wait for next mac pro?

[DZL]

hey all -

i'm a 3D animator and video editor, and i've recently decided to switch from pc to mac. i have, on order (not yet shipped) this:

mac pro

but, after reading up on some threads here, i've re-thunk (is that a word?) my decision - i've heard the actual hardware in the machine is a year old, and apple is going to upgrade in the near future...

so the million dollar question is, should i wait?

thanks,

matt

 

[iBookG4user]

hey all -

i'm a 3D animator and video editor, and i've recently decided to switch from pc to mac. i have, on order (not yet shipped) this:

mac pro

but, after reading up on some threads here, i've re-thunk (is that a word?) my decision - i've heard the actual hardware in the machine is a year old, and apple is going to upgrade in the near future...

so the million dollar question is, should i wait?

thanks,

matt

Can you afford to wait? There are new processors scheduled to come out in Q3 of this year, but if you can't afford to wait, then buy now.

 

[DZL]

how far into Q3 are we talking here?

right now i have an ancient PC - my patience is wearing thin... but, if it's only a month or so, i can probably wait...

thanks,

matt

 

[Wild-Bill]

July 22nd Intel is dropping prices by a considerable amount on all of its processors. Many believe we will see an update shortly after that. Apple will then have the ability to beef up the standard configurations and still keep their high margins. Also, FBDIMM prices have fallen since the Mac Pro came out last August. This could mean perhaps 2 gigs as standard in the base config (pure speculation though). They could also go 8-core all around and dump the quad core configs as a result of the price drops. (again, speculation, but we are talking about 8-core chips costing the same as the current quad cores, come July 22nd)

The video card offerings are indeed old. I don't know when the base nVidia 7300GT came out, but the ATi x1900XT was released in Jaunary of 2006. Apple has gone almost a year without updating the Mac Pro, and as a few other posters have pointed out, the addition in April of quad-core processors was not an update, just another option.

If you can wait until the end of the month, I say do it. No sense paying 2006 prices for 2006 hardware. There are quite a few of us waiting, so you wouldn't be alone.

 

[iBookG4user]

how far into Q3 are we talking here?

right now i have an ancient PC - my patience is wearing thin... but, if it's only a month or so, i can probably wait...

thanks,

matt

Intel doesn't give an exact date other than the second half of 2007, but here is the article.

 

[swordfish5736]

I'm holding out till end of july or mid august hoping for an update.

 

[DZL]

thanks!

thanks a bunch, guys...

end of july/august might be doable... but i prob only have a day or so to cancel.

this is a tough one!!

matt

 

[Pangolin]

So did you decide to wait or take the plunge? I'm in the same position and it's a hard call. I need the accelerated editing power to render motion graphics, etc., but don't want to buy last year's tech @ last year's prices.

 

[cube]

I am waiting for PCIe 2.0, with Seaburg.

 

[suneohair]

I think I am going to pick up a G4 to tide me over til the next Mac Pro comes. Looking at a dual 450 right now. As long as I have a computer I am fine. I can use load up all my PPC software on it too like CS2, Office etc.

When the Mac Pro comes I can use it as my school box/media server

 

[Sean Dempsey]

I say wait at least until January. That way, you'll know for sure that the new hardware is out and tested by people who bought it brand new, and Leopard will be out and have a few updates on it already.

if you are a serious video editor and will need this machine to work flawlessly, don't buy the FIRST rollout of the Mac Pro v.2. It will have newer, faster hardware, but it won't be tested by thousands and thousands of real world users like the Mac Pro v.1. Plus, you don't want to buy it bundled with Leopard, and find out there are application incompatibilities or other such errors.

I was like you, I bought a Mac Pro the day they came out in 2006, but then canceled the order and waited a year. Now, I have a Mac Pro v.1 I bought last week, and it's been running fine. It arrived with all the latest firmware and driver/software updates, with Tiger fully updated, and I have 1 years worth of forums and real life users who "tested" it out for me and discovered problems or concerns with this new machine.

So, if you are going to wait for Mac Pro v.2 and Leopard, I'd go until January. You'll see price drops after christmas, plus all the people who had to get it "right then" on day 1 will have done extensive real world testing. Then you'll know for sure that it's good.

 

[davewolfs]

I read this article that says that FB-DIMMS are have a large impact on memory performance:

http://www.anandtech.com/mac/showdoc.aspx?i=2816&p=11

I've also read that intel is dropping this technology. Any rumors on Apple moving to some sort of new Platform for memory?

 

[Sean Dempsey]

I read this article that says that FB-DIMMS are have a large impact on memory performance:

http://www.anandtech.com/mac/showdoc.aspx?i=2816&p=11

I've also read that intel is dropping this technology. Any rumors on Apple moving to some sort of new Platform for memory?

What does that mean in real world applications? That makes it sound like the Mac Pro isn't nearly as fast of a machine as it is billed. There's got to be some information missing.

 

[flappo]

i am DEFINITELY trading in my mac pro 2.66 when they bring one out that is 2 seconds faster on photoshop

ok , it'll cost me £4k

but two seconds , come on !!!!

 

[Cromulent]

What does that mean in real world applications? That makes it sound like the Mac Pro isn't nearly as fast of a machine as it is billed. There's got to be some information missing.

Not much at all unless you are using an application which is extremely memory intensive. It is just another numbers game that has very little bearing on the real world use of the machine. No iMac beats the Mac Pro in any real world task yet that article makes the iMacs and MacBook Pros out to be twice as fast.

