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New mac pro models?

S

stevieapollo

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 26, 2008
66
0
Whittier, CA
Need some advice aside from the fact that i just posted a thread about upgrading my ram! okay, i need to feel better about my purchase i just bought a brand new mac pro 8 core 3.0GHz for 2900 i though it was a great deal i found it on cregslist and it was new sealed in box when i purchased it! Does anyone out there think it would be wise to turn around and sell the machine and see what if i can get what i paid for the thing on ebay? I'm a little bit of a freak when it comes to having the newest machine but i really needed a computer do to the fact i sold my imac it just didn't have the power i needed for music creation and rendering time during video editing was killing me! I know there is no way of knowing but any idea when the new mac pros will hit stores and is the upgrade is going to be that huge!! someone told me that there was talk of a new case design..but i thought that would have been a macworld thing! anyways if anybody has any idea when we will see new machines and think it would be wise for me to sell my machine before the new ones come out that would be awesome!!

apollo
 
Can take as long as 6 months from now, no one knows, really.
If you need the machine now, keep it. If you can wait half a year at max, then see if you can sell it.
 
Open it and use it; there will still be a fantastic market for used MacPro's well into the year, even after Nehalem shows up. You said you sold you iMac so you're running with nothing, right?

It's still a beastly fast machine for what you'll want to do. Just because the next revision is going to be faster doesn't suddenly make the current version slow.
 
stevieapollo said:
Need some advice aside from the fact that i just posted a thread about upgrading my ram! okay, i need to feel better about my purchase i just bought a brand new mac pro 8 core 3.0GHz for 2900 i though it was a great deal i found it on cregslist and it was new sealed in box when i purchased it! Does anyone out there think it would be wise to turn around and sell the machine and see what if i can get what i paid for the thing on ebay? I'm a little bit of a freak when it comes to having the newest machine but i really needed a computer do to the fact i sold my imac it just didn't have the power i needed for music creation and rendering time during video editing was killing me! I know there is no way of knowing but any idea when the new mac pros will hit stores and is the upgrade is going to be that huge!! someone told me that there was talk of a new case design..but i thought that would have been a macworld thing! anyways if anybody has any idea when we will see new machines and think it would be wise for me to sell my machine before the new ones come out that would be awesome!!

apollo
Click to expand...

Try over here
 
There's a few threads on this. :)

Try a search with words like:
Gainestown
Xeon 5500
next Mac Pro

You should turn up most, maybe even all of the answers you seek. ;)
 
Refurbished Mac Pro's are turning up on the Apple Store for sale. Probably a good indication that not far off now.
 
Im curious how the psystar machines will do with snow leopard and the nahelem chips.

both apple and psystar use the same parts essentially, apple just has a better case design, which will be out of my sight anyway.

Basically you will probably be able to get the high end mac pro for 5k while the psystar for 2.5k because of less overhead costs.

The race is on...does apple figure out a way to make psystar loose the court case, (essentially winning the battle that microsoft couldn't win) or make them unable to produce working hackintosh's with snow leopard?
 
RC24 said:
Basically you will probably be able to get the high end mac pro for 5k while the psystar for 2.5k because of less overhead costs.
Click to expand...

And because they use absolutely none of the same hardware. The Mac Pro uses Xeons. Server chips. Psystar can't even afford one of those chips.

The Mac Pro will ALWAYS perform better than a Hackintosh, will be supported (which is kind of a necessity for professionals), and will actually run Snow Leopard.
 
Tallest Skil said:
And because they use absolutely none of the same hardware. The Mac Pro uses Xeons. Server chips. Psystar can't even afford one of those chips.

The Mac Pro will ALWAYS perform better than a Hackintosh, will be supported (which is kind of a necessity for professionals), and will actually run Snow Leopard.
Click to expand...

Some people have more time than money. Personally, I wouldn't waste my time with Pystar. Software upgrades will assuredly leave to significant downtime and who knows what Apple will incorporate in their updates to make it harder and harder to do.

To the OP. I would keep the machine and use it.
 
Tallest Skil said:
And because they use absolutely none of the same hardware. The Mac Pro uses Xeons. Server chips. Psystar can't even afford one of those chips.
Click to expand...
Psystar definitely doesn't use the same parts.

On the "can they afford it"... they probably could, but why?
1. It isn't the market they aimed for.
2. They need the money for their legal defense fund. :D :p
Tallest Skil said:
The Mac Pro will ALWAYS perform better than a Hackintosh, will be supported (which is kind of a necessity for professionals), and will actually run Snow Leopard.
Click to expand...
If you compare a Hacked i7 (920 even) to the current model Mac Pro, the results might :eek: some people.

Take a look at this guy's geekbench results, especially the second one. 12712 :eek:

Obviously OC'd, but still. ;) Gives a clue as to what the Xeon parts are capable of. :D Great for an individual who likes to tinker with their computers. :)

Your comment about support for professionals, is dead on. :D No matter what they do for a living. Companies want, and pay for support.
 
Tallest Skil said:
And because they use absolutely none of the same hardware. The Mac Pro uses Xeons. Server chips. Psystar can't even afford one of those chips.

The Mac Pro will ALWAYS perform better than a Hackintosh, will be supported (which is kind of a necessity for professionals), and will actually run Snow Leopard.
Click to expand...

