Need a little help deciding

[Chad H]

Hey guys,
Sadly, due to some unexpected bills I had to sell my current computer setup. Well, I got those paid and will be looking for another Mac in about a week. I had a '09 Quad 2.66ghz Nehalem w/ 8GB RAM. I thought I would ask you guys what you think would be the best system for me based on what I do. I hate to have another thread about "which computer is best for me" but I am really having a hard time. I currently have about $2500 to spend on a Mac Pro. I do the usual stuff like web surfing, itunes, and e-mail. But, I also do a ton of handbraking, isquint and some basic video encoding. The catch is, I do alot of that stuff. I don't game that much. I do however play one game, Left 4 Dead. I have looked at every model including the 2006/08 models. Can anybody give me some suggestions? I really appreciate any advice guys.:)

[jessica.]

With all due respect but why would anyone in their right mind turn over a Mac Pro only to rebuy?

That said, this question seems rather odd. Did you believe that the MacPro you just sold did the job? Was it over tasked or under tasked? I'd venture to guess you can get away with an iMac but first you need to determine if your Quad was overtasked in the first place.

[surflordca]

I have looked at every model including the 2006/08 models. Can anybody give me some suggestions? I really appreciate any advice guys.:)

I would suggest not buying the 2006 but anything newer from the 2008 and up would suit your needs. Just my 2 cents worth...

[Chad H]

"unexpected" bills. It's not odd, I was in a bad jam and needed the money. As I said I'm not looking to buy for another week. It seemed like to me the quad didn't handbrake as fast as '08 3.0Ghz that I had honestly.

[jessica.]

So a higher end iMac should do. No? Or are you set on a MP.

[zmttoxics]

I would suggest you get the cheapest iMac and start being a little more frugal with your money. Thats just IMHO.

[gugucom]

If you do a lot of handbraking the hyperthreading bug will let you down on a 2009 octad. So buying a refurb 2009 2,26 octad makes no sense.

A 2009 quad would be the thing to look for or if you are hot for an octad a 2008 woud be sensible. They do not hyperthread and will get fully loaded.

[surflordca]

I would suggest you get the cheapest iMac and start being a little more frugal with your money. Thats just IMHO.


How can you even make a statement like that when you don't know he's situation :confused:

[Chad H]

I would suggest you get the cheapest iMac and start being a little more frugal with your money. Thats just IMHO. You don't know my entire situation so keep your statements like that to yourself.

[Chad H]

So a higher end iMac should do. No? Or are you set on a MP.

To be honest, I love the MP and the expandability of it. I'm just wondering if a '08 would actually handbrake better than a quad, given the hyperthreading bug. Lets say a 2.8 or 3.0 vs a 2.66 or 2.93 quad.


Also, again, I know this seems silly considering I just sold the exact machine. But my unique situation called for emergency action. Before anyone elses "pops" off, it wasn't my fault and couldn't be foreseen.

[zmttoxics]

How can you even make a statement like that when you don't know he's situation :confused:

You don't know my entire situation so keep your statements like that to yourself.

You must have missed the IMHO - in my humble opinion. I am allowed to have them. Don't post on forums if your not willing to be subjected to other peoples point of view.

[Chad H]

To express your opinion is one thing. To make a ignorant statement without knowing true background details is another. You simply just popped off.

[cgdotcom]

Completely agree with Chad there. He's already acknowledged that it's an unusual situation, and to suggest that "being frugal" is the answer to whatever financial problems he might have had is ludicrous.

Still, thanks to zmttoxics for reminding me why I tend to avoid these forums [and, indeed, the forums on most websites]. Any chance of a sensible and interesting discussion about a relevant topic is quickly sabotaged by exactly that kind of angry, self-important, ill-considered and grammatically-flawed rant.

[Chad H]

Its over, lets get back on topic. I'm wondering if in fact a 2.8 octo '08 would handbrake faster than a 2.66 quad '09.

[surflordca]

Its over, lets get back on topic. I'm wondering if in fact a 2.8 octo '08 would handbrake faster than a 2.66 quad '09.

All I can say is that I have an early 2008 octo and I love it. I never compared bench marks and you might want to do that...

