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Mac Pro or Imac 24"

Im not sure if I really know enough to make this point but since you are coming from a windows gamer perspective I want to try to make an important point. From what I understand, the Mac Pro is not really a desktop class computer. If you were to compare it to the dell line up (shutter) the Mac Pro is not a high-end XPS. The Mac Pro is more like a high-end Precision. The workstation class computers are tailored for professional users and are not necessarily the best gaming machines. The components seem to cost more and the benefits are not as applicable to consumer computing. The result is that, in my experience, Mac gamers are most satisfied with a maxed out iMac. I just wanted to try to make this point because I have seen other switchers come over with naive expectations.
 
If you buy a Mac pro, you have a better selection of video cards available. If you are going to run Windows games, I'd check to see if Boot Camp (or Parallels) can run them with your video card. Games care about video cards.

My wife got a 24" iMac to replace her Windows laptop - so she needed a monitor. I have a year old 23" monitor, so I don't need to spend computer money on a monitor - instead, I can upgrade the monitor in a couple of years - fitting my budget better.

Upgrading a Mac Pro will be easier than upgrading an iMac. (Try to upgrade the monitor on an iMac!).
 
You are saying things like "MP is more upgradable", "Try upgrade an iMac", etc, but in reality, what will you upgrade in a MP when it becomes old? You say the graphics card. As you have already bought a top-of-the-line graphics card (available) for the MP, what do you want to replace it with? I bet only one more GPU will be made to work with the current MP, and that wont give you a significant frame rate boost (unlike upgrading from GeForce 7300 to Radeon X1900). Even if they released for example GF8800 for MP, it would cost $800+. So basically, you're stuck with X1900.

Now, CPU. The problem of upgrading the CPU in MP is that there are two of them, so when you decide to upgrade it to, say Xeon 8xxx, you'll have to buy two of them to make them work, and those may not even work with the current MP chipset. As I said in my previous post, games run on 1 core, sometimes they use second for audio processing. The only current game I know that uses 2 cores is WoW, but only in OS X (multi-threaded OpenGL).

Now, RAM. Yes, MP has 8 RAM slots. Why do you need more than two for games? Getting 2 GBs of RAM should be more than enough for current and near future games. Also, MP RAM is so expensive!

Now, HD. MP has 4 HD bays, iMac has one. They use the same interface, so they are the same speed. How many games you want to install if you need more than one HD??? Even 160 gig HD is plenty for gaming. The largest game I know is 5.2 GB after fresh install (UT2004), with addons my copy now weights 9.35 GB. Doom 3 is 1.4 GB, CoD2 is 2-3GB, KOTOR is 4. Games are not like uncompressed HD video capured from camera - they dont need XServe RAID.

So now you ask: "Do I need an "upgradable" expensive MP, when iMac suits me so much better?"
 
Why would you get a mac and run vista on it if microsoft pisses you off?

If you don't like them. Then don't use their products. It's that simple.

That said, if you need a gaming rig, buy a PC. Then perhaps add a MacMini to that. You'd still be paying less than for the mac pro.
 
eXan said:
Heh, do you need to upgrade the monitor? You already get 24", why need more?
Click to expand...

One thing wrong with the iMac monitor - it has no input so that you can use it with your lap top computer.

One problem with the all-in-one concept. When you upgrade your computer, you have to update the monitor. If your monitor goes bad, your computer isn't usable.
 
Howard Brazee said:
If your monitor goes bad, your computer isn't usable.
Click to expand...

You can add monitors to iMacs. These all in one flaws apply to laptops as well but I don't hear anyone complaining about having to upgrade all at once or whatever.

Also, you must be very picky about monitors if that is what you plan on upgrading before you upgrade your computer. Usually people complain that they still have the monitor from their old computer and don't want to "waste" it when they buy an iMac. I have been very happy upgrading all of my components at once every 4 years or so. I have never thought gosh if only I could upgrade this monitor that I am stuck with. Generally it has been the outdated processor, small hard drive, slow ram and outdated graphics card. Also in my next iMac I will gain the apple remote, an iSight, a faster airport card, a bigger better monitor, and a case redesign etc. etc.
 
I finally decided today on getting a Mac Pro along with an ACD. For quite a while I thought I would get the 24" iMac b/c the Mac Pro was overkill for my needs. But I really liked the look of the ACDs and didn't like the white iMac. Then I went down to the Apple Store today and looked at the ACDs again, and I have to have one. Maybe their still overpriced vs. a Dell, but I have no need for other inputs, love the additional ports and the look. I am one of the ones who would like to see them get built in iSights, though I have an original with the magnetic attachment, I think the built in give the best camera angle so you can look at the screen while being filmed.

I also have to say that the Mac Pro was that much zippier in launching applications and loading iPhoto and iTunes libraries that were quite small, so I can imagine what that would mean with larger libraries as well as with any sort of processor intensive task like rendering video, whether in iMovie or Final Cut Express.

All that said, I will still wait for WWDC to see if there are any changes to the displays or if the Mac Pro gets the SS motherboard or any other revisions. Then I'm all over it.

The only thing the Mac Pro doesn't offer is Front Row, but honestly, with an Apple TV in my living room, I doubt I'd use it much. I've my Mini since October and rarely ever used it.
 
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