 

[davewolfs]

Not much at all unless you are using an application which is extremely memory intensive. It is just another numbers game that has very little bearing on the real world use of the machine. No iMac beats the Mac Pro in any real world task yet that article makes the iMacs and MacBook Pros out to be twice as fast.

Isn't the whole point of using a Mac Pro so that you can run memory intensive applications? i.e. CS3.

Have any comparisons been done between PC's and Macs running Photoshop?

 

[Cromulent]

Isn't the whole point of using a Mac Pro so that you can run memory intensive applications? i.e. CS3.

Have any comparisons been done between PC's and Macs running Photoshop?

I use FCS and have noticed no significant slowdown when using it on the Mac Pro. Maybe there are ways of making the machine faster but without any direct comparisons (i.e Xeons running FBDIMMs and DDR2 RAM) that article is pretty meaningless.

I have also dabbled in 3D graphics and with my use I am pretty satisfied with the speed of the machine. Other users may be in a different position but I guess it is horses for courses. There are always people who need faster machines and I doubt that is going to change any time soon.

 

[DZL]

So did you decide to wait or take the plunge? I'm in the same position and it's a hard call. I need the accelerated editing power to render motion graphics, etc., but don't want to buy last year's tech @ last year's prices.

i did decide to wait - i just put the order on hold. i'm dealing with powermax, and they've been great. i'll wait until the end of august, then figure it out from there...

i'm of the same opinion as you, i don't want to drop $4700 on last year's tech...

DZL.

I say wait at least until January. That way, you'll know for sure that the new hardware is out and tested by people who bought it brand new, and Leopard will be out and have a few updates on it already.

if you are a serious video editor and will need this machine to work flawlessly, don't buy the FIRST rollout of the Mac Pro v.2. It will have newer, faster hardware, but it won't be tested by thousands and thousands of real world users like the Mac Pro v.1. Plus, you don't want to buy it bundled with Leopard, and find out there are application incompatibilities or other such errors.

I was like you, I bought a Mac Pro the day they came out in 2006, but then canceled the order and waited a year. Now, I have a Mac Pro v.1 I bought last week, and it's been running fine. It arrived with all the latest firmware and driver/software updates, with Tiger fully updated, and I have 1 years worth of forums and real life users who "tested" it out for me and discovered problems or concerns with this new machine.

So, if you are going to wait for Mac Pro v.2 and Leopard, I'd go until January. You'll see price drops after christmas, plus all the people who had to get it "right then" on day 1 will have done extensive real world testing. Then you'll know for sure that it's good.

sean, thanks for your thoughts -

january is a long time to wait, but i just did a mild upgrade to my dell (!) - and it should let me squeak by for a while...

how long would you say to wait after the release to buy - say, if v. 2 came out in August - how long after that?

thanks again -

matt

i am DEFINITELY trading in my mac pro 2.66 when they bring one out that is 2 seconds faster on photoshop

ok , it'll cost me £4k

but two seconds , come on !!!!

well, you better make sure your dad is o.k. with that, flappo!

 

[suneohair]

I don't think you need to wait after it is released. The Mac Pros have been essentially flawless since release. I can't see v2 having problems that:

1. Are so bad you can't use the machine
2. Stuff Apple won't fix

When it is released I am buying that day.

 

[Sean Dempsey]

sean, thanks for your thoughts -

january is a long time to wait, but i just did a mild upgrade to my dell (!) - and it should let me squeak by for a while...

how long would you say to wait after the release to buy - say, if v. 2 came out in August - how long after that?

thanks again -

matt

I'd wait 3 months at least. Besides, I'm of the opinion that Mac Pro v.2 won't ship until leopard comes pre-installed. Why ship a new MP with the unspoken addition of "and you can get leopard in just a few weeks", when they can release the Mac Pro v.2 as the "most advanced desktop computer in the world, true 64bit with Leopard!" Why roll out your flagship hardware, and then your flagship software a month later? Both at once and it's like a dropkick to the face of every PC company out there.


Count on it: Mac Pro2 and Leopard will be released at the same time. Either buy a Mac Pro now and be happy, or wait til january. Seriously.

 

[suneohair]

Why wait til January? I won't be. If it is released around Leopard (which I think it will be before that, the Mac Pro is not the flagship that is the iMac), then I will be buying in October. I don't need to wait until January and you haven't given a compelling reason to do so.

I mean, you say you expect it around Leopard then say wait til January!? What!? What is the point of waiting 3 months? There isn't one. The first rev crap is way overblown. Because you know what, if my computer isn't working it will be replaced. And if the replacing is excessive you better believe I am getting freebies for my time.

 

[SDAVE]

Ahhh good to have the Quad 3Ghz
Who cares what the new one has? This thing is a monster. I'll be putting in Leopard as well.

This RAM isssue is pissing me off though, I wish I could dump it and get Apple RAM but it's too much.

 

[suneohair]

Well, enjoy it considering those chips will be half of what they are now. And the chances of me picking up a octo 2.66 in a few months for $2500 is quite high. At the very least the 3.0Ghz quad core machine will be standard.

Have you given OWC a try SDAVE?

 

[DZL]

Leopard?

what is the release date for Leopard?

 

[suneohair]

Late October.

Right now they just say October. But I imagine they will pull an iPhone and push it as far as they can.