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What do you use your Mac Pro for?!
- Thread starter Adamo
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I have been thinking about getting a Mac Pro, with my parents loaning me some $, I will use it for editing videos and encoding them.
Ask anybody who uses a Mac Pro, it blows them away in speed (the 2.66 model, not even mentioning the 3 ghz and the 3 ghz OCTO)
The fastest Mac I have ever used was a Dual 2.3 G5. Now imagine a Mac Pro with 4 processors!
Lots of horsepower in a Mac Pro to go around. The expandability is crazy, being able to expand just about every part.
This new MacBook Pro update has got my mind in a bit of a twist but I'm sure I'll end up with a Mac Pro.
Ask anybody who uses a Mac Pro, it blows them away in speed (the 2.66 model, not even mentioning the 3 ghz and the 3 ghz OCTO)
The fastest Mac I have ever used was a Dual 2.3 G5. Now imagine a Mac Pro with 4 processors!
Lots of horsepower in a Mac Pro to go around. The expandability is crazy, being able to expand just about every part.
This new MacBook Pro update has got my mind in a bit of a twist but I'm sure I'll end up with a Mac Pro.
well it makes sense with the update to the MBP (2GB of ram standard, new video card, high def 17" monitor) that there is going to be at least a slight if not substantial upgrade to the Mac Pro. I mean it still has the same video card that it had when it was released. That with the comment about "emphasis on desktops" at WWDC it seems very likely. Then again maybe it's all in my head seeing as I am planning on buying a 2.66ghz Mac Pro and 23" ACD asap.
It's not necessarily the power people need/want. Sometimes its for expandability. I have a triple monitor setup on an Ergotron monitor stand left over from when I migrated away from a Dell/Windows box. The only way I could continue to use those 3 monitors was with a Mac Pro. If I didn't have that requirement, i would have gone with a 20" iMac.
All that power, what the heck could you use it for?!
I'm very interested to hear what it is you all do with them, so yes, please let me know.In a way, it'll justify what I end up purchasing.
I use mine for statistical analysis (Stata/MP, SAS under XP). I do the usual word processing, spreadsheet, etc. stuff, and just got a new SLR, so will be doing some photo editing. Compress a bit of video every once and a while.
cheers.
All that power, what the heck could you use it for?!
I'm very interested to hear what it is you all do with them, so yes, please let me know.
Final Cut Studio. That is the only thing that really taxes my computer, although when I am converting a ton of audio files I can max out all my CPU cores.
Then the rest is just the standard web browsing, music, word processing and the odd bit of 3D graphics (at least learning how to do it).
I do a bucket load of video editing... on my last geration PB G4
I'm over it. With the amount of video crunching I've been doing, and the more i get into MOTION... the more this current computer is just upsetting... having to wait for a render everytime I make the slightest change because it is not optimized for Real Time processing, and the time it takes to compress video...
Im getting a top end mac pro as soon as wwdc comes around. and I am soooo excited.
But most importantly, I think in the next couple of years that computer video access and the living room media hub (things like itv)... will be getting so married, that having a kick ass machine will keep you capable of managing the web and its contents as it becomes media-centric. Just watch prime time tv for a couple of hours now and you'll notice how many ads contain some kind of referrence to special web media content. The whole thing is headed in that direction.
Just some thoughts...
I'm over it. With the amount of video crunching I've been doing, and the more i get into MOTION... the more this current computer is just upsetting... having to wait for a render everytime I make the slightest change because it is not optimized for Real Time processing, and the time it takes to compress video...
Im getting a top end mac pro as soon as wwdc comes around. and I am soooo excited.
But most importantly, I think in the next couple of years that computer video access and the living room media hub (things like itv)... will be getting so married, that having a kick ass machine will keep you capable of managing the web and its contents as it becomes media-centric. Just watch prime time tv for a couple of hours now and you'll notice how many ads contain some kind of referrence to special web media content. The whole thing is headed in that direction.
Just some thoughts...
It's my home computer, I do things most other people do I guess. Yes surf and email but also messing with video, images and sound when necessary - I'm not really using all the power but all standard computer tasks are done with a minumum of delay and that's why I bought it.
Biggest diffrence with a "normal" computer is that I can massively parallel multi-taks without any delays and run SETI 24/24 on all four cores and get an impressive credit out.
It makes life a lot easier having such a fast computer.
Biggest diffrence with a "normal" computer is that I can massively parallel multi-taks without any delays and run SETI 24/24 on all four cores and get an impressive credit out.
It makes life a lot easier having such a fast computer.
I am too. My "conspiracy" theory is that Apple released the updated MacBookPros today so that would be one less thing to talk about at WWDC, and give Steve plenty of time to talk about how he's re-vamped the Mac Pro and given us better and up-to-date video card options.
At least I hope so.
