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So is now a really bad time to buy a Mac Pro?
- Thread starter Santoanderson
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yeah, you can say that every year
and finally end up with an 08 3,2 octo
yeah ur right lol
but really think about it (6 cores, the new gpu, maybe a new design, etc) all of these aren't worth the wait
Sure.yeah ur right lol
but really think about it (6 cores, the new gpu, maybe a new design, etc) all of these aren't worth the wait
- 6 cores at a lower clock frequency (to keep the prices close to where they are now, otherwise, for a clock frequency match, the price will go up). That extra pair of cores won't be free.
- Modest change from the GT120 base card at best
- Same case
I doubt there's going to be as much as people are hoping for, which will lead to disappointment. Temper your expectations, and you're likely to get close to reality.
3 years ago, Intel said they were looking at making the 80 core processor commercially available within a 5 year time frame. Well, fast forward three years and were only at SIX cores.
Heres Paul Otellini making that claim when he showed off the chips:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97uSsjjoSNM
where did i say more cores than 6 ... i said 6 cores or dual 6 six cores which would be a 12 core setup
No kidding. What we got in 2009 was nothing like people were expecting. A graphics card refresh and new processor options are all but guaranteed, but other than that I wouldn't expect much change.
It was a Proof of Concept chip (PoC) called the Tera-scale Project. And those cores are much simpler than you may realize, as they're FPU's.
What Paul Ortellini was talking about, was taking what they learned from it and applying it to new designs that they expected to begin reaching the market in 5 years, not an 80 core chip.
We are. Cores can be shut of to save power, and turned back on when needed. Nehalem's power management does this. The high counts will be the 7xxx and Itanium parts. There's another experimental chip called the Bangalore, which is closer to a finished product, containing 48 cores.
Software vendors are truly interested in cloud computing, and enterprise markets want systems with more cores as well (more power in a smaller space), so the cluster is getting a lot of attention, and Intel's developing the enterprise line for precisely that.
Why would they release it twice ?
Sorry -- I couldn't resist
This makes me sad
Which is why part of me wants to just save the extra money and get an iMac for now, then just sell it in about 3 years or whenever Apple decides to axe the Mac Pro for fully Lightpeak based systems.
Was it less than what people were expecting? The 2009s represented a huge architecture shift to Nehalem with significant speed boosts over the 2008 versions. I am thrilled with my Mac Pro Quad.
Yes.
The performance wasn't what people expected for the clock speed/model position, compared to the '08's, and it cost more. So far, there's precious little software that can actually take advantage of the architectural changes made to the Nehalem design (especially the IMC). This will change in time, but newer systems will be out by then as software is quite a bit behind hardware.
Well, I hate to say it, but after seeing this morning's invitation/graphic for the 27th and the scuttlebutt regarding it's key-points: iSlate, iLife 10, iPhone 4, etc; I'm thinking there won't be any Mac hardware updates included.
I've got a million things to do for school before March 15th, and I can presumably complete them on my laptop. But those last six weeks of the semester are going to be very render heavy, and beyond the means of my laptop. I don't think I can afford to wait much longer beyond that. C'mon Apple. Don't be such a tease.
I've got a million things to do for school before March 15th, and I can presumably complete them on my laptop. But those last six weeks of the semester are going to be very render heavy, and beyond the means of my laptop. I don't think I can afford to wait much longer beyond that. C'mon Apple. Don't be such a tease.
This would always be more cost effective if it was an option for you. If it is an option, than the Mac Pro isn't a great decision - it only really is for people who need 4 internal HDD bays, PCIe slots, etc.
Yes, I know, sometimes a guy wants expandability. I'm just saying that in a situation where you're counting dollars, the Mac Pro just hasn't been a great value recently. Not since the 09 models, at any rate.
As regards updates, won't be pre-announcing anything with the Mac Pro. All situations will be like the 08 and 09 Mac Pros: quiet update on the internet. Still a decent chance that model will be updated in time for you, but don't forget, it'll have to ship once they update and any non-standard options in your CTO will lengthen ship time.
Thanks for the suggestion
Yea, I started out pro-Mac Pro, but considering the costs today and the amount of continuing bad outlook that the 2010s will have in terms of value, I'm seriously just leaning for the iMac for the immediate time.Yes, like others, I have a dream system in mind. And yea, I have already planned on loading all 4 hard drive bays with a combination of SSDs and HDDs. And swappable graphics cards are always a plus for me. But you really spelled it out clearly for me. In my personal situation, I don't need the power right away (unfortunately lol). I have also calculated so many times that I could save over $1000 going with an iMac and a solid external firewire drive, and still do my work effectively.
Which is why I've decided to sit and wait. Wait at least until Apple updates the Mac Pros and decide from there. Thanks to all the very educated people on the Mac Pro forum, I've pretty much learned what to realistically expect with the new models. I'm not in any big hurry though, so I'd at least like to see whats on the table first before investing my money. I'm even willing to wait for the next iMac update to see if they might be able to get a quad 21.5" or blu-ray in there. Here's hoping to a surprise or two at the very least.
But if the consensus here is that the Mac Pro will soon be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, then I think the iMac would be a great transition computer to whatever is next in the future.
If you need a render box soon and you plan on replacing it in 3 years or less, I'd say save a few bucks towards that next purchase and buy a 2008 MP used/refurb...
