Mac Pro or Dell 720 H2C

[Ploki]

if you need a serious workstation with occasional gaming get mac pro
if you need a gaming station with somewhat shabby workstation capabilities (lets face it, PC is not as stable and intuitive as mac), then get the dell.

i like to game too, but the fact that most of the time i do audio and music work leaned me towards mac . and of course 8800gt ;D

 

[Sesshi]

What do you mean by 'shabby'?

Granted, a $500 desktop may be somewhat unstable compared to the Pro but the Apple 'workstation' - the 06, 07 and 08 models - happens to be among the less stable professional computers I own. An '07 Pro is certainly less stable than an '07 710 H2C in my experience.

 

[Eidorian]

It's all x86 nowadays guys. There's nothing wrong with wanting to run software in Windows or OS X. It's about getting the job done.

I love my MacBook to death but I have my minitower for gaming.

 

[Killyp]

What do you mean by 'shabby'?

Granted, a $500 desktop may be somewhat unstable compared to the Pro but the Apple 'workstation' - the 06, 07 and 08 models - happens to be among the less stable professional computers I own. An '07 Pro is certainly less stable than an '07 710 H2C in my experience.

I screwed bigger feet to mine so that doesn't matter...

 

[NEiMac]

Id say and I can't believe I'm saying this but get the Dell, I love Mac's to death but they do kinda blow at gaming. I think you'll have the best of both worlds a macbook pro for a laptop and a good PC desktop for games. Shame Jobs wont let us have new graphics cards in the Mac Pro.

 

[Sesshi]

I screwed bigger feet to mine so that doesn't matter...

Ha ha ha

Ironically the Dell wins in that respect too - stabilising fins come out of the base.

 

[Ploki]

What do you mean by 'shabby'?

Granted, a $500 desktop may be somewhat unstable compared to the Pro but the Apple 'workstation' - the 06, 07 and 08 models - happens to be among the less stable professional computers I own. An '07 Pro is certainly less stable than an '07 710 H2C in my experience.

i havent had a bad experiene so far, and i've really loaded much on it without even restarting it (sleep/wake).
if i did that on XP i could probably reinstall the whole system

 

[JonasLondon]

You should get the Mac Pro, I have one and it is an amazing machine. Incredibly fast, especially if you encode video. You sound like you want to occasionally game and reap the benefits to your workflow, so get the Mac Pro.

Besides, windows is painful.

Totally agree with the above.


If you are even thinking about using Logic or Final Cut Studio Applications a tiny amount over the coming years, I don't understand how the Dell-Schmell is even on the shortlist?

Go Mac Pro, it is awesome. I believe some have already plopped in another GTX or something alongside the GT card, just for Windose...). But, I am not a hardcore gamer, but will be getting COD4 on the Mac Pro and the 512 MB 8800GT - I don't think it will be totally unplayable ;-)

 

[GotPro]

Not to mention how quiet the MacPro is... I'm not a hardcore gamer... But I enjoy games... Been playing Madden '08 in windows non stop for days at 1650x1080 all settings on high and its smooth as silk!!!

Unless you are the hardest of hardcore gamers... The MacPro with 8800GT is an incredible machine... And a true BARGAIN... To Build a custom PC speced like the MacPro @ $2599 (education discount) you would spend OVER $3600 just in parts not including shipping, etc...

And then you still wouldn't have a damn near silent machine!

 

[ildondeigiocchi]

I am a HARDCORE gamer and love my new Mac Pro. There isnt a game that it hasnt handled on max settings!!!

 

[Sesshi]

Not to mention how quiet the MacPro is... I'm not a hardcore gamer... But I enjoy games... Been playing Madden '08 in windows non stop for days at 1650x1080 all settings on high and its smooth as silk!!!

Unless you are the hardest of hardcore gamers... The MacPro with 8800GT is an incredible machine... And a true BARGAIN... To Build a custom PC speced like the MacPro @ $2599 (education discount) you would spend OVER $3600 just in parts not including shipping, etc...

And then you still wouldn't have a damn near silent machine!

Absolute rubbish.

The XPS 630 with two 8800GT's and a QX6850 (the hot gaming chip right now) is ~$2500. It will destroy the Pro in current and forthcoming - and forthcoming is the real operative word here - games. Not to mention being a rather nice all-purpose machine, if my 720 / 720H2C's are anything to go by.

Gone are the days of them sounding like jet engines - that went out with the Pentium 4's. The 720 H2C is pretty quiet. The 720 is not bad again, and I'm betting an XPS 630 with dual 8800GT's is not going to be unduly noisier than a Pro - and it'll not only pack significant gaming punch for the buck out of the box, but you can keep it up to date.

 

[Erwin-Br]

The Dell would outclass the MP for sure, but personally I'm more than satisfied with how my MP handles the games I play: Team Fortress 2 and Crysis. TFT2 I can play with all settings on max. quality, and 4x AA with framerates around 60 fps.

I don't know where I'll stand in two to three years, though.

--Erwin