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Sonnet Announces Mac Pro 4U Rackmount Enclosure and Expansion Chassis
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You gotta show us that when you can... But don't forget to copyright or patent your design first!
Something thats going to be hidden in a rack... its alright. Ugly yet clever and practical design.
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I gotta say this is one of the best quotes here given the context!
Facepalm for me... Faceslap for you....
Cos it's not that kinda server. Duh.
That said not having faceplate thunderbolt or USB 3 access is freaking terrible design
Surely you can? Just put it in a cheap 5.25" external enclosure with esata, and get a thunderbolt dock with esata ports. Or a cheap 5.25 external enclosure that has a usb3 output - more than fast enough for burning.
This isn't meant for massive datacenter server clusters at all.
Instead, this kind of thing is really meant for portable racks, for photographers/videographers to take their production gear out in the field.
How else would you carry your Mac Pro to a shoot location? In a backpack? =^)
You should see the kind of custom field racks made for previous generations of Mac Pros.. this is actually smaller.
Two questions:
- Couldn't one squeeze two Mac Pros in the same enclosure in theory (since rack space is so valuable)?
- As others mentioned, why isn't the heat exhaust on the back side like with other servers?
- Couldn't one squeeze two Mac Pros in the same enclosure in theory (since rack space is so valuable)?
- As others mentioned, why isn't the heat exhaust on the back side like with other servers?
The people in this thread calling it ugly are the same people who said there was nothing wrong with FCP X when it first shipped.
Apple spent a lot of money and development time producing the first really usable round computer only to have people start trying to make it square again. The world is a strange place indeed.
Sure, if the other side of the box wasn't already in use (see TFA).
It is you're looking at the bottom of the MP, which is where the air gets sucked in. The exhaust is on top, which is facing the back side.
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It exhausts out the back, from the top of the MP.
Didn't the old Mac Pro take up 4U in a rack?
I don't think it was a problem though.
It's always amusing to hear consumers applying their consumer logic to the pro world. Ignorance runs amuck and I just shake my head; I'd like to laugh, but it's really gotten old the last few years. I get that it'd be nice if everything in the world was aesthetically pleasing in every way, but in the pro world, it's just not even close to the number one priority, and ultimately, that's more than okay. What matters is what tool gets the job done best, not what tool is prettiest. Sometimes the best tool isn't going to be the prettiest, but what matters is that it's the best tool.
Rack mounts like this aren't going to be installed in people's living rooms. It's not furniture. It's not art. It's a tool that some professionals may desire to get certain work done, and it will exist in a place of work where people are busy working and not sitting around on a message board posting about how beautiful their tools are or could be. Ultimately, that people make better looking rack mount kits is neither here nor there. Some do, some don't, but in the end, to a pro who actually needs this sort of setup, what is going to matter most is what tool offers the most functionality, and then in most situations, which is the most cost effective.
There is nothing wrong with wanting nice looking things to exist, but sitting around on a message board ******** on a professional tool because it isn't so aesthetically pleasing is just a silly way to waste your time.
Rack mounts like this aren't going to be installed in people's living rooms. It's not furniture. It's not art. It's a tool that some professionals may desire to get certain work done, and it will exist in a place of work where people are busy working and not sitting around on a message board posting about how beautiful their tools are or could be. Ultimately, that people make better looking rack mount kits is neither here nor there. Some do, some don't, but in the end, to a pro who actually needs this sort of setup, what is going to matter most is what tool offers the most functionality, and then in most situations, which is the most cost effective.
There is nothing wrong with wanting nice looking things to exist, but sitting around on a message board ******** on a professional tool because it isn't so aesthetically pleasing is just a silly way to waste your time.
It's all about the application. I think Apple got the design right because they dialed the Mac Pro down to a great base product that can serve many people very well on it's own, and do so while not taking up a lot of space. But what's really nice about the small size is that it does allow for it to be integrated into other designs in some creative ways to suit various other needs. They did a very solid job of synthesizing what the core of the Mac Pro should be, and they allowed for a tremendous amount of external expandability, which is oftentimes what pro users need anyways.
