I'll be ordering this configuration on the weekend

[scouser75]

Well, after holding my breath yesterday for the slimmest of hopes for either a surprise Mac Pro refresh or a minor price cut not only was I out of breath by the time I got to bed but I also decided to put my order in this weekend for a new Mac Pro this weekend.

After the help and advice of the guys on here, what I have decided to opt for is the following:

Mac Pro 8 Core 2.26Ghz
640GB Hard Drive for boot
6GB Ram (6x1GB)
24” Cinema Display
Airport Extreme wi-fi card

I will buy a WD Caviar 1TB drive separately.

As Apple supply 6x1GB Ram as default, I’ll buy 2x1GB Ram separately also.

I’ll also be buying the FCPS 3 Upgrade, Office 2008, Parallels… and some screen protectors for my iPhone 

Any advice or recommendations on this configuration?

Thanks

 

[Pressure]

Get a Solid State Drive and use it as the boot drive.

Otherwise, congratulations.

What are you primarily going to be using it for?

 

[scouser75]

Hey Pressure,

I did think about the SSD for a while, but prices right now are a tad high and so I'm going to wait a while till they dip a little.

I'll be using the MP for FCP7, Motion and DSP. Maybe a little PS too.

 

[Pressure]

Hey Pressure,

I did think about the SSD for a while, but prices right now are a tad high and so I'm going to wait a while till they dip a little.

I'll be using the MP for FCP7, Motion and DSP. Maybe a little PS too.

Getting the Intel Solid State Drive will definitely change your computing experience. I can highly recommend spending the extra $225 / $440

I am using the Intel Solid State Drive in my Mac Pro and would not go back to a mechanical disk after using this SSD as my boot drive.

 

[nanofrog]

As you're doing video/graphics work, you'd benefit from using RAID (software via OS X's built in functions).

So get 4x 1TB Caviar Blacks, and set them up in a stripe set (RAID0).
Then place the 640GB OEM drive in the empty optical bay, and use it for backup, until you need something larger.

If you also want to run Windows, install that on the 640GB drive (no Boot Camp partitioning, and it CANNOT go on the array). Then use an external solution for backup (eSATA would be the quickest, but also requires a card), or get a SATA card, and locate it in the empty optical bay as well (2x 3.5" drives will fit).

The advantage of the RAID is it will boot faster (not as fast as SSD, but still quicker than a single mechanical disk). This configuration would be even faster than an SSD for sequential writes, and is the usage of such applications with drives. Hence it's overall benefit is better for your intended usage than SSD. All for less than the cost of an Intel G2 160GB SSD.

If you want to use audio software, then an SSD would be the best choice for that, as it relies on random access, and SSD is king for that.

Just a thought.

 

[alphaod]

Computer configuration looks great… question is: will you actually be using the wireless or it just because you think you might need?

 

[scouser75]

Pressure, the Intel SSD was the one I was looking at. But I think for now the HHD will do me. But I know I'll definitely get an Intel SSD when prices drop

Nano Frog, how many Optical Bays does the 8 Core have? I thought it only had 4 for HD's? Or am I totally wrong? Also, can I specifically ask Apple where I want the drive to be?

Regarding the 640GB Boot Drive. I place the OSX on this. Also I place Paralells and Windows XP on here right?

What I don't understand though is this - if I use the 640GB as boot BUT only Raid the 4 1TB's (which will hold my media) how would this speed things up? I thought that if you Raid'd the Boot Disks (eg 2 640GB's) then this would speed things up!

What on earth is Boot Camp? I'll go Search this.........

For back-up I'm going to use an external HD connected via FW800. Is this a good idea?

 

[Dr.Pants]

....how many Optical Bays does the 8 Core have? I thought it only had 4 for HD's? Or am I totally wrong? Also, can I specifically ask Apple where I want the drive to be?

The MacPro only has four slots for HDDs, but one of the optical bays can easily be converted to hold a 3.5" drive with brackets and power can be routed from the ODD with an adapter.

Regarding the 640GB Boot Drive, if I use the 640GB as boot BUT only Raid the 4 1TB's (which will hold my media) how would this speed things up?

....Then place the 640GB OEM drive in the empty optical bay, and use it for backup, until you need something larger... If you also want to run Windows, install that on the 640GB drive

Nanofrog states several things to do with that spare 640 GB drive. He/She says to either use it as backup or install Windows on it, since OSX's RAID utility and Windows partitions don't work too well together, if at all.