[Chad H]

Well going by a previous thread where Tesselator posted Cinebench marks the '08 models blew the new Nehalem quads away in the multithreaded categories by 3,000 to 4,000 points.

[jessica.]

Then based on that I would go with the Oct Xeon, it's what I have and can be had for around the price point you're willing to spend.

[zmttoxics]

Its over, lets get back on topic. I'm wondering if in fact a 2.8 octo '08 would handbrake faster than a 2.66 quad '09.

Right - I apologize for seeming like a jerk.

Then based on that I would go with the Oct Xeon, it's what I have and can be had for around the price point you're willing to spend.

+1. The 2008 octos are can be had for a decent price. The 2009 MPs are too expensive for what you get. The Sun Ultra 27 quad has the same cpu and hardware specs as the quad MP and is much much cheaper (severe lack of OSX though :().

Anyways, good luck with the new purchase, I hope it does work out what ever machine you get.

[Andrew Henry]

Well going by a previous thread where Tesselator posted Cinebench marks the '08 models blew the new Nehalem quads away in the multithreaded categories by 3,000 to 4,000 points.

I bought my 2008 MP on eBay for 2100, and it was just purchased in Janurary, has warranty through the beginning of next year, was a great deal i think, so I would look around for 2008 model!

Andrew

[Chad H]

One more quick question guys. Would a 2.66 quad core '06 model MP be a huge step backwards?

[Tesselator]

Hey guys,
I do the usual stuff like web surfing, itunes, and e-mail. But, I also do a ton of handbraking, isquint and some basic video encoding. The catch is, I do alot of that stuff. I don't game that much. I do however play one game, Left 4 Dead.

Mac Mini.

[-js-]

Mac Mini.

He said he loves the expandability of a MP! How would a Mac Mini fit his needs/wants? LOL!

Anyway, as others have said, the 09 MP just isn't nearly as good a deal as an 08 MP or iMac, or Mac Mini. If you can find a good 08 MP for a decent price, I'd recommend that over an 09--if money is an object, that is.

[Tesselator]

He said he loves the expandability of a MP! How would a Mac Mini fit his needs/wants? LOL!

Just cuz! :D


I think he should rent the DVDs with the $2000 he saves - That's about 10 years of DVD rentals and then nothing else he mentions needs more than a mini.

[Chad H]

Haha, no Tesselator a Mac Mini is not for me. I am however eyeing some nice 2.66 quad core Mac Pro's on ebay for about $1400. Would those computers be that bad for what I do? I'm sure I would drop the ATI 5870 in it(it will accept those correct) and more RAM.

[Chad H]

What about this Mac Pro?

3.0 Ghz Mac Pro (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130321568992&viewitem=&_trkparms=tab%3DWatching&salenotsupported)

[IronFixXxeR]

What about this Mac Pro?

3.0 Ghz Mac Pro (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130321568992&viewitem=&_trkparms=tab%3DWatching&salenotsupported)

lol, it looks like the seller doesn't want to part with it!

[nanofrog]

Look for a used or refurbished '08 Octad with the highest clock you can get. ;)

That would give you 8 cores, no hyperthreading issues, and the faster clocks will help with single threaded applications. Upgrades are cheap enough, and can be added as you locate funding. :D

[Chad H]

Thanks to all the advice. I ended up catching a break and I can keep my Mac Pro. I just parted some stuff out. Kinda starting over but it got me out of a hole. :)

[nanofrog]

Thanks to all the advice. I ended up catching a break and I can keep my Mac Pro. I just parted some stuff out. Kinda starting over but it got me out of a hole. :)
:cool: Glad you found a solution without having to sacrifice one machine for the other. :)

[Chad H]

:cool: Glad you found a solution without having to sacrifice one machine for the other. :)

Thank-you Nanofrog. Should have everything back to normal by Christmas. By then I will "hopefully" have 12GB of RAM, 2 Intel SSD Raid 0, Intel SSD bootcamp and Drobo. :)

[nanofrog]

Thank-you Nanofrog. Should have everything back to normal by Christmas. By then I will "hopefully" have 12GB of RAM, 2 Intel SSD Raid 0, Intel SSD bootcamp and Drobo. :)
Hmm... Maybe drop a few hints for gift ideas? ;) :p