i slightly regret buying a Mac Pro.

[smogsy]

i bought a Mac Pro 2009 model in september And i been thinking lately why did i buy it? i have the following specification:
2.26ghz - 12GB ram - 4870 - 1TB - 640GB

i currently use the following apps: (i use about 6GB of ram each day - however i don't see why with these apps?)
Safari
Itunes
Aperture 2
Adiumx
Socialite
Photoshop

i rarely use more than 120% of 8 cores. & i'm thinking why did i buy such a beast? when i moved to mac, i had a macbook (2007 model) & decided i need something beefier as the macbook couldn't multitask that good as it struggled on flash.

the idea when i got the Mac Pro was to start to program on OSX & use the power to compile, however i have moved away from that as i do not really enjoy it. i enjoy fiddling but not full on programming.

so what i'm going to ask is what sort of hobbies could i do to make use of the power i have? i currently enjoy photography but thats not very power hungry, maybe video? im looking for suggestions here.

the other alternatives is to sell my Mac Pro & 30" screen (samsung 30STplus 30") & buy a 27inch Imac.

or
keep it for a very long time 3/4 years?, (i normally keep my computers for 5 months then move to a new one)

any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

 

[snouter]

video editing and 3d modeling tax systems pretty well...

But, usually, people figure out what they need to do and then buy the hardware to that.

The MacBook Pro is a capable laptop. I develop and consume Flash on mine. I don't understand what it was about Flash that made you feel like you needed a $3500 computer.

Well, for as much grief as we give Flash and the 09 MPs... it looks like you are set for the next 10 yeas or so...

 

[beto2k7]

Such a waste of power :'(. Sell it and get a mac mini. Or maybe you wanna join Folding@home and leave your mac pro running 24/7. The only times I put 99% load on my 8 core 2009 mac pro is when Im rendering some 3d animations or encoding HD videos.... other than that.... never...

 

[MattOKC]

Write and record multi-track complicated music, like Celldweller, and push Logic to the limit?

Learn computer animation and sell your skills to local businesses for advertising?

 

[snouter]

Yeah, don't follow your passion, just get into something that will tax your computer...

 

[smogsy]

Yeah, don't follow your passion, just get into something that will tax your computer...

lol, im asking because i'm bored as well i love to learn something new taxing the system is a bonus

im currently reading a 900 box on osx leopard 200 pages through.

 

[eawmp1]

keep it for a very long time 3/4 years?, (i normally keep my computers for 5 months then move to a new one)

If you normally keep your computers for "5 months", I guess 3-4 years would seem like a long time. Either keep the MacPro, which will serve you well for 8-10 years, or continue with your wasteful 5 month upgrades.

 

[jetjaguar]

i say keep it and enjoy it .. you can always sell it and upgrade in 2011 when the next big update to mac pros come

 

[mds]

Unless you just don't care about the money, sell it and get an imac. You spent a lot of money on a machine you don't really need, no big deal. Just sell it, get $2500 in your pocket, and buy something more appropriate to your need and take a vacation with the leftover cash. Sounds like a win win to me!

 

[splitpea]

keep it for a very long time 3/4 years?, (i normally keep my computers for 5 months then move to a new one)

Wow, that's a really short timeframe to keep a computer. For photography and graphics, that machine should serve you well for at least 3 years, maybe 5; and probably still be quite useful for 8.

The high-end Mac Pros are for two demographics: people who do extremely demanding media work such as scientific data processing, 3D rendering, and HD video editing, and need the absolute fastest hardware available; and people who want their machines to be useful for moderately demanding professional media tasks (photography, graphics, audio production, etc.) for several years -- the Pro you buy today will typically be able to keep up with the iMacs and MBPs released in 3 years.

If you belong to neither demographic, then you've bought a whole lot more computer than you need.

On the other hand, learning to keep and use a computer for more than 6 months might be informative for you.

 

[Spanky Deluxe]

I'd suggest selling the Mac Pro now before the model becomes outdated and loses loads of its value. Flash is notoriously badly coded and is awful on OSX. The new beta version improves things drastically but it is still embarrassingly badly coded which is why Apple refuses to put that buggy power hogging code on the iPhone and iPad.

For the kind of stuff that you do, I would suggest you do the following:

1. Sell the Mac Pro but keep the 30" display.
2. Get a Mac Mini, maybe even max it out to 2.66GHz.
3. Buy an external hard drive case, maybe a nice one that matches Mac Minis and stick a 1.5TB hard drive in there.
4. Buy a decent 256GB SSD (I'm currently using a Crucial 256GB M225 and it is superb).
5. Buy a mini display port to dual link DVI cable to connect the mini to your display.