I'm getting one because my Powerbook struggles to keep up with me when I'm working on my music in Garageband or Logic. I want to be able to run all of my tracks, with as many effects as I want, without having to lock every track except the one I'm working on at the time.
Good theory, guess we'll have to wait and see though.
Steve is going to dedicate a lot of time to introducing a Full-Featured Leopard. We will be shocked at WWDC and I can't wait for it to happen.
The usual...
Monte Carlo and Bloch simulations of changing magnetic field induced eddy currents.
Noise simulations of diffusion tensor invariants.
Tensor field image processing and visualization.
Cardiac structure-function kinematic modeling.
Magnetic resonance image reconstruction.
Oh, and browsing MR ForumSpy with wicked refresh rates.
Monte Carlo and Bloch simulations of changing magnetic field induced eddy currents.
Noise simulations of diffusion tensor invariants.
Tensor field image processing and visualization.
Cardiac structure-function kinematic modeling.
Magnetic resonance image reconstruction.
Oh, and browsing MR ForumSpy with wicked refresh rates.
Well to answer those who repsonded. It is a DEVELOPERS CONFERENCE, and they buy these machines, so...
Anyhow, the MBP has 2GB stock and an 8xxx series card stock. I see at the very least that coming to the Mac Pro. Maybe 500GB stock as well with an option for 1TB disks.
Maybe that Stoakely-Seaburg update since we now have Santa Rosa in the MBP.
If it doesn't happen Monday then I would say sometime this week or next Tuesday. It is a rather stale product and the 3.0Ghz quad really wasn't an upgrade as you all know. They could make some improvements and I think it is time.
Anyhow, the MBP has 2GB stock and an 8xxx series card stock. I see at the very least that coming to the Mac Pro. Maybe 500GB stock as well with an option for 1TB disks.
Maybe that Stoakely-Seaburg update since we now have Santa Rosa in the MBP.
If it doesn't happen Monday then I would say sometime this week or next Tuesday. It is a rather stale product and the 3.0Ghz quad really wasn't an upgrade as you all know. They could make some improvements and I think it is time.
I think the next revision of the Mac Pro may be nothing more than new pricing for the processors and new high end GPU options. 2900XT or perhaps 8800GTX, maybe they'd also offer 8800GTS as another way to go, or the sole choice (yuck). Then 4600 or maybe 5600 quadro cards (based on the nvidia 8 series), but dailytechs numbers showed the 2900XT bested them on benchmarks. The 7300GT is a pretty ideal base card for the MP, those who don't need 3d graphics performance don't need DX10 cards, the 7300GT is low power and low heat which is why it was chosen.
Also I wouldn't expect anything other than a 250GB drive as standard, I just don't think 500GB as standard is best catering to the customer base. As for the memory being standard at 2GB, well it would be nice and FB-DIMMs have dropped to a price that would allow it. Though if Apple can get a better deal on 512mb expect it to still be in that form, which would be kind of sucky.
The stoakley platform looks like it won't be released until later in the year, maybe before penryn Xeon's, but maybe not. There still is little information on when either will be comming.
All that power, what the heck could you use it for?!
I'm very interested to hear what it is you all do with them, so yes, please let me know.
Well I don't have a Mac Pro yet but I am planning to get one for the wife to use for her semi-professional photography business.
Mainly she uses CS3 and the old windows machine just isn't going to cut it any longer.
I plan to get the 2.66 quad, 4gb, and 4 500GB hard drives (3 in a RAID 0 scratch disk).
I haven't looked too much into the stoakley stuff, i know there was a huge thread launched by multimedia about it and I figured it would be coming sooner than what you say. I will have to look into it, but thats why i said maybe for that.
I think an 8 series card makes sense, even though the 7300 is a good bottom of the line, it isn't anymore. I think the MBP update acknowledges that, a low end 8 series, and top end 8 series of HD2xxx series, and a Quadro would be a good line up and would be keeping with the times.
The standard now is 250GB, which I think was bumped not too long ago (with the Quad update I think.) 250 is good, but 500 would be nice especially with 1TB making its way into the foray. Any upgrade IMO is catering to the customer base. If i can get 500 for the same as 250 that is good.
512MB in general is on its way out. Soon it will cost more to use since it won't have the supply. Take a lot at OWC pricing:
2GB in 512MB modules is: $289
2GB in 1GB modules is: $189
$100 difference, that is pretty significant. When you get to 4GB it is even worse with a $250 difference between 512MB stick and 2GB sticks. That is hug!
Anyhow, soon or even now, it will cost Apple more to use those 512 stick regardless of any special pricing they may or may not get. 2GB is coming. I stand by that statement.
I am not trying to argue, but I think what I am saying makes sense (of course this is Apple we are talking about). I just can't buy today with the price drops and MBP upgrades in my mind. If they don't update next week, I am holding out until they do, because I think I will get:
Better CPUs
More RAM
Better Video
Maybe:
More HD stock
Better mobo