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Is the Mac pro For me

C

Carguy172

macrumors member
Original poster
Ok here's what i do on the computer, I have a website so I do web design I have lots of music and movies I like to edit and design things im not a huge gamer but I will play the odd game. Is the mac pro good for me

I like the Mac Pro because its future proof, It has lots of power,
a good design and it looks good.

Right now my computer is not good enough I have a 40 gig drive 512 ram and 2.8 ghz
 
I was in exactly the same position a couple of months ago. After a couple of buzzing 24" iMacs, I ended up with a Mac Pro, and so far everything is pretty smooth. If anything, my needs are less demanding than yours, but I'm really happy. The ability to have a seperate drive for Windows, a powerful graphics card, loads of expansion, and a truly superbly designed and built enclose make it a luxury item, but one that can be rationalised.

Basically, it isn't future proof, but it is future resistant! 😛

David
 
Carguy172 said:
Ok here's what i do on the computer, I have a website so I do web design I have lots of music and movies I like to edit and design things im not a huge gamer but I will play the odd game. Is the mac pro good for me

I like the Mac Pro because its future proof, It has lots of power,
a good design and it looks good.

Right now my computer is not good enough I have a 40 gig drive 512 ram and 2.8 ghz
Click to expand...
Yes it is, after all its a professional machine and you state thats how you want to use it.
 
I'm in the same position bro' about what machine to get next year.. I already have two lovely Sony VGA monitors, but would love to swap the PC and iBook for a MBP, so I get the best of both worlds, but I don't wanna sell my monitors 🙁
 
I keep changing my mind but I think I might be sticking with this one, It has all the features I want.
 
If you have to ask, then it's not for you. Seriously, for what you are doing, you would be better off with a laptop. Maybe even a refurb or a used G4 and save a bundle of money? If you need a desktop, get an iMac or Mini, and leave the rest of your money in the bank. You don't need multiple processors to type out HTML or work at screen resolution in Photoshop! Trust me... I do web design for a living.
 
I'm not doing web design I'm designing graphics and I do some web design. Beside if I got a g4 i'd be down grading. Oh and I only buy new.
 
Carguy172 said:
I'm not doing web design I'm designing graphics and I do some web design. Beside if I got a g4 i'd be down grading. Oh and I only buy new.
Click to expand...

To be honest, the MacPro is way Overkill for what you plan on doing. a 20/24" iMac would do that job just as good. However, on the flip side, you can keep the Mac Pro for a couple extra years than you would on the iMacs.

End of the day, you buy what you want. All you have to ask yourself is 'is this amount of money worth it?'
 
Well its the end of the day and i've decided the pro's are for me I want a computer that will last me about 3 years I want a POWER HOUSE!! I want big hard drive space I want 4 cores
I am a power hungry man! lol
 
id say go with the pro, if you can afford it. It is fast and i generally dont get "good enough of a computer". I got a mac mini and than started doing graphics so than i had to upgrade again, and now i need a more powerful app but can upgrade so im kinda stuck. Go with the best you can afford, fr all you know your next hobby might me 3d animation😉
 
A question of need or want I would say.

This question has been asked a 100 times at Apple Discussions.

Some people have the money to spend without worries and others have a job and need to think economically - Money does not grow on trees you know!😀 If only😛

It all depends on how much your willing to spend. If you have the extra monitors (you don't need ACD - normal LCD's are cheaper and great - the ACD is drooling - like a farrari) and keyboard, mouse then you only need to spend on the Mac Pro itself.

If not then decide by comparing the prices of the Mac Pro vs. iMac of the machine that you would want.

The iMac 24" is IMHO a very good machine - an all round package.

Pro user need expandability and power to simulate a protein strand or a complex mathematical equation simulation in the 6000th dimension. Think, Logic Pro, Xgrid services, Server, Fiberchannel cards, ACD 30", multi Operating System Testing. FCP needs additional drives as scratch disk, high end transfers on FW800 (iMac has this also), Pro users are using programs that already utilise multicore processors. For what your going to do - desigining graphics is rarely going to use the other core.


If your going to use your machine to do some serious work then buy it, but if your going to spend alot of money on a Mac Pro because it is the best currently only to show off to friends to get kudos then forget it. Your better off saving the money and take your girlfriend/wife out on a trip abroad and get busy 😀 Now that's investment😛

As someone said earlier if your asking then you dont need it.
 
I disagree with people saying you don't need it. I bought a mac pro because I wanted to start video editing in FCP and some work with Shake. I don't regret it at all. Even though these are pretty processor intensive, people still said "You should buy an imac, it is good enough for FCP". I feel now, that I could never go back to a less powerful computer. Everything is so much faster (yes, everything, even smally tiny consumer application). It makes a difference in every aspect (just make sure you get enough ram). The experience is much, much better. I think some people tend to underestimate the power needed from a computer.

