MacBook Pro or Mac Pro?

[VeganHipster]

Hello everyone. I was wondering if I should get either the MacBook Pro 15" High-End model or the Mac Pro. I don't need the best processor speeds, I only need to run Mac Software and be able to play games in BootCamp, so suggesting a windows PC/Laptop won't be helpful. I have considered Hackintosh, but in the end it doesn't seem worth it to fiddle around with everything just make basic things work.

I plan on using iMovie, Garage Band, FCP, and Logic. I also intend on gaming, mainly Starcraft II, TOR (when it comes out), Mass Effect, and some other games. I like the expandibility of the Mac Pro, but I am confused if I can just upgrade any Mac Pro model with a GPU from Apple? Or do some Mac Pro's not support the GPU's you can buy from Apple? Thank you!

 

[Inconsequential]

I think the Mac Pro isn't for you.

"I don't need the best processor speeds" says it all.

Given none of those games are particularly demanding i'd say iMac or MacBook Pro.

Any reference 6 series ATi GPU can be used pretty much.

So you could find yourself a 2009 Mac Pro and get a 6870 for it. Covers all the bases then if your sure you want to go Mac Pro...

 

[VeganHipster]

I think the Mac Pro isn't for you.

"I don't need the best processor speeds" says it all.

Given none of those games are particularly demanding i'd say iMac or MacBook Pro.

Any reference 6 series ATi GPU can be used pretty much.

So you could find yourself a 2009 Mac Pro and get a 6870 for it. Covers all the bases then if your sure you want to go Mac Pro...

Thanks a bunch for the reply! My main gripe is that in a couple of months the new MacBook Pro's will be out and I will be stuck with an older model, whereas the Mac Pro I could just upgrade when things become outdated.

 

[mofunk]

If you are using FCP and Logic I would look closely at the MacPro specs. Using any Mac you want to make sure you have enough ports to run all your peripherals. ie hard drives, keyboards, etc. MacPros aren't necessarily outdated when a new one is released. Shoot I'm using a Quicksilver G4 to run my music workstation software.

 

[Nostromo]

I am in the same situation.

My use is Photoshop, Capture One, Blender, and soon to be FCP (without dropping the option to take a look at Adobe's Production Premium).

I almost dropped the cash for an MBP, but then I considered that for intense use a Mac Pro is the best option.

I'd say that high end games are also intense use, and the much more capable graphics cards in a Mac Pro would give you much better gaming experience.

Consider the heat long gaming will cause. The fans in a MBP will be spinning like crazy.

Well, I'm not a gamer (the only game I play on the computer is chess), but it sounds reasonable.

I know MacBook Pros are capable to replace a desktop, but a Mac Pro is another dimension of computing: graphics card, RAM, a stack of hard drives that, as far as I know, are much faster to connect than through a FW800 connection.

This is why I opted out of the MBP and will put the cash together for a Mac Pro.

 

[j-banana]

go with Mac Pro very upgradeable not like with MBP you will be stuck with its specs (except ram/HD) forever, not to mention you have to change the battery every now and then.

 

[VeganHipster]

Ok so now I have my eyes set on a Mac Pro. I am thinking of getting a dual-core or an Octo-Core. What should I look out for when purchasing on Ebay? I am hoping to spend around $1500 which is what I see those items go for, about. Thank you everyone for replying!

 

[Nostromo]

Ok so now I have my eyes set on a Mac Pro. I am thinking of getting a dual-core or an Octo-Core. What should I look out for when purchasing on Ebay? I am hoping to spend around $1500 which is what I see those items go for, about. Thank you everyone for replying!

How old a Mac Pro are you going for?

Or what kind of dollars are these that you get one for 1500 of them?

 

[dndlnx]

Isn't this question typically Macbook Pro vs iMac?

The Mac Pro is a seriously upgradeable machine compared to Apple's other offerings. This isn't just a matter of Mobile vs Desktop.

 

[blunti]

Isn't this question typically Macbook Pro vs iMac?

The Mac Pro is a seriously upgradeable machine compared to Apple's other offerings. This isn't just a matter of Mobile vs Desktop.

i have to agree. putting up a MP against a MPB is akward. nowhere close to be mentioned in the same sentence IMO. one of em has server parts in it the other one is a ceammed-together consumer laptop.

ye i've seen the benchmarks of the new MBP's... still no point putting them against each other. if one doesn't know the reason why then a MP is surely not for him/her


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[VeganHipster]

How old a Mac Pro are you going for?

Or what kind of dollars are these that you get one for 1500 of them?

