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Should I wait for Snow Leopard to get a new Mac Pro?
- Thread starter Kilroyjw
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I also want to buy a Mac Pro for 3D animation, compositing and video editing.
To say that the newer version of mac Pro will be better optimized for Snow Leopard isn't realistic. The only things that link the hardware to any performance gains in Snow Leopard are Grand Central Dispatch and OpenCL but these thing already are compatible with existing hardware.
Grand Central Dispatch will offer the same performance gains for Octo Harpertown and Octo Nehalem the only difference there on will be made by the architecture of the processors.
Same is for OpenCL.
I am gonna wait until they refresh the Mac Pro which will be a minor speed bump. But If the new price of the octo 2x2.66 will be like the price of the 2x2.26 now then the 2.66 will be a great offer since you get the maximum 6.4GT/s compared to the 5.6GT/s with the 2.26.
To say that the newer version of mac Pro will be better optimized for Snow Leopard isn't realistic. The only things that link the hardware to any performance gains in Snow Leopard are Grand Central Dispatch and OpenCL but these thing already are compatible with existing hardware.
Grand Central Dispatch will offer the same performance gains for Octo Harpertown and Octo Nehalem the only difference there on will be made by the architecture of the processors.
Same is for OpenCL.
I am gonna wait until they refresh the Mac Pro which will be a minor speed bump. But If the new price of the octo 2x2.66 will be like the price of the 2x2.26 now then the 2.66 will be a great offer since you get the maximum 6.4GT/s compared to the 5.6GT/s with the 2.26.
do regular product updates, usually in anual rythm. People sometimes call them refreshs.Do not worry about SL and buy the Mac that fits your needs now. Many observers think that Apple will not touch the Mac Pro before early next year because there is nothing new from Intel before that time and even then there would probably not be something dramatic as the socket change from 2008 to 2009. It is more likely that Apple make a small technical change and adjust prices. But even that is disputed.
Or the launch of Gulftown, whichever comes first.
That never happens. Gulftown will be the next change to the hardware line.
i mean... it's a 30 dollar upgrade from leopard. i don't see why you would wait. people who get Mac Pros need them, if you can't wait perhaps look for another computer?
It is only $10 for upgrade if you buy a mac now.
http://www.apple.com/macosx/uptodat...833&PID=1225267&SID=u20501t1404921f0fp0c0s598
The main benefit of waiting is that the system will come configured from Apple with the new OS.
I have never upgraded a Mac, but there can be issues when you upgrade other OS's like Windows and Linux with cruft from the older version.
Hopefully the issues are less likely with Apple, since they provide both the OS and the hardware. Windows, for example, may have vendor supplied drivers for hardware that isn't supported by Microsoft. You may have to uninstall drivers before you can install the new OS, then find the drivers for the new OS. There is a reason I have never upgraded my Windows laptop to Vista
I have never upgraded a Mac, but there can be issues when you upgrade other OS's like Windows and Linux with cruft from the older version.
Hopefully the issues are less likely with Apple, since they provide both the OS and the hardware. Windows, for example, may have vendor supplied drivers for hardware that isn't supported by Microsoft. You may have to uninstall drivers before you can install the new OS, then find the drivers for the new OS. There is a reason I have never upgraded my Windows laptop to Vista
It don't matter when you get it unless you don't want to install the new OS and let
do it for you as I don't think the extra $9.95 is the issue i'm waiting primarily because i am hoping the bto configurator will allow me to build a system with the gtx video card rather than the current process that forces me to build the macpro with the gt 120 AND buy the gtx via accessories...ie waste about 150 bucks...
no idea if the snow leopard release will change the process, but i dont mind waiting a few weeks to see...and while i am dreaming, maybe we will see a bd drive as well....oh, and a price drop, and while we are at it perhaps a return to glory of my 49ers (surely karma from apple hq can travel the few miles to the niners practice field...)
no idea if the snow leopard release will change the process, but i dont mind waiting a few weeks to see...and while i am dreaming, maybe we will see a bd drive as well....oh, and a price drop, and while we are at it perhaps a return to glory of my 49ers (surely karma from apple hq can travel the few miles to the niners practice field...)
I guess if you are in no hurry, might as well wait. However the only thing I could forsee is a new top end for the mac pro processor.
If you want it now and are getting a base model quad or octo, I would bet things are not going to change at all. The prices won't change just because of an upgrade, they may get pushed down to a new base level (ie 2.66 new base for octo, 3.33 new top end). Just buy it, sign up for the 10 dollar upgrade and be done.
If you want it now and are getting a base model quad or octo, I would bet things are not going to change at all. The prices won't change just because of an upgrade, they may get pushed down to a new base level (ie 2.66 new base for octo, 3.33 new top end). Just buy it, sign up for the 10 dollar upgrade and be done.
That I can see. The bump up to the 3.3Ghz Xeon as a BTO option. No real reason not to offer it. Doesn't require any changes to the Mac Pro, just adds one more CPU they need to stock.
Agreed.
The idea that a Mac Pro that ships with Snow Leopard will somehow "work" better is asinine.
I ordered my Mac Pro now. Then I have Leopard and Snow Leopard next month. If there are compatibility problems with Snow Leopard and some applications, I can still use Leopard.