This does make sense. It would cut the high end off at the knees. Why plunk down $3300 for an 4 core MacPro when you can spend $3000 or less on an 8 core machine with slower processors but can process more.
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8-Core Mac Pros have arrived.
- Thread starter arcsbite
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This does make sense. It would cut the high end off at the knees. Why plunk down $3300 for an 4 core MacPro when you can spend $3000 or less on an 8 core machine with slower processors but can process more.
Every major workstation and server vendor does this, infact name me major corporations that sell products that charge you the cost to them for upgrades?. You act like Apple owe you some magic product. Woodcrest prices haven't dropped either. And dell charge $1440 for 2.66Ghz clovertowns over 2.66Ghz woodcrests.
You are wrong in the good way my friend. The Intel chips handle more processes than the PowerPC chips. So the Ghz may be six times that of the G5, but the processor is actuall doing much more work with less power, FASTER than the PowerPC. So it is actually faster than what you have calculated. With the right amount of ram you could probably get your rendering done in less than half an hour or if your program can handle it, in real time.
Alienware want £500 more for a system equivilent to the standard MPro, and don't even list the 3Ghz Quad chips, only 2.66 and 1.86.
Why would anyone want 8 1.86 cores unless they had really optimised software - for typical high end Mac tasks (content creation) surely fewer, higher clocked cores would be better (except maybe for video, but then you use a render farm?)
Remember Alienware are just rebadged Dells now-a-days.
Stick with Apple, better build quality and (I never thought I would say this) value.
Well, I'll be... QCassidy352 was right and I was wrong...
Yes, there used to be that option (as of last week).. which means that the lowest I can get is now $2078, with the ADC discount (I have 1.2GB of non-OEM SATA drives that are just waiting to move into a comfy Mac Pro home).
Yes, there used to be that option (as of last week).. which means that the lowest I can get is now $2078, with the ADC discount (I have 1.2GB of non-OEM SATA drives that are just waiting to move into a comfy Mac Pro home).
Headless iMac? MacMini, my friend.
Why produce a machine that costs more & does the same? I don't care what's inside -- I care about performance, and if Apple can provide the same performance using slower, cheaper chips they should do it. The market lets Apple charge a premium for some good reasons, but this isn't one of them.
this isn't the Ocho I was waiting for
Some people will find this useful today, but I would rather wait until the new chassis arrives, and that might be a long wait.
Off the top of my head:
Maya 8.5,
Cinema 4D 10
Cheetah 3D 4
all of the above support at least 8 core.
Somebody needs to start compiling apps that will support the 8 cores.
Some people will find this useful today, but I would rather wait until the new chassis arrives, and that might be a long wait.
Off the top of my head:
Maya 8.5,
Cinema 4D 10
Cheetah 3D 4
all of the above support at least 8 core.
Somebody needs to start compiling apps that will support the 8 cores.
Why no UK store update I wonder!?
I need to get one of these babies ordered - been waiting long enough to upgrade from my Dual 2.5 G5 - assuming the UK price isn't as insulting as with the recent Adobe releases, otherwise I will just get on and get a Quad 3!
Adam
I need to get one of these babies ordered - been waiting long enough to upgrade from my Dual 2.5 G5 - assuming the UK price isn't as insulting as with the recent Adobe releases, otherwise I will just get on and get a Quad 3!
Adam
I would settle for an update to the 2001 lineup with a $1500 PowerMac. I'd buy one today if it were available. What I'd like is a 1/2 spec MP. Two cores, up to 8GB RAM and room for two drives. If one is not available this summber I'll build one with generic PC parts
...because it doesn't do the same except for work loads that can leverage that many cores.
Why no UK store update I wonder!?
I need to get one of these babies ordered - been waiting long enough to upgrade from my Dual 2.5 G5 - assuming the UK price isn't as insulting as with the recent Adobe releases, otherwise I will just get on and get a Quad 3!
Adam
These chips haven't been announced, I imagine they are also in small supply. There may be issues on where Apple can release this product.
My motto when it comes to Apple hardware has always been "Buy the day it comes out"... looking at the buyers guide, I'm all giddy, because it say "0 days since last update", but I'm in a country where I have to buy through a third party, so I'm looking at more than a 3 week wait
so, now that we have been waiting 6 months for a upgrade that wasn't an upgrade...
where do we...
1) Buy memory for these systems?... Any compatibility problems like the G5 had?... (Crucial's price is about the same as Apple's and OWC isn't much cheaper).