Well I have my finances in order and now it's just a waiting game. I routinely check the refurb store for deals. This morning they have a:
Refurbished Mac Pro 8-core 3.2GHz Intel Xeon
Two 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon processors
2GB (2 x 1GB) of 800MHz DDR2 ECC fully buffered DIMM
500GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s 7200-rpm hard drive
Two 16x SuperDrives (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT 512MB (two dual-link DVI ports)
$3,299
Is this an '08 Model? Does it run considerably faster than the Nehalems? It sucks that they only throw in 2 gigs of ram and half a TB of hard drive space. There should've been an update on Wednesday, dang-it all.
Refurbished Mac Pro 8-core 3.2GHz Intel Xeon
Two 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon processors
2GB (2 x 1GB) of 800MHz DDR2 ECC fully buffered DIMM
500GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s 7200-rpm hard drive
Two 16x SuperDrives (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT 512MB (two dual-link DVI ports)
$3,299
Is this an '08 Model? Does it run considerably faster than the Nehalems? It sucks that they only throw in 2 gigs of ram and half a TB of hard drive space. There should've been an update on Wednesday, dang-it all.
It's actually faster at both single and multi-threaded applications than the 2.26 '09 Octad.
And it's the same $$$. Now consider:
1. It does use EFI64, so you'll be able to continue to upgrade graphics cards and the OS once it goes K64 exclusively
2. Internal upgrades are easier, and tend to be less expensive in certain cases (particularly internal hardware RAID)
3. It doesn't have the issues the '09's do (audio/overheating/power increase/25% performance loss)
It all adds up to a better value. Even once you add in the upgrades, as you'd have to do that with an '09 or even the new model that will release anyway.
to be honest, if you want one, buy one....
i went ahead and bought one a couple of weeks ago, admittedly it had to be bought due to a deal with apple but i reckon id of still ended up buying one.
really only you can make the choice.... its your money, the new ones may not be announced for a while yet and could be more expensive
but they may be released in a month or two and may be same cost!
personally id buy one if i wanted one
i went ahead and bought one a couple of weeks ago, admittedly it had to be bought due to a deal with apple but i reckon id of still ended up buying one.
really only you can make the choice.... its your money, the new ones may not be announced for a while yet and could be more expensive
but they may be released in a month or two and may be same cost!
personally id buy one if i wanted one
Okay, I think I'll go with a refurbed 08 then. I've seen this configuration on Apple's site:
Two 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon processors
2GB (2 x 1GB) of 800MHz DDR2 ECC fully buffered DIMM
320GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s 7200-rpm hard drive
16x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT 256MB (two dual-link DVI ports)
2,400 bucks.
It's the only Pro model with a $200 discount. Is this indicative of something fishy?
Basically I need to know if this is one of those dream 2008 machines that everybody's been praising? Memory and Hard Drive aren't very desirable, but I can check OCW. Problem is, I have no idea which model this is, as far as OCW is concerned.
Two 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon processors
2GB (2 x 1GB) of 800MHz DDR2 ECC fully buffered DIMM
320GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s 7200-rpm hard drive
16x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT 256MB (two dual-link DVI ports)
2,400 bucks.
It's the only Pro model with a $200 discount. Is this indicative of something fishy?
Basically I need to know if this is one of those dream 2008 machines that everybody's been praising? Memory and Hard Drive aren't very desirable, but I can check OCW. Problem is, I have no idea which model this is, as far as OCW is concerned.
It's an '08 base Octad, and is a fine system (original MSRP was $2800).
Get the Extended Apple Care for it (really a necessity rather than an option, as repair costs are really high for MP's), and whatever upgrades you desire. OWC is a good source for RAM.
BTW, leap fast, as it won't be there for long. It's a highly valued machine, and they go extremely fast. So if you're going to do it, NOW is the time. Seriously.
Another one will pop up again, but as the others have said, it's a heck of a deal. Love mine. You won't regret it...in fact, on this forum, where we love to complain, I've yet to hear someone bitch about their 08 model. The 06 and 09 models on the other hand, are a completely different story.
I would check out this site's rep first, but it sure seems like a good deal.
http://www.macofalltrades.com/Apple_Intel_Xeon_2x_2_8GHz_Quad_Core_Mac_Pro_p/icdx28mp4c1.htm
looks like you are in workstation limbo like the rest of us
That would be me too.
I may be going 08 soon but wanted to wait a little longer just to see what the 10 brings.
Can anyone comment from experience on the Apple / Barclay 0% for 1 year financing? ...anything undesirable hidden in there... other than having to make payments for a year cuz I don't have a trust fund
I've heard horror stories about that place. Well, I can't kick myself for missing that deal. The student loan checks arrived this morning, and the funds won't technically be available until tomorrow morning. But crap.... I'm still bugged.
I went down to the University Bookstore this afternoon after having a fruitful conversation with one of their sales people over the phone. The spaz told me that the University had special deals with Apple which aren't available on Apple's Education site. Turns out the guy was making it all up. I showed up, and some hapless, witless kid went to take my order.... on the Apple site.... on a PC.... and he racked up a $5,000 machine and almost hit "Purchase" before I stopped him. I even had to point out that he was ordering on Apple's regular store, and not the education one. Man, I hate sales people. Suffice it to say, I won't be buying a machine from them, at all.
Any idea how often Apple updates their refurb lists? Do they do it on the weekends?