Frederic
 
Yeah I don't get the whole "don't need" and "mac pros are for pros" talk, iMacs have some serious disadvantages and Mac Pro might be overkill but in any case it will last longer, you can NEVER have too much power.
 
Fredou51 said:
I disagree with people saying you don't need it. I bought a mac pro because I wanted to start video editing in FCP and some work with Shake.

Frederic
Click to expand...

The OP said nothing about doing video. If he had, I might have recommended the MacPro. You are the one who's bringing video into the equation and that changes everything. Your post was to a question that wasn't asked so I don't get the point of it.
 
Carguy172 said:
I'm not doing web design I'm designing graphics and I do some web design. Beside if I got a g4 i'd be down grading. Oh and I only buy new.
Click to expand...

Get your story straight. In your orginal post you said "I have a website so I do web design." Well, there is a huge difference between doing design for the web or design for print. Actually, looking back at your original post, you are pretty vague about what you actually use your computer for... if anything, you look to be someone who does things for a hobby. For that, you don't need a professional 4 core machine. But hey, go ahead... throw your money away, makes no difference to me. If you only buy new and need power, then the C2D macbook pro or iMac should be sufficent. Anything beyond that is overkill for a hobbyist unless you can afford the best and need to feed your ego.
 
Chone said:
... you can NEVER have too much power.
Click to expand...

Does that hold true for someone who just uses their computer for surfing the web or doing email? My sister for example, all she does is use the web to read about her knitting hobby and to send email. Do you think she should get a MacPro too?
 
THX1139 said:
Get your story straight. In your orginal post you said "I have a website so I do web design." Well, there is a huge difference between doing design for the web or design for print. Actually, looking back at your original post, you are pretty vague about what you actually use your computer for... if anything, you look to be someone who does things for a hobby. For that, you don't need a professional 4 core machine. But hey, go ahead... throw your money away, makes no difference to me. If you only buy new and need power, then the C2D macbook pro or iMac should be sufficent. Anything beyond that is overkill for a hobbyist unless you can afford the best and need to feed your ego.
Click to expand...

Apparently he is a hobbyst and can afford it and im jealous and im drooling! 😀
Damn you poverty! 😀 😀 😀
 
THX1139 said:
Does that hold true for someone who just uses their computer for surfing the web or doing email? My sister for example, all she does is use the web to read about her knitting hobby and to send email. Do you think she should get a MacPro too?
Click to expand...

No but people on MacRumors are obviously not this kind of people... this kind of people don't even need an iMac, a mac mini woudl be overkill for these

Whats the matter huh? Doesn't mean nobody should get a Mac Pro if you don't, it may be more expensive but some people may find the price justifiable, you are not an idiot for shelling 2500$ for a Mac Pro over a 1500$ 20" iMac, the Mac Pro is considerably faster and will last longer.

Something similar happened to me when I was deciding whether to buy a PowerMac G4 or an iMac, turns out the PM G4 lasted me 6 years (well its still in use so more than that) with some upgrades and its still fast... I know the iMac would be pathetically slow by now so there I know buying a fast desktop is always a good decision, especially for people who use their computer a lot and do demanding tasks with it and getting work done in less time is ALWAYS a good thing or no?

Besides its not like the Mac Pro costs $10000, its only 2500$, 2000$ if you downgrade it, thats a $500-0$ price difference between a 20" iMac and 24" iMac respectively...

I'm not saying don't buy iMacs either, I'm just saying Mac Pro should be considered when making the purchase and not be automatically discarded as "too much for my needs" "overkill" or "for pros only".
 
I vote Mac Pro!
It's nice to be able to upgrade, it's nice not to have any fans in your face, it looks nicer (if you get the ACD). More power means less time waiting, and waiting time is money, i.e. you'll not lose so much money in the long run! 😉
I bought a 20" iMac, got dissapointed, returned it and got a PowerMac + ACD instead, I don't regret it a bit!
 
The Mac pro is more economical over time.

• It can be upgrade to 8 cores
• 16GB RAM
• 16 Lane PCI card
• 4 hard drives (or 5, if you're crazy like me
• If you want to replace it, you can KEEP your monitor.
 
THX1139 said:
The OP said nothing about doing video. If he had, I might have recommended the MacPro. You are the one who's bringing video into the equation and that changes everything. Your post was to a question that wasn't asked so I don't get the point of it.
Click to expand...

I talked about video for my personal experience and what I meant was that people still recomended the iMac for me.

Now for the OP, without video, I still think a mac pro should be considered because every task, apart from web browsing and typing in Microsoft Word, is quicker on a Mac Pro. I noticed a HUGE difference in application like iPhoto and basic iLife stuff. I think one of the biggest answer to the fact that the mac pro is so much quicker is the bus speed at 2x1.33Ghz(1.33Ghz per processor) compared to the iMac 667 Mhz bus. That is, in theory, four times more bus speed and that is also combined with the quad channel ram if you get at least 2GB (which you should anyway).

Frederic
 
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