Some people swear by refurbs and if budget is an issue the extra savings can really help.
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Good Mac Pro Configuration for Dad?
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Some people swear by refurbs and if budget is an issue the extra savings can really help.
Ok, I just let him know about the refurbished models and he seemed pretty interested all of a sudden.
What got him excited was how some refurbished models include extra parts. I told him either way he is saving money.
What got him excited was how some refurbished models include extra parts. I told him either way he is saving money.
Well, then I would talk him into the Mac Pro 2.66 ghz (2199 i think) and then you can get applecare on ebay for under $170. Add an extra HD 500gb for around $125 if you look around for a while maybe cheaper. Then the ram for around $250 for 2 gig. So right ther your at almost $2900 then you need a monitor. So, here is the thing. How big of an HD would you need? How much ram do you think you need.
Because money doesn't grow on trees and you can also spend it on something else, and because you are giving Apple $1500 to put some HD's in the same Box.
But if you are going to go with the mini, and he needs a monitor also, he might as well get the iMac since it has better performance for the price. And since his dad decided that the iMac wouldn't fit his needs because of what he does on the computers, then i'm almost positive that would eliminate the Mini. They want the option to add extra HDs, have more memory upgrade parts down the road. Thats hard to do with the mini and iMac.
And whats with the "you are giving apple 1500 to put some hd's in the same box." Last I checked the mac mini featured the older Core Duo, and doesn't have the 4 processors the Mac Pro does. And the same box, well maybe you need to compare the box size?
I see this as, when you have the money to buy a $20k-30k car, do you decide to say, ah what the heck, I'll just go with a 92 Geo Metro. Its only $2000. Its something you have to way the pros and cons for each one. I just figured the Mini was out of the question because he wants performance and the ability to upgrade (upgradeability
?, and he was deciding over a 24" iMac and a mac pro.
I see this as, when you have the money to buy a $20k-30k car, do you decide to say, ah what the heck, I'll just go with a 92 Geo Metro. Its only $2000. Its something you have to way the pros and cons for each one. I just figured the Mini was out of the question because he wants performance and the ability to upgrade (upgradeability
It all came down to either a 24 inch iMac or a Mac Pro because of the expandability. We don't have much interest in the Mac Mini.
Listening to a bit of music and converting some videos from format to format doesn't need a Mac Pro, even if you have loads of it
, the Mac Pro *will* be quicker at converting the video, but I'm not convinced it's worth twice as much money, when even a Mac Mini will still be usable to browse the internet and listen to music at the same time. (my iMac G5 certainly could, and I am quite performance fussy, I have 2GB RAM in it and my Macbook, even though I mostly just web browse and do a bit of programming, which isn't particularly demanding.)I was kinda assuming from the OP's first post that they just wanted Hard Drive expandability, where it's probably not worth spending the extra. Back to car analogies it's like buying a Hummer to take a single child to school when a Honda Civic would be perfectly adequate, and if you want to carry more stuff you can attach a trailer to the back of the Civic, sure it won't look as pretty but it'll still be functional.
The advantage of the Mini is that you can buy a large display to use with it, and that the external HD's fit with the design so the "trailer" doesn't look particularly ugly.
If you want to upgrade the RAM/Graphics/Processor too (especially if you will need more than 2GB RAM) definitely buy the Mac Pro, as that cannot be done with a Mini.
After all it is your money not mine so do what you like with it
.Yeah, thats what I figured. I was just commenting towards eraserhead.
Also, there is something like this that could save you a lot of money. I have seen one go on here from the same guy for 1800, another was 2250 i think. But, maybe you and your dad could watch it and come out with a really good deal that you wouldn't have to pay tax (~$150) on. And there is free shipping. This would then allow you to get a new HD, Memory, and Monitor in the amounts you want. It is ebay, but as long as its insured and he requires a signature upon delivery it shouldn't be a problem. i'm just throwing another option out there.
It's a good point too! Especially in this case, to be fair I don't think the OP likes my idea <shrug>.
I guess we'll have to see. That tax is pretty expensive.
Can anybody recommend some good 20 inch+ displays for decent prices?
I'm not offended at all
.One great thing about the world is that we are all different
. My comments may hopefully still help other people with less money to spend.I'm not offended at all
One great thing about the world is that we are all different
Except for the people that are really different.
About monitors
Here is a MAG display 19" for 179
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8240977&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat104900050015&id=1168044601734
Here is a viewsonic 19" widescreen for 189-40MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824116014
YES, you can switch the duel core processors in the mac pro for 2 quads. Its really not that hard. It has been done and works fine.
You may be correct, but is the cost not prohibitiveYES, you can switch the duel core processors in the mac pro for 2 quads. Its really not that hard. It has been done and works fine.
Just FYI, that 22" screen is the same resolution as the 20". Just bigger pixels.
You can pick up a nice Dell E207WFP 20" for $229 right now at the Dell home store.
I see why you would want to upgrade the CPU in the future, but I don't see a good argument for anything else except maybe a special analog video capture card.
The following upgrades are not good reasons to buy a tower Mac, IMO:
- a hard drive [external FireWire drives are reliable, can be moved to other computers with no drivers or tools, and you can buy them as you need them -- their prices come down over time, too. The Newertechs are great. I get all mine from OWC]. IMO the "need" to install more hard drives is the worst reason to get a Mac Pro. Macs work GREAT with external FireWire drives, which are quite fast. Get one with at least an 8MB buffer, of course.
- RAM [buy it now, as much as you can afford up to the useful limit. Each OS and CPU has a limit to how much RAM they can even use, so don't overbuy on that thinking that the next OS will address more RAM. I've seen some Mac Pro buyers talk about buying more RAM than they can use, hoping Leopard will change that. Plan instead for a machine that does the job NOW.]
But if you see a need in the future for a special video card, or special audio hardware, that might call for the Mac Pro. Frankly, I doubt you'd want any audio hardware that's internal [I like the PreSonus Firebox and use that for music creation; there are plenty of fast and reliable FireWire audio interfaces out there]. If you capture analog video, you *might* want a card installed for that, but I'd still look at external FireWire devices first for that. [I use a Sony box that has RCA and S-video inputs, as well as a FireWire input. It converts both ways.]
Is time really money here? Your money will pay to speed up video encoding, but if an encode takes 3 hours instead of 4, is it really time saved? Depends on your process. If you can use apps that can queue up the encode jobs in a batch, the app's probably a better buy than the faster machine, because you still aren't going to sit there waiting on the 3-hour encode, I'm guessing. Batching the work and automating it will save more time, I'm trying to say, because of the *human operator's* schedule. The machine can work around the clock, 24/7, but not the Dad.
BTW, don't plan on putting this in a bedroom. It could be loud.