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Mac Pro tower - just too big.
- Thread starter WardC
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I'm actually hoping apple makes the case bigger next time around.
As long as they continue making displays that are bigger than the tower cases I'm absolutely ok with that.
Exactly.... It's A Macintosh Professional. Which means it kicks arse. Look at most Mac Pro set-ups and they'll be attached to multiple screens, keyboards, video and/or music editing bits of kits, printers, scanners, cameras..... etc etc.
The G5/MP case is actually about the same size as the G3/G4 cases but not as wide. It's also not much heavier. The larger aluminum case was mainly designed for cooling as the G5s had massive heat sinks since the PPC G5 CPUs ran very hot. The fact that they got twice the number of cores, 2 additional hard drives and additional optical drive in the MP in the same space because the Intel CPUs didn't need such massive heat sinks since they ran cooler.
The size of the G5/MP is pretty much perfect and you will not find a nicer looking computer case anywhere. I love the cheese grater look as well as the aluminum exterior as it also serves more of a purpose than just looks. I also don't know too many people that move their G5/MPs around too much but if they do, that's why they get Macbook Pros.
Only thing they can possibly do is to anodize it in black
The size of the G5/MP is pretty much perfect and you will not find a nicer looking computer case anywhere. I love the cheese grater look as well as the aluminum exterior as it also serves more of a purpose than just looks. I also don't know too many people that move their G5/MPs around too much but if they do, that's why they get Macbook Pros
.Only thing they can possibly do is to anodize it in black
Mac Pro case too big??!! Have you seen other ATX full towers before? The Mac Pro is actually pretty small in comparison..
I happen to agree with the OP. Seems to me that most of you have not had to move the mac pro very often. Unfortunately you'll have to if something goes wrong, and you have to drag it to an apple store or here in NYC tekserve. I guarantee you the poor saps dragging in 40lb computers did not look very happy.
To make this difficult thing a cruel joke Apple has decided to not bevel the edges on the handle bars.
Those of you saying that this uses an EATX motherboard are missing the point. it's a custom motherboard! Apple could have made it square for all they cared since it's not like you can replace it! A few years back I actually had a dual processor SFF AMD Opteron box called the Iwill Zmax D2. Iwill no longer exists but I highly recommend that you google it to see what could be done with clever engineering.
At the very least if the size doesn't matter the weight could have been reduced without compromising anything. There's no reason to have such ridiculously thick aluminum walls. It's not meant to support a pile of books or anything!
To make this difficult thing a cruel joke Apple has decided to not bevel the edges on the handle bars.
Those of you saying that this uses an EATX motherboard are missing the point. it's a custom motherboard! Apple could have made it square for all they cared since it's not like you can replace it! A few years back I actually had a dual processor SFF AMD Opteron box called the Iwill Zmax D2. Iwill no longer exists but I highly recommend that you google it to see what could be done with clever engineering.
At the very least if the size doesn't matter the weight could have been reduced without compromising anything. There's no reason to have such ridiculously thick aluminum walls. It's not meant to support a pile of books or anything!
I moved it in and out of college for each semester over two years and summer moves, etc.
I'm 5'5", weigh less than 120 lbs and I'm not a musclebound bodybuilder. I managed. Since a comparably small person can handle it, I'm going to call that criticism irrelevant as well. Get a handtruck if you're not strong enough. The aluminum walls are not all that thick, either.
Pro Tip: move it in the box. That's easier and works much better, plus the styrofoam protects it.
I'm 5'5", weigh less than 120 lbs and I'm not a musclebound bodybuilder. I managed. Since a comparably small person can handle it, I'm going to call that criticism irrelevant as well. Get a handtruck if you're not strong enough. The aluminum walls are not all that thick, either.
Pro Tip: move it in the box. That's easier and works much better, plus the styrofoam protects it.
The Mac Pro is fine for what it is. But I wish Apple would make a somewhat slimmed-down version for a similarly streamlined price. I'd grab a system like that in a heartbeat, but I have no real use for the power of a Mac Pro at current Mac Pro prices.
What if there are still people outside, that don't want to sit in front of a bloody mirror?
Right, hooking up a 30" (non glossy) and putting the iMac under the table would be an option.
Uh uh. No way is an iMac a slimmed-down Mac Pro. I don't even consider it to be an option.
Aluminum has enough issues with noise from inside the chassis. Let's not make the problem far worse by making them thinner.
i like my Mac Pro just the way it is ... Big and bulky
I don't mind the size all that much, at least mine has wheels
This is the fabled "Headless xMac" that LOTS of people have been clamoring for.
I would've taken one in a heartbeat, but since they don't offer it, I took what they had.
iMacs are powerful little beasts, but some people don't care for the all in one design, for example...
