3-5 business days.

Just promise you install Folding @ home, and use it to heat your house during the winter months, ok?

[Saladinos]

I don't necessarily think it's fishy. When I went for my interview at the Regent Street store, one of the guys there told me they just had some Russian billionaire walk in, buy a couple of top-spec Mac Pros, numbers of 30" ACDs, and loads of other things. Just pointing at stuff and said "I'll have... 4 of those, 6 of those...". Total bill came to around £80,000 ($160,000). The guy had a black American Express, which wouldn't fit in the card reader. They had to fish around for a card reader that would take it.

Those machines do actually get bought. Guy was annoyed they didn't get commision. Even 1% would have been fine.

[GorillaPaws]

correct me if I am wrong, but can any application/(os) actually access/use that much ram? I was under the impression that an application has to be 64 bit to be able to use that much ram, and most programs aren't yet/have limits on how much ram the program can use anyways.

I'm pretty sure you're right about this. I could be wrong, but I think that all of the programs you are planning on running would only be able to use 8gigs of the 16--if that. And to reiterate what others have said, if you're into squandering money on excessively powered Macs then you're much better off buying an 8k powermac 3 times instead of getting just one machine. I don't have experience with machines in the 10K+ range, but I'd be willing to guess that a lower-specced 5-10k machine may actually outperform the 23k one on some of the tasks your asking it to do.

[Zieg3rman]

The apple rep probably told you to get the lesser model because apple probably has no idea how to build the monster you are looking at purchasing. Steve is going to have to call up R&D for you order. Congratulations on being able to afford such expensive toys. I am sure every penny is well earned. Do keep us informed about which configuration you eventually get and how it works for you.

[nanofrog]

The base Mac Pro would run the FormSys Suite quite nicely. Simulations and 3D rendering included. ;)

You won't see a difference between 2.8 and 3.2 GHz. You'd do better to run RAID and improve drive throughput, and even this isn't an absolute necessity.

If you choose to go with the nVidia FX5600, that will have to come from Apple, as it can't be currently obtained 3rd party. Apple Care for this product is automatic, and welcome as it is difficult to come by. For those "Just-in-case" moments. :D

Personally, I'd advise any Memory, HDD's, or even RAID to be bought 3rd party. Apple's RAID Pro card will not work in Boot Camp, and it doesn't appear they will ever. More options, and less money, even if it doesn't matter to you. :eek: It could actually send Apple a message to lower the prices for such upgrades, though I seriously doubt it. :p

[richard.mac]

Losenrout if you really want it, have the money, have the passion for Macs and want the bragging rights (which you can choose to use of course) then go for it!:D

the top-of-line Mac Pro is of impeccable value. for example here (http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=6184523&postcount=649) is a post i made earlier explaining the difference in price between a Mac Pro and a home built "Hackintosh Pro" of similar specs purchased from Newegg. upgrading to 2x 3.2 GHz Xeons, adding in another 22GB of RAM (ASUS mobo only supports 24 GB), 4 SAS drives, 2x 23"/24" displays, Quadro FX would surely surpass ~$24 grand. but i would buy the hard drives, RAM and non Apple accessories from third party stores such as Newegg at a later date… i know i wouldnt like to wait weeks and weeks when a you can buy a stock config Mac Pro at a store or get it mailed in a few days.

also the Mac Pro will run Windows and Mac OS X (also Linux if you wish… why not its free :)) so if you only want to run Windows thats cool youll get a unbelievably fast machine thats cool, quiet and will make some PC user professionals jealous. but try and give OS X a shot. with Snow Leopard coming out next year with full 64-bit support in the kernel having 32 GB of RAM you will be one of the small percentage of users that will get the most benefit out of the new OS.

good luck to you ;)

rich

[nanofrog]

but try and give OS X a shot.
He said he plans to use OS X for as much as possible. Windows via Boot Camp is needed for his naval architecture suite (FormSys Suite). :)

[kjs862]

I say buy it and then donate it to medical research. I'm sure they will let you get in on the research to since your donating an awesome computer.

[ntrigue]

Please don't be foolish. These are for commercial businesses that can play with taxes and expense it over 5 years.

My computer will be obsolete in 6 months. I paid $1,800.
Your computer will be obsolete next winter. You paid $23,000.

[richard.mac]

He said he plans to use OS X for as much as possible. Windows via Boot Camp is needed for his naval architecture suite (FormSys Suite). :)

ok thanks. sorry i didnt read the whole thread and then read a poster saying he will only use Windows.

oh my! imagine Snow Leopard on this thing :-)~~~ :drool:

[TheMonarch]

Nearly 12K of that $23k Mac is on Apple RAM, and a Quadro card.

32GB of ECC RAM can be had for $6800 less than what apple sells it for. And a Quadro 5600 is basically an 8800 ultra with special drivers. The 8800 ultra is an overclocked 8800GTX - And the 8800GTX can be flashed into a Quadro 4600, which is benched at being 3% slower than a Quadro 5600.

I'm not judging you on whether you do or don't need a $23k Mac, I'm just saying you could get one for 11K or so less.

[iMav]

you could buy TEN maxed out 24" iMac's for that price and give them away like candy for Halloween. :)

Best Buy has a deal on a Dell quad core system right now for around $700 (2.4Ghz Core2Quad, 6GB ram, 320GB hdd). Buy one of those and add a nice graphics card and monitor for your windows needs...Set it next to a maxed out iMac and share your keyboard and mouse with either a KVM or Synergy.

With the money you saved, go buy a new car, motorcycle, boat, HD camcorder, tons of software, new clothes, or whatever.

[nanofrog]

Nearly 12K of that $23k Mac is on Apple RAM, and a Quadro card.

32GB of ECC RAM can be had for $6800 less than what apple sells it for. And a Quadro 5600 is basically an 8800 ultra with special drivers. The 8800 ultra is an overclocked 8800GTX - And the 8800GTX can be flashed into a Quadro 4600, which is benched at being 3% slower than a Quadro 5600.
IIRC, there are some architectural differences, but a program must be written to take advantage of it. CAD software (3D functions) tends to be such an example. Not to mention the high resolution needed for 30" monitors. Reduces zoom and pan. Windows based workstations even have more than one of these cards for multiple monitor set-ups. :eek:
I'm not judging you on whether you do or don't need a $23k Mac, I'm just saying you could get one for 11K or so less.
From what I generally see posted, most of us tend to try to direct people to 3rd party purchases for upgrades. Particularly memory and HDD's. Most of us don't have money to burn, and just seems senseless to do so. ;)
Best Buy has a deal on a Dell quad core system right now for around $700 (2.4Ghz Core2Quad, 6GB ram, 320GB hdd)....[snip]...

With the money you saved, go buy a new car, motorcycle, boat, HD camcorder, tons of software, new clothes, or whatever.
Depends on what someone considers a car, motorcycle, or boat. :p

[Umbongo]

Nearly 12K of that $23k Mac is on Apple RAM, and a Quadro card.

32GB of ECC RAM can be had for $6800 less than what apple sells it for. And a Quadro 5600 is basically an 8800 ultra with special drivers. The 8800 ultra is an overclocked 8800GTX - And the 8800GTX can be flashed into a Quadro 4600, which is benched at being 3% slower than a Quadro 5600.

I'm not judging you on whether you do or don't need a $23k Mac, I'm just saying you could get one for 11K or so less.

You can't flash a Geforce to be identical to a proper FX 5600. However you can buy a Quadro FX 3700 for ~$800 which will perform as well as the 5600. You are right though, the hard drives and memory from Apple run almost $12,000 and can be had for under $4,000. Add in getting a Quadro card for $2000 less and thats over $10,000 saved right there.

[nanofrog]

You can't flash a Geforce to be identical to a proper FX 5600. However you can buy a Quadro FX 3700 for ~$800 which will perform as well as the 5600. You are right though, the hard drives and memory from Apple run almost $12,000 and can be had for under $4,000. Add in getting a Quadro card for $2000 less and thats over $10,000 saved right there.
The only downside is it can't run in OS X. :(

But that would only be a problem if there was a specific need for a single graphics card solution. The FX 3700 and say a HD3870 for the OS X side, is just over a $1000USD. Still much less expensive than the FX5600. :D

[edesignuk]

There's no special "up keep", it's still just a Mac Pro desktop.

If you want to blow $23k, go nuts, enjoy.

[Umbongo]

The only downside is it can't run in OS X. :(

But that would only be a problem if there was a specific need for a single graphics card solution. The FX 3700 and say a HD3870 for the OS X side, is just over a $1000USD. Still much less expensive than the FX5600. :D

Yep. This is definatly the best solution in my opinion.

[design-is]

Whether or not he has just received inheritance, is a multimillionaire evil genius, or is a very successful business man who has already helped millions with his money... I say if that's what he wants to buy, why the hell not?! lol

I think if I had just won the Euromillions jackpot (this Friday estimated @ £12,000,000) I would probably never worry about money again. I would love to buy this machine, just for the sake of it. I would still have a load of money left over for helping myself and others as and how I wished.

However, if you think you may regret it in any way, you most definitely shouldn't buy it :cool:

[Schtumple]

There's less carnage than I expected...

Now I'm much more awake than last night, it does strike me as rather odd that the OP fully detailed the price, down to the dollar, I once argued with my friend about macs being expensive, and he went on the Mac Pro page and maxed all the specs and just said "ok, so that's cheap then huh?" this sounds pretty much along the same lines, only slightly more boring...

