My macbook, which has similar (but not quite as good now) specs to the mini and it runs like a charm, just make sure you feed it with 4gig of RAM otherwise you may be a little disappointed, and a faster HD if you can.
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Whats keeping you from getting a new Mac Pro?
- Thread starter illegalprelude
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My macbook, which has similar (but not quite as good now) specs to the mini and it runs like a charm, just make sure you feed it with 4gig of RAM otherwise you may be a little disappointed, and a faster HD if you can.
More than happy with my early 2008 Mac Pro. Until the software I use (Audio) goes through 2-3 more upgrade cycles, there'll be no compelling reason to look at an upgrade.
voyagerd
macrumors 65816
that's a good idea, but I need somewhere to put the 4 hard drives from my G5...
I'm not sure. I cross check the Hong Kong web site with the Aus one all the time. Currently, the Mac Pro is cheaper (with business discount) in Hong kong than in Aus - yet the iphone Touch or time capsule (for eg) (with same discount), is not. Some things are cheaper here, and some things are cheaper there. Weird.
Would the Mini handle Photoshop CS4 well - given the way you've put in the faster HD and maxed the ram? Could you go as much as using a 30" lcd and still use Photoshop well?
Mike
michaelsviews
macrumors 68000
Not Much is Keeping me
I'm looking for a portable, my MP runs fine, has ACare, 10 gig of Ram, and more than enough HD space & the 2 Dell 2209WA displays. Dual boot into Winblows so I can play a game or so with my son. And am currently shopping for CS4 Web Premium at a decent price.
I do miss my MBP but it looks like my son has grown accustomed too it and he's buying it from me
I'm looking for a portable, my MP runs fine, has ACare, 10 gig of Ram, and more than enough HD space & the 2 Dell 2209WA displays. Dual boot into Winblows so I can play a game or so with my son. And am currently shopping for CS4 Web Premium at a decent price.
I do miss my MBP but it looks like my son has grown accustomed too it and he's buying it from me
Several items...
I am in the market for a new Mac Pro system, and have the money to spend. But, I'd like to buy a whole system from Apple.
I am disappointed that Apple didn't go with Octad 2.4, 2.8, and 3.2s instead of the 2.26, 2.66, 2.93 line-up (but maybe that had to do with chip availability). I would have preferred a 2.8 to a 2.66. But I can live with that. The real problem is NO NEW MONITORS!!! I really don't want to get another 2-year old 30" cinema display--and I want to have applecare cover my display!
So I'm waiting for the display release. Then I'll go with the 2.66 begrudgingly...
I am in the market for a new Mac Pro system, and have the money to spend. But, I'd like to buy a whole system from Apple.
I am disappointed that Apple didn't go with Octad 2.4, 2.8, and 3.2s instead of the 2.26, 2.66, 2.93 line-up (but maybe that had to do with chip availability). I would have preferred a 2.8 to a 2.66. But I can live with that. The real problem is NO NEW MONITORS!!! I really don't want to get another 2-year old 30" cinema display--and I want to have applecare cover my display!
So I'm waiting for the display release. Then I'll go with the 2.66 begrudgingly...
Idk...
I'm in the market for a MP, but I'm not sure getting the latest one is really worth it.
I'm a graphic designer and I do freelance work from my home. I'm currently using a dual 1Ghz G4 MDD machine running 10.3, and CS2. It's really solid and I can do pretty much everything I need to with no fuss.
My main issue is that I need to be running a newer OS and I'll be getting CS4 soon, so my old system likely won't cut it anymore. I've kind of been out of the Apple hardware loop since the switch to Intel, so I'm not sure what the best bang for my buck is.
As you can tell, I tend to keep a machine around for a long time before upgrading. That way, they pay for themselves, especially if you're doing what I do.
IDK, maybe I'll just max out the RAM, install 10.4 and hold on to my dollars for now...
I'm in the market for a MP, but I'm not sure getting the latest one is really worth it.
I'm a graphic designer and I do freelance work from my home. I'm currently using a dual 1Ghz G4 MDD machine running 10.3, and CS2. It's really solid and I can do pretty much everything I need to with no fuss.
