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Apple Sends Mac Pro Posters to Journalists: 'The Computer We Were Insane to Build'

aloshka said:
It is a fact because Apple's website says what is replaceable and what is not. How is that not knowing? What the last mac pro allowed you to change? Well, let's see... You could replace the daughter board to make it dual-processor later on if you needed it, you can replace the GPU, memory, multiple drives that used standards, you could change the processor(s) when you need better performance, all of which many people did. The new Mac pro (as stated by apple) = drive (proprietary just like their mSata in 2012-2013 rMBP, MBA) and memory. That is all factual information, not made up.

Ironically, I'm a fanboy. And I want to love this thing and with no paths to upgrade things later on. And I want to accept it like I did the rMBP, but this is a workstation and those need change. My only real compliant is the inability to add another SSD drive.
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You have 6 TB 2.0 ports to do that with.
 
flat five said:
so you're saying macs are more expensive with less power and less tinker_ability than other options out there?

i'm pretty sure everyone is well aware of this already since it's been stated a billion times before about every mac ever made.
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It's a new thing for the Mac Pros, which were nearly top of the line, cost roughly the same as their peers, and were easily expandable later on. Anything you'd do on a PC workstation could be done on a Mac Pro just as well.

Before, if you wanted to upgrade to a beefier GPU, you'd spend an extra $1000 or so every other year. With the new Pro, you'll have to spend the full $3000 to get the latest and greatest, and only then if Apple provides it. There's no incremental updating. They're no longer long term machines.
 
lunarworks said:
This isn't a run of the mill desktop CPU.
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Actually, for most users a quad-core Xeon will be slower than a 4770K.

The advantages that Xeons bring are:
  • A little more cache: 10MB vs 8MB - really doesn't make much difference.
  • Support for ECC memory. In most use cases, this is totally unnecessary.
  • There are more PCIe lanes: 40 rather than 16. This is useful to allow for those six Thunderbolt 2 ports on the back, but otherwise rather unimportant.
  • The ability to support more than 32GB RAM.
Now once you start looking at 6-12 core CPUs, or using more than one CPU in a system, using Xeons starts to make a lot more sense. But a single quad-core Xeon doesn't really offer many benefits over a 4770K system for the vast majority of users.
It's the same situation using workstation graphics cards rather than desktop GPUs - very limited use cases where it's actually worthwhile.

With an unlimited budget, I'd absolutely want workstation-class hardware rather than desktop hardware, but you could pay a lot less than $3000 for equivalent or better performance than the base spec Mac Pro.

verpeiler said:
Serious question: How would this computer perform at gaming? How good is the GPU?
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Buy a Windows machine at 1/3 the price for the same or better performance if you're using it for games.

teknikal90 said:
i fail to see the draw.
current workstations work fine thermal wise - what's the bleeding edge with this design???
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It's small and there are no expansion options?

I do find the cooling system they're using intriguing - the standard PC tower has always seemed like an inefficient design to me. The case I use for my current system makes use of vertical airflow which helps to keep noise and temperatures down quite a bit compared to a regular tower.

But I have no interest in a workstation which doesn't let me swap out the graphics card or add other internal components like hard drives. I don't want expensive, noisy, and hot, external drives sitting on my desk.

Lancer said:
Before people start complaining about the lack of an optical drive I was in a PC store yesterday looking for blank DVD+RW which have become hard to find in the last few months. He said even PC buyers aren't looking for DVD anymore, and even less want BluRay in their computer.
They didn't even have external USB BluRay units to sell.
I guess optical media is slowly dying.
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That may be true, but I still have multiple Blu-ray drives in my workstation. Apple's idealized world may not need them, but I do.

WestonHarvey1 said:
Ahh yes, in my mind SLI is still a 3dfx term, "Scan Line Interleave".
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Well Nvidia bought 3Dfx.
 
macguru9999 said:
You know , as a flagship, this will boost mac sales across the range, which is a good thing. If it works as well. It certainly looks good. I just dont know how I am going to get my square hard disk into that round hole :confused:
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Gently, very gently. :D
 
Peace said:
You have 6 TB 2.0 ports to do that with.
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So again, Mac Mini with a more powerful processor and GPU with a huge web of wires, adapters, coming out the back and loud drives (ever hear what 5 drives in an enclosure sound like). The old Mac pro had a quiet case that muffled the sound of the drives. So yes, it was louder than their stated 25db but this will be so much louder with external drives.
 
aloshka said:
It is a fact because Apple's website says what is replaceable and what is not. How is that not knowing? What the last mac pro allowed you to change? Well, let's see... You could replace the daughter board to make it dual-processor later on if you needed it, you can replace the GPU, memory, multiple drives that used standards, you could change the processor(s) when you need better performance, all of which many people did. The new Mac pro (as stated by apple) = drive (proprietary just like their mSata in 2012-2013 rMBP, MBA) and memory. That is all factual information, not made up.
Click to expand...

the old mac pro isn't as upgradeable as you're making it out to be.. i have a 1,1.. can i bring it up to today's standards or would you recommend i buy a 6,1 instead? (or maybe a 3,1 which i may be able to take to a 5,1 but that's pretty much it for the last gen)
 
I want more Mac Pro options...

