Hi all! For my online business, I was thinking of getting a Mac Pro and a triple Thunderbolt Display setup. Should I buy them now or deal with my Windows 7 computer and wait for a new Mac Pro and thinner Thunderbolt displays?
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Buy now or wait
- Thread starter qwerty994
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Always configure, plan and buy for what's currently available. Unless there is an announced very solid looking published release date less then a month or so off. That's the rule for business and work machines. For hobby just do whatever you want or that feels right to you. 
In the extremely rare case (never happened to me in 30 years) that something significantly better releases shortly after your purchase just ebay it and trade up. The few hundred you might loose can be viewed as a rental fee or something.
In the extremely rare case (never happened to me in 30 years) that something significantly better releases shortly after your purchase just ebay it and trade up. The few hundred you might loose can be viewed as a rental fee or something.
Well, Currently, the Mac Pro doesn't offer Thunderbolt Display ports. So if you want Thunderbolt display, you have to buy an iMac.
Good luck with your purchase/decision. I have several Mac Pros and I love them to death!
Depending on what you need to use a new computer for, a new iMac may be enough computing and expansion power for your needs.
An option that many people forget about is the refurb market. You can save a few bucks there, use the machine until you decide to upgrade down the line, then sell at a little less of a "rental" loss. You can snag a 2010 model for relatively great prices now, and upgrades via 3rd party for the configuration needed. Sometimes that cost savings makes the decision easier for some people.
Depending on who you listen to, a new model is either going to be announced in June or towards the end of the year. Not holding my breath either way...
After much debate, and "waiting" myself - I'll likely be ordering a new Mac Pro workstation this weekend. It will be enough to help me get by for at least the next several months and cost is completely justified for my needs. Best of luck with your decision!
An option that many people forget about is the refurb market. You can save a few bucks there, use the machine until you decide to upgrade down the line, then sell at a little less of a "rental" loss. You can snag a 2010 model for relatively great prices now, and upgrades via 3rd party for the configuration needed. Sometimes that cost savings makes the decision easier for some people.
Depending on who you listen to, a new model is either going to be announced in June or towards the end of the year. Not holding my breath either way...
After much debate, and "waiting" myself - I'll likely be ordering a new Mac Pro workstation this weekend. It will be enough to help me get by for at least the next several months and cost is completely justified for my needs. Best of luck with your decision!
This setup is not possible. If you want Thunderbolt displays on a Mac Pro, you will have to wait for the next version and hope that it supports Thunderbolt.
Other than the thunderbolt issue, you need to ask yourself this question: "do I need it now?"
If no, you need to ask, "How badly do I just want it?"
Then, "is it worth it?"
You're always served by waiting if you don't really need it. But if you need it, you need it....
Personally, I'm waiting. My 3,1 MP is still running fine.
I want a faster processor and cheaper/larger memory, of course. But I really think improving I/O performance is more important for me. So SATA III, USB3 and TB are what I'm waiting for.
As someone on another thread pointed out, I could have SATA III + USB3 for a few hundred bucks. But that's dumping money in a old technology box; I'd prefer to spend it on a new machine that would last for several more years.
I only run two monitors at the moment - maybe three in the future - but look forward to a modern graphics card that is reliable above all else.
I want a faster processor and cheaper/larger memory, of course. But I really think improving I/O performance is more important for me. So SATA III, USB3 and TB are what I'm waiting for.
As someone on another thread pointed out, I could have SATA III + USB3 for a few hundred bucks. But that's dumping money in a old technology box; I'd prefer to spend it on a new machine that would last for several more years.
I only run two monitors at the moment - maybe three in the future - but look forward to a modern graphics card that is reliable above all else.
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I've been using Macs since 1984 so yes I'm old! I'm currently on a 2009 4,1 MacPro with Mountain Lion OS 10.8.3. Sure, it's beginning to show its age and I'm waiting patiently for the rumored new Mac Pro.
It's tough right now to recommend whether you should wait or try and get by with something less since I won't believe a new model is forthcoming until I see it.
My son just purchased a 27-inch iMac with a Fusion Drive and upgraded RAM and he’s quite happy with it. He runs a music business and it’s more than adequate for his needs. My personal desire is to have a tower unit in which I can easily apply all the mods myself and have the options and power that a Mac Pro provides.
Likewise, I absolutely love my NEC professional graphics display, as its head n’ shoulders superior over the still shiny displays from Apple. That alone is reason enough for me to wait for a new Mac Pro.
