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MP 7,1 Buying a mMP with little genuine need? Your rationalization?

P

Ph.D.

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 8, 2014
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I had long-since given up waiting for a new 'Pro and migrated most of my heavy-duty work over to Linux on a generic machine (9900k / 2080ti at the moment). I've really liked most of the experience. I still use a Mac, but only for general applications such as photography and office stuff.

I'm strongly tempted to get a new 'Pro (so shiny!), and can afford it just fine presuming that I control myself, but what I can't do is justify it in a rational way. My most intense application requires Nvidia graphics, and so I'd probably still just use a 'Pro for general stuff. In other words, it would be more like a glorified iMac.

How many of you expect to buy one just because you can, and how will you rationalize it?
 
It sounds like the only justification for you is, "I want it, and I can afford it". Nothing more based on your post.

You might consider leasing one on the short term to get it (desire) out of your system. I've never done this, but I've heard that leasing computers are a thing. If that's not possible, then purchase one, play with it briefly, then return it during the time frame that's allowable.

Otherwise, just get it because you can, and hope you don't have any regrets. I'm probably going to do the same thing down the road, but, it'll be a good while before I do. I'm quite happy with my cMP 5,1 as a daily driver. I don't really NEED anything more.
 
crjackson2134 said:
It sounds like the only justification for you is, "I want it, and I can afford it".
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Yes, that's basically true (and I'd say there's nothing truly awful about it).

Part of the desire is the hope that it would provide similar lasting value and satisfaction as my old 3,1 did for so long (though that value is harder to find with the 7,1 having twice the minimum buy-in). I'd love to get rid of my hodge-podge collection of external drives, too, and so on. No doubt I'd still appreciate it despite Photoshop likely being the hardest-core usage it would experience.

What I'm curious about is how many others are planning to get one as well despite not having a clear professional need for one, and why?
 
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I was in the same boat with this until I came to my senses.
There was no way I could rationalise spending that sort of money on the new base Mac Pro.
I used the cash instead to pay a big chunk off the house mortgage instead (im not getting any younger)
Have a quick think before spending the cash on how you could make life easier for yourself.

But saying that in my younger days I would have gone in and splashed the cash with out thinking.

End of the day it's your cash,i f want one go and get it and have fun with your new computer.
Me I hope to pick up a second hand or refurb in a year or so.
 
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lantree said:
I was in the same boat with this until I came to my senses.
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I completely agree: anyone with a mortgage to pay or other carried debt should "come to their senses" rather than buy such an expensive toy.

For me, the "come to my senses" thoughts are that for the same money one might more sensibly upgrade an iMac every 2-3 years, but that doesn't seem to do it for me. I've always had pro-level Macs until they ceased to have a "real" one. Now they do again, so...
 
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majus said:
I will, given the upgrade possibilities. I thought my Early 2009 4,1 would be the last computer I would ever need -- and it's still going strong -- but that technology is obsolete now. I like new technology, so even though I am retired, count me in.
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Good for you!

Oh and the even bigger elephant in the room: What about the display and the famous stand!? It may already be folly to get a mMP just for fun, but how about that display? Way past the breaking point or what!?

I have a pretty nice quantum-dot display right now. It has beautiful colors, but it's HDR is more of an utter fraud than a mere joke. As far as I can tell, it has a grand total of 3 zones! Having HDR on, ever, is horrible. I'd really like to see some OLED options. But, meanwhile, that 6k Apple display is so shiny too!
 
I'm sure the monitor fits in quite well for the intended market, but that is not me. I have a very nice 27" Viewsonic 4K monitor I am quite happy with.
 
I may go for the launch version, or wait for the first revisions, but I want one....
I don't want an iMac Pro, not least because of the likely problem of dust build-up, then the lack of easy upgrades, plus I have a very good 4K display and no room on the desk for two 27 inch panels.
Hackintosh: Yes, I could do that, but I don't feel inclined to put up with the potential hassles. There might be none, of course, but…
Windows/Linux…not as daily drivers, thanks.
Cheesegrater 2.0....yes, bleeding edge expensive, but apart from total lack of the above issues, I'll make it last. I still have my 1,1 (arrived 5 September 2006), though it'll have to make room for the new boy; my 2009 4,1 has been mine since 2013, and it won't be going anywhere. And I'm typing this on an early 2009 Macbook 5,2. So this thing will last me at least a decade…

Spec (if I go for launch versions): 12 core, Vega II (I have an RX580 already, so going for another one seems a bit daft...I want to upgrade everything!), probably 1TB SSD (and standard NVMe for the rest), and either the Promise r2i or whatever OWC are almost certainly cooking up for internal HDs.
 
