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MAC PRO SINgle Quad _ or DUAL Quad ???

How long do you plan on keeping this machine for?

If its only a few years. get the single quad. But if you're anything like me, get an octo and keep it twice as long. I second the thought of looking at a refurb as an option of keeping your cost down.
 
I think if I was purchasing a Mac Pro, I would get the octo core model because its much better value for money. It would cost more but I wouldn't feel like i'd been ripped off.
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Ripped off? Try building a comparable quad-core 2.8GHz Xeon workstation from Dell for $2,299.

A quad-core 2.8GHz Dell Precision T7400 equipped almost identically to the base quad-core Mac Pro is $2,774. That's almost a $500 difference. For literally a few dollars more, you get an 8-core from Apple.

So either way, the Mac Pro is a good deal and I wouldn't be quick to rule out the quad-core model as a "rip-off." For someone on a budget, that $500 saved can go towards more RAM and/or software if he/she doesn't need 8 cores.
 
CWallace said:
That seems odd, since the Santa Rosa systemboard platform is superior to the previous systemboard platform. It has a faster FSB (800MHz vs. 667MHz) and the X3100 IGP was superior to the X3000.
Click to expand...

Those are the RAM speeds not the FSB. The FSB runs at 1600mhz and the old ones at 1333MHz.
 
CaptainChunk said:
Ripped off? Try building a comparable quad-core 2.8GHz Xeon workstation from Dell for $2,299.

A quad-core 2.8GHz Dell Precision T7400 equipped almost identically to the base quad-core Mac Pro is $2,774. That's almost a $500 difference. For literally a few dollars more, you get an 8-core from Apple.

So either way, the Mac Pro is a good deal and I wouldn't be quick to rule out the quad-core model as a "rip-off." For someone on a budget, that $500 saved can go towards more RAM and/or software if he/she doesn't need 8 cores.
Click to expand...
Are we going to drag in single socket quad systems as well?
 
fab5freddy said:
I am considering getting a Mac Pro Tower,
but i am not sure if i should get the Dual Quad
or just the Single Quad....?

It is quite a price difference, $ 500 !

I will be doing heavy CS3 Photoshop work,
Will the Single Quad be too little ??

thanks for any advice !!
Click to expand...

Go with the single Quad-Core and get some extra memory. That's what I did and it works fantastically.
 
trainguy77 said:
Those are the RAM speeds not the FSB. The FSB runs at 1600mhz and the old ones at 1333MHz.
Click to expand...

With respect, Intel's info on the Mobile 965 Express Chipset which is part of the Santa Rosa platform notes it supports 800MHz and 533MHz FSBs with a memory speed of 667MHz. Also, all of the articles written about Santa Rosa in general, and as it pertains to the Macintosh, also note these speeds.

The Intel 5000 series of chipset as used in the Mac Pro supports FSB speeds of 1333MHz and 1066MHz (along with 667MHz or 533MHz memory speeds).

The only Intel chipset that currently supports a 1600MHz FSB is the x48 desktop chipset and only the QX9775 and the QX9770 Core 2 Extreme desktop CPUs support that FSB and they (and the x48) are unlikely to be found in any future Apple product.
 
CWallace said:
With respect, Intel's info on the Mobile 965 Express Chipset which is part of the Santa Rosa platform notes it supports 800MHz and 533MHz FSBs with a memory speed of 667MHz. Also, all of the articles written about Santa Rosa in general, and as it pertains to the Macintosh, also note these speeds.

The Intel 5000 series of chipset as used in the Mac Pro supports FSB speeds of 1333MHz and 1066MHz (along with 667MHz or 533MHz memory speeds).

The only Intel chipset that currently supports a 1600MHz FSB is the x48 desktop chipset and only the QX9775 and the QX9770 Core 2 Extreme desktop CPUs support that FSB and they (and the x48) are unlikely to be found in any future Apple product.
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Are you saying apple lied to us about the FSB?

http://www.apple.com/macpro/specs.html
 
i just wanted to know if i should get

the cheapest Mac Pro on the Apple Website,
or spring for the next model up, that is $ 500 more !

i do heavy CS3 photoshop work and light video.......
 
fab5freddy said:
i just wanted to know if i should get

the cheapest Mac Pro on the Apple Website,
or spring for the next model up, that is $ 500 more !

i do heavy CS3 photoshop work and light video.......
Click to expand...

My recommendation is to purchase a Mac Pro with both CPUs. Both of those workloads benefit from CPU horsepower and applications are being adapted to work with more CPU cores.
 
If you can tolerate a Windows based workflow a lot of manufacturers offer sub-$1,000 quad workstations with nice hard disk options.

Until there's a quad core iMac or mini the best option for the Mac Pro is octo.
 
How about work with Logic Pro's and lots of AUs? Is a single core still ok for that??
 
I say go for the 8-Core if you're like me and do a lot of different things at once. Otherwise, the Quad will work just fine.

- js
 
It all depends on how fat your wallet is. I think the 8 core doesn't give you much more performance for the buck (law of diminishing returns), however, you can spend that extra 500 dollars and get more ram and another hd or put it towards a new monitor.

As far as future proofing with the 8 core, there will be faster systems in the next 3-4 years. So maybe put that 500 bucks into an ING CD account to save for the future Mac Pro in a couple of years ;)
 
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