[sammich]

Check out this massive order I pulled up when I was bored.

Clearly a version I do today would give me a slightly larger final amount. But I ain't that bored now :D

[Joko]

To the OP, I recommend buying 7 of the aforementioned Mac Pro's. Having 6 back-up machines is a MUST! You could alternatively daisy chain all 7 of them for an all powerful, all mighty Mac Pro setup for relatively cheap. Enjoy!

[saltyzoo]

"I don't know what I need, I don't know what I want, I just clicked every button on the apple website and it came out to $23k. "

This is either a troll or he's got a government grant he has to spend.

[Schtumple]

Check out this massive order I pulled up when I was bored.

Clearly a version I do today would give me a slightly larger final amount. But I ain't that bored now :D

That's alot of mighty mice...

[saltyzoo]

Whether or not he has just received inheritance, is a multimillionaire evil genius, or is a very successful business man who has already helped millions with his money... I say if that's what he wants to buy, why the hell not?! lol

I think if I had just won the Euromillions jackpot (this Friday estimated @ £12,000,000) I would probably never worry about money again. I would love to buy this machine, just for the sake of it. I would still have a load of money left over for helping myself and others as and how I wished.

However, if you think you may regret it in any way, you most definitely shouldn't buy it :cool:

If you had $23k to "throw away" would you give a crap about the "extra maintenance"? Nah, you'd hire a 20 year old geek to do it for you. It wouldn't slow you down for a second. Unless you were a troll. Then you would be concerned. ;)

[Schtumple]

If you had $23k to "throw away" would you give a crap about the "extra maintenance"? Nah, you'd hire a 20 year old geek to do it for you. It wouldn't slow you down for a second. Unless you were a troll. Then you would be concerned. ;)

A troll who wanted to show off that if you select everything on the Mac Pro specs list it comes to a lot of money?

This has to be one of the mildest trollings I've seen :p

[Sesshi]

I'm a private individual interested in buying a custom top-of-the-line Mac Pro, mostly as a toy since I'm blessed enough to be able to afford it. The machine I'm interested in would be 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 32GB, four 300GB SAS drives, NVIDIAQuadro FX 5600, and a couple Cinema HD Displays. With accessories, it runs about $23,397.

I recently talked with an apple representative who actually tried to convince me to acquire a somewhat lower-end "suggested configuration" Mac Pro. He told me that the technical upkeep for such a high-end mac is more demanding than I could handle. Is this accurate? He also told me that he wasn't aware of any use a private individual could have for that amount of processing power, but I enjoy knowing the power is available, so this doesn't concern me.

The only high-end software I run is some naval architecture CAD programs (Maxsurf, ShipConstructor and Navisworks) -- I'm a ship-building hobbyist. These programs would run in Windows under bootcamp. I would also use the machine for mostly mundane tasks -- internet, email, record-keeping, and my large music library.

Any thoughts about the upkeep of this machine would be greatly appreciated. Is it possible for me to maintain this machine myself, with good computer proficiency, but no special skills?

The first part of the big question is if the applications which will stress the machine most run under an alien OS with reduced compatibility over a genuine ISV-certified workstation (which the Mac Pro isn't by far, both in terms of it's engineering quality and ISV support),would you risk it?

The second part of the big question isn't whether you can look after an OS X machine properly - it's whether you can look after / deal with a Mac running dual-boot with Windows properly. Personally, I think it's a non-optimal solution any way you look at it, and that Apple junkies - especially the 'born-again Switchers' - are so brainwashed that they actually put themselves through completely unnecessary hoops in the interest of keeping their Apple experience intact, but most laughably with much of the actual convenience of OS X removed by having to constantly flip-flop between OS X and Windows.

If you want a maxed-out machine for CAD purposes but also want something to entertain yourself with, buy something like a Dell Precision - it'll be more stable, more reliable and more flexible in it's primary role. If you buy the additional support services, they will be able to take care of issues better than any unqualified 20-year-old geek can, remotely.

If you also want to be able to do the more limited but friendlier, more simple-minded noodling that the OS X platform is better suited to, buy an iMac as well - or if you want to, another Pro(s) and treat them separately. That's what I did.

In terms of keeping any Mac running, if you're unsure about this perhaps a Macbook Pro is a better idea as a noodling machine - then you can take it in to the Apple Store to be tuned up instead of having a barely capable Mac guy come to you. But really, it shouldn't be a problem.

No, I read it and I appreciate the advice. I'll consider investing in multiple new machines over the next few years instead of on one system immediately.

By the way, is there anyone out there who actually owns or has experience with a machine with these specs?

I do. On both sides - and many of our Dells have two 5600's. And my advice is the above.

[neiltc13]

The funny thing is that even if you give Apple $23,000 they still send you that pile of junk Mighty Mouse. Good luck!

[joehearty]

$23,000 on a computer, woah. Couldn't you have one of your boat designs constructed for that? It's your money, so whatever. It doesn't seem very healthy though, brand-based consumerism on a new level? Why not get a robotic limb attached to your chest instead? or for another 10 grand > http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MONTEREY-245-CR-SPORTS-CRUISER-POWER-SPEED-BOAT_W0QQitemZ290257219895QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item290257219895&_trkparms=72%3A984%7C39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

[Wotan31]

Wow, I can't believe how childish most of the replies are in this thread. Grow up people! Did your parents not raise you properly or something?? How disappointing. :(

If you consider the Mac Pro a true Workstation, there are plenty of machines in this price range (and much higher even). My SGI Octane2 with dual 600 Mhz R14k's, 8 GB of ram, and a V12 graphics board was more than $40,000. That was a few years ago though when RAM was more expensive. Priced a new SGI Tezro lately? It's quite a bit more even. :eek:

Anyhow, if this is the machine you want, there's no reason not to buy it. There's no additional maintenance or upkeep vs. any other Mac Pro configuration. Go for it! As to the power consumption, well of course 8 CPU cores and 32 GB of ram are going to consume a bit more juice than lesser configurations will, but quite frankly I don't think it's anything to be concerned about. OS X has many power saving features built in, and you can set the machine to "go to sleep" after, say, 1 hour of idle. In sleep mode, it uses less power than a laptop.

8 CPU cores will serve you well, particularly if you upgrade to 10.6 when it's released next year - that OS version has many new optimizations for using multiple CPU cores.

Based on your intended usage, 32 GB of RAM is probably a bit much. I would opt for 16 GB or even 8 GB will be more than enough. As others have mentioned, Apple memory is priced well above "market price" and you can save literally $thousands by purchasing your RAM direct from the manufacturer (Crucial.com for example) vs. through Apple. The Mac Pro is very serviceable and you'll have no trouble installing the RAM yourself.

Best of luck with the purchase, the Mac Pro is a beast of a machine for sure, you'll be pleased no matter which configuration you go with!! :)

[thejadedmonkey]

Here's the thing. By the time that you find any application (or even any 10 applications) that use all 32 gigs of RAM, you're going to have out of date CPU's. Which means a CPU upgrade to make best use of the computer, which probably means a whole new computer with new ram anyway.. so it's not worth it to get all that RAM when you'll never be able to make efficient use of it.

Get a top end iMac, and every revision get a new top end one. You'll be getting a MUCH better deal, and save a lot of money.

[whooleytoo]

send me money

Ignore this guy! He's just after your money!

Send it to me instead..

[timimbo85]

Im calling out Bull *****, post some photos and you can have me feed into this.
I stopped reading after page 1.

edesignuk your picture is F'n hilarious, you motor boating sonofabitch you

[Wotan31]

Get a top end iMac, and every revision get a new top end one. You'll be getting a MUCH better deal, and save a lot of money.
Wow did you even read the opening post? :confused: He wants a machine to do CAD work.

[Digital Skunk]

Personally, I'd advise any Memory, HDD's, or even RAID to be bought 3rd party. Apple's RAID Pro card will not work in Boot Camp, and it doesn't appear they will ever. More options, and less money, even if it doesn't matter to you. :eek: It could actually send Apple a message to lower the prices for such upgrades, though I seriously doubt it. :p

The price is because of Apple Care. Once you buy your machine and get Apple Care with it, any parts you add to it are automatically covered by the protection.

So if your Mac Pro RAID card craps out on you, it's covered and you can go right to an Apple store to get it serviced, as opposed to mailing it in or dealing with some call center in Asia.

If one of your $400 1TB HDDs crashes, then Apple will give you a new one point blank. When you are doing this stuff professionally, or freelance, or semi-pro, or economically, it's a pretty good deal, and with the Mac Pro specked the way he does, it's a must.

And Sesshi is right OP, most CAD apps do run in Windows, so you might as well grab a Dell or HP workstation for a lot less, and since their workstation support is the only good support they have. If you were doing multimedia work of any kind then the Mac would be suitable since Windows doesn't have the software integration or even any programs that could work effectively in any form of media.

[wasimyaqoob]

Why on earth would anybody need such an expensive computer?

[Umbongo]

Why on earth would anybody need such an expensive computer?

Plenty of people can utilize the power, the real issue is that you can get the same performance for half the price.

[maccam]

Save $10k for the greater depression thats coming.

But if you do get that computer PLEASE TAKE PICS!!!!! :p

By the way there is hardly any difference in power consumption from the base model to the hi-end model.

