About to Take the Plunge

[realph]

So I'm about to take the plunge and purchase a nMP. Still working out the configuration, but I was hoping someone on here could possibly help me with a few questions I had.

I'm coming off the back of a 2008 Mac Pro 2.26GHz 8-Core. Love this computer to bits and if I'm being honest, it really hasn't even begun to start showing its age. It's still super quick and has been my day-to-day machine since I purchased it.

So, why am I upgrading? Well, AppleCare ran out last year and if my previous G5 is anything to go by, things are about to go downhill from here. So I'd rather sell this on now and recoup some money and reduce the cost of my new machine.

I'm a full-time web developer and work from home. I use a bunch of text editors on a daily basis, and Adobe's Creative Suite (primarily Photoshop and Illustrator). I have a lot of tabs open in Chrome at once, and I know my machine might be a tad overpowered for what I do on a daily basis, but I prefer having the power in reserve.

In my leisure I play a lot of games through Steam and use the Mac Pro as my primary Plex Media Server. I might open Final Cut Pro every so often, and that's about it I think!

This nMP isn't as simple an upgrade path as it was when I went from my G5 to my '08 Mac Pro:

1. I'm now having to rethink storage (I currently have all 4-bays in my current Mac Pro occupied with SATA Drives)
   
   
2. I need to think about a new display (most likely a 4K one). The problem is Apple are still yet to put out a Retina/4K Display to accompany the nMP. This reduces my options to third-party displays, most of these lack an iSight Camera and a Microphone meaning an additional cost and more cables *sigh*.

Seems like Thunderbolt 2 drives are the only way around the storage problem. What are some good RAID solutions or enclosures that support Thunderbolt 2 that I can push my current SATA drives into?

Displays. I've seen ASUS, Dell and Sharp ones that seem to held in high regard. But not only are they expensive, but they lack integrated webcam and microphone support. Is it worth waiting for Apple to move on a Retina Cinema Display or is that never going to happen?

Configuration wise, I was thinking of going with the entry nMP. Is this too weak for the cost and is it worth paying the extra £400 for the 6-core version? Will likely upgrade the RAM down the line also.

Is there anything else or any other costs I need to consider.

Sorry for the long post. I appreciate anyone that has read this far down and any help that can be given. Thanks in advance!

 

[iEisberg]

I think you should be totally fine with the entry model judging by your needs.

Nevertheless, having "bang for buck" and occasional gaming you mentioned in mind, i would suggest to get a 6-core with D700s. Ram and SSD can be upgraded later, external storage is something you have to think about independent of the configuration you choose.

 

[ogilloire]

For disks: go for the Pegasus2 R4 'diskless' thunderbolt 2 enclosure that is available on the App Store, that's the perfect solution for your needs: it's empty and you can put your disks in there, and it's plenty fast.

For display I went for the Dell 24" but it is only supported at 30Hz, that would not be an issue from your use, or you can think about the less expensive 28" version, or other brands are good to have a look too, chinese company makes good and cheap panel i don't have the name in mind right now.

 

[realph]

Thanks for the reply guys! Opted for the entry level MP with an April dispatch date.

Thanks for the recommendation on the Pegasus2 also, seems fairly priced. Would have loved to grab a Synology but I don't think any of their enclosures are Thunderbolt 2-ready.

 

[Stephent]

I agree with most of what has been said Go with a D700 and 6 core. If you are going to immediately upgrade the RAM just get the 12GB otherwise bang for buck at 32 is pretty good. A diskless Pegasus2 is your best option drive wise. I would hold off on the 4k display though unless you want to spend 3k on it. The sub 1k displays are all TS and lack the color fidelity you will get from a similarly priced HD IPS display. I'm a video editor who does a lot of color work and even I decide to wait on a 4K display for that and many other reasons.

 

[CH12671]

If it's just a stock quad, you could probably find someone with that in stock, and not have to wait until April

 

[theSeb]

For a display I would think about the upcoming 34" LG ultra wide monitor that has been discussed around here


https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1706833/

 

[ogilloire]

I would hold off on the 4k display though unless you want to spend 3k on it. The sub 1k displays are all TS and lack the color fidelity you will get from a similarly priced HD IPS display. I'm a video editor who does a lot of color work and even I decide to wait on a 4K display for that and many other reasons.

The Dell 2414Q is an IPS display with PremierColor, and is indeed not sub-1k but a tad above.

Still I rather like it and find the viewing angle and color rendition to be good.

 

[rbk123]

I looked at the diskless Pegasus on the Apple store but it states
"Available to ship: 1-2 months"

I don't know what the problem is as the populated version is ready for shipment now?

 

[Stephent]

I looked at the diskless Pegasus on the Apple store but it states
"Available to ship: 1-2 months"

I don't know what the problem is as the populated version is ready for shipment now?

Interesting. Might be that is it more popular than they though I got my R6 soon after I ordered. Then again it will beat your nMP by a month still

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The Dell 2414Q is an IPS display with PremierColor, and is indeed not sub-1k but a tad above.

Still I rather like it and find the viewing angle and color rendition to be good.

Interesting idk that. Only looked at the larger displays. Good to know for future reference.

 

[deconstruct60]

...
Seems like Thunderbolt 2 drives are the only way around the storage problem.