My main issue is that I need to be running a newer OS and I'll be getting CS4 soon, so my old system likely won't cut it anymore. I've kind of been out of the Apple hardware loop since the switch to Intel, so I'm not sure what the best bang for my buck is.
As you can tell, I tend to keep a machine around for a long time before upgrading. That way, they pay for themselves, especially if you're doing what I do.
IDK, maybe I'll just max out the RAM, install 10.4 and hold on to my dollars for now...
I can't imagine any reason why you wouldn't update to any MacPro model with a machine at least 1/12 as fast as current systems. Seriously.
Cinebench 2002 dual 1.0 VS 2009 octo 2.93 ($5899 over 7 years = $842 per year or 1 pick-up's tank of gas per month):
Single: 672 - 4074 (6X faster)
Multi: 1170 - 25644 (22X faster)
VS 2009 quad 2.66 ($2499 over 7 years = $357 per year or 1 McD's trio per week):
Single: 3572 (5.3X faster)
Multi: 14753 (12.6X faster)
Even a 2008 iMac is 6 times as fast for about $1500 now. Unless the graphics you design are 256 color 32X32 icons...
jmpage2
macrumors 68040
You have a pickup that gets 2mpg?
The average person drives about 15000 miles per year. The average truck gets 15mpg.
1000 gallons of gas per year.
~80 gallons of gas per month.
Gas doesn't cost $10 or more per gallon last that I checked.
I do 99% print work, so it's all big, 300dpi Photoshop files, lots of vector stuff in AI and InDesign, etc.
I know the newer machines are faster, but I use one at my ad agency day job and the only thing that really feels slower on my home machine is working with super complex vector illustrations. Outside that, the majority of the stuff is about the same. My g4 feels about the same when it comes to launching apps, turning fonts on and off, etc.
Benchmarks are one thing, and that's all fine and good, but real work is what counts for me. I never use my computer for games or anything, so if I'm just as productive with my older machine, the only reason to upgrade hardware is so I can run the newer software, no?
Of course, it's well past time to upgrade my OS and get CS4, so what I really need to know is if the brand new MP is any better than the previous generation. Kind of seems like it's not that great a bang for the buck. I'm thinking I'll probably get an '08 MP and be happy for another 7 years.
1000 / 842 = .842 cents per gallon. I don't know US gas prices, but up here in snow land it's about 85 cents a liter. I'm guessing it's 1.50 or something for you guys.
Like I said... $842 per year, or paying for 1 truck's tank of gas every month($70.66). FYI in 7 years (84 months) that's $5894, or the price of an octo 2.93. Where is the confusion? Did you think I was talking about ordering $357 worth of McD's per week?
Of course the new machines are faster. If they weren't, why would they have been developed in the first place? As is usually the case with newer technology, the close you get to the limit the less of a "bang for the buck" you get. Probably the best bang for the buck you will ever get is buying 1 or 2 year old technology. Any older and it's no better than buying a $3M mansion on top of a volcano that's going to erupt in 5 minutes for 1 dollar. Sure you got the mansion cheap, but what was the point?
peskaa
macrumors 68020
I have an '08 Mac Pro which works perfectly fine, with power to spare. The new '09 machines are nice, but not nice enough - I won't upgrade for another one or two cycles.
I will be pulling a new 4870 and 120 to go in my 2008 machine, as I do want increased graphical power.
Plus, I want Blu Ray.
I will be pulling a new 4870 and 120 to go in my 2008 machine, as I do want increased graphical power.
Plus, I want Blu Ray.
sigmadog
macrumors 6502a
You and I are in very similar situations. I have my graphic design biz (work from home - just me, the missus, and the dog) where most of my work is in CS4, and of that, I'd say 80% is in Illustrator and heavily layered Photoshop files. My G5 Dual has some difficulty working with really large vector files, and I get fairly noticeable slowdowns which is a bit frustrating. I do a little bit of 3D work also, for which I want as many cores as I can get, and more and more I've been getting into illustrating in Painter X, which also chokes on large files.
Like you, I'm planning on keeping my Mac Pro for a long time. I'm shooting for eight years, but I'll be very pleased if it makes it six.
I can understand going for the 2008 Pros instead of the 2009's. The 2.8 seems equivalent in many respects (judging from early benchmarks) to the 2.26, and it's cheaper. That's a very attractive combination.