[Sesshi]

The price is because of Apple Care. Once you buy your machine and get Apple Care with it, any parts you add to it are automatically covered by the protection.

So if your Mac Pro RAID card craps out on you, it's covered and you can go right to an Apple store to get it serviced, as opposed to mailing it in or dealing with some call center in Asia.

If one of your $400 1TB HDDs crashes, then Apple will give you a new one point blank. When you are doing this stuff professionally, or freelance, or semi-pro, or economically, it's a pretty good deal, and with the Mac Pro specked the way he does, it's a must.

And Sesshi is right OP, most CAD apps do run in Windows, so you might as well grab a Dell or HP workstation for a lot less, and since their workstation support is the only good support they have. If you were doing multimedia work of any kind then the Mac would be suitable since Windows doesn't have the software integration or even any programs that could work effectively in any form of media.

True. I believe e among others alluded to doubts about my sanity when I said I only buy Apple RAM and storage, but apart from the not inconsiderable inferiority of the replacement service when compared to Dell or HP, I pay for the convenience of a one-stop warranty replacement, especially when in the case of Apple gear they go wrong so often when used in an actually 'Pro' environment - and putting in third-party stuff just complicates matters. When you're not in a position of having to nickel-and-dime everything, believe me it will be something you're happy to pay.

Also, a Dell or HP in a similar configuration actually wouldn't cost a whole lot less. It might even cost a tiny bit more. But that's a small price to pay for actual usable quality all around, not simply in terms of 'quality' for those who think only with their eyes.

[Steve Jobs=God]

Hmm, buying a top of the line Mac, using it for Windows, money no option....

make your switchover a little more secret Mr B Gates! :D

Seriously though, if i had that kind of money floating around i'd pick one of these up aswell, good on you i say

[edesignuk]

True. I believe e among others alluded to doubts about my sanityThat's just in general old chap ;)

[Sesshi]

That's just in general old chap ;)

My sanity these days is nailed down as it were. It's a lot better than the fluid version that most people have ;)

[edesignuk]

My sanity these days is nailed down as it were. It's a lot better than the fluid version that most people have ;)heh...

Seriously though, I can understand paying big premiums for parts to have a single point of contact upon a failure, for business this is great.

For the vast majority of home users though it is insanity to pay Apple the prices they charge for RAM/disks.

[Sesshi]

I think that if anything, for home users who're truly in it for the Apple philosophy, it makes absolute sense to buy Apple RAM / storage.

[edesignuk]

I think that if anything, for home users who're truly in it for the Apple philosophy, it makes absolute sense to buy Apple RAM / storage.If money is no object, then maybe, just maybe yes. Otherwise, no way in hell!

[t0mat0]

I'm a private individual interested in buying a custom top-of-the-line Mac Pro, mostly as a toy since I'm blessed enough to be able to afford it. The machine I'm interested in would be 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 32GB, four 300GB SAS drives, NVIDIAQuadro FX 5600, and a couple Cinema HD Displays. With accessories, it runs about $23,397.

I recently talked with an apple representative who actually tried to convince me to acquire a somewhat lower-end "suggested configuration" Mac Pro. He told me that the technical upkeep for such a high-end mac is more demanding than I could handle. Is this accurate? He also told me that he wasn't aware of any use a private individual could have for that amount of processing power, but I enjoy knowing the power is available, so this doesn't concern me.

The only high-end software I run is some naval architecture CAD programs (Maxsurf, ShipConstructor and Navisworks) -- I'm a ship-building hobbyist. These programs would run in Windows under bootcamp. I would also use the machine for mostly mundane tasks -- internet, email, record-keeping, and my large music library.

Any thoughts about the upkeep of this machine would be greatly appreciated. Is it possible for me to maintain this machine myself, with good computer proficiency, but no special skills?

I hope you're blessed enough to take the hit when a faster Mac Pro comes out! (sometime between now and June 2009, possibly two updates). Sure sounds a sweet system. Don't see why there'd be much upkeep, bar keeping it dustfree...

[Sesshi]

If money is no object, then maybe, just maybe yes. Otherwise, no way in hell!

Scenario A: How does a significant percentage of the average Apple user - who if this forum and my encounters with others is anything to go by, actually almost celebrates the fact that s/he doesn't have any idea of what they're doing - troubleshoot third-party RAM / storage issues when their Applecare won't help?

I've touched on the two extremes nature of the typical Apple user before. You've got the guy in the scenario above, or the nerd upon nerds. I'm sure the latter would feel it was a waste of money (since he has lots of time to waste fixing stuff that needn't be broken in the first place) but what about the former?

[Digital Skunk]

My sanity these days is nailed down as it were. It's a lot better than the fluid version that most people have ;)

Agreed. Hold your breath if you ever travel over to the iPod/iTunes/iPhone forums. You might just breath in that fluid and loose your sanity

heh...

Seriously though, I can understand paying big premiums for parts to have a single point of contact upon a failure, for business this is great.

For the vast majority of home users though it is insanity to pay Apple the prices they charge for RAM/disks.

I'd say it's the opposite. The vast majority of users love the fact that they can go to the Apple store and have some 20 yr old fresh out of college art major that never made it repair their machine and all parts associated.

Those that know are probably better off getting the 3rd party stuff for half price, then replacing it when it breaks for slightly less after some time has passed.

Besides, the only time when RAM and disks will effect the majority of users is with the Mac Pro. And most professional outfits just don't want to be bothered with doing the repair themselves (because they don't know how) or have IT departments that don't want to bother with the repair either. On a Mac Pro, whose MB is around $1300 I have heard, getting the Apple Care is a must. Since as Sesshi said it's a matter of time before it fails.

Same with the laptops, and pretty much all of Apple's products save for the iPhone, whose Apple Care is ridiculous both on price and service. It's actually quite surprising to hear someone that kinda gets it Sesshi.

p.s. Only Mac Pro/Xserve (flat Mac Pro) RAM is worth paying extra for Apple Care. Every other machine can go 3rd party.

[Sesshi]

Agreed. Hold your breath if you ever travel over to the iPod/iTunes/iPhone forums. You might just breath in that fluid and loose your sanity

Oh no. I'm fine with that. I just point and snicker more often.

[Umbongo]

p.s. Only Mac Pro/Xserve (flat Mac Pro) RAM is worth paying extra for Apple Care. Every other machine can go 3rd party.

Come on though, in this case it is $7,100 for Applecare. You could buy 3 extra spare sets of memory and still have money left over. Heck you could buy a whole other backup Mac Pro nearly if you went 3rd party on extras.

[Digital Skunk]

Come on though, in this case it is $7,100 for Applecare. You could buy 3 extra spare sets of memory and still have money left over. Heck you could buy a whole other backup Mac Pro nearly if you went 3rd party on extras.

True, but for those that are maxing out the RAM of their Mac Pro for real work, it's worth it.

Most users don't need more than 4GB. Maybe even 8GBs. Not saying that going the 3rd party route with a Mac Pro isn't recommended, just that once you spend $4000 for the machine, then another $1500 for 8GBs of RAM, i want all the coverage from the maker that I can get.

[QuantumLo0p]

If you have got it, I say go for it.

Enjoy!
:)

[Bobjob186]

gurantee this is fake, no one would do this for fun, even if they could afford it.

[Umbongo]

gurantee this is fake, no one would do this for fun, even if they could afford it.

There are certainly people who buy things like this. I think the problem here is the original poster doesn't really know what hardware he needs for the task and has seen that he can afford the top Mac Pro, but has gone about using this community to his advantage the wrong way.

[saltyzoo]

There are certainly people who buy things like this. I think the problem here is the original poster doesn't really know what hardware they need for the task and has seen that they can afford the top Mac Pro and have propositioned getting the information they need from this community in the wrong way.

Again, if he really had the money to blow without concern he wouldn't think for a second about the "technical maintenance" the rep mentioned. He'd simply pay someone to deal with it and not think twice.

[notjustjay]

I'll buy one. Then I'll fire up iTunes, and buy every song in the catalog. After all, I'm blessed enough to be able to afford it, and it's nice to know that I can listen to any song I want whenever I feel like it. Does Apple sell extra hard drives at their BTO prices? I think I'd need quite a few TB drives to store all those songs. Maybe some top-of-the-line XServes.

[PcBgone]

In times like these, I remember that old addage...

" A Fool and his money are easily departed".

With that said, you dont need that computer. Lets be realistic. All you want it for is the shock value that comes with being able to tell your friends that you spent 23k on a computer. In a 4 or 5 years that machine wont be able to compete with the new machines at that time. You will never see that money again. You might as well just toss that cash out on the street as you would never see it again anyhow...

[Umbongo]

Again, if he really had the money to blow without concern he wouldn't think for a second about the "technical maintenance" the rep mentioned. He'd simply pay someone to deal with it and not think twice.

Well I guess it depends on his personality and approach to this.

This whole debacle could have been avoided just by having a different title.

[namethisfile]

I'm a private individual interested in buying a custom top-of-the-line Mac Pro, mostly as a toy since I'm blessed enough to be able to afford it. The machine I'm interested in would be 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 32GB, four 300GB SAS drives, NVIDIAQuadro FX 5600, and a couple Cinema HD Displays. With accessories, it runs about $23,397.

I recently talked with an apple representative who actually tried to convince me to acquire a somewhat lower-end "suggested configuration" Mac Pro. He told me that the technical upkeep for such a high-end mac is more demanding than I could handle. Is this accurate? He also told me that he wasn't aware of any use a private individual could have for that amount of processing power, but I enjoy knowing the power is available, so this doesn't concern me.