You will end up with a machine that will likely be a lot faster for a lot of the stuff you do. If 256GB isn't enough for you then do what I do, store all of your media on the second drive whilst keeping the OS and Applications etc all on the SSD then use a partition on the SSD as a fast scratch area to put what you're working with at the moment in.

Photoshop loves SSD drives and, to be honest, the 2.66GHz Mac Mini can probably match the Mac Pro in single threaded and dual threaded tasks. This way you'll still have your lovely 30" screen too. You'll also save a chunk of cash. I really think you'll notice the SSD far more than you would the 8 cores.

You sound like you like getting new machines quite regularly so with this route you can always get a new Mac Mini when it gets updated and just plop the SSD into that. I really don't feel that the 8 core Mac Pro (or the 4 core for that matter) are remotely good buys right now for people other than those requiring specific programs that fully utilise 16+ threads. Not just for the hiked up prices but also because multithreading still hasn't taken off in all areas and by the time it does, the slow processor speeds of the 8 core models will likely show their age.

Selling your Mac Pro and going the Mini+SSD route will also likely free up enough money that you can factor in another one or two Mini purchases in the next two years as well as being able to spring for something fancy like an iPad.

 

[smogsy]

I'd suggest selling the Mac Pro now before the model becomes outdated and loses loads of its value. Flash is notoriously badly coded and is awful on OSX. The new beta version improves things drastically but it is still embarrassingly badly coded which is why Apple refuses to put that buggy power hogging code on the iPhone and iPad.

For the kind of stuff that you do, I would suggest you do the following:

1. Sell the Mac Pro but keep the 30" display.
2. Get a Mac Mini, maybe even max it out to 2.66GHz.
3. Buy an external hard drive case, maybe a nice one that matches Mac Minis and stick a 1.5TB hard drive in there.
4. Buy a decent 256GB SSD (I'm currently using a Crucial 256GB M225 and it is superb).
5. Buy a mini display port to dual link DVI cable to connect the mini to your display.

You will end up with a machine that will likely be a lot faster for a lot of the stuff you do. If 256GB isn't enough for you then do what I do, store all of your media on the second drive whilst keeping the OS and Applications etc all on the SSD then use a partition on the SSD as a fast scratch area to put what you're working with at the moment in.

Photoshop loves SSD drives and, to be honest, the 2.66GHz Mac Mini can probably match the Mac Pro in single threaded and dual threaded tasks. This way you'll still have your lovely 30" screen too. You'll also save a chunk of cash. I really think you'll notice the SSD far more than you would the 8 cores.

You sound like you like getting new machines quite regularly so with this route you can always get a new Mac Mini when it gets updated and just plop the SSD into that. I really don't feel that the 8 core Mac Pro (or the 4 core for that matter) are remotely good buys right now for people other than those requiring specific programs that fully utilise 16+ threads. Not just for the hiked up prices but also because multithreading still hasn't taken off in all areas and by the time it does, the slow processor speeds of the 8 core models will likely show their age.

Selling your Mac Pro and going the Mini+SSD route will also likely free up enough money that you can factor in another one or two Mini purchases in the next two years as well as being able to spring for something fancy like an iPad.

Great idea! however 2 problems with that...

1. Aperture 2 struggled on my Macbook 2.2ghz c2d 4gb ram (as well as flash) im guessing due to integrated graphics so wouldn't the Mac-mini be the same?

2. Where can i sell a Mac Pro in england? i Don't know any mac user the Essex area.

 

[Gomff]

Just keep it and be happy. Some people buy Ferrari's and spend most of their time stuck in traffic on the commute to and from work, rather than racing professionally....They still have the car of their dreams.

IMHO, if you sell it and get something more humble, you'll end up spending more money in the long term because you'll upgrade 2 or 3 times during the same length of time as your current machine lasts.

 

[Spanky Deluxe]

Great idea! however 2 problems with that...

1. Aperture 2 struggled on my Macbook 2.2ghz c2d 4gb ram (as well as flash) im guessing due to integrated graphics so wouldn't the Mac-mini be the same?