For back-up I'm going to use an external HD connected via FW800. Is this a good idea?

Yep. That would work just dandy.

 

[scouser75]

Nanofrog states several things to do with that spare 640 GB drive. He/She says to either use it as backup or install Windows on it, since OSX's RAID utility and Windows partitions don't work too well together, if at all.

.

Whoops! Oh yes. My fault. Now that I've re-read it a little slower I understand Must try re-reading this stuff because right now I'm still finding all a bit overwhelming. But I'm getting there. Slowly but surely

 

[Cliff3]

I switched from Parallels to VMWare Fusion back when Parallels was in version 2 (IIRC). Fusion used substantially less memory than Parallels did at the time. I have had no regrets with making the change. I am currently running 3 VMs on my machine: XP Pro (primary Windows client environment), Win 7 x64 RTM, and Enterprise Server 2003 x64 (primary Windows server development environment).

 

[surflordca]

I’ll also be buying the FCPS 3 Upgrade, Office 2008, Parallels…

Any advice or recommendations on this configuration?

Thanks

I switched from Parallels to Fusion VMWare. The best move I have made. I had problems with Parallels. No problems with Fusion.

 

[HyperX13]

Which model SSD do you guys recommend? I see 2.5 inch SSDs but hardly any 3.5 inch ones.

 

[nanofrog]

Nano Frog, how many Optical Bays does the 8 Core have? I thought it only had 4 for HD's? Or am I totally wrong? Also, can I specifically ask Apple where I want the drive to be?

There are 2x optical bays. One of them contains an optical drive, the other is empty (base config). Unless the second optical drive option is selected in a BTO machine, of course.

It makes a convenient location for SSD's/HDD's beyond the 4 bays.

As per physical location for a boot disk (or any other), it doesn't matter. You set the boot drive in Disk Util. Apple doesn't allow location instructions, even in the BTO site that I've seen.

Regarding the 640GB Boot Drive. I place the OSX on this. Also I place Paralells and Windows XP on here right?

This will all depend on what drives you have when you setup the system.

If you want RAID0 via OS X, you'd be better to install OS X on the array, and leave the 640GB for Windows (whatever flavor). You'd still need a backup system for everything you want to keep.

What I don't understand though is this - if I use the 640GB as boot BUT only Raid the 4 1TB's (which will hold my media) how would this speed things up? I thought that if you Raid'd the Boot Disks (eg 2 640GB's) then this would speed things up!

If you use the 640GB for OS X, and the array for data, only the data will be sped up. By placing the OS on it, it gets the benefit of the additional throughputs as well. (Yes, RAID speeds things up, but only what's contained on the drives, and OS & data DO NOT have to be separate at all). The software (video/graphics apps) you listed, will be able to benefit from a stripe set (RAID0). Additional memory would be highly recommended, possibly more than the 6GB you're looking at. It's also easier to do on an 8 core model than the Quads. It also makes better sense to use 2GB sticks rather than 1GB versions, just in case you do have to go with a smaller number.

Get your upgrades 3rd party anyway. Cheaper, and you have more control over what goes into your system.

So assuming you do go for a stripe set, it's best to use the 640GB as the windows disk. The reason is, it CANNOT be placed on the array. It just won't work.

What on earth is Boot Camp? I'll go Search this.........

It's mainly a partition tool that allows Windows and OS X to be installed on the same drive (single disk systems).

For back-up I'm going to use an external HD connected via FW800. Is this a good idea?[/QUOTE]

Nanofrog states several things to do with that spare 640 GB drive. He/She says to either use it as backup or install Windows on it, since OSX's RAID utility and Windows partitions don't work too well together, if at all.

He.

Windows CANNOT be installed on an array created by OS X. gugucom proved this beyond any reasonable doubt jsut recently. For single disk systems/usage, it can with the Boot Camp utility.

Which model SSD do you guys recommend? I see 2.5 inch SSDs but hardly any 3.5 inch ones.

Intel's.

The only 3.5" SSD I'm aware of off the top of my head (and even worth having), is the 1TB OCZ Colossus. It's big, fast, and $2300USD. They even dropped the MSRP by $200USD.