Dell Workstation Vs. Next Mac Pro

[TyleRomeo]

As we all wait for the first real update to the Mac Pro (August 2006) lets take a minute and look at what Dell charges for their brand spanking new Xeon Quad Core Workstations. Currently Apple's 3.0GHZ 8 Core system (Spring 2007) comes in just under $4,000 with 1GB of RAM, 250GB HD, 256MB Nvidia 7300 video card.

Now let's say Apple keeps the price right at $4,000 again for the updated top of the line Mac Pro. The specs may be something like this.

3.2GHZ Dual Quad Core Xeon Chips
2GB of RAM (1GBx2) (Macbook Pros and iMacs are coming with 2GB of RAM so this makes some sense)
320GB Hard Drive (Maybe we will see a 500GB but for this example let's be modest)
256MB video card from either Nvidia or ATI
16x DVD Superdrive (Blu-ray and/or HD-DVD BTO options)
10.5. Leopard Built in (obviously)

Apples price $3999. Seems expensive, just look at a similar system from Dell.

Same specs and Dells price is...... $6,084

So you spend 2 grand more for a Dell with Vista. So I'm very eager to buy the new Mac Pro but I would love to keep the price under 4 grand and I think Apple can do that. I see an update coming a week prior to Macworld. So that Steve can touch on the update in his speech but not bore the consumer crowd with machines that are designed as workstations.

 

[netdog]

Heck, for a couple hundred more, Windowz-heads can purchase a Mac Pro as a bargain-basement workstation and just format the drive and install Vista. Who would have thought that Apple's flagship model would be akin in terms of price to buying an eMachines computer?

 

[Jasonbot]

Heck, for a couple hundred more, Windowz-heads can purchase a Mac Pro as a bargain-basement workstation and just format the drive and install Vista. Who would have thought that Apple's flagship model would be akin in terms of price to buying an eMachines computer?

Not really, you'd need OS X for installing firmware updates

 

[YahonMaizosz]

3.2GHZ Dual Quad Core Xeon Chips
2GB of RAM (1GBx2) (Macbook Pros and iMacs are coming with 2GB of RAM so this makes some sense)
320GB Hard Drive (Maybe we will see a 500GB but for this example let's be modest)
256MB video card from either Nvidia or ATI
16x DVD Superdrive (Blu-ray and/or HD-DVD BTO options)
10.5. Leopard Built in (obviously)

Apples price $3999. Seems expensive, just look at a similar system from Dell.

Same specs and Dells price is...... $6,084

I don't think that Apple would be able to offer such an amazing workstation with such a low price. I might be wrong also though.

 

[seany916]

waiting for BR or HD-DVD

 

[suneohair]

I don't think that Apple would be able to offer such an amazing workstation with such a low price. I might be wrong also though.

You mean like they did before?

 

[wentwj]

waiting for BR or HD-DVD

I've heard lots of people here talking bout BR or HD-DVD in regards to apple, which... unfortunately I am an active member of the BR/HD-DVD format war, and Apple is a member of the BDA (Blu-Ray Disc Association), so I'd be mighty surprised if they even offered HD-DVD as a BTO.

In regards to this thread, I agree, Apple will likely beat Dell by a fair amount in pricing. Despite what the public seems to think, Apple's high end have generally (at least when the current mac pros were announced) been priced well. And it seems Dell is up there on pricing. I don't know if i'd necessarily assume that Apple will keep the top of the line pricing consistent (I suspect they will keep a base model price about the same), but I think your estimates are probably a decent heuristic as to what the prices will be.

Edit: Well HP is part of the BDA and they offer HD-DVDs so... guess I don't know what I'm talking about.

 

[seany916]

DVD Studio Pro is set up for HD-DVD already.

I really don't care which format wins. I just want a method of delivery for HD footage. It's just so beautiful... and DVD 5s are so tiny.

 

[zdobson]

What really amazes me is that on the current Mac Pro, the price difference between the 2x2.0 and the 2x2.66 is $300, while on the Dell the price difference between those two speeds is $1320! Granted, it is a quad-core, not dual...

