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The $7000 Question

Santabean2000

Santabean2000

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Nov 20, 2007
1,889
2,053
So, check this... 'my friend' just came into some money and now has $7000 to drop on 'The Ultimate' set up of Apple gear.

What should he buy? (Video and Photo work def. + want to get into home entertainment setup; gaming not a priority)

Suggestions much appreciated, (note - obviously no purchases will be made prior to the 15th).

cheers
 
Well with that kind of money and interests, I'd say Mac Pro for sure, with a big old screen. Perhaps a MB/MBP to be mobile also.
 
Lucky friend! I'd suggest a mac pro and large screen as well. It's upgradeable, so he might not have buyers remorse after next years convention.
 
Purchase memory elsewhere.
 

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KingYaba said:
You're right. I am a Macbook Pro user and the whole "void warranty" thing dominates my thought process when it comes to installing foreign hard drives. I don't know 'bout the Mac Pro and warranty.
Click to expand...

Mac Pro is most certainly user replaceable. They sit on little sliders with no screws in the Mac Pro. As for the MBP, installing a new hard drive was really easy once you get the keyboard off.
 
tkidBOSTON said:
Mac Pro with 30" display and to-be-released ultra portable.
Click to expand...

How can you possibly recommend a product when you don't know the specs or the price?

A mac pro is the obvious answer. With that kind of money and those interests, there's really no other option. If he's doing video work, the upgrade to the 8800 GT is a no-brainer, as is the decision to purchase RAM and hard drives from 3rd party vendors.

The processor upgrade is a harder question. With a $7k budget he can afford whatever he wants, but just because he can doesn't mean it's a good use of the money. The way I see it, the 8 core at 2.8 Ghz is the sweet spot. $800 for each 200 mhz increase beyond that is not a good price/performance ratio.

So in his position, I would order the 8 core 2.8 Ghz with the 8800 GT, and stock RAM and hard drives, along with a 30" display. Throw in applecare and wireless and you're at $5097 before tax. That leaves him $2k to spend on RAM and hard drives, and probably have some money left over.
 
If he isn't bound to having all Apple I would recommend the Dell 3008WFP, which has a newer IPS panel and is more versatile in terms of inputs.
 
KingYaba said:
You're right. I am a Macbook Pro user and the whole "void warranty" thing dominates my thought process when it comes to installing foreign hard drives. I don't know 'bout the Mac Pro and warranty.
Click to expand...

You can get a 3rd party notebook hard drive installed into a MB / MB Pro without voiding your warranty, it just has to be done by an Apple Service Provider and of course if the drive fails then your warranty for that drive doesn't have anything to do with Apple. As for a Mac Pro, you can install the drives yourself as it's meant to be easy for users to do, however if you fudge anything up then your warranty is void.

As for the guys question above, buy what meets your needs and put the rest of the money towards an investment.
 
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