The only high-end software I run is some naval architecture CAD programs (Maxsurf, ShipConstructor and Navisworks) -- I'm a ship-building hobbyist. These programs would run in Windows under bootcamp. I would also use the machine for mostly mundane tasks -- internet, email, record-keeping, and my large music library.

Any thoughts about the upkeep of this machine would be greatly appreciated. Is it possible for me to maintain this machine myself, with good computer proficiency, but no special skills?


upkeep? that's what an OS is for isn't it? and/or timemachine? so i am perplexed as to what he meant by "technical upkeep." unless he means that having so much ram and storage is probably overdoing it in most cases unless you are doing scientific research or making a real time machine. and or, video editing in HD, 3d-modeling, photoshopping, composing music, encoding video, writing emails, using windows thru a virtual machine and surfing the net all at the same time.

i think people around here will tell you sooner or later that you shouldn't buy ram from apple and that you will save x amounts of dollars from a third-party ram supplier.

2 x 4gb mushkin sticks only cost $580 at newegg. if you do the math, you'll save $6,780.

[Sesshi]

Well I guess it depends on his personality and approach to this.

This whole debacle could have been avoided just by having a different title.

Oh - I think someone who writes "mostly as a toy since I'm blessed enough to be able to afford it" is at least in part a d.b. and deserves all the negative comments. I was just posting in case he was serious, since it's pretty clear that no-one else in the thread is in a similar position to the OP if he was - being serious that is.

[akm3]

I believe this is a troll, but...

If you feel 'blessed' to be able to afford it, why buy something you couldn't use to it's fullest even if you tried (you literally could not eke out even 1% benefit for anything you are probably doing with the machine) and instead make a difference in others lives by 'blessing' them.

Buy a $5,000 Mac Pro, and change the lives of hundreds of ultra-poor around the world with the rest of the money.

Check out this website to see where how lucky you actually are: http://www.globalrichlist.com/

[BigHungry04]

I just realized that this is the approximate cost of the 2008 Dodge Avenger I bought last year, and I'll keep it forever as the warranty will never end.

[Insulin Junkie]

Check out this website to see where how lucky you actually are: http://www.globalrichlist.com/

Holy s*it. According to this program "You're in the TOP 0.57%
richest people in the world!" It's a good reminder of how damn fortunate I am.

[Vulcan]

Not to be a troll, but you could get away with an iMac.

[Bengt77]

Holy s*it. According to this program "You're in the TOP 0.57%
richest people in the world!" It's a good reminder of how damn fortunate I am.
Darn, I'm high up there, too. Apparently, I'm one the world's richest 5%. Never knew we have it that good. Weird to see it flashed in your face like that. Depressing, really. Not because we're high up there, but because there are so many people below us. But this is only measured in absolute numbers, of course. If prices are low and the inflation is low, a low but fair income will probably be more than enough to get around. So this calculator is interesting, but highly inaccurate to really tell how (relatively) rich you are.

[Insulin Junkie]

Depressing, really. Not because we're high up there, but because there are so many people below us. But this is only measured in absolute numbers, of course. If prices are low and the inflation is low, a low but fair income will probably be more than enough to get around. So this calculator is interesting, but highly inaccurate to really tell how (relatively) rich you are.

Agreed. Though there are preciously few examples of low prices and a low inflation. Also where prices are low, average incomes are usually sufficiently low to match it. It's kind of a slap in the face though to realize I've recently bought a computer that cost more than most people's annual income.

@OP: Give me 23K and I'll fly over to where you are and build you a real boat :o

[Wotan31]

Buy a $5,000 Mac Pro, and change the lives of hundreds of ultra-poor around the world with the rest of the money.
What a stupid comment to make. :rolleyes:

Price is relative. The exact same thing could be said about each and every one of you who's purchased a $2000 Macbook Pro or even a $1000 iMac. "Who needs such an expensive computer? Why don't you buy a $299 peecee from Wall-Mart and change the lives of hundreds of ultra-poor around the world with the rest of the money".

Think about it: Mac's are premium-priced "designer" personal computers. Priced well above all the "mainstream" peecee's out there. A bit of the 'ole "Pot calling the Kettle black" for one Mac owner to criticize another Mac owner for spending too much on his machine, yes?

Relativity is lost on you people. -sigh- it appears Einstein has died in vein.

[Cabbit]

Dinny give the money to charity, well at least not a charity that helps humans as the population is already 5 billion to many for such a small rock to sustain.

[Wotan31]

@OP: Give me 23K and I'll fly over to where you are and build you a real boat :o
You can't build a real boat for $23k.

If you're talking about boats that are self-propelled, you can't hardly build a real boat engine for $23k.

There's a reason the $100 bill is called a "boat buck". It's because everything has several zero's at the end when you're talking pricing of boat stuff.

[Bobjob186]

There are certainly people who buy things like this. I think the problem here is the original poster doesn't really know what hardware he needs for the task and has seen that he can afford the top Mac Pro, but has gone about using this community to his advantage the wrong way.

A person who doesn't really know what hardware he needs for the tasks that he has also doesn't know how to join a forum and create a thread. If you're making computers with dual HD monitors and 300GB SAS Drives you either know what you're doing or you're lying. If you don't know what you're doing, you don't go online to macrumors and make up a thread asking people if this is right, you call apple and ask. Just what I think.

[emac82]

I think it's a waste of money. Buy one for $5000 and give me the rest for a down payment on a house.

But if you do buy it, don't forget to buy Applecare for $299CAD.

[Losenrout]

Thank you all again for advice and discussion.

I went ahead and chose to order a custom configured Mac Pro with a few modifications from what I initially described. Final configuration: two 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 16GB, two 1TB drives, NVIDIA Quadro FX 5600, and two optical drives. I also chose the wireless mouse and keyboard, and a pair of HD Cinema displays.

I realized I'd never use 32GB, and that SAS drives aren't appropriate for my personal needs. I do, however, have more storage space in this configuration.

[Insulin Junkie]

You can't build a real boat for $23k.

If you're talking about boats that are self-propelled, you can't hardly build a real boat engine for $23k.

There's a reason the $100 bill is called a "boat buck". It's because everything has several zero's at the end when you're talking pricing of boat stuff.

Consider it a bad joke. Well, I suppose he'd have to settle for a smallish rowing boat.

[Siriosys]

Losenrout,

You may want to check with Navis, but you'll need to test out the copy-protection USB key if you're using anything like PowerStow on your rig.

From my experience, Navis is particularly picky when it comes to reading that USB key, however you can PM me if you get stuck with it....

If it doesn't work on Bootcamp, I can confirm that Navis software works under VMware's Fusion. I managed to get it working without too much hassle.



Cheers

[Schtumple]

Thank you all again for advice and discussion.

I went ahead and chose to order a custom configured Mac Pro with a few modifications from what I initially described. Final configuration: two 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 16GB, two 1TB drives, NVIDIA Quadro FX 5600, and two optical drives. I also chose the wireless mouse and keyboard, and a pair of HD Cinema displays.

I realized I'd never use 32GB, and that SAS drives aren't appropriate for my personal needs. I do, however, have more storage space in this configuration.

Good choice, you probably could've gone down to 8GB though and not notice any speed decrease, but hey, your money your choice, remember to post pictures in here once you get it, especially the "About this Mac" screen, just to prove you got the 16GB, and you know, for bragging rights.

[design-is]

<snip> of HD Cinema displays.
<snip>

Can we assume 30"?

Also, just curious, why not 4 1TB drives if you have the cash? Or are more to be added later if needed?

[ButtUglyJeff]

Thank you all again for advice and discussion.

I went ahead and chose to order a custom configured Mac Pro with a few modifications from what I initially described. Final configuration: two 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 16GB, two 1TB drives, NVIDIA Quadro FX 5600, and two optical drives. I also chose the wireless mouse and keyboard, and a pair of HD Cinema displays.

I realized I'd never use 32GB, and that SAS drives aren't appropriate for my personal needs. I do, however, have more storage space in this configuration.

Applecare?

[Sun Baked]

If you are going to do everything in windows, what is wrong with a similar Dell Workstation?

Should save you at least $50 on the machine and get the 2 displays for the cost of a single Apple display.

---

And looking at the current state of Windows control for the Apple displays, might make you look at the Dell displays with the panel mounted controls.

[gotzero]

Enjoy the computer!

If the cost is truly not an issue, maybe get a second one with lower specs and keep work and play separate.

[Hemingray]

Is it possible for me to maintain this machine myself, with good computer proficiency, but no special skills?

Yes, it's possible. The Mac Pro *should* just work. And if it doesn't, that's why you buy AppleCare! And, in the unlikely even that you can't maintain it, you can certainly afford to pay a Mac tech to come out and troubleshoot it for you.

Since money is no issue, I'm not going to waste my breath like the others have done by telling you to save some of your money.

Buy what you want and enjoy it!

[mward333]

My MacPro is of a similar caliber to the one that the OP is hoping to buy, so I'm sending him a private message. This thread seems to have gotten a little out of hand......

[chadabshier]

Besides what's relevant to the thread, you don't know the particulars of my situation. Perhaps I contribute to "the greater good", perhaps I don't. Who's to judge? But in any case, it's simply not relevant to the question at hand.

haha "the greater good" nice reference to HP7 The Deathly Hallows. Dumbledore would be proud.