I will probably go the other way, and get the new 2.26. Not for any real rational reason, other than a general inclination towards newer technology on the rare occasions when I buy.
But I'm not going to make the purchase until I hear some real-world reviews of the new systems. I have a fundamental distrust of small sample sizes, which make up all these early benchmarks (plus, the numbers mean little to me other than in a general "thumbnail rough on a napkin" sort of way).
JimGoshorn
macrumors 6502
From what I have read, Painter doesn't take advantage of any more memory than 4gb since it is a 32 bit application. Corel knows that users want 64 bit and multi-processor support but who knows when that will come to pass.
sigmadog
macrumors 6502a
Thanks for the info. I didn't know that.
I think a lot of us are waiting/hoping that our software catches up to our computers in the next couple years.
I said "better," not "faster" 🙂 For me, the price is just as much an issue (if not more) than speed. The difference in price vs. the difference in performance between the 08 and 09 MP doesn't seem to add up. I think the 08 is right for me.
You're right about going too old, though. I'm not going to go buy a PPC g5 or anything crazy like that. Might as well do nothing.
BluRay=meh. I'll continue watching TV on my cathode fossil and movies on my DVD/VCR(!). I've seen BluRay and it's nice, but it's like having diamond trim on your car's interior. Really no point, IMO. I'm not trying to build a movie theater in my house or compete with salivating gadget junkies for cool points.
Sigmadog, I kind of think there's no getting around huge vector files being relatively slow, but hopefully an 08 MP will be better than my g4. It has to be. I do most of my illustrating on paper, scan, then refine in Illustrator. Those are usually simple shapes with just a few colors (logos, stuff for screen-print and letterpress, etc). It's stuff like converting images with halftone dots to 1-color line art, auto-traced photos and the like that bog me down. I haven't used a Corel product since 1998. I don't know how they are now, but back then it was pure torture. Of course, I was on a PC.
About the bluray thing, I have to disagree. Have you ever seen a sony bravia xbr series connected to a 1080p bluray movie!?! Its jaw droppingly gorgeous!
I'm thinking about buying a Mac Pro and move the mac mini over to my bravia xbr6 to watch bluray mkv 1080p movies.
Yeah, it's very pretty, but it's not like I can't see/hear what's going on when I watch a DVD. It's a nice luxury. It's not cruicial to the story. Besides, if I really want to watch a BluRay movie, I'll just go to my friend's house.
I'll still be able to work just as well on my computer without a BluRay drive. It's not going to make me any money, win me any work or even give me any inspiration I couldn't get from a less-expensive format.
What's keeping me is my ego. While I would love to get the new 2.66 8 Core, I just don't think I need it. I think I'm going to go for a fully kitted '09 Quad. Then, in 4 years I won't feel so bad when I want to upgrade, rather than forcing myself to make the 8 Core last longer just because I paid more money for it (but not used it to it's full potential). I think, for me, replacing a well used lower model rig every 4 years will be better than replacing a poorly utilised high end rig every 6.
Oh, and 30" ACD refresh.
Oh, and 30" ACD refresh.
whats keeping me ?
Final Cut Studio 3 + Snow Leopard and Free Ipod during back to school promo.
Final Cut Studio 3 + Snow Leopard and Free Ipod during back to school promo.
apple singapore! that's what's keeping me from getting a new mac pro!
they're still unable to ship these shiny new boxes because of pending approval from a local govt body (some safety org or something??)... anyway, they should have foreseen this, damn you apple sg! i've waited mos for a new mac pro and you obviously want to keep me waiting some more hehe
they're still unable to ship these shiny new boxes because of pending approval from a local govt body (some safety org or something??)... anyway, they should have foreseen this, damn you apple sg! i've waited mos for a new mac pro and you obviously want to keep me waiting some more hehe
Well something else that's gonna keep me from the new mac pro, beside any other Price/Performance issues I may of had, is the fact that Pro Tools doesn't work on them, and I'm still waiting to find out how Logic Pro performs.
I wish I'd have picked up an octo 2.8 earlier on in the year now 🙁
I wish I'd have picked up an octo 2.8 earlier on in the year now 🙁