StuAff said:
Spec (if I go for launch versions): 12 core, Vega II (I have an RX580 already, so going for another one seems a bit daft...I want to upgrade everything!), probably 1TB SSD (and standard NVMe for the rest), and either the Promise r2i or whatever OWC are almost certainly cooking up for internal HDs.
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I'd probably be choosing a quite similar configuration, except I'd go with a fast 4-position NVMe card over a 3.5" drive module. I do already have a dual 2.5" drive card, too.

Personally, I waited all the way from my old 3,1 to now - more than 10 years, and that's enough, so I'm not inclined to wait for rev. 2 or 3, especially given how Apple let the 6,1 languish without a single update. Imagine waiting years and years for that update that "must be just around the corner," with your only choice being the same increasingly-old machine at the same price anyway?

Except for a few things like faster future NVMe drives, I don't yet see PCIe 4 or 5 being a huge deal. But I would have to go for the Vega II premium rather than the "obsolete" 580x. If and when an update happens, the 580 would surely be one of the first components to go. By comparison, those Vega II cards scream "we ain't updating those any time soon!"
 
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Well during the reveal presentation, John mentioned it would be suitable for iOS developers (caugh, caugh) so if you've got the money and want the best machine to write fart apps or watch hi res porn, the 7,1 will be just the ticket.
 
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I can say that I could/can afford it, but like you i've migrated my heavy workloads to a Linux PC.

I do have other things I would get far more enjoyment or benefit out of, including but not limited to
  • my motorcycling
  • modifying my car
  • retrogaming consoles
  • gifts for the gf
  • my mortgage / deposit for a second house
  • a better/longer holiday trip
  • etc.
A mac Pro will just do similar things to what i can already do on my PC at half the cost.

So, I personally can't justify purchasing one (even though i'd "like" one) when there is so much other stuff i'd rather use the money for. I may as well set money on fire.
 
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Used to run small independent record label. Now just home studio for my own music, still selling some CDs online though (hence registered as business). At the moment, I’m running 2017 iMac retina with i7, 32GB Ram and 1TB SSD. It works fine in Logic Pro, although fans are going up pretty often. Was thinking about Mac Pro 2013 and then Mac Mini 2018 as my next computer, but this new Mac Pro, although pricey, is perfect for me.

I can expand RAM later, add some PCIe SSDs for sample storage and add USB ports (Sonnet Allegro), if needed. Stock GPU is more than enough for me, I might go for 12 core CPU - need to see benchmarks.

So yeah, this is going to be my next Mac, and I am going to put RME HDSPe card into it (currently using Apogee Element 24 Thunderbolt audio interface).
 
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If I were about to hand over $6K for the base-spec Mac Pro, I'd do a double-take upon noticing that it has a significantly worse GPU than the base-spec iMac Pro from 2017.

Optioning it up to an overall befitting spec should be sufficient to cure most would-be impulse-purchasers before checkout.
 
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frou said:
If I were about to hand over $6K for the base-spec Mac Pro, I'd do a double-take upon noticing that it has a significantly worse GPU than the base-spec iMac Pro from 2017.
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It is sad that the base video card is such a relatively-weak one. But I can say that my 2017 base-model iMac has had perfectly acceptable GPU performance for general use - quite good, even. But I'd still wish for better.

Also sadly, the same could be said about the minimal 256 gigs of flash storage. I suppose it's adequate as a boot drive and only a boot drive.

And the base 8 cores, with slower clocks than many CPUs, could also be seen as minimal for a workstation these days.

But at least the case is beautiful, right? Well, except for that chrome. And what I call the "duck feet." Got to get those wheels for it, at, um, a mere one million dollars, or whatever Apple chooses to insult us with.

Gee, I am almost talking myself out of this again! But I will remain strong! :rolleyes:
 
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Ph.D. said:
But at least the case is beautiful, right? Well, except for that chrome. And what I call the "duck feet." Got to get those wheels for it, at, um, a mere one million dollars, or whatever Apple chooses to insult us with.

