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I am hot to buy a Mac Pro... but...

Tallest Skil said:
If you look at the standard PC graphics card equivalent to what is in the Mac Pro, you see S-Video out on all of them.

Apple's cards don't have that. Apple has the sway to get ATI and nVidia to remove ports; they can have the sway to get them to change ports.
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If you're willing to pay for it, they'll design any modification you want. :D :p
rylin said:
Anyone afraid of digging out the ol' soldering iron shouldn't be using a computer.
What's wrong with buying a new MB, de-soldering the graphics card and connectors, soldering it to a PCI-E PCB, plugging it into the MP and installing some drivers?

Too far? ;)
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:confused:

Do you mean to switch the ports from DVI to DisplayPort?
 
nanofrog said:
If you're willing to pay for it, they'll design any modification you want. :D :p
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It wouldn't necessarily be what I want... it'd be what they'd force upon us, as we have no choice in what video-out ports we receive.

Personally, I have two DVI monitors in the wings, and so if they were to switch to Mini DisplayPort, I would virtually demand that they include two Mini DisplayPort-DVI (single link) adapters to cover for those of us without two LED Cinema Displays.
 
Tallest Skil said:
It wouldn't necessarily be what I want... it'd be what they'd force upon us, as we have no choice in what video-out ports we receive.

Personally, I have two DVI monitors in the wings, and so if they were to switch to Mini DisplayPort, I would virtually demand that they include two Mini DisplayPort-DVI (single link) adapters to cover for those of us without two LED Cinema Displays.
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I was generalizing, but I understand your argument. ;) "You'll get what we decide to give you, and love it" scenarios Apple loves so dearly. :eek: :p

Free connector. From Apple? What are you smoking? :eek: :D
 
Tallest Skil said:
They'd do that and you know it. They cut corners by not including any Mini DisplayPort adapters with the new MacBook line, and before that when they killed off the Apple Remote after having advertised Front Row as a selling point.
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Unfortunately, I have to agree there, they can and they did ...
 
Tallest Skil said:
Well, like I said, they do do it now with the Mac Pro and they used to do it with the notebooks, so it's not impossible.
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What it boils down to is this:
"Will the cost of shipping it with adapters print us more money compared to shipping it without."

(I.e., would as many people buy it if adapters aren't included?)
Yes, most of the people in the market for a new workstation probably would buy it even without the adapters, but there'd be *quite* a bit of moaning about what a ripoff the adapters are, how "3k usd isn't enough?" etc.

I'd expext the adapters to be thrown in for the first six months or so, after which they'll be an optional extra much like the remote.
 
rylin said:
What it boils down to is this:
"Will the cost of shipping it with adapters print us more money compared to shipping it without."
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Good point; if only a few people are turned off by a lack of adapters, it might pay for Apple to include them in the first place.

Plus, there is that 'it just works'/plug&play reputation to consider; Apple still has it, but what if more and more people end up looking at their display, FW and whatnot plugs in bewilderment when they just won't fit their shiny new Mac ?
 
Tallest Skil said:
Well, like I said, they do do it now with the Mac Pro and they used to do it with the notebooks, so it's not impossible.
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"They used to" is the key phrase. :eek: :p

It would be nice, but it seems that they're more interested in squeezing every last cent out of their customers. :(
rylin said:
What it boils down to is this:
"Will the cost of shipping it with adapters print us more money compared to shipping it without."

(I.e., would as many people buy it if adapters aren't included?)
Yes, most of the people in the market for a new workstation probably would buy it even without the adapters, but there'd be *quite* a bit of moaning about what a ripoff the adapters are, how "3k usd isn't enough?" etc.

I'd expext the adapters to be thrown in for the first six months or so, after which they'll be an optional extra much like the remote.
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It really does come down to $$$ IMO. They know they've got people cornered. I would think far more people would grumble about buying the cable and pay for it, rather than return the computer.

I think this is what Apple's betting on.
 
I'm currently holding out on my possible Mac Pro purchase to see if a new version is announced soon. However, the current MP is really at the top end of my budget, and if there's a base model price increase it will put it beyond my reach. When Apple announce new versions of their line-up, are the models being replaced still available to buy for a while?
 