Whats to keep psystar from ordering some of the core i7 xeons and putting them in the machines?

And on the legal issues.. Why is apple allowed to illegally bundle software with hardware while microsoft isnt? I dont even know why people are on apples side on this issue... if they loose apple based machines would be 1/8th the price.
 
RC24 said:
Whats to keep psystar from ordering some of the core i7 xeons and putting them in the machines?
Click to expand...

A lack of existence of the chips, the necessity for new motherboards, new RAM, larger PSUs, different cases, and different cooling.

Because they're not bundling it illegally, obviously, as they're being allowed to do it.
 
RC24 said:
Whats to keep psystar from ordering some of the core i7 xeons and putting them in the machines?
Click to expand...
Technically speaking, nothing.
Market may be another issue though, as they're aiming at those who want a less expensive machine. Basically a "headless" Mac vs. the iMac.

If they decide to use Xeon parts, the system cost will go up, and would be much harder to compete as they can't get the parts at the same price Apple does. Just compare a Dell or HP with the same parts (at least CPU, memory, and HDD) with the Mac Pro, and you'll see what I mean. :p
RC24 said:
And on the legal issues.. Why is apple allowed to illegally bundle software with hardware while microsoft isnt?
Click to expand...

Apple compared to MS, MS doesn't build machines. They license their software to vendors. Bundling can create an unfair market, as other OEM software providers can be forced out completely, as they have to charge license fees for their wares vs. MS adding it for free so long as the OS license was purchased. (That's the theory, anyway). ;)

Apple does build the machine, and sells a system. Nothing new, as IBM did it this way for years. But as MS licensed their OS to other vendors, they couldn't compete, and the world became what we know today. Now Psystar enters the picture. (Read on). ;)

As for Apple vs. Psystar, Apple is suing over copyright infringement. Psystar is trying to counter sue on Monopoly (?) grounds, as they claim that the market is unfair (OS X available only on a Mac). Ideally, Psystar wants to bring Apple's EULA into court, in an attempt to have it invalidated. If the courts manage to allow this to be argued, and Psystar is successful, it could have far reaching affects. Only time will tell, as this will probably take a couple of years to be resolved. ;)
 
To the OP. With regards to the new Mac Pro's, they are definitely coming, as to when who knows? But my guess is the next 3 or 4 months.
On the subject of the case, it is rumoured to have an update, but I'm afraid it will still be big, its due to the motherboard being the type that takes 2 full Xeon CPU's and full length PCI Express cards plus the hard drive bay's. Also the PSU is pretty big as I think it currently tops out at 1 to 1.2 KW?
If Apple managed to shrink it even a bit and still keep the same awesome internal design plus keep the cooling solution adequate I would be very impressed.
 
apolloa said:
To the OP. With regards to the new Mac Pro's, they are definitely coming, as to when who knows? But my guess is the next 3 or 4 months.
On the subject of the case, it is rumoured to have an update, but I'm afraid it will still be big, its due to the motherboard being the type that takes 2 full Xeon CPU's and full length PCI Express cards plus the hard drive bay's. Also the PSU is pretty big as I think it currently tops out at 1 to 1.2 KW?
If Apple managed to shrink it even a bit and still keep the same awesome internal design plus keep the cooling solution adequate I would be very impressed.
Click to expand...
Given Intel has stated a Q1 '09 release, assume this will be the end of March. Then allow 6 - 8 weeks for system vendors to ship systems. That works out to May or June.

The current PSU delivers 980W, not 1.2kW. :( Though only the input power requirements are listed on the Tech Specs section of Apple's Mac Pro page, it's either the User's Manual or the Service Manual that lists it. (I'm not at home ATM to find out which).

If they manage to shrink the case anymore, there wouldn't be any space in it. :eek:
Enter in an era of even fewer drive bays available, and overheating. :D :p
 
apolloa said:
:eek::eek: Seriously? 120mm fans are just fine in that case. I don' think they will have less HD slots, IMO a currently potential of 4 terrabytes is enough?
Click to expand...
The current model is about as small as you can go. 120mm fans are really a necessity to keep it quiet. You could shave some space, and go with smaller fans. But to get the airflow needed, the compromise is noise. Fine, if it was meant to go into a computer room full of rack mounted gear. Annoying as heck for an office/home user.

Now take into consideration the board changes, and CPU coolers to be used in the next model. Less space will be available due to the technology. It's as simple as that. Just take a look at the new LGA1366 socket. Multiply by two, and they will almost certainly require greater airflow. That translates to the same fans and more noise, or change the fan configuration to 140mm or additional 120mm units.

The space currently alloted to the bays, both the optical and HDD sleds would be reduced to make the necessary changes to accommodate the fans and coolers. So we might end up with one optical drive, and 3 HDD bays. 1.5TB x 3 does give 4.5TB capacity, but for some, the extra bay is a deal breaker.

After all, it is sold as a workstation, not a Mac mini. ;)

So smaller isn't realistic, unless you don't mind sitting next to a jet engine, and not having any space to expand with. ;) :p

I don't know about you, but I don't need external devices lying around to make up for it. :p Not exactly cheap either. :eek:
 
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