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Why are Mac Pros SO Heavy?

P

pkarl

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 25, 2012
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Hi guys, I'm a recent PC to Mac convert. Here at work I'm now supporting iMacs, Mac Book Pro laptops and Mac Pro towers. I have what is probably an easy to answer question for a long time Mac fan. I am curious as to what Apple's mindset was when developing the Mac Pro tower computer. Why aluminum? And why is it so darn heavy? Is it simply for asthetics, or is there something else that I'm missing. I had to deploy 24 of these a few weeks ago and going up a flight or two of stairs really took it out of me by the end of the day. So, does anyone know, truthfully, why they are so heavy and why aluminum as the choice of construction material? (Yeah, I know, steel or lead would have mad them even heavier...hahaha)

Newbie Mac Tech
 
pkarl said:
Hi guys, I'm a recent PC to Mac convert. Here at work I'm now supporting iMacs, Mac Book Pro laptops and Mac Pro towers. I have what is probably an easy to answer question for a long time Mac fan. I am curious as to what Apple's mindset was when developing the Mac Pro tower computer. Why aluminum? And why is it so darn heavy? Is it simply for asthetics, or is there something else that I'm missing. I had to deploy 24 of these a few weeks ago and going up a flight or two of stairs really took it out of me by the end of the day. So, does anyone know, truthfully, why they are so heavy and why aluminum as the choice of construction material? (Yeah, I know, steel or lead would have mad them even heavier...hahaha)

Newbie Mac Tech
Click to expand...

Because Aluminum was the best available material that is better than the plastic and stamped crap PCs come with. I don't mind the weight. It is very solid, and very well built.
 
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There isn't much incentive to make them light. They don't typically get moved often, and making them lighter while maintaining the quality and durability they're known for would add cost. It's just like the cliché saying goes; durable, light, cheap — pick two.

The aluminum is thick, but moreover there's two pretty major internal structures that most tower cases don't have — the "shelf" running above the hard drives, and the isolation frame around the processors. It'd be lighter if those were plastic — at the same or less cost — but that's a durability sacrifice. As you're probably aware, internal structures in most tower cases are thin stamped steel or, mostly these days, plastic. There's a few other irregular design choices that add weight; external aluminum lids over the power supply and 5.25" bays and a processor that lives on a daughtercard (with an aluminum tray under it) are both atypical for tower computers these days, but both make the computer nicer to work on, IMHO.

That said, I find that the bigger impediment to their convenience is the sharp-ass handles. Those of you who remember G3s and G4s will recall that, despite their not-dissimilar weight, they were pretty comfy to lug around.
 
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Pphft.

Everyone knows it's not the computer that's heavier- it's your data. Because the Mac Pro has up to four disk drives, you can store four times as much data on it. Thus making the computer really heavy.

What, you didn't actually think that data doesn't weigh anything, did you?

-SC
 
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Well, the case started life as being massive and metal like and full of holes, because it had to act like a massive heat dissapator for those pesky G5 processors.

It just happened to be awesome, and they kept it.
 
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Personally, I do not trust workstations that are light.

I would like to see a Mac Pro made of gold, gold is over 8x denser than aluminium.
 
kaputsport said:
Because Aluminum was the best available material that is better than the plastic and stamped crap PCs come with. I don't mind the weight. It is very solid, and very well built.
Click to expand...

Actually at the workstation level aluminum is quite common. Regardless of what they use though, if you're buying a similar hardware class to the mac pro, it isn't typically built like a consumer PC.
 
ScottishCaptain said:
Pphft.

Everyone knows it's not the computer that's heavier- it's your data. Because the Mac Pro has up to four disk drives, you can store four times as much data on it. Thus making the computer really heavy.

What, you didn't actually think that data doesn't weigh anything, did you?

-SC
Click to expand...

Isn't another variable the number of bits are that 0 or 1?

Zero bits weigh less, right?

So I'd recommend making sure that all bits are 0 before picking the Mac Pro up. True, setting all bits to 0 can take a long time. But going up the stairs will be quicker, and easier.
 
I'm 85 kilos and frequently use mine to stand on when I need to reach something from a high shelf. You can'd do that with many other machines.
 
I use my old g5 case as a drum stool. Its handles perfectly fit my buttocks between them. And I would be considered "over weight" (which makes no sense because I'm smaller than the average American.) So its pretty strong.

I do miss the b&w g3 and g4 handles. But they weren't as sleek as the sharp g5/Mac pro ones. Just be happy its not an eMac. Nothing to grab only and it weighed almost 70 pounds.

keboard said:
For a laptop of its size, the 17' MacBook Pro is remarkably thin and light.
Click to expand...

He is talking about the Mac Pro. The desktop tower. Not the MacBook Pro the laptop.
 
All similar workstation class machines weight about the same.

My Dell 690 (Pretty much a Mac Pro 1,1) comes in at just over 25kg/55lbs - which is even more than the MP.
 
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OP. it took you all day to move 25 mac pros up one or two flights of stairs and even then it exhausted you. What old are you? In yours teens or twenties i assume, given the average demographic here.

I don't the weight of the MP is the problem.
 
biohead said:
All similar workstation class machines weight about the same.

My Dell 690 (Pretty much a Mac Pro 1,1) comes in at just over 25kg/55lbs - which is even more than the MP.
Click to expand...

True. In addition, the Mac Pro outclasses any other desktop workstation I have ever used since the original IBM PC in terms of form, function and durability. Basically, it is so heavy because it is built so well. If only Apple would pay as much attention to keeping the Pro up to speed with state of the art technology.
 
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VanneDC said:
actually quite light compared to my Dual 600 R14K SGI Octane, with V10 Graphics.
very light indeed.
Click to expand...

Actually, the Octane2 and the Mac Pro are quite similar concerning their weight. But while the Mac Pro looks like a truck, the Octane2 has the looks of a hot rod. :D
 
ScottishCaptain said:
Pphft.

Everyone knows it's not the computer that's heavier- it's your data. Because the Mac Pro has up to four disk drives, you can store four times as much data on it. Thus making the computer really heavy.

What, you didn't actually think that data doesn't weigh anything, did you?

-SC
Click to expand...

But what if I use iCloud? will the mac become lighter?
 
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