The only thing I'm on the fence about is the dual-GPUs seemingly overriding the option to have dual-CPUs. Some people will absolutely benefit from the dual-GPUs more than they would from dual-CPUs, but for others who do more CPU intensive tasks, I think they'd like to see an option for dual CPUs and a single GPU. I'll be a little curious to see if Apple offers an option like this in the future, as I know this is of importance to a certain portion of the market. I'm skeptical, but I suppose you never know.
But it's so ... industrial-looking, and Apple's design aesthetic is so ... art deco. We should not confuse "industrial design" with "ugly" (as intimated elsewhere.
The rackmount box looks like a souped up cheapo car that has been painted primer gray/black but not painted next to a highly waxed and polished black sports-car.
I have nothing against industrial aesthetics and I believe that industrial and polished *can* work next to oneanother, ... but in this case they don't.
I'll check into it, it was a thought that crossed my mind. I've noticed some enclosures cost as much as a new external drive, either way you're right, research and Google are our friends.
Thanks!
Really? Formula1 is the pro world and their designers take the time and money to make things aesthetically pleasing. A road car engine is usually unseen and has a far more important job but guess what........?
Don't be so ridiculous and short sighted one doesn't preclude the other and often one that seems unimportant generates sales so that you can have the other. You 'Pros' need to get off your high horse, your jobs aren't the only important ones and often aren't any more difficult than regular jobs. Oh we don't care as long as it does the job.... Please!
You seem upset. There is no need for personal attacks. He is simply saying that, in a professional environment, it is unwise to sacrifice efficiency and functionality (which translates to money) for aesthetics.
Exactly what I was thinking, before I even read the article. The nMP's cooling works optimally when the unit is in a vertical position thru convection and a 'chimney' effect, supplementing the built-in fans. With any other position, and especially built into an enclosure, the fans will have to work harder and longer, and some of the internal components may be exposed to additional heat stress, likely shortening their life span.
But for those who absolutely need rack mount, plus this unit's additional expandability, this could be a viable option.
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This is good news, especially for those who like to have more expansion capabilities for the new mac pro without having to change the "good" looking design of the tiny and clean looking Mac Pro into a pile of metal devices surrounding it.
This is where the new Mac Pro failed i.m.h.o. I hoped that Apple would build a slick looking machine with more expansion capabilities in a way it would still look great! The current design of the new Mac Pro looks great on your desktop as long you're not depending on lot's of external devices surrounding the device due length of wires attached to the Mac Pro.
Powerusers and people that I know working professionally in the field of Animation and Filmmaking don't give a *beep* about shiny, small "good" looking desktops, they care about three things and rely on three things only: software, hardware and affordable (!!) expansion capabilities.
So this device might be the missing link, all-tough it also adds up the money one has to spend to combine the new Mac Pro with such device.
This is where the new Mac Pro failed i.m.h.o. I hoped that Apple would build a slick looking machine with more expansion capabilities in a way it would still look great! The current design of the new Mac Pro looks great on your desktop as long you're not depending on lot's of external devices surrounding the device due length of wires attached to the Mac Pro.
Powerusers and people that I know working professionally in the field of Animation and Filmmaking don't give a *beep* about shiny, small "good" looking desktops, they care about three things and rely on three things only: software, hardware and affordable (!!) expansion capabilities.
So this device might be the missing link, all-tough it also adds up the money one has to spend to combine the new Mac Pro with such device.
Sounds......
interesting. Now, they have to deliver it. And deliver it in some REALISTIC time frame.....
interesting. Now, they have to deliver it. And deliver it in some REALISTIC time frame.....
You seem to be misunderstanding. I'm not upset.
Tell me how does, You Pros, (plural), equate to a personal attack, (singular)?
I'm saying you can quite often have both. Did you not see the part about one precluding the other?
There seems to be a lot of patronising around here from so called Pros. What makes a 'Pro' exactly?