Considering Mac Pro, have some questions

[netnothing]

Long time Windows user here. I'm considering getting a Mac Pro. I have some questions for the Mac experts out there.

I'm a power user, built my current XP machine. I know Windows/Unix/Linux/FreeBSD, don't really play games on the PC, I do web development and would like to get into some multimedia tasks (video,photos,etc).

Right now my main concern is what a lot of people have concerns with....there isn't a nice mid-range headless Mac.

I have a few questions as far as the Mac Pro's go. I'm going to start with the basic configuration (1 GB RAM, NVdia card, 250 GB HDD).

1) Is there a considerable difference in speed between the 2.0 GHz and 2.66 GHz versions?

2) How upgradeable in terms of processors are the Mac Pros now?

3) If the 2.0 GHz is going to perform well, should I consider a Refurb from teh Mac Store for $1899? Or should I stay away from the Refurbs?

Thanks for any help.....I look forward to using OS X soon!

-Kevin

 

[rspeaker]

I can only provide a view on the last question: Apple's refurbs are great. I have purchased from their refurbs, and friends have as well; you get a product that is good as new for a nice discount. No one I know who has purchased a refurbished item from Apple has had any problems with them; in fact, I've had more hassle from brand-new items!

 

[slicedbread]

I think its gonna be hard to find an objective view of the 2.0 vs 2.66 debate... Most people will probably just have one machine, and you can bet your bottom dollar that they are gonna say its fine and that there are no problems running anything!

Best to see if you can find an apple store that has both mac pros on display, and play around with both to see if you can get get a guage of how fast/slow they are relatively.

Re. refurbs the general consensus is that its a great deal, and you shouldn't have any problems.

 

[trainguy77]

Well 2.66ghz is the best bang for you buck. If at all possible the 2.66 ghz is the way to go. Also upgrading the CPU is possible however #1 voids the warranty and #2 it is very expensive to do as the Xeon chips don't come cheap.

 

[mischief]

Long time Windows user here. I'm considering getting a Mac Pro. I have some questions for the Mac experts out there.

I'm a power user, built my current XP machine. I know Windows/Unix/Linux/FreeBSD, don't really play games on the PC, I do web development and would like to get into some multimedia tasks (video,photos,etc).

Right now my main concern is what a lot of people have concerns with....there isn't a nice mid-range headless Mac.

I have a few questions as far as the Mac Pro's go. I'm going to start with the basic configuration (1 GB RAM, NVdia card, 250 GB HDD).

1) Is there a considerable difference in speed between the 2.0 GHz and 2.66 GHz versions?

2) How upgradeable in terms of processors are the Mac Pros now?

3) If the 2.0 GHz is going to perform well, should I consider a Refurb from teh Mac Store for $1899? Or should I stay away from the Refurbs?

Thanks for any help.....I look forward to using OS X soon!

-Kevin

1: The MacPros are so monsterously fast that the 2/3rds of a GHZ will likely go unnoticed. DO however be careful with getting nice RAM. The stuff Apple spec'd for it is one of the most expensive kinds going. When Apple first released them there were only two companies selling it: Kingston and Viking and for not much less than Apple. Suffice to say that these Macs are fairly intolerant of cheap knockoff RAM.

2: Due to their nature Xeons can be easily swapped with other off-the-shelf Xeons. However, Apple will not cover your Logic Board, Processor, RAM or perhaps even your Video Card if anything goes funky with non-Apple processors installed.IE: Keep the originals.

3: Refurbs are good but factory-config is better. Have a look at the OSx86 project. In with their other work is a long list of tested compatible hardware. It's worth a look just to really get the scope of how "off the shelf" the new Macs really are. (Open your cases and look carefully, they look like Asus, Foxconn and Intel boards for a good reason, guess who built them for Apple?)

 

[tyr2]

I'd suggest you seriously think about getting more RAM (at least 2gb) especially if you're moving toward video/photo work.

 

[netnothing]

I'd suggest you seriously think about getting more RAM (at least 2gb) especially if you're moving toward video/photo work.

Agreed. I'm going to start off with the 1 GB first because of the cost. I won't be doing any video/photo work right away.....I'll be learning OS X and doing some web development.

-Kevin

 

[slicedbread]

The complexities of installing new CPUs:
http://www.anandtech.com/mac/showdoc.aspx?i=2832

Possible, feasible, but difficult.

3: Refurbs are good but factory-config is better.

Could you care to elaborate on that? AFAIK refurbs are uncustomizable, but relative to a new config they are a good deal cheaper. And in dealing with desktops, the need for them to be "pristine BNIB" condition probably isn't as high as in getting a laptop.

 

[netnothing]

The complexities of installing new CPUs:
http://www.anandtech.com/mac/showdoc.aspx?i=2832

Possible, feasible, but difficult.

Yeah.....I read that earlier today. I'm not one to usually upgrade CPU's....but I was curious about whether it was 'technically' possible.

-Kevin

 

[Cult Follower]

Go for the refurb.

 

[NATO]

Don't forget that although 2.0GHz to 2.66GHz is a fairly big step up, it's actually 0.66GHz x 4, as all 4 cores will be operating that much faster. I think the 2.66GHz is a better choice than the 2.0GHz just because the saving you get for downgrading to 2.0GHz just isn't enough to compensate for the performance drop.

I have nothing but praise for Apple refurbs like most people here. If it weren't for the fact they come packaged in standard brown boxes, you'd swear they were brand new.

 

[netnothing]

Thanks to all who replied.

I'm happy to report I picked up a new Power Mac (2.66) today.

So far I'm loving it. It's a killer machine (once I hooked up a different mouse ).

I'm really looking forward to making the transition from PC to Mac.

Thanks again everyone.

-Kevin

 

[TheSpaz]

I have a refurbished Mac Pro and I have no problems with it. If you think about it... at least with a refurbished Mac, it's been through tests and stuff to make sure it works before they sell it. But, with a new Mac... it could be dead on arrival.