No way to change out hard drive (if it fails, you lose your computer for a few days), also if you want more disk space, you have to plug in multiple external drives - takes up more desk space usually.
No option other than glossy screen, which can give people headaches from the glare, and not nearly as useful for photographers trying to color correct images (again, if the screen dies/messes up, you're without a computer.)
Mac Pros give you more CHOICE - more RAM, expansion slots, extra optical drive bay, the list goes on...
The Mac Pro is only slightly larger than my previous PC tower (although significantly heavier), but it doesn't matter - I only move it maybe 3 or 4 times a year at the most...upgrading RAM or video card, clean out the dust once in awhile, etc.
I would've taken one in a heartbeat, but since they don't offer it, I took what they had.
iMacs are powerful little beasts, but some people don't care for the all in one design, for example...
No way to change out hard drive (if it fails, you lose your computer for a few days), also if you want more disk space, you have to plug in multiple external drives - takes up more desk space usually.
No option other than glossy screen, which can give people headaches from the glare, and not nearly as useful for photographers trying to color correct images (again, if the screen dies/messes up, you're without a computer.)
Mac Pros give you more CHOICE - more RAM, expansion slots, extra optical drive bay, the list goes on...
The Mac Pro is only slightly larger than my previous PC tower (although significantly heavier), but it doesn't matter - I only move it maybe 3 or 4 times a year at the most...upgrading RAM or video card, clean out the dust once in awhile, etc.
Mac Pro is perfect.
Slight re-adjust to allow for 8 SATA HDs and maybe 4 SSDs and we are IIIN Business!
Slight re-adjust to allow for 8 SATA HDs and maybe 4 SSDs and we are IIIN Business!
Yes, it would be nice, but given Apple's position on such tech, drool ... err... dream on.Amen!
And throw in some esata ports and a Bluray.
I did a mockup of one like that. It did loose an optical bay though to get the space.... I have it uploaded in another old thread, I'll see if I can find it.
found it, http://att.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=156114&d=1233698170
Oh and it has 3 quad processors and 3 memory banks
.
I did a mockup of one like that. It did loose an optical bay though to get the space.... I have it uploaded in another old thread, I'll see if I can find it.
found it, http://att.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=156114&d=1233698170
Oh and it has 3 quad processors and 3 memory banks
Only one double PCI line?
There's even room enough to squeeze in a few SSD's behind the intake fan for the PCIe chamber.I did a mockup of one like that. It did loose an optical bay though to get the space.... I have it uploaded in another old thread, I'll see if I can find it.
found it, http://att.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=156114&d=1233698170
Oh and it has 3 quad processors and 3 memory banks
Demanding, aren't you?Only one double PCI line?
All high priority design criteria in enterprise systems (servers/workstations).
I'd actually prefer a larger unit, namely additional drive bays for RAID. But that's me.
Unfortunately, appearance is an afterthought, as it's not expected to be seen by the public, and it costs more to make the enclosure. But the internals on other vendor's systems are clean, and easy to replace components, easier than Macs, including the XServe.
The HP Z800 looks quite nice inside. I couldn't say if it's
actually any good, though
Pics:
http://www.develop3d.com/uploaded_images/Z800_inside-735554.jpg
http://videos.hpzworkstations.com/Z800_high_res_stills/Z800_00098.jpg
http://videos.hpzworkstations.com/Z800_high_res_stills/Z800_00060.jpg
I don't find it that big.... for what it is A WORKSTATION
WxDxH (inches)
8.1x18.7x20.1 for the Mac Pro
10.45x25.5x17.7 for a Boxx Apexx 8 (8 six-core opterons, yes that is 48 cores)
7x18x17 for a Boxx Workstation (dual quad 5500 xeon)
8x20.7x17.5 for an HP Z800
12.8" x 22.26" x 22.3" for a Dell T7500 w/feet and stand
so looking at some of the competition the mac pro is about right
WxDxH (inches)
8.1x18.7x20.1 for the Mac Pro
10.45x25.5x17.7 for a Boxx Apexx 8 (8 six-core opterons, yes that is 48 cores
)7x18x17 for a Boxx Workstation (dual quad 5500 xeon)
8x20.7x17.5 for an HP Z800
12.8" x 22.26" x 22.3" for a Dell T7500 w/feet and stand
so looking at some of the competition the mac pro is about right
Seems like you omitted two words in your thread title - "for me". As in "Mac Pro tower - just too big FOR ME".
Couldn't resist the dig. Like many others here have indicated - the Mac Pro case, compared to conventional PC towers, isn't oversized. As I write this, I'm looking at my old dual Athlon rig sitting next to the MP. The old case is 3" taller, about the same weight, and is filled with cables and 4 noisy 80mm fans. I love the current design of my early '08 MP, which is actually quieter than the new APC SUA1000 UPS I bought.