[7on]

haha "the greater good" nice reference to HP7 The Deathly Hallows. Dumbledore would be proud.

Just a heads up, the phrase "the greater good" was not invented by Rowling.

[ChrisA]

Why not buy an iMac and give the extra money to someone who could use it?

Or if you really want the best and biggest why buy from Apple? Sun Microsystems will sell you a machine that will run circles around the maxed out Mac Pro. And yes it can run many copies of MS Windows all at once inside virtual machines.

http://www.sun.com/servers/netra/x4450/specs.xml

If you need more disk space Sun's got you covered there too. This is one of the nicest systems on the market.
http://www.sun.com/storagetek/disk_systems/midrange/6540/?intcmp=1208

Yes, the "technical upkeep" may be more than you can handle but Sun will sell you an on-site contract. They can have an engineer come out to your location and help you with any problem. Apple makes you go to one of their stores. Sun makes it easier on you.

OK, now seriously. Don't worry about "technical upkeep" on your maxed out Mac Pro. Anyone who can spend that much surely can afford to hire a consultent

YOu configuration is missing a few important parts. What about a backup system. You will need both on-site (local) backup and some kind of off-site system too. Likely a portable RAID box or a set of such boxes. Look into buying three or four Drobo units so they can be rotated to a secure off site location. Cutting the RAM down in half would pay for this and you have more utility at the same price.

[costabunny]

Just a heads up, the phrase "the greater good" was not invented by Rowling.

True - it was the Sandford Neighbourhood watch!

[doczook]

I don't necessarily think it's fishy. When I went for my interview at the Regent Street store, one of the guys there told me they just had some Russian billionaire walk in, buy a couple of top-spec Mac Pros, numbers of 30" ACDs, and loads of other things. Just pointing at stuff and said "I'll have... 4 of those, 6 of those...". Total bill came to around £80,000 ($160,000). The guy had a black American Express, which wouldn't fit in the card reader. They had to fish around for a card reader that would take it.

Those machines do actually get bought. Guy was annoyed they didn't get commision. Even 1% would have been fine.

Of course such blindingly rich people do exist who could afford to pay $24000 for a 'personal-use' computer. They just wouldn't post in a macrumors forum :)

[NeoMayhem]

I don't necessarily think it's fishy. When I went for my interview at the Regent Street store, one of the guys there told me they just had some Russian billionaire walk in, buy a couple of top-spec Mac Pros, numbers of 30" ACDs, and loads of other things. Just pointing at stuff and said "I'll have... 4 of those, 6 of those...". Total bill came to around £80,000 ($160,000). The guy had a black American Express, which wouldn't fit in the card reader. They had to fish around for a card reader that would take it.

Those machines do actually get bought. Guy was annoyed they didn't get commision. Even 1% would have been fine.

I know somebody who has a Centurion Card (Black AmEx) it is the same size as any other credit card.

Edit: He must have had the 'anodized titanium' card, not the plastic type I have seen.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centurion_Card#Features_and_benefits

[eRondeau]

Excuse me while I try to answer the O.P.'s question.

I don't see how this top-of-the-line system would require any more "upkeep" or "maintenance" than my 5-year-old iBook G4. Apple's OS X is OS X, whether it's running on a $500 Mac mini or a $25,000 Mac Pro. Repair permissions after every OS X update and that's about all you'll ever have to consciously do.

I hope you enjoy your new computer, there's nothing wrong with demanding the best. :apple:

[queshy]

OP, even if you can afford it, don't buy that much ram from Apple.

Get the ram from a 3rd party retailer and the hard drives as well and watch the price of the machine drop considerably.

I don't even know if you will notice the difference between a 23K MP or one that costs ~10K, lol. You should really do some research on the power requirements of your intended use.

Because yes, although you can afford it, it would be not such a wise idea to spend your money on something you absolutely don't need.

[queshy]

Thank you all again for advice and discussion.

I went ahead and chose to order a custom configured Mac Pro with a few modifications from what I initially described. Final configuration: two 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 16GB, two 1TB drives, NVIDIA Quadro FX 5600, and two optical drives. I also chose the wireless mouse and keyboard, and a pair of HD Cinema displays.

I realized I'd never use 32GB, and that SAS drives aren't appropriate for my personal needs. I do, however, have more storage space in this configuration.

OOPS, I didn't see this by the time I posted.

Glad you got the machine you wanted. You cheaped out on the HD...lol jks.

I'm assuming you ordered the 30" displays?

[Slippery Gimp]

How my peers mocked me when I got a 16k RAM pack for my Commodore Vic=20, but I knew I was futureproof. I run Windows and Linux on it and it's great for 3DS Max.

[Willis]

forgive my ignorance, but can windows even see 32GB of Ram... I'm petty certain that it can only view 3.3GB in 32bit... whats the 64bit? I'm sure it still doesnt reach 32GB...

[deltaiscain]

Just buy it, and be happy. This machine will last for many years, just because of the power.

[Padraig]

forgive my ignorance, but can windows even see 32GB of Ram... I'm petty certain that it can only view 3.3GB in 32bit... whats the 64bit? I'm sure it still doesnt reach 32GB...

128GB on the top versions.

[sravana]

Check out this massive order I pulled up when I was bored.

Clearly a version I do today would give me a slightly larger final amount. But I ain't that bored now :D

LOL
I love it!

Yep, that dude is a TROLL, from the first post

[MantaNZ]

I'm a private individual interested in buying a custom top-of-the-line Mac Pro, mostly as a toy since I'm blessed enough to be able to afford it. The machine I'm interested in would be 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 32GB, four 300GB SAS drives, NVIDIAQuadro FX 5600, and a couple Cinema HD Displays. With accessories, it runs about $23,397.

I recently talked with an apple representative who actually tried to convince me to acquire a somewhat lower-end "suggested configuration" Mac Pro. He told me that the technical upkeep for such a high-end mac is more demanding than I could handle. Is this accurate? He also told me that he wasn't aware of any use a private individual could have for that amount of processing power, but I enjoy knowing the power is available, so this doesn't concern me.

The only high-end software I run is some naval architecture CAD programs (Maxsurf, ShipConstructor and Navisworks) -- I'm a ship-building hobbyist. These programs would run in Windows under bootcamp. I would also use the machine for mostly mundane tasks -- internet, email, record-keeping, and my large music library.

Any thoughts about the upkeep of this machine would be greatly appreciated. Is it possible for me to maintain this machine myself, with good computer proficiency, but no special skills?

GO FOR IT! I intend on doing the same thing - though I do a fair bit of digital video effects rendering and HD editing. Can I borrow yours? Hahaha.

[cherry su]

1. get aftermarket RAM (32GB)
2. are 15K drives much faster than 10K drives? WD VelociRaptors are just as nice, and $300 apiece

[iParis]

I recommend buying the Mac Pro but save enough money to get a new MacBook or MacBook Air.

[RedRam]

Buy a 2009 Dodge Ram, or something actually cool.

If you are going to spend nearly 25 grand on something, don't spend it on a computer. :o

[smoothjp]

I think the giveaway here is the price. Who thinks about buying a computer for >20k and has the price down to the dollar?

[sunfast]

Check out this massive order I pulled up when I was bored.

Clearly a version I do today would give me a slightly larger final amount. But I ain't that bored now :D

That's hilarious. Wonder how long it would take them to deliver your entire order if you had the cash!

[KingYaba]

Check out this massive order I pulled up when I was bored.

Clearly a version I do today would give me a slightly larger final amount. But I ain't that bored now :D

Hey, at least you get free shipping. :D

[allmIne]

I believe this is a troll, but...

If you feel 'blessed' to be able to afford it, why buy something you couldn't use to it's fullest even if you tried (you literally could not eke out even 1% benefit for anything you are probably doing with the machine) and instead make a difference in others lives by 'blessing' them.

Buy a $5,000 Mac Pro, and change the lives of hundreds of ultra-poor around the world with the rest of the money.

Check out this website to see where how lucky you actually are: http://www.globalrichlist.com/

Thank goodness almost nobody felt you providing that link warranted stating their position in this thread. I genuinely thought you providing that link was this threads road to hell. Well done mac community; it didn't turn into a willy waving contest!

andy.

[sonia1234321]

You will save 10,000$ if you bought 3rd party RAM :)

[MSD401]

forget the computer.... I want to see the boat he is going to build if he can drop 23k on a computer...
ill gladly do the "upkeep" on the computer if I can use the boat....

[queshy]

You will save 10,000$ if you bought 3rd party RAM :)

lol. so true. Apple really sticks it to its customers on the ram...

[Moriarty]

Just max out a 24-inch iMac and save up for a Lambourghini.

For an average consumer, the iMac is more than enough... two 30-inch displays would take a ridiculous amount of desk space, and you would never really use them both.

There is no point in buying something just because you can, if you aren't going to get anything out of it.

Lambourghini > Apple.

[winsonli]

The hard drive should be the slowest component in a computer. You might be interested in this SSD raid array:

http://www.nextlevelhardware.com/storage/battleship/

Copying a 1GB folder only takes 3.9 seconds.

[jodelli]

I've been eying one of these. Seriously.
http://www.apple.com/ca/science/solutions/workgroupcluster.html. Was thinking of putting a cluster together and checked out what Apple had.

[xcreet]

Just max out a 24-inch iMac and save up for a Lambourghini.