If you look at Intel's pricing, the cost difference between those two chips is $246. Multiply that by two chips and you get $492. Why do they charge so much? Also, to make the smallest jump from 2.0 to 2.33 is $230 per chip when the actual cost difference between those two is $47.

I'm with the original poster here, the top Mac Pro will have to be at least $2K cheaper the the comparable dell.

 

[Tracer]

The Mac Pro and even Power Mac G5 have always been price very competitively with Dell Workstations.

Of course Dell always use FireGL or Quadro graphics cards which jack-up the price.

That being said, Dell's plethora of options are almost certain to appeal to most companies that need a Windows box.

Tracer

 

[Roy]

The Mac Pro and even Power Mac G5 have always been price very competitively with Dell Workstations.

Of course Dell always use FireGL or Quadro graphics cards which jack-up the price.

That being said, Dell's plethora of options are almost certain to appeal to most companies that need a Windows box.

Tracer

It's not a "one size fits all" or "let me tell you what is best for you" approach.

 

[kirkbross]

The top Penryn MP won't be more expensive than the Dell.

But price is almost no issue -- no one posting on this forum is going to buy a Windows workstation -- no matter how many frowny faces they post.




Apple knows they have us by the tracking balls.

 

[Roy]

The top Penryn MP won't be more expensive than the Dell.

But price is almost no issue -- no one posting on this forum is going to buy a Windows workstation -- no matter how many frowny faces they post.


:

Apple knows they have us by the tracking balls.

No truer words have been spoken on this forum!

 

[seany916]

Face it. Apple just doesn't care.

The real money is in the consumer products & services.

iPods, iPhone...

The Mac Pro line is NOT going to sell nearly as many. Profit margins are simply not there in comparison to Macbooks. It is simply there to keep Apple looking professional. After 14 months, I do not believe Apple really considers its professional users to be be a priority at all. Barely even afterthoughts.

No matter what fanboys and cult members believe, Apple is in BUSINESS to make MONEY. They will do what is best for them and most profitable for them in the long run. Not what is best for their customers. You would think they're interconnected, but there is a point of diminishing returns.

Mac Pro purchasers are the very bottom of the food chain for Apple. The fewest and arguably the most dedicated/committed. The focus is on the switchers and iPod/iPhone consumers. Why commit valuable resources to clients that are going to buy/wait/wait even longer NO MATTER WHAT?

 

[seany916]

Is speaking my mind going to get me sent to the Neutral Zone to face eternity with MM?

I'm not bad mouthing Apple... just being realistic about it being a for-profit company. Nothing more; nothing less.

 

[KevinPlusPlus]

Face it. Apple just doesn't care.

Mac Pro purchasers are the very bottom of the food chain for Apple. The fewest and arguably the most dedicated/committed. The focus is on the switchers and iPod/iPhone consumers. Why commit valuable resources to clients that are going to buy/wait/wait even longer NO MATTER WHAT?

Considering that:

1) Apple updates their hardware when new technology is available

and

2) The next generation of Xeons become "available" only a little over 2 weeks ago (even though they weren't shipping then)

I really don't see what all the fuss is about. The big gripe for the lack of updates has been no new video cards and no price drop, but that's modus operandi for Apple. The only time the computer gets updated is when the whole thing gets updated. So, the new video cards will come with the refresh. As for a price drop (or lack thereof), again, that's how it works. The day before the iMac was updated in August you got a 17" for $1,199, the day of the update you got a 20" with better specs for the same price.

Let's also look at the Santa Rosa MacBook Pros. The SR platform was released May 9th and the SR MBPs come out June 5th, about a month later. Everyone was yelling at screaming at the time that Apple wasn't releasing them with everyone else on Day 1.

Now, if we extrapolate that, Dell has just really begun shipping Penryn. So, let's say for the sake of argument that Penryn began shipping from other manufacturers at the end of November. A month later is the end of December, and just a few weeks later is MacWorld. So, what's happening with the MP is not really all that different than what happened to the MBP, assuming we do see a release at MacWorld.

Yes, I want the updated MP. Yes, I'm ready to buy when they're released. But, I think all of the doom and gloom and negativity is, at this point, unfounded.

Just trying to inject a little reason here among all of the panic.