A little Apple Porn for the Mac Pro virgins

[krye]

I know there's a ton of you people out there that are dying to get their hands on a Mac Pro, and if you're anything like me (read: total fanboy), you drool over the unboxing pictures. So here's my contribution. I just got my new 8-core Mac Pro last night. It is a monster! I can sum up how fast it is in one word: ridiculous. So, enjoy this "apple porn", if you will...
.......
Finally, after a year of me saving my pennies and waiting for the 8 cores to go "standard" I did it! I ordered from macmall.com (no tax, free shipping after $40 rebate.)

Mac Pro 8-core 2.8 GHz, 320G hdd, 2G RAM, Nvidia 8800GT

New accessories! I love it. I've been dying for this new keyboard since they first released it.

I'm no gamer, but for the extra $200, the better card was a no brainer.

I stuck with the original 2G configuration and ordered another 2G of memory from OWC.

Pretty beefy heatsinks, right?

So here it is...my new setup! I still need to work on a little cable management since it's a nightmare behind the desk, but I have all weekend to iron out the kinks.

Just in the few hours I had last night to play with it, I can tell you that this machine is fast. REALLY FAST! I transferred all my data off the Time Machine I was using with the MacBook. I also had a ton of stuff on a Firewire drive. It was connected the MacBook via FW400. I can now use it as FW800! FW800 is sooo fast! I moved 125 Gigs off the drive onto the Mac Pro in 32 minutes! Amazing! The mail man dropped of the OWC RAM after I had it all setup, so I'll have to install the memory tonight.

This machine is awesome. If you've been on the fence about buying one, I highly recommend saving your pennies. I eBay'd a ton of my old stuff in order to raise the funds. And I can't wait to finally use my MacBook like a laptop. I've been using it as a desktop for so long!

Thanks for looking!

 

[brn2ski00]

Dude, looks so sick! I love setup.

One suggestion: bigger desk.

 

[iMpathetic]

Wow!

I think that I might be able to buy a used 2GHz MP if I, like, sold my soul to Satan...

Yoo-hoo? Satan? Still interested?

 

[spicyapple]

I can sum up how fast it is in one word: ridiculous.

That's exactly the adjective I used as well when I got my Mac.

I finally got the 8-core 2.8GHz Mac Pro to replace my aging PowerMac Dual 1.8GHz, although I'm glad I resisted the urge to upgrade when the Quads came out. This Mac Pro is so insanely fast... it powers through video rendering that I often find the memory and hard disk are the limiting components.

For example, I encoded a one hour video to DVD (2-pass VBR, for you technical folks) and it took 8 minutes 20 seconds. I set up four instances of a cluster using Qadministrator and set up an encode job using Compressor. My previous computer took 2 hours 20 minutes.

I'm doing a lot of HD Apple TV encoding, and it just powers through the task like a hot knife through butter. Again, my old computer would take anywhere between seven to ten hours for the same task, which usually meant I had to begin the encode during the night.

So, enjoy this "apple porn", if you will...

Thanks! I orgasmed... multiple times.

 

[anti-microsoft]

I Hate you!

 

[TallManNY]

Very inspiring. I too am limping along with my Macbook as my main computer (and my G4 iMac basically ignored or used to create a ghetto dual screen set up). I should pull the trigger on this bad boy.

 

[OZMP]

i need something like what your monitor is sitting on

 

[krye]

I Hate you!

Ah come on, Marc is it? You know you love me.

i need something like what your monitor is sitting on

I made the monitor stand. It was easy, and cheap too. Just a trip to Home Depot.

Check it out ....

http://web.mac.com/ryemac3/RyeMAC3/Projects/Pages/30"_Cinema_Display_Stand.html

 

[Sun Baked]

Re: Porn

That girl's box looks a little tattered and worn.

 

[saltyzoo]

Hey, what's with the big nasty scratch on the aluminum cover?

Ha, just kidding. Enjoy!

 

[cmcbridejr]

That's a great computer and all, but can it run Doom?

 

[Mackilroy]

My setup is awfully similar to yours, a Mac Pro with a MacBook that was formerly the primary computer.

Thought I want to replace it with a MacBook Pro...

Anyhow, very nice setup, and it's awesome you got an great machine.

 

[krye]

That's a great computer and all, but can it run Doom?

Silly cmcbridejr, games are for kids.

My setup is awfully similar to yours, a Mac Pro with a MacBook that was formerly the primary computer.

Thought I want to replace it with a MacBook Pro...

Anyhow, very nice setup, and it's awesome you got an great machine.

It's funny, I replaced my MacBook Pro with the MacBook. As far as laptops go, I figured once I had the Mac Pro, all I'd need is a MacBook to kick around. And the extra money I made on the deal was put towards the 30".

 

[FF_productions]

Is Safari snappy on that Mac Pro?

 

[~Shard~]

Great pics, thanks for posting them. I'd say "enjoy your Mac!" but I think that's a pretty obvious one...

 

[Cyberjenks]

Congrats!!!

Very nice set up. Thank you very much for posting the "How to" on the stand you made, I'm going shoping this weekend!!!

Oh ya...in the theme of things..."Sweet add one more to the Spank Bank."

 

[skye12]

Wow...words are incapable of describing it. Unpacking a new Mac is
a religious event.

 

[Yvan256]

I made the monitor stand. It was easy, and cheap too.

I'm not sure about the size of your top holes, but maybe this could help:
http://www.pro-dec.com/ (I'm guessing the TAP-CAPS® - Press-on Screw Covers should do the trick)

 

[amik]

It is a monster! I can sum up how fast it is in one word: ridiculous.

I feel the same way about mine (2.8*8, 10gb ram, 2.57tb, 8800). My wife thinks I'm crazy because I keep calling her into the office to show her how many things it can do at once without breaking a sweat. I was absolutely giddy the first night when I transferred all my photos and started using lightroom and photoshop. Now I'm copying all my DVDs using handbrake and it just chugs right along in the background while I cruise the internet and organize my music in iTunes.

I'm in the process of building a new 36" deep desk for mine. I think I'll steal your monitor stand idea .

 

[big dainjerus]

congrats mon

 

[ipodtouchy333]

Nice !!! I wish I could afford one of those babies. I can't imagine having a computer that can encode a dvd in what, 8 minutes? My PC takes forever to encode just a regular dvd. Anyways I'm looking to make the switch to mac and that thing looks sweet, o well I guess I'll just have to buy a blackbook.

 

[yeroen]

A sexier machine was never made.

I have the 2006 version, X1900 + 30" ACD, the same Altec Lansing speakers, and after a year, I still don't tire of admiring it. When I first got my Mac Pro, I had trouble sleeping for several weeks because I wanted to just stay up late playing with it.

Enjoy the honeymoon period.

 

[benlangdon]

i like the stand idea, as i drew up diagrams of a stand for my mbp but it was made out of metal and it was way overly done.

it had a fan, ducting to cool the bottom of my mbp and to cool the two external hdd's it would have been nice if i had something to bend metal.
ill try and find the drawing (there all done to scale too, i was how you say... cracked out, i couldn't sleep and had to draw them)

i think that idea is a little bit more doable than mine.
what size mdf did you use, 1/4 in or 1/2 in

o ya,
lucky bast#rd

 

[viniciusc]

Man, 8-core Mac Pro + White MacBook! That's just my dream setup (the MBP seams too big and heavy for me). Congratulations on the machine.
That thing might last a few years yet.

 

[benlangdon]

just thought you guys would like some more pron
its from my pc, which hasn't worked for 3 years so i took it apart, and this is what i got out of it