which mac pro for me

[jondunford]

i don't really know if i should go for the quad core or 6 core model. i will be upgrading the graphics in either model so this isn't a benefit of the 6 core in my case.

i will be using this machine for gaming and Facebook etc

 

[Celedral]

Get any low end 4,1 Mac Pro then flash it to 5,1. Then you can put a faster quad or hexacore. If money is not an issue you can opt for the upcoming quad Mac pros with a BTO d500 or d700 if your wallet allows for it.

 

[costabunny]

I hate to sound like a pooper - but why a Mac Pro? If games, facebook etc are your thing then perhaps an iMac with 780 would be better? Just thinking for those uses the iMac is more practical (esp with that awesome 27" screen).

but if a nMP is your way; then the quad is likely to be enough.

Personally I game on a hex (but most games don't stress the hex, only when I am transcoding and photoshopping does it come to play).

And in terms of graphics the 5770 I have is sufficient so I will imaging the 780 or base nMP gfx will be plenty.

or there is the option of getting a 2009-2012 MP and fit a 780 or 770.

edit - I am guessing you actually mean an existing mac pro and not the nMP...

 

[jondunford]

why a Mac Pro? If games, facebook etc are your thing then perhaps an iMac with 780 would be better? Just thinking for those uses the iMac is more practical (esp with that awesome 27" screen).

i would like something that will last ,that can be upgraded (hoping for new display from apple also )


and thanks both for help

 

[mcnallym]

The way Apple appear to be going with the dual GPU is one card does display and one card does OpenCL, we cannot even guarantee that will be able to crossfire in Bootcamp, and if running Windows then why bother with the Mac Pro, and not just build a Gaming PC.

Also I wouldn't guarantee that you will be able upgrade at a later date the GPU cards with the nMP, so I wouldn't buy an nMP on the basis of being able to replace parts in it in the future.

 

[jondunford]

The way Apple appear to be going with the dual GPU is one card does display and one card does OpenCL, we cannot even guarantee that will be able to crossfire in Bootcamp, and if running Windows then why bother with the Mac Pro, and not just build a Gaming PC.

Also I wouldn't guarantee that you will be able upgrade at a later date the GPU cards with the nMP, so I wouldn't buy an nMP on the basis of being able to replace parts in it in the future.

im not running windows all the (non console) games i play work on mac

but i take your point about assuming with the graphics cards, thanks

 

[NOTNlCE]

im not running windows all the (non console) games i play work on mac

but i take your point about assuming with the graphics cards, thanks

Have you looked into a Hackintosh? These are not for everyone (or even many, for that matter) but I have an i5-3570K Hackintosh, running fully functional OS X, and it beats the pants off my 3,1 Mac Pro while gaming under OS X. Games are usually single threaded, so Core series CPUs are going to perform better with their Turbo Boost.

 

[ActionableMango]

i don't really know if i should go for the quad core or 6 core model. i will be upgrading the graphics in either model so this isn't a benefit of the 6 core in my case.

i will be using this machine for gaming and Facebook etc

Get the fastest quad core you can get. Extra cores will not help these purposes at all.

Also slot in a fast GPU if you have the budget. I use a GTX680, but there are better cards now.

 

[apolloa]

i don't really know if i should go for the quad core or 6 core model. i will be upgrading the graphics in either model so this isn't a benefit of the 6 core in my case.

i will be using this machine for gaming and Facebook etc

If your talking a brand new, new model Mac Pro:

Best thing to do mate is look at what gaming PC's use, quad or hex, but you should get the fastest one you can as I don't think it'll be easy to overclock a Mac Pro CPU? Memory is fine with 12GB standard, not sure how the GPU's compare for gaming, I guess it depends on if you can make then run together for a game in some sort of Crossfire mode?

Maybe some clever peeps will work out how to flash the Apple FirePro cards to the gaming equivaents?