Okay thanks for the replies guys!
I was just about to go pick it up - but now I have to reconsider..
Indeed the mac pro 4.1 is more of a beast and the newer option - but it all depends on the use
I will make up my mind later this week and properly go with the 4.1 and upgrade it
And "js81" its from a danish site - so I guess its a little far from where you are right now
Mmmm, I think it's more of a cost consideration. And you're being misled on the prices actually.
True the MacPro1,1 is a little less than 1/2 the speed (all things considered) than a MacPro5,1 but it's actually the same speed at just about everything as the MacPro3,1. A little less in some areas but nothing you would actually notice - even in benchmarking. The upgrade path for the MacPro1,1 beyond Lion is a little troublesome but doable.
So how do the costs actually break down differently from the 1,1 to the 3,1? I'll base it on my own machine which represents actual current prices and not the usual disinformation:
- MacPro1,1 System Unit - $175
- 32GB FB ECC DDR2-667 PC2-5300 - ($250 - $300)*
- X5365 3.0GHz dual CPU 8-core upgrade ($180 - $220)
- Flashed cards and Drives are as you already may know.
NOTES: You may have to flash a card or walk thru a 1hr tutorial in order to make the system 64bit bootable.
- MacPro3,1 2.8GHz 4-core - ($750 - $950)
- MacPro3,1 2.8GHz 8-core - ($950 - $1300)
- 32GB FB ECC DDR2-800 PC2-6400 - ($320 - $380)*
- CPU Upgradable to dual 3.2GHz 8-core - ($250 - $320)
- Flashed cards and Drives are as you already may know.
NOTES: Apple GPU offerings will all work AFAIK but something more powerful (or same power but 1/2 the price) still needs to be flashed. It already boots up in 64bit mode so no system patching is needed.
Total average price for equal system speed (before storage and GPU options):
- 32GB MacPro1,1 8x3.0GHz Cores ...... $650
- 32GB MacPro3,1 8x2.8GHz Cores ...... $1,450
Slight Speed advantage:
- 32GB MacPro3,1 8x3.2GHz Cores ...... $1,700
* The RAM you select these days does NOT need those Apple crazy finned heat-sinks! That was the case for most early modules pre 1GB DIMM. Since then it's no longer the case and no notable temperature difference occur. Some but not all Apple approved memory modules have onboard thermal sensors which are passed to the system when present. The riser boards also have a thermal sensor each - which is what the SMC system actually uses in it's cooling profile - so the fans still increase or decrease appropriately when not using SMCFanControl. Of course when using SMCFanControl the Apple profile is still active but typical settings (1200RPM or more) are usually higher than Apple is ever willing to rev so you won't actually ever see the results of it in action. Some unofficial RAM also has the thermal sensors on-board tho so this is actually a non-issue. My current and
extensively tested 32GB cost me $280 and doesn't have the sensors nor the fins.
Sure if you want to pay almost exactly double those RAM prices you can get the unneeded finned heat-sinks which look cooler but offer no advantage. Although it's kinda hard to see the coolness through the aluminum case.