For an average consumer, the iMac is more than enough... two 30-inch displays would take a ridiculous amount of desk space, and you would never really use them both.

There is no point in buying something just because you can, if you aren't going to get anything out of it.

Lambourghini > Apple.

I agree. If you don't have any reason why you need that much power (and we're talking about a STUPID amount of power), I don't see why you would want to spend $24,000 on a computer, just because you can.

Like a lot of other posters have said, I would buy a rid-range Mac Pro and a 30 inch Cinema display, and put the remaining $18,000 in a high interest account and then you would never have to worry about upgrading again!!! The interest that ticks over will keep that account topped up so that every 2 years you can upgrade. Remember, a $24,000 system still becomes obsolete. In 6 years time, an iMac will probably have the same, if not more power.:D

Plus, in Windows (32BIT) the O/S can only handle a max of 4GB ram anyway. If you have the expensive GFX card with 1.5GB RAM on it, that leave a max of 2.5GB of adressable RAM. Only a 64 Bit O/S (Leopard/Vista Ultimate 64 Bit) would be able to take advantage of any additional RAM.

I would be VERY surprised if you noticed the difference between a mid-range Mac Pro and the overkill system for the tasks that you are doing (even the CAD programs).

This is an example of a still VERY capable and powerful system:
# Two 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
# 8GB (4x2GB)
# 300GB 15,000-rpm SAS
# 1TB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
# NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT 512MB
# One 16x SuperDrive
# Apple Cinema HD Display (30" flat panel)
# Apple Mighty Mouse
# Apple Keyboard + User's Guide
# AirPort Extreme Card (Wi-Fi)

Cost: $7,248 USD (saving ~$16,000)

[netherfred]

I'm a private individual interested in buying a custom top-of-the-line Mac Pro, mostly as a toy since I'm blessed enough to be able to afford it. The machine I'm interested in would be 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 32GB, four 300GB SAS drives, NVIDIAQuadro FX 5600, and a couple Cinema HD Displays. With accessories, it runs about $23,397.

I recently talked with an apple representative who actually tried to convince me to acquire a somewhat lower-end "suggested configuration" Mac Pro. He told me that the technical upkeep for such a high-end mac is more demanding than I could handle. Is this accurate? He also told me that he wasn't aware of any use a private individual could have for that amount of processing power, but I enjoy knowing the power is available, so this doesn't concern me.

The only high-end software I run is some naval architecture CAD programs (Maxsurf, ShipConstructor and Navisworks) -- I'm a ship-building hobbyist. These programs would run in Windows under bootcamp. I would also use the machine for mostly mundane tasks -- internet, email, record-keeping, and my large music library.

Any thoughts about the upkeep of this machine would be greatly appreciated. Is it possible for me to maintain this machine myself, with good computer proficiency, but no special skills?

Get the standard processor (faster ones are not that much faster for much more money), 16 gigs (how much RAM does Windows or your programmes support anyway?), the standard video card (get the Radeon 4870 separately, http://www.barefeats.com/harper19.html), 2 SAS drives in RAID 5 for your system and programmes (safe) and 2 1TB Samsungs also in RAID 5 for your data. 30 inch Cinema's are ok, but Dell, EIZO or Lacie would probably also fit your needs (and spare a little bit of budget).

I don't know what the Apple guy told you about upkeep, but his boss should fire him for not making the sale... :D

Anyway, I would seriously look into the software you are going to use, since if it's not multi-threaded you'd have a machine which would use only a fraction of the power it has. No idea either how easy setting a Mac Pro up in Windows would be.

[wesrk]

I hope you got apple care :D

[Col127]

yikes. is that really necessary? what do you need to do that requires such a beast of a machine? if you want to save yourself money, but the RAM & hard drives from a third party. also, think about other LCDs :)

I'm a private individual interested in buying a custom top-of-the-line Mac Pro, mostly as a toy since I'm blessed enough to be able to afford it. The machine I'm interested in would be 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 32GB, four 300GB SAS drives, NVIDIAQuadro FX 5600, and a couple Cinema HD Displays. With accessories, it runs about $23,397.

I recently talked with an apple representative who actually tried to convince me to acquire a somewhat lower-end "suggested configuration" Mac Pro. He told me that the technical upkeep for such a high-end mac is more demanding than I could handle. Is this accurate? He also told me that he wasn't aware of any use a private individual could have for that amount of processing power, but I enjoy knowing the power is available, so this doesn't concern me.

The only high-end software I run is some naval architecture CAD programs (Maxsurf, ShipConstructor and Navisworks) -- I'm a ship-building hobbyist. These programs would run in Windows under bootcamp. I would also use the machine for mostly mundane tasks -- internet, email, record-keeping, and my large music library.

Any thoughts about the upkeep of this machine would be greatly appreciated. Is it possible for me to maintain this machine myself, with good computer proficiency, but no special skills?

[shoulin333]

Just spend 10 grand and give the rest to charity.

Amen

[unlokia]

Are you crazy?. Save your money if you don't need it. You could consider buying ~50-60 basic PCs, putting Linux/whatever on them and donating them to children who would be overjoyed with even a VERY basic computer; needy families etc. The feeling of making SO many underprivelidged people SO SO very happy, will far outweigh ANY satisfaction that your ridiculously over-specified "toy Mac Pro" could ever hope to bring to you.

Let's face facts; you've admitted you don't need it, but why don't you take YOUR blessing of being able to afford a silly specced Mac, and multiply that blessing by showering needy people with shiny new PCs with Linux etc??.

You will reap the rewards of doing so!. :D


PS: I suggest hunting down and watching a UK tv show "The Secret Millionaire" - VERY enlightening indeed.


Well as it runs with a 1000w power supply, that gives you a rough indication of how much power you can use, it would effectively be like running a small kettle all day long, however, if you plant a tree everyday for the duration in which you keep and use the machine, you should be fine... (carbon footprint wise)

No it wouldn't at all. The Mac Pro uses a 1.1KW PSU - the 1.1KW is the *DC* output wattage, not the ~AC~ *input* wattage. I think you'd be well advised to go and brush up on your electrical theory:


V=I/R; where V=Voltage, I=current in amps & R=resistance in ohms

[eviltobz]

2 SAS drives in RAID 5 for your system and programmes (safe) and 2 1TB Samsungs also in RAID 5 for your data.
2 drives can give you raid 0 & 1 so you can only get performance or redundancy, not both. for raid 5 you need at least 3 drives then you get the mix of speed and security.

as for loading up on memory for using windows apps, unless you're using 64bit apps and 64bit windows, having a 32gig macpro is a complete waste as 32bit windows can only address 4 gig, and a lot of the top end of that is consumed by the graphics card and other hardware bits and bobs. with a 1gig graphics card you can only use about 2.5gig, no matter how much you load up. even with a smaller card you won't see much useable above 3gig.

[nathans89]

lol just think how many safari windows/tabs you could have open with 32GB of ram...

[wolfenkraft]

Sure, go ahead. buy it. When you run bootcamp, make sure to run 64bit windows, otherwise you'll have 29GB of unusable ram. You shouldn't buy a mac. You should just buy a POS dell and burn the rest of the cash or buy a nice metal sculpture. that's all the mac pro will be for you.

[dbell]

I'm buying a machine that costs $23,398.

What a chud.

[koolkeat]

I dream of being you one day.
Right now I'm trying desperately to get a MacBook for school.
There would be nothing more awesome in this world than to be able to buy an awesome (possibly overkill) machine for something that's just a hobby.
I'd say get what you want to get.
If you feel like downgrading your specs to save some cash, do it.
If you want everything available, no matter the cost, do it.
It seems obvious that money is not an issue.
Either way, good luck on your boat project!

[unlokia]

I have a Mac Pro just over one week old, fully stocked with 32Gb Kingston FBDIMMS (they were donated to me by Kingston) and I can envisage that once I have upgraded the graphics to something Maya and C4D can really utilise at full tilt, I will be using massive chunks of the available 32Gb. Do you people think they make Macs capable of 32Gb ram, just for "fun"?. Some people actually use the capabilities with multi-polygon modelling... just can't imagine the OP even knows if he NEEDS a fully stocked Mac Pro, let alone whether he would ever use even 1/4 of it's power/capability.

My opinion? he just came here to show off and get attention - I'd look a bit deeper than what Mac you wanna be wasting your money on, ESPECIALLY as you don't even NEED it, as you yourself have admitted. This thread sickens and angers me, don't ask why - you won't wanna know and I'll probably end up getting banned for my passionate replies. Do you want also, to buy a Ferarri to drop off the kids at school?.
:rolleyes:

[Hadi]

Just spend 10 grand and give the rest to charity.

thank you

[unlokia]

I'm a private individual interested in buying a custom top-of-the-line Mac Pro, mostly as a toy since I'm blessed enough to be able to afford it.


You don't want a lot of attention really... do you?... :rolleyes:. You were blessed in the money department it would seem, but morality seems to have passed you by somewhat...

[Desamell]

You don't want a lot of attention really... do you?... :rolleyes:. You were blessed in the money department it would seem, but morality seems to have passed you by somewhat...

im guess the mob

[robotnik]

Just spend 10 grand and give the rest to charity.

I'm with that.

[topicolo]

What's with all the posts judging the OP? Do you guys get judged when you want to spend extra at a high end restaurant as opposed to a $3 sandwich at McDonalds? It's his money. The OP can do whatever he wants with it without a couple of insecure people trolling in response.