2. Where can i sell a Mac Pro in england? i Don't know any mac user the Essex area.

You said your MacBook was a 2007 model which means it either had Intel's GMA 950 (if it was pre October 31st 2007) or a GMA X3100 graphics chip. Both of which were pretty measly performance wise. The 9400M in current MacBooks, MacBook Pros, iMacs and Mac Minis is far more powerful. Sure it isn't as powerful as a Radeon 4870 but it'll get a lot of stuff done. Flash even stuttered sometimes on my 2006 Quad Mac Pro. Installing the beta version improved things on my MacBook Pro a fair chunk but Flash is still badly coded by Adobe.

As for selling your Mac Pro, you could probably either sell it on eBay or Gumtree although Gumtree will get you a lot of spammers which can get annoying. The problem with eBay are the fees from it and then Paypal. I think buy it now auctions are far cheaper for expensive items, I think they have smaller final value fees. You could always list it with a buy it now price but say cash on collection only although obviously this would be less desirable to your average ebayer. You can get a quote for shipping from http://www.parcel2go.com - far cheaper than Royal Mail on the whole.

 

[snouter]

You already sunk your money into the MP.

It makes no sense to sell it for $2500 and buy a $2200 i7 iMac or some other elaborate set-up involving a laptop or a mini.

Just enjoy it.

 

[gothamm]

The things you own end up owning you


you are going to change your hobbies, your life's passions in order to suit the configurations of a machine?

Think about it...

 

[2contagious]

Get a Canon 5D Mark II and edit 21 megapixel photos and full hd videos
The photo bit will take care of your already existing hobby and the full hd video feature will add another one

 

[CaptainChunk]

i rarely use more than 120% of 8 cores. & i'm thinking why did i buy such a beast? when i moved to mac, i had a macbook (2007 model) & decided i need something beefier as the macbook couldn't multitask that good as it struggled on flash.

As quoted before, just about everything struggles with Flash from time to time. Seriously, it's poorly coded.

I would venture to say that most people wouldn't even tax a quad-core machine, due to the simple fact that there really isn't a lot of multithreaded software out there, save for 3D modeling, video rendering, etc. In a lot of ways, the hardware is moving a lot faster than the software developers are. We live in a world where quad-core processors are mainstream and multithreaded software is not.

As far as memory usage is concerned, most Mac applications (even the Mac-specific Adobe CS4 apps) are still 32-bit native, which means they'll never be able to address more than 4GB of RAM by themselves. The beauty behind having more RAM is multitasking several memory hogging applications.

So is your machine overkill? Probably. But the future looks bright for 64-bit and multi-core aware applications, so that's another thing to consider. I'd say keep your machine and enjoy it. Remember, Mac Pros can accommodate additional hard drives and expansion cards. iMacs and Mac Minis can't.

 

[alexbleks]

How does it work with World of Warcraft on FULL settings? =)

 

[ChrisMc73]

Get a Canon 5D Mark II and edit 21 megapixel photos and full hd videos
The photo bit will take care of your already existing hobby and the full hd video feature will add another one

I own this camera and this is what I intend to do with the 2008 MP I'm about to buy...the HD Video itself is a whole new world for me, and to be able to edit and browse through those 21MP images with ease makes me smile.

I just want to get a new MBP when they are updated to complete my family Mac transition.

 

[dead goon]

How does it work with World of Warcraft on FULL settings? =)

Oh man, Word would look SWEET running on that beast.

Mail Merge anyone? BAM there it is. Print preview in a second? What else do you want? Spell check in half a second? No problem!

 

[macuserx86]

I do roughly the same things that OP does on my Mac Pro.

The reason I bought mine is because I wanted a machine that would last me for the next 3 to 5 years while still being technically relevant.

When looking at prices, a top-spec'd iMac is (read, was in 2008 since that's when I bought my Pro) only a few hundred $ more.
Same with a MacBook Pro; only a few hundred more.

What do you get from those machines? no expandability, not that much power (compared to a PC) and a glossy screen. I don't care about portability; I want power!

My Mac Pro cost me a bit under $3k and still blows my mind with how fast it is.
It waits for me, I don't wait for it; that's money well spent in my opinion.

 

[Inutopia]

Give up on Aperture and you really will be able to go with a Mini..


Such a bi**h of a program that is

 

[MacHamster68]

the mac pro makes a good gaming rig for starters if you install windows

 

[alphaod]

It does sound like the 8-core Mac Pro was a bad choice if you don't really use it to it's potential; have you tried to see if there is anyone who has a 2.93GHz quad-core model who would be willing to swap with you? Or maybe sell it and buy an iMac.

the mac pro makes a good gaming rig for starters if you install windows

A bit overkill though if for only such purpose.