2) Are there any other video card options that we can order from the normal retail vendors?...
where do we...
1) Buy memory for these systems?... Any compatibility problems like the G5 had?... (Crucial's price is about the same as Apple's and OWC isn't much cheaper).
2) Are there any other video card options that we can order from the normal retail vendors?...
This is extremely disappointing! I mean...wow! It's great that we now have 8 3 Ghz cores, but what about the rest of the computer? The GPU options suck harder an a $10 hooker, there's no price drop on the rest of the computer/components, and there's no Blu-Ray add on option. I'm really disappointed. I really, really, wanted a better GPU!
If you NEED one of these then how could you possibly wait. I would think the only peope in need of an 8 core MP are those people with video rendering jobs that are taking so long that it is impacting ability to get work done.
A pretty easy test to see if you need 8 cores is this: Look at Activity Meter if the CPU usage is not pegged at 100% adding even one more core will do nothing. How many of you see the meter at 100% for more than seconds at a time?
Serious lolz at Alienware.
Some food for thought:
Sentia m3450 - 2GHz C2D, GMA950, 1GB RAM, 100GB HD, wireless and bluetooth - £1,215 (not including delivery)
Sound familiar? It should do, because it's not even as good as the specs on the stock BlackBook, which runs £1000, with delivery. The MJ-12 8550i - inspired naming, incidentally - configured the same as the "stock" Mac Pro is almost three thousand smackers.
Some food for thought:
Sentia m3450 - 2GHz C2D, GMA950, 1GB RAM, 100GB HD, wireless and bluetooth - £1,215 (not including delivery)
Sound familiar? It should do, because it's not even as good as the specs on the stock BlackBook, which runs £1000, with delivery. The MJ-12 8550i - inspired naming, incidentally - configured the same as the "stock" Mac Pro is almost three thousand smackers.
This is extremely disappointing! I mean...wow! It's great that we now have 8 3 Ghz cores, but what about the rest of the computer? The GPU options suck harder an a $10 hooker, there's no price drop on the rest of the computer/components, and there's no Blu-Ray add on option. I'm really disappointed. I really, really, wanted a better GPU!
I feel the same way, I was holding off for months, turns out nothing has changed! Come on Apple this is juts silly.
Uk Prices.
Seeing as were screwed anyway by living in the UK, expect any update for our store to cost at least £900.
Also I doubt we'll get the displays discounted either. Although I would love to be wrong on both counts.
Bobthemonkey, I was trying to say that it's about time prices tarted to reflect one another around the world.
They can't blame it all on VAT and import duty. When it comes to the cost of things the UK is treated as a joke.
As for your point regarding other manufacturer's being six months behind, I think you'll find Dell were offering dual Quad systems back in November.
As for the cost, of course I expect to pay a little for the upgrade. But there's paying for it, and then there is being ripped off. Apple are beginning to become rip off merchants.
I was hoping to upgrade the G4500DP, but as they want me to pay more for the top of the line than I paid for the top pf the line 7 years ago, they can keep it.
Seeing as were screwed anyway by living in the UK, expect any update for our store to cost at least £900.
Also I doubt we'll get the displays discounted either. Although I would love to be wrong on both counts.
Bobthemonkey, I was trying to say that it's about time prices tarted to reflect one another around the world.
They can't blame it all on VAT and import duty. When it comes to the cost of things the UK is treated as a joke.
As for your point regarding other manufacturer's being six months behind, I think you'll find Dell were offering dual Quad systems back in November.
As for the cost, of course I expect to pay a little for the upgrade. But there's paying for it, and then there is being ripped off. Apple are beginning to become rip off merchants.
I was hoping to upgrade the G4500DP, but as they want me to pay more for the top of the line than I paid for the top pf the line 7 years ago, they can keep it.
Newegg has a transcend 2GB stick for $320 so $640 for another 4GB. About the same price as apple but its 2 2GB sticks instead of 4 1GB sticks plus you end up with 5GB total.
Actually it is better to look at load averages. If the load average is near or above the number of cores you have in the system when running a typical work load then you might see a benefit from getting more cores.
LOL if you are surviving on a G4 500DP I very much doubt you need a top of the line system. (lets not forget inflation and the fact the top of the line system is WAY more capable then the top of line of 7 years ago and the 7 year ago Apple was starting to get stuck unchanging G4 chips)
As you said why not look at Alienware ... their prices are actually inline if not above Apples for this class of system.
At least a bump in base RAM to go with the C2D chip upgrade I'm hoping for the mini.