I'm not sure why. If you MP 2008 isn't taxed on disk I/O then TB v1 should work just fine. Just because the MP 2013 has TB v2 sockets doesn't mean that TB v2 peripherals are the only ones that will work.

2-3 SATA SSD would have been throttled by your MP 2008 so more than likely this is just 4 HDDs or perhaps 1 SSD and 3 HDDs. Those mixes don't scream TB v2 is only hope.

One reason the Pegasus 2 may be in limited supply is this herd mentality that it is the "only" TB v2 solution to mimic the internals of older Mac Pro's and that TB v2 is Holy Grail.

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Thanks for the recommendation on the Pegasus2 also, seems fairly priced. Would have loved to grab a Synology but I don't think any of their enclosures are Thunderbolt 2-ready.

Pegasus2 is direct attached storage (DAS ) solution.

Synology makes network attached storage (NAS) solutions.

Generally, the USB ports on a Synology device is so the NAS device can connect to its peripherals( printers , drives). It is not to enable a host system to use the Synology device as an external drive. Access to the data by clients is generally through Ethernet. Hence, a NAS device.


TB doesn't buy much for Synology devices. The expansion cabinets would better with eSATA/SAS or USB 3.x for the price points they are targeted at.

 

[Stephent]

One reason the Pegasus 2 may be in limited supply is this herd mentality that it is the "only" TB v2 solution to mimic the internals of older Mac Pro's and that TB v2 is Holy Grail.

I looked at both TB1 and TB2 options before going with the Pegasus. Mainly looked at the Drobo 5d as a lower price point alternative but decided against it for several reasons. When I talked with Drobo directly they said the 5D wasn't rated to work with 4k and #2 The original pegasus was already about 30% faster than the drobo and the Pegasus2 would be even faster. Plus it is true RAID. It also helps that since Promise works directly w/ Apple I could apply my business discount to the array and finance it out for 18 months.

 

[deconstruct60]

. When I talked with Drobo directly they said the 5D wasn't rated to work with 4k

That makes about zero sense. The Drobo is a storage drive. 4K data is just data. If want to run 4K video via display Port via Thunderbolt through the Drobo to something else ...... then perhaps. There is zero practical need to do that with a Mac Pro 2013. None. There are 6 TB ports on the device and very little reason to "have to" daisy chain any 4K video stream device downstream of the Drobo.

Folks with a rMBP 2013 and only two TB ports? Maybe, yes. Mac Pro 2013? No.

and #2 The original pegasus was already about 30% faster than the drobo and the Pegasus2 would be even faster.

Again Drobo isn't the only solution to Thunderbolt storage. What storage devices you have really determines whether that "even faster" is even relevant.

The Mac Pro 2013's three TB controllers offer a great deal of flexibility. You can segregate TB v1 devices purchase now from TB v2 devices purchase in the future relatively easily.


If simply looking for 4 (or bays) like the old Mac Pro had then simple JBOD solutions are going to be more price effective then Pegasus2 or Drobo.

Plus it is true RAID.

Both Drobo and Pegasus2 are RAID solutions. Pegasus is more conventional but just about as proprietary once drop down into implementation layer.

It also helps that since Promise works directly w/ Apple I could apply my business discount to the array and finance it out for 18 months.

Financing on the same bill or same Apple account probably does lead to Apple selling out their complete allotment of these. BTO RAM puts more money in Apple's pockets too, but it isn't the most viable solution to getting to higher than standard configuration memory capacities.

 

[Stephent]

That makes about zero sense. The Drobo is a storage drive. 4K data is just data. If want to run 4K video via display Port via Thunderbolt through the Drobo to something else ...... then perhaps. There is zero practical need to do that with a Mac Pro 2013. None. There are 6 TB ports on the device and very little reason to "have to" daisy chain any 4K video stream device downstream of the Drobo.

Folks with a rMBP 2013 and only two TB ports? Maybe, yes. Mac Pro 2013? No.

Just repeating what they told me. Just because something is thunderbolt, doesn't mean it uses the entire bandwidth. Like I said it tested 30% slower than the TB1 Pegasus. For whatever reason it doesn't have the sustained bandwidth to handle 4k effectively.


Again Drobo isn't the only solution to Thunderbolt storage. What storage devices you have really determines whether that "even faster" is even relevant.

The Mac Pro 2013's three TB controllers offer a great deal of flexibility. You can segregate TB v1 devices purchase now from TB v2 devices purchase in the future relatively easily.


If simply looking for 4 (or bays) like the old Mac Pro had then simple JBOD solutions are going to be more price effective then Pegasus2 or Drobo.

This is true, a JBOD would be. All depends on what you are looking for.



Both Drobo and Pegasus2 are RAID solutions. Pegasus is more conventional but just about as proprietary once drop down into implementation layer.

No, no Drobo is not RAID even they admit it. they call it Beyond RAID, but it isn't true RAID

Financing on the same bill or same Apple account probably does lead to Apple selling out their complete allotment of these. BTO RAM puts more money in Apple's pockets too, but it isn't the most viable solution to getting to higher than standard configuration memory capacities.[/QUOTE]

Then what is? You are knocking it, but I haven't heard any other real suggestions. Everything I looked at RAID storage wise was similarly priced as the Pegasus and still TB1. Very similar products, but the Pegasus2 offered more speed. Yes it is a personal preference.