I see 2009 models go for around that much sometimes, give or take. Most likely I will be getting a 2008 model. I would upgrade the GPU to a 5770 .

Isn't this question typically Macbook Pro vs iMac?

The Mac Pro is a seriously upgradeable machine compared to Apple's other offerings. This isn't just a matter of Mobile vs Desktop.

Well, considering iMac is just a MacBook Pro with a screen slapped on I am not interested in buying it. If you read my post actually you would see me say I need performance for the software and games which I now know the Mac Pro has.

If you are not going to contribute to the thread at all, why post?

 

[derbothaus]

Well, considering iMac is just a MacBook Pro with a screen slapped on I am not interested in buying it. If you read my post actually you would see me say I need performance for the software and games which I now know the Mac Pro has.

Not anymore. iMac uses desktop chips up to i7-2600 and Z68 chipset and 3.5" HDD's. Those are not laptop parts. No laptop but ridiculous "gamer" tanks use quad 3.4GHz i7 with turbo and HT. Only thing laptop in iMac is the video card.

 

[dndlnx]

Well, considering iMac is just a MacBook Pro with a screen slapped on I am not interested in buying it. If you read my post actually you would see me say I need performance for the software and games which I now know the Mac Pro has.

If you are not going to contribute to the thread at all, why post?

When the Quads hit the scene, they started using desktop chips. The fully-loaded iMac has performed better than Apple's base MP since they arrived.

I would get the Mac Pro if you are a habitual, spastic upgrader. That's why I got one.

Otherwise the iMac performs fine in casual gaming, 6970m is exceptionally good. And you get a super nice screen.

 

[VeganHipster]

Not anymore. iMac uses desktop chips up to i7-2600 and Z68 chipset and 3.5" HDD's. Those are not laptop parts. No laptop but ridiculous "gamer" tanks use quad 3.4GHz i7 with turbo and HT. Only thing laptop in iMac is the video card.

I did not know about the CPU being a desktop processor now, thanks for telling me. Like you said though, GPU is still a laptop GPU.

 

[Nostromo]

But the Mac Pro uses a higher end CPU than the iMac.

 

[derbothaus]

But the Mac Pro uses a higher end CPU than the iMac.

Whoptee doo. It doesn't perform any better than it's direct i7 bretheren. Xeons are better binned and have more rigorous testing to hold up under massive uptimes in enterprise environments and can usually overclock higher (for us, moot point). A desktop user will feel no difference. The i7-2600 has been shown to trade blows with the W3680 (6-core) with standard SW. Sometimes winning. 300.00 (i7) part vs. 1000.00 (Xeon) part at launch. Progress.

 

[Nostromo]

Whoptee doo.

Hm-Hm.

Interesting about the test results. Do you have a link?

 

[palpatine]

a mac pro to play games? well, i guess i can see that you might be concerned with heat issues on the macbook pro or something like that, but how intense are these games? also, i do not know of any new mbp coming out in the next couple of months. i think the consensus is that a redesign MAY come next spring with the ivy bridge intel processors. that is a long ways away, and i suspect the speeds won't be that big a difference on this processor, but of course, no one knows yet.

anyhow, you are shelling out a lot of money to play these games. it seems to me like a gaming pc and a work/other mac would be the best way to go. maybe an mba + gaming pc, and you are still going to fall well under the price of a mac pro.

 

[Ravich]

The only reason you'd need a Mac Pro is if you needed more processing power, more than 8GB RAM, more than 1 internal HDD, or PCIe expansion. Sounds like you dont need any of that.

Just get a macbook pro and hook it up to an external monitor. Done.

 

[Inconsequential]

Hm-Hm.

Interesting about the test results. Do you have a link?

http://www.primatelabs.ca/geekbench/mac-benchmarks/#64bit

iMac thrashes any of the quad Mac Pro's out right now.

Only thanks to the multi-threaded apps do the octo and 12-core Mac Pro's pull out a lead.

But for the most part, and especially single threaded apps. The iMac is all over the Mac Pro in terms of CPU performance.

Hence why I'm waiting to upgrade my Mac Pro to SB-E, and I hope very much that the bottom end MP is faster than the top end iMac. :/

 

[derbothaus]

Hm-Hm.

Interesting about the test results. Do you have a link?

Concord got you started but you can go anywhere they test processors. Tomshardware, bit-tech, guru3d. Pick your HW site and look at the i7 vs. the xeon. Clock for clock they are the same (if you group them by shared architecture) but actually win more often as they are not hampered by ECC and stabilizers that tend to slow things down. In the end an i7 may last you 5 years a Xeon will last you 5.75