Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
I am also really curious about noise. My brother has a Mac Pro 1.1 and the noice from the fans is insane. It is the one thing that really puts me off buying a Mac Pro.

He's probably running an X1900 GPU. My MacPro1,1 is extremely quiet these days, but it was noticeably nosier when I was running the X1900. I am running a 4870 now. If it's not the GPU making al that racket, I have to wonder what the temperature of the room is, or how well ventilated the case is wherever it is placed . . .
 
The desktop is dead for most folks, sure, but I have never had an Intel based Mac Pro. My last Apple Desktop was a dual G5 2.0GHz. I've moved my heavy rendering and compressing to my Windows desktops and only use Macs on the laptop side now.

Completely untrue based on actual sales numbers. Desktops are selling in record numbers. This is Apple propaganda, and a wish of people who like to sound like clairvoyant prognosticators.
 
Completely untrue based on actual sales numbers. Desktops are selling in record numbers. This is Apple propaganda, and a wish of people who like to sound like clairvoyant prognosticators.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE50601320090107

Laptops posted a milestone in the third quarter of 2008, passing desktop PC sales for the first time, according to research group iSuppli.

http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2...-year-laptop-sales-eclipse-desktops-in-us.ars

I don't really see this trend reversing, do you?
 
The whole laptop trend may be true for consumers, but for anyone creating content, desktops still absolutely reign supreme. Anyone out there who works with intense video editing, audio work, photo editing, CAD & 3D work, etc. knows that a laptop simply won't cut it.

Sure, people creating content are only a small percentage of users, but as long as people are creating media, desktops will be around.
 
The whole laptop trend may be true for consumers, but for anyone creating content, desktops still absolutely reign supreme. Anyone out there who works with intense video editing, audio work, photo editing, CAD & 3D work, etc. knows that a laptop simply won't cut it.

Sure, people creating content are only a small percentage of users, but as long as people are creating media, desktops will be around.
That's what workstations are for. :p

But overall, desktop sales are shrinking (includes consumer systems). Most of them are sold in developing countries like China (more system for the money).

The unfortunate side effect is workstations are getting more expensive again. :(
 
The whole laptop trend may be true for consumers, but for anyone creating content, desktops still absolutely reign supreme. Anyone out there who works with intense video editing, audio work, photo editing, CAD & 3D work, etc. knows that a laptop simply won't cut it.

Sure, people creating content are only a small percentage of users, but as long as people are creating media, desktops will be around.

The above is all I meant by the statement.

It's not a growth market and the target audience is indeed, a small percentage of users.

I do a lot of my "content creation" on a laptop , saving the desktop for editing, 3d, rendering and compressing.

I did not mean you won't be able to find a desktop anytime soon, just that for most manufacturers, the focus is on laptops and mobile.

Apple rode herd on the 2009 Mac Pro, and then only gave it the most minor of upgrades for 2010.
 
He's probably running an X1900 GPU. My MacPro1,1 is extremely quiet these days, but it was noticeably nosier when I was running the X1900. I am running a 4870 now. If it's not the GPU making al that racket, I have to wonder what the temperature of the room is, or how well ventilated the case is wherever it is placed . . .

I noticed the ridiculous noise when I got a 3870 for my 1,1 (which was previously close to silent). I bought an Accelero S1 Rev. 2 and got the stock 3870 fan off - works fine - especially with all the well designed cooling/air channels already built into the Mac Pro.
 
MO, but it's REALLY looking like the only value-buy in the MP lineup will be in the base Quad at a list of $2499.

I don't consider the base a value buy at all.

The higher up you go in the dual quad and dual hex configs is when Apple is really competitive for the horsepower you're buying. The base 2.8 is ridiculously expensive for the performance you buy. Same number of ram slots as the iMac, too, but the iMac comes with more ram by default, and ecc ram is more expensive.

For $100 less, you can get a 27 inch iMac that has a slightly faster clock speed and 8 GB ram. I think the iMac superdrive might be slower, though.


I do a lot of my "content creation" on a laptop , saving the desktop for editing, 3d, rendering and compressing.

That's stil content creation you're doing on your desktop. ;)
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.