Bottom line, if you need something right now then get an upgraded iMac with an external USB-3 or Thunderbolt external drive (or two) and party on! In fact, if Tim Cook doesn't announce a new Mac Pro at next month's developers conference, that's exactly the route I will have to go. In my opinion Apple couldn't care less about Hollywood or the professional markets. Now, if you want a pierced nose-ring that dynamically connects to iTunes and Facebook then Apple would produce it.
It's tough right now to recommend whether you should wait or try and get by with something less since I won't believe a new model is forthcoming until I see it.
My son just purchased a 27-inch iMac with a Fusion Drive and upgraded RAM and he’s quite happy with it. He runs a music business and it’s more than adequate for his needs. My personal desire is to have a tower unit in which I can easily apply all the mods myself and have the options and power that a Mac Pro provides.
Likewise, I absolutely love my NEC professional graphics display, as its head n’ shoulders superior over the still shiny displays from Apple. That alone is reason enough for me to wait for a new Mac Pro.
Bottom line, if you need something right now then get an upgraded iMac with an external USB-3 or Thunderbolt external drive (or two) and party on! In fact, if Tim Cook doesn't announce a new Mac Pro at next month's developers conference, that's exactly the route I will have to go. In my opinion Apple couldn't care less about Hollywood or the professional markets. Now, if you want a pierced nose-ring that dynamically connects to iTunes and Facebook then Apple would produce it.
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Let me correct a little of what I said.
1) Thunderbolt Display - what I meant was the Apple LCD Display that you order with the computers. I got them a little confused in my head.
2) The Windows computer I have now is fine. It's just starting to show a little lag, and I want to upgrade to Mac now so I'm not stuck with Windows 8 again. I don't mind waiting a few more months to get an upgraded model.
Thanks all for the help!
1) Thunderbolt Display - what I meant was the Apple LCD Display that you order with the computers. I got them a little confused in my head.
2) The Windows computer I have now is fine. It's just starting to show a little lag, and I want to upgrade to Mac now so I'm not stuck with Windows 8 again. I don't mind waiting a few more months to get an upgraded model.
Thanks all for the help!
The other possibility is that there is not gonna be a new MacPro at all, and then you'd do a lot of waiting for naught.
If you need a MacPro, just get one now and be done with it. If a new model appears, sell it off. Or not.
I'm rolling with an '09 quad which is still plenty powerful for my needs.
If you need a MacPro, just get one now and be done with it. If a new model appears, sell it off. Or not.
I'm rolling with an '09 quad which is still plenty powerful for my needs.
It's true: you can always wait ... but for how long?
I bought a Quad 4,1 in 2009, flashed it last month to 5,1 and put a Hex 3.33 in it. I hope to keep this machine for many years. It's powerful enough for my needs.
I bought a Quad 4,1 in 2009, flashed it last month to 5,1 and put a Hex 3.33 in it. I hope to keep this machine for many years. It's powerful enough for my needs.
I've got to say, I'm sort of reaching the point where I do have to do something. Typically, I replace my primary production computer (I own a Web news operation) every four years. My Mac Pro 3,1 is five years old although I did my typical video card/RAM upgrade two years in. (5770 & 14 GB RAM)
My current machine is bogging down on Final Cut Pro X and is increasingly just not making it for my day-to-day tasks.
I had planned to buy a new Mac Pro in 2012, but I could justify that sort of expense for 2010 tech. At this point, the top of the line iMac appears to be an adequate option, assuming I buy an external Thunderbolt drive/DVD/hard drive enclosure and consolidate my four internal drives onto one larger unit.
Because of the price difference (keeping in mind, it's time for a new display), I could replace that iMac every 30 months...
I'm going to pull the trigger if Apple doesn't announce anything to change my mind at WWDC in June.
My current machine is bogging down on Final Cut Pro X and is increasingly just not making it for my day-to-day tasks.
I had planned to buy a new Mac Pro in 2012, but I could justify that sort of expense for 2010 tech. At this point, the top of the line iMac appears to be an adequate option, assuming I buy an external Thunderbolt drive/DVD/hard drive enclosure and consolidate my four internal drives onto one larger unit.
Because of the price difference (keeping in mind, it's time for a new display), I could replace that iMac every 30 months...
I'm going to pull the trigger if Apple doesn't announce anything to change my mind at WWDC in June.
That alone should be the trigger for making a more immediate decision.
Are you using SSDs and/or fast speed RAID storage? It does make a big difference on older machines. Worked on a few 1,1 and 2,1 machines recently and they're still running strong with external 450MB/s+ RAID-5 systems... IF you treat them right. They choke with editing 1080 H.264 footage, but if you convert it to ProRes first, then it's not bad at all. Real-time effects and previews, even with original x1900 GPUs. I wouldn't want to be churning out 4K edits on these machines, however...