I sold my G5 and 23" cinema display a month ago and decided to take the plunge on Monday - bought a 2.8GHz 8 core (default model) Mac Pro with a gorgeous 30" cinema display. Also bought the 8800 GT upgrade kit. Needless to say I'm delighted.

I was considering the 3.2GHz model but it made no sense. I decided to use the savings between the 2.8 and 3.2 (£1000) by buying 8GB RAM and two Intel X25-M drives for a RAID-0 boot drive. Perfection.

These days the slowest components of a computer are the hard drives. Sure the new Mac Pros will go even faster (clock speed etc.) but I'm happy and content that the machine I've just purchased will see me right through until the new ones are announced. My plan is to keep my investment (2x Intel X25-M drives) and sell the default machine on eBay later this year (with the 8800GT card and 8GB RAM). This way I can enjoy the current machine, stop obsessing about the upgrade and just get on with things.

My advice is quite simply... if you NEED a new machine. Jump in with the current machines. Remember these machines are still insanely fast. If you have a mac and can quite easily wait it out, it makes sense to hold onto your cash for the new machines.

It's four days after my purchase and I'm still delighted I took the plunge. Looking forward to receiving my Intel X25-M drives in the next few days :D

[EDIT]. I decided to return the 2.8 model a week later and get the 3.2Ghz model instead. I'm going to pop the 8800 GT kit on eBay shortly. I Initially bought 4x2GB (8GB) from Crucial. I returned this and plonked down the extra cash for 2x4GB (8GB) boards. Got my dual Intel X25-M drives in a RAID-0 config from MaxUpgrades and everything is running beautifully. The speed is insane so I don't think I'll be rushing to buy one of the new Mac Pros after all. Love my current setup.
 
More said:
My advice is quite simply... if you NEED a new machine. Jump in with the current machines. Remember these machines are still insanely fast. If you have a mac and can quite easily wait it out, it makes sense to hold onto your cash for the new machines.
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I can wait, but what I don't want to happen is the update is announced along with a price increase for the base model which means I can no longer afford it but can't get the out-going base model any more. Performance wise, the current base model is fine for me so I'm not so much holding out for a faster model, I'm just worried that there might be a major re-vamp which is why I don't want to buy now. If it was just going to be faster systems I'd take the plunge now.

So, when they do finally announce the new line-up, am I going to still be able to buy the current base model for a short amount of time?
 
NightFox said:
I'm currently holding out on my possible Mac Pro purchase to see if a new version is announced soon. However, the current MP is really at the top end of my budget, and if there's a base model price increase it will put it beyond my reach. When Apple announce new versions of their line-up, are the models being replaced still available to buy for a while?
Click to expand...

NightFox said:
I can wait, but what I don't want to happen is the update is announced along with a price increase for the base model which means I can no longer afford it but can't get the out-going base model any more. Performance wise, the current base model is fine for me so I'm not so much holding out for a faster model, I'm just worried that there might be a major re-vamp which is why I don't want to buy now. If it was just going to be faster systems I'd take the plunge now.

So, when they do finally announce the new line-up, am I going to still be able to buy the current base model for a short amount of time?
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The next Mac Pro will be faster, changed internally (to fit the new technology at a minimum), and possibly an external redesign.

Unfortunately, it seems that there will be a price increase to the $3k mark, as the parts are more expensive. (~$200 per CPU alone, given the 1000 quantity price list released by Intel). Even with Apple indicating they will lower their margins, and they purchase enough parts to get better pricing.

On this point, we'll have to wait and see for final $$$ numbers, but don't be surprised if it does go up $200. Worth it though, due to the speed increase the Nehalem archetecture can provide.

The current model will likely be available for awhile, and refurbs are a wonderful alternative. Cheaper, fully tested, and comes with the same warranty as a new one. :D
 
Tallest Skil said:
Left, left, left, right, left...

Seriously, why March? Has Gainestown started production? If they JUST began, I could see a March release as being an actual possibility.

They need about 13 weeks between the start of production and the product release to have enough stock made to be viable.
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We would probably hear if it went in to "production". The last thing I heard on the time frame was a "first half production ramp".
 
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