Gee, I am almost talking myself out of this again! But I will remain strong! :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

OMFG the wheels are only 1 mil...? Hang in there, stay strong, buying the whole thing including the $1K stand + $500 polishing cloth for the stand! I obviously need all 28 cores and dual Vega cards, then a bunch of NVME SSDs. Happy Happy Joy Joy. It's just like everything I always wanted in an Apple ][ only different -- and a lot cheaper vs. the late 70s prices for the Apple ][.
 
I have gotten 11 years out of my 2008 and it still functions as a daily driver for low intensity applications thanks to DosDude and a 680. The iMac pro had $1,000 off shortly after launch. I will keep my eyes open for deals over the next year or so as long as my 2008 keeps chugging along. $3-$3.5k maybe could be justified for that duration of productivity, otherwise most of us that do not make a living off these machines would be better off upgrading a Mac mini every 3-5 years.
 
I bought a mid-2010 12-core Mac Pro and so I could argue that I've been waiting six years to upgrade. The machine is great, I love it, but it's decade-old technology and I'm increasingly tasking it with things it can't handle. I do CG work, some paid, but mostly for fun, and a new machine with more cores and a big fat GPU 9or two) should be a transformative experience.

In terms of my own justification, there are many reasons: Like the original poster, I can afford it. Yes its expensive, but I haven't upgraded for years, so that money is all in the kitty. The new machine is upgradeable so I don't have to have it fully-specced from day one; I suspect a second MPX GPU will be added some time after purchase. I use my computer every single day, sometimes for hours on end. I want something that's powerful and easy to use – if the previous Mac Pro is any guide, the new one should fulfil this role perfectly and do it for many years to come. I don't want to use Windows; I've been a Mac guy for 30 years and too old/lazy to change now. Every app I need is on macOS (and others are being ported to Metal), and because I don't really use it for making money (beyond my freelance writing), arguments for having a PC in terms of performance, price, availability of apps, CUDA etc, don't bother me. I don't smoke, drink to excess or gamble, our mortgage is minuscule and I don't have kids. I appreciate that I'm very fortunate I can even consider the nMP and not really worry about it.

Naturally if Apple made a more affordable upgradable desktop, I'd buy it – but it doesn't. I held off buying an iMac Pro and am glad I did. I can't wait to drop some serious wedge on this new machine and see what it can do. I just wish Apple would hurry the f@$& up and sell me one!

EDIT: Having said all that I'm not buying that crazy expensive XDR monitor.

EDIT2: Like AlphaCentauri I can write it off against tax, too.
 
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Ph.D. said:
It is sad that the base video card is such a relatively-weak one. But I can say that my 2017 base-model iMac has had perfectly acceptable GPU performance for general use - quite good, even. But I'd still wish for better.

Also sadly, the same could be said about the minimal 256 gigs of flash storage. I suppose it's adequate as a boot drive and only a boot drive.
Click to expand...

I think this is what smarts the most about the Mac Pro.

Apple are nickle and diming you with what should be the base amount of storage and RAM in a Macbook. Not a Macbook Pro. An entry level Macbook.

Sorry but i'm not playing those spec-sheet-upsell games, Apple. I've got over 3 TB of SSD in my PC, and the whole thing, even with the 2 GPUs cost much less than what Apple want for a base model Pro...
 
throAU said:
Apple are nickle and diming you with what should be the base amount of storage and RAM in a Macbook. Not a Macbook Pro. An entry level Macbook.
Click to expand...

I completely agree on one level. But on the other hand this isn't a sealed-up laptop that must be bought up-front with whatever you need, and therefore if it's short-changed you must pay more.

If this is truly a "modular" system, then selling a more bare-bones version makes some sense. I can imagine some getting the 256G flash just for booting the OS and then installing their own large-scale storage, just like many will get the minimum RAM and install their own extra RAM. And if all you need is a $200 video card, why be forced to pay for a Vega-II?

The problem with the latter argument is that the base price at least feels painfully-high for what you get, being about twice the base prices of the past.

We need to see the cost of the upgrades, including the inevitable more-loaded standard configurations (I'm not optimistic about it).
 
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