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But did they have to make it this ugly? Really, what a shame.

Something thats going to be hidden in a rack... its alright. Ugly yet clever and practical design.

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Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes.

I gotta say this is one of the best quotes here given the context!
 
This seems stupid. Why not just have multiple Mac Minis in a single 1 or 2U enclosure?

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
 
Ah sorry, should have been more clear. I use Lightscribe for a lot of my DVD DL discs. Some dismiss it as novelty, but I use it a lot on client discs (Verbatim has multi-colored Lightscribe discs that I've found better than Memorex). I use Disc Cover 3 RE, create my own graphics, and print em out. Unfortunately, it seems HP isn't pushing it with Blu-Ray media (from what I read). I have an LG Blu-Ray burner w/ Lightscribe in my Mac Pro5,1 I'm throwing on eBay and Craigslist this week, just wish I could use it with my nMP.

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.
 
One problem I see with this configuration is that it will exhaust out the front. If intermixed in the same rack with other mainstream servers that exhaust out the back there will be some serious heat issues.
 
It's a really bad solution as well... 4U for a single server wth.

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?
 
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.
 
Two questions:

- Couldn't one squeeze two Mac Pros in the same enclosure in theory (since rack space is so valuable)?

Sure, if the other side of the box wasn't already in use (see TFA).

- As others mentioned, why isn't the heat exhaust on the back side like with other servers?

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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One problem I see with this configuration is that it will exhaust out the front. If intermixed in the same rack with other mainstream servers that exhaust out the back there will be some serious heat issues.

It exhausts out the back, from the top of the MP.
 
Racking it into an edit station would be nice, but even in that application 4U is taking away a LOT of space.

Didn't the old Mac Pro take up 4U in a rack?

I don't think it was a problem though.

MAXX-Digital-DAM-DIT-Cart.jpg
 
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.
 
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.

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.
 
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Sonnet has announced a 4U rackmount enclosure and expansion chassis for the new Mac Pro, allowing users to horizontally mount their Mac Pro in a standard data center rack with PCIe expansion capabilities.

The xMac Pro Server includes three PCIe single-width expansion slots, with room for one double-width and one single-width card, Thunderbolt 2 compatibility, and a mounting kit for additional storage or optical drives. On the back, the rack includes three USB 3.0 ports, two Gigabit Ethernet ports, and an HDMI port, with a single USB 3.0 port on the front. It includes a 300W power supply and a 75W PCIe power connector for supplemental power to certain power-hungry PCIe cards.

Article Link: Sonnet Announces Mac Pro 4U Rackmount Enclosure and Expansion Chassis

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.
 
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.

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!
 
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.

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 '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.
 
Can't help but wonder what effect the horizontal configuration of the nMP will have on thermal control. It seems to me optimal cooling comes in the vertical position. I wonder if buyers of this rack will have heating issues.

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.
 
Sounds......

interesting. Now, they have to deliver it. And deliver it in some REALISTIC time frame.....:eek:


:):apple:
 
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.

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?
 
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