Hehe, A terrible troll with an MCS and an MDes. That's two master's degrees. And I'm here to tell you it doesn't mean shizit for qualifying opinions. Calling people trolls is much more telling IMO.
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Need help, someone respond! Is it worth taking loan out for a Mac Pro
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Hehe, A terrible troll with an MCS and an MDes. That's