As for the actual content of my post, the power requirements won't be anywhere close to the 1000W max of the power supply. 2x3.2Ghz quad core xeons are about 300W, Ram is around 8x15 watts = 120W, the gfx card is another 150W, and hard drives are about 10-15W each so the system should draw a maximum of ~600W but probably much lower since it'll be idling most of the time.

[SnowLeopard2008]

What's with all the posts judging the OP? Do you guys get judged when you want to spend extra at a high end restaurant as opposed to a $3 sandwich at McDonalds? It's his money. The OP can do whatever he wants with it without a couple of insecure people trolling in response.

Yea, to answer his question about technical upkeep, there is none. Except maybe electric bills. UNless you always want the newest model, of course. But seeing as this is worth as much as a car, go for it! It's your money.

[UltraNEO*]

Well as it runs with a 1000w power supply, that gives you a rough indication of how much power you can use, it would effectively be like running a small kettle all day long, however, if you plant a tree everyday for the duration in which you keep and use the machine, you should be fine... (carbon footprint wise)

A PSU with the potential of outputting 1KW! :eek:

So how much power does a system with the following specs consume (see siggy), you reckon?
Bearing in mind it's usually on 24/7, rendering stuff!! All energy saver set to ALWAYS ON with only display off!

*goes to plant a rain forest*

[Umbongo]

A PSU with the potential of outputting 1KW! :eek:

So how much power does a system with the following specs consume (see siggy), you reckon?
Bearing in mind it's usually on 24/7, rendering stuff!! All energy saver set to ALWAYS ON with only display off!

*goes to plant a rain forest*

~450W at full load not including the display.

[ga1lyons]

Well i assume you dont need to worry about your power bill with that kind of cheddar being laid out on a system. But if you are, put some panels in your back yard for Sol-elec. I did this a few years ago and had an electrician do a little magic in my house so everything that runs for more then so many hours aday is basically for free. Fridge, my servers, television (yes for the dog) I dont make enough to put back into the grid but it put it makes my elec for non peak usage zero.

i'm not green, i'm just a cheap-skate.

[BlackMax]

The machine I'm interested in would be 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 32GB, four 300GB SAS drives, NVIDIAQuadro FX 5600, and a couple Cinema HD Displays. With accessories, it runs about $23,397.



As the others have said, if you can afford it and this is what you want, go for it. It shouldn't be much more challenging to maintain than a lower-end machine. With that said, if you are just planning to use it for what you've described, it will be way more horsepower than you need or can use.

I'm just curious how you got to $23,397? As part of my daily job I routinely purchase enterprise grade 6u servers with dual quad-core Xeon processors, 32 GB of RAM, six SAS drives, quad port NICs, dual fiber channel cards and these servers only come to about half the cost.

What are you including with this server that runs the price up so high.

[zer0tails]

unless you're the NSA...23.397 for a mac pro is a little *WOAH*

[i0Nic]

I've only read the initial post and have massive ethical concerns regarding the intentions.

Consume what you need, there are people dying in our world with no food to eat, the planet is being destroyed, us westerners are using far more resources than we need.

Why don't you invest some of that money into making your house more environmentally friendly by installing solar panels, a water tank etc. Give something to charity. Purchase some medical equipment for your local hospital. You will feel much better with yourself and will be reminded daily that you are bringing good to the world, what will a $23,000 hunk of metal bring?

We need to rethink our consumption patterns, start consuming less. What you want to do is a blatant misuse of resources, however we all should look at our own lives and see where we can make small changes to better our world.

[Umbongo]

As the others have said, if you can afford it and this is what you want, go for it. It shouldn't be much more challenging to maintain than a lower-end machine. With that said, if you are just planning to use it for what you've described, it will be way more horsepower than you need or can use.

I'm just curious how you got to $23,397? As part of my daily job I routinely purchase enterprise grade 6u servers with dual quad-core Xeon processors, 32 GB of RAM, six SAS drives, quad port NICs, dual fiber channel cards and these servers only come to about half the cost.

What are you including with this server that runs the price up so high.

He just selected all the expensive options on the Mac Pro build to order page.

[DTphonehome]

Being so "blessed" with such a fortune, you probably know that saying "you don't get rich by spending excessively"

[alphaod]

Being so "blessed" with such a fortune, you probably know that saying "you don't get rich by spending excessively"

Our economy (and Apple stocks) does need a little stimulation. :p

[DTphonehome]

Our economy (and Apple stocks) does need a little stimulation. :p

Unless this dude has $700 billion to buy some bad mortgages, he's not going to be doing much stimulating! :p

[alphaod]

Unless this dude has $700 billion to buy some bad mortgages, he's not going to be doing much stimulating! :p

Well every bit counts!

[sebascrub]

Well every bit counts!

That's what she said!

[AnonymousPerson]

Geez...do you want to donate something to a starving film student? I'll make a 'this is your life'-style documentary for you.

[gregdrummeraz]

Tell you what OP. You give me 5k, it'll be the investment of the lifetime. I will pay you back come January, with %10 interest, and you can buy the new improved mac pro, as well as I will. I actually would not buy the fully loaded. I'd get a "Steve Jobs special" iMac, macbook air, and a new iPhone.

Hows that sound?:cool:

Promise ya! It's worth it!

[IroquoisPliskin]

I'll sell you my iMac for a bargain basement price of $8,000. :)

[ibrahima]

i call bull-**** OP. I can't believe an apple sales rep would advise you to buy something cheaper.

[NoSmokingBandit]

forgive me if i am missing something here, but why spend $20k on a pimped out mac when that power is only going to be accessed when running windows?

[MVApple]

Then maybe you should find out EXACTLY what you need, before spending 20K.

And as another poster said, spend less and give 10K to charity. People with that much money available should want to give to those who have less.

How do you know he doesn't give money to charity to help others out? Did you ask him? And just because someone has a lot of money doesn't mean they should give all of it away.

I bet most of the people on here have computers that they spent more on when they could have gotten around okay with something less and given money to charity but didn't.

[muzikool]

How do you know he doesn't give money to charity to help others out? Did you ask him? And just because someone has a lot of money doesn't mean they should give all of it away.

I bet most of the people on here have computers that they spent more on when they could have gotten around okay with something less and given money to charity but didn't.

Thank you! I had to read through this entire thread before someone echoed my thought -- in the very last post!

It's unbelievable to me that people have responded the way they have -- judging someone they know nothing about just because the OP wants to spend a lot of money on a computer. How do we know the OP doesn't give half his income away every year to good causes? Those of you responding this way make it seem like the OP is a horrible person for spending his money on himself. Again, how do we know he doesn't already "give to the greater good?"

Look at it this way -- you spend $2000 on a Mac and you make $40k per year. You just spent 5% of your annual income on a computer. Let's say the OP makes $2M a year and buys a $25000 Mac -- he's just spent a bit over 1% of his annual income on a computer. It's all relative.

[hierobryan]

What a stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid post. I'm talking about the thread starter. Some people... :rolleyes: How ridiculous.

[dannyboxer]

OMG Why would you want a custom Mac Pro to go on the internet!? :eek:

Just get a MacBook dude, their fine for what you want it to do.

[masse]

I'm not impressed by people who have money.

Tell me what you did to earn this blessing? If you are not a troll I truly feel sorry for you.

Nobody will ever like you because you can flaunt a bunch of paper around. To recap: You Lose.

[Aj2488]

I have not read all of the posts here, but.... Why would anyone want to spend 23k on a computer? Even if it is the Mac Pro there will be something much more advanced and just plain better out in a couple of years. I would understand if someone's business needed it to keep the doors open or for some research project but for a home computer?? If it is for personal use I do not think anyone would need a computer that costs 23k.... let alone has all the specs as this Mac Pro would. Honestly how much memory, GHz and hard drive space could a Naval architecture program need?

However if someone wanted to spend that kind of moola on a piece of equipment that FAR exceeds one's need's and will be out date in 2 years max... god bless them.

[ltldrummerboy]

Screenshot of the "About this Mac" screen or it didn't happen. You guys crack me up. Some of you really believe that someone who has $25,000 to throw at a computer is going to get an account at MacRumors just to ask your advice on whether they actually should or not.

[ltldrummerboy]

I have a contact at Apple's executive level through some extensive personal and business purchases I've made from the company. I had a phone conversation with him yesterday and received some information about the delay of the 17".

Apparently the 17" was actually the first new MacBook Pro to be designed, and its revision was somewhat more radical than what was ultimately released for the 15" and Macbook. The prototype 17" was overall very similar to the new 15", but the keyboard included a number pad, and the "chicklet" keys were actually raised above the casing instead of being placed flush with the casing. Apple designed a system so that when the screen was closed, the keys would lower into the body, but when the screen was open they would be raised above. The prototype 17" unfortunately had serious problems with this mechanism, so the 15" and Macbook were subsequently designed with a more traditional keyboard. Apple didn't have time revise the new 17", causing the delay. Apparently the raised keyboard has been abandoned, but the new 17" will indeed have a number pad, and will generally be in line with the new computers released this week as expected.

Seriously? A keyboard that retracts as you close the screen? This is beyond ridiculous. There's no way this person actually bought this Mac Pro. Please read the sign below before posting any more responses to this thread.

DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS

[johtaja]

I just read through all 8 pages of this thread and I could only spot a handful of replies that were even somewhat relavent to the original question. The majority of the comments were just outright immature and pointlessly ridiculous. I thought the 'mac crowd' was a bit more sophisticated than this. I'm just really disappointed and ashamed that this kind of behaviour can take place in such respectable forum as this.

Please do us all a big favor and take your inferiority complexes elsewhere, and maybe spend a little more time working and little less time complaining about everything. Maybe then you too could have some financial joys to enjoy life a little.

And just because your miserable peasant lives didn't work out the way you intended it to, doesn't mean you need to take it out on people who actually did something with their lives.

Ps. Hope you enjoy the new rig, its a BEAST ;)

[ACiB708]

[QUOTE=Digital Skunk;6201419

p.s. I wouldn't call it blessed, since that implies divine intervention, which would also imply that you use the money for the greater good in some aspect, and I don't know if your 20k machine would benefit anyone other than yourself.
[/QUOTE]

True. Get a 6k machine (which btw would have TONS of processing power, which you will never truly use unless you do some kind of super HD video editing, or corporate stuff), and give the rest to charity. There are starving kids everywhere around the world, and you buy a 20k machine that you won't even need.

[Theirishjoey]

Do it! Enjoy your new machine! BUT. If you are going to have that much power why don't you lend a little to one of the many medical research groups that are trying to help people. (e.g. folding at home)

[Airforcekid]

I've only read the initial post and have massive ethical concerns regarding the intentions.

Consume what you need, there are people dying in our world with no food to eat, the planet is being destroyed, us westerners are using far more resources than we need.

Why don't you invest some of that money into making your house more environmentally friendly by installing solar panels, a water tank etc. Give something to charity. Purchase some medical equipment for your local hospital. You will feel much better with yourself and will be reminded daily that you are bringing good to the world, what will a $23,000 hunk of metal bring?

We need to rethink our consumption patterns, start consuming less. What you want to do is a blatant misuse of resources, however we all should look at our own lives and see where we can make small changes to better our world.

:apple:It is his own money but if you havent got it now wait til jan 5th! By the way I understand why you want it I had a hard time when people found out I bought a MacBook pro with top specs.:apple: Dont let your carbon print influence your decision if I did I would be covered in it!

[Tallest Skil]

:apple:It is his own money but if you havent got it now wait til jan 5th!

1. It's the 6th.
2. There won't be a Mac Pro update at MacWorld, anyway.

[rhett7660]

I just read through all 8 pages of this thread and I could only spot a handful of replies that were even somewhat relavent to the original question. The majority of the comments were just outright immature and pointlessly ridiculous. I thought the 'mac crowd' was a bit more sophisticated than this. I'm just really disappointed and ashamed that this kind of behaviour can take place in such respectable forum as this.

Please do us all a big favor and take your inferiority complexes elsewhere, and maybe spend a little more time working and little less time complaining about everything. Maybe then you too could have some financial joys to enjoy life a little.

And just because your miserable peasant lives didn't work out the way you intended it to, doesn't mean you need to take it out on people who actually did something with their lives.

Ps. Hope you enjoy the new rig, its a BEAST ;)

Thank you, you beat me to it.. Good lord.

[KingYaba]

I just read through all 8 pages of this thread and I could only spot a handful of replies that were even somewhat relavent to the original question. The majority of the comments were just outright immature and pointlessly ridiculous. I thought the 'mac crowd' was a bit more sophisticated than this. I'm just really disappointed and ashamed that this kind of behaviour can take place in such respectable forum as this.

The original post was a troll and now you're trolling. Please do us all a big favor and take it elsewhere.

[Spock]

I can save you a bunch and sell you a M-5 multitronic unit, I got a great deal on a few.

[arepadetrigo]

Spend your money as you see best. But I would like to suggest that you would get more happiness in the long run by buying a stock Mac and then giving the leftover $18000 or so to people who really need it. I could personally introduce you to some Chinese, Indian, African, or South American kids who could certainly use $100 or even $10. I could even introduce you to a few right here in the good ole' US of A. To them it might make the difference between a full and an empty belly or a warm coat this winter. You have been blessed. You could also bless others.

It's your money and I am not your Big Brother; but it's something to think about.:)

[SHADO]

I would wait until the new Mac Pro's come out (announced in January at Macworld), then get one of those.

[Heb1228]

If he buys this machine, this guy could really help out the MR folding team. :eek:

[BornAgainMac]

I wonder what $23,397 will get with a Mac Pro in 2009. Will it have solid state drives? Will it do Blu-Ray? Will it support multiple video cards at the same time for combined processing power? Will Snow Leopard really rock on it? Additional ports as standard? Have more than 8 Intel cores? Support more than 32 GB of memory?

Finally, will it be the last computer you will ever want?

From the last question will you still want to pay $23,397 for it now?

[mondp]

wow I cant believe this thread is still alive! it's been weeks since I first saw it!
anyway, if one did have 23K to spend on a computer,
I'd get a top of the line macpro ($6K), and hook it up to this little monster:

NVIDIA Tesla Personal Supercomputer
The NVIDIA® Tesla™ Personal Supercomputer is based on the revolutionary NVIDIA® CUDA™ parallel computing architecture and powered by up to 960 parallel processing cores.
http://www.nvidia.com/object/personal_supercomputing.html

[NoSmokingBandit]

I recently talked with an apple representative who actually tried to convince me to acquire a somewhat lower-end "suggested configuration" Mac Pro.

An Apple employee trying to save the customer some money? Now i know he is lying!

[paduck]

I don't think there is any evidence that the thread starter is in any way interested in spending this kinda money on a computer. I think he is just a prankster or troll...

[jessica.]

(insert irony here)
And it took a newbie to revive an otherwise silly thread so that we're further reminded of the OPs trolling. :D

[groovdudeyo]

I'm a private individual interested in buying a custom top-of-the-line Mac Pro, mostly as a toy since I'm blessed enough to be able to afford it. The machine I'm interested in would be 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 32GB, four 300GB SAS drives, NVIDIAQuadro FX 5600, and a couple Cinema HD Displays. With accessories, it runs about $23,397.

I recently talked with an apple representative who actually tried to convince me to acquire a somewhat lower-end "suggested configuration" Mac Pro. He told me that the technical upkeep for such a high-end mac is more demanding than I could handle. Is this accurate? He also told me that he wasn't aware of any use a private individual could have for that amount of processing power, but I enjoy knowing the power is available, so this doesn't concern me.

The only high-end software I run is some naval architecture CAD programs (Maxsurf, ShipConstructor and Navisworks) -- I'm a ship-building hobbyist. These programs would run in Windows under bootcamp. I would also use the machine for mostly mundane tasks -- internet, email, record-keeping, and my large music library.

Any thoughts about the upkeep of this machine would be greatly appreciated. Is it possible for me to maintain this machine myself, with good computer proficiency, but no special skills?

dude i hate you

[Schtumple]

dude i hate you

Seriously, the troll, stop feeding it...

[wizzracer]

I would just buy Three MP's, and setup each one for your needs. Run Windows with CAD on one. The OSX mail on the other. Then use the last one as you see fit. I would setup OSX Server and run a Forum on it.;)

As for your good fortune be thankfull. Hollywod spends 200 Million to make a Movie and half are crap. I would like to see there Carbon Foot Print, They leave behind.

Damn Al Gore, looks like he ate 400 Twinkes everday for year. Those poor Twinkes could have been saved.

[macJC50640]

Wow. I guess if you really want it, but like someone said earlier it will become obsolete before you know it. For that money, what about a car?! lol.
I have so many feelings about this thread...
;):D:o:(:):confused::eek::mad::rolleyes::cool::p:apple:

[YahonMaizosz]

I'm a private individual interested in buying a custom top-of-the-line Mac Pro, mostly as a toy since I'm blessed enough to be able to afford it. The machine I'm interested in would be 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 32GB, four 300GB SAS drives, NVIDIAQuadro FX 5600, and a couple Cinema HD Displays. With accessories, it runs about $23,397.

I recently talked with an apple representative who actually tried to convince me to acquire a somewhat lower-end "suggested configuration" Mac Pro. He told me that the technical upkeep for such a high-end mac is more demanding than I could handle. Is this accurate? He also told me that he wasn't aware of any use a private individual could have for that amount of processing power, but I enjoy knowing the power is available, so this doesn't concern me.

The only high-end software I run is some naval architecture CAD programs (Maxsurf, ShipConstructor and Navisworks) -- I'm a ship-building hobbyist. These programs would run in Windows under bootcamp. I would also use the machine for mostly mundane tasks -- internet, email, record-keeping, and my large music library.

Any thoughts about the upkeep of this machine would be greatly appreciated. Is it possible for me to maintain this machine myself, with good computer proficiency, but no special skills?

If you are REALLY as wealthy and blessed as you said you are, you will not be writing here asking about such a trivial question regarding a "toy" that is less than $24K.. You would have bought it and figure out your dumb questions yourself...

This thread is clearly a fake.. When I bought my IWC Da Vinci Perpetual Calender, I don't go around asking people in various luxury watch forums about whether I should really buy it and whether I really need the Perpetual Calender function... I just bought it and be happy with it...

So, if you are indeed as you said you are, please buy that ridiculous system and let us "envy" it...

[QuantumLo0p]

No kidding. Seriously, does ANYONE need a machine that costs about $20k?

If you have to ask...
:D