Mac Pro base model, assembled in USA: $2999,00
Mac Pro base model, assembled in China: $1699,00

Seems a big deal for non-US residents...
 
iBug2 said:
Then again, Open CL came in 2009 and it's been 4 years and it hasn't really gained traction yet. Adobe seems to have in their plans for the near future to include more Open CL support but we'll see.
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It's been slow on the uptake, but it's happening. Once it reaches a certian point, all it'll take is either Autodesk or, like you said, Adobe to adopt it into their products, and it'll all be downhill from there for CUDA.
 
$3.000 or $4.0000 and: ''Keyboard and mouse sold separately'' Oh come on!! How cheap and greedy can you be lol. I love my MacBook Air and iPad and praise Apple for making them happen, but they are so disappointing sometimes.
 
aloshka said:
So again, Mac Mini with a more powerful processor and GPU with a huge web of wires, adapters, coming out the back and loud drives (ever hear what 5 drives in an enclosure sound like). The old Mac pro had a quiet case that muffled the sound of the drives. So yes, it was louder than their stated 25db but this will be so much louder with external drives.
Click to expand...

Solid State drives don't make any noise.

At least the 4 I have attached to my MBP don't.

Perhaps it's time for you to get with the new technology because Apple is doing away with spinning hard drives also. As it should.
 
flat five said:
the old mac pro isn't as upgradeable as you're making it out to be.. i have a 1,1.. can i bring it up to today's standards or would you recommend i buy a 6,1 instead?
Click to expand...

Well, I will give you that. As architectures change you'll need new boards, etc. Sigh, I just don't want loud external peripherals in such a nice package.
 
That poster was a lame idea. Definitely not cool like you've been there before to send out a self-congratulatory, shoulder dislocating self-pat about how awesomely slick and daring you are. That was like something Kanye West would send out.
 
Peace said:
Solid State drives don't make any noise.

At least the 4 I have attached to my MBP don't.

Perhaps it's time for you to get with the new technology because Apple is doing away with spinning hard drives also. As it should.
Click to expand...

I use SSD's all the time. But when you run them through a TB port and you RAID them, they get really hot. You need a fan. Go buy a Lacie 1TB SSD case. The fan on that thing is insanely loud. Other alternatives? Go ahead, give me alternatives that are "new technology". Or should we just wait a few years for apple to release better TB components and charge 2k for them.
 
aloshka said:
Their specs/site says 450 max continuos but that just means you can run 450 constantly and not necessarily the actual max you can jump to.
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Thanks. I'm curious to see what it looks like, design etc. The whole computer only weighs 11lbs. A good conventional power supply weighs more than that. It must be very small. This computer is about the diameter of a 2.5lb coffee can and about 4" taller. It is quite compact.
 
aloshka said:
I use SSD's all the time. But when you run them through a TB port and you RAID them, they get really hot. You need a fan. Go buy a Lacie 1TB SSD case. The fan on that thing is insanely loud. Other alternatives? Go ahead, give me alternatives that are "new technology". Or should we just wait a few years for apple to release better TB components and charge 2k for them.
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I have a Lacie Little Big Disk Raid box and I can't hear it. Perhaps you need to have yours looked at.
 
 
Peace said:
No. I don't. Mine makes no noise. Sorry to disappoint you.
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So apparently you have a special one, and everyone else has extremely loud ones. Good for you! You proved some asinine point that you need to get your ears checked.

Oh and not to mention that all popular reviewers got loud ones too. I guess manufacturers send their worst units to reviewers and send special units to you.
 
Peace said:
Solid State drives don't make any noise.

At least the 4 I have attached to my MBP don't.

Perhaps it's time for you to get with the new technology because Apple is doing away with spinning hard drives also. As it should.
Click to expand...

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/168619-3d-magnetic-storage-breakthrough-enables-100tb-hard-drives

You should probably let the general industry know that there is no need to advance HD tech because Apple is going all SSD.

================

Apple can keep it's tube
 
Kobayagi said:
$3.000 or $4.0000 and: ''Keyboard and mouse sold separately'' Oh come on!! How cheap and greedy can you be lol. I love my MacBook Air and iPad and praise Apple for making them happen, but they are so disappointing sometimes.
Click to expand...

the keyboard would make the packaging too big (i'm not saying this is a 100% ok reason for not including a keyboard but it probably is the reason)..

the mouse? i'm sort of meh on that.. personally, i've never used apple mice and neither do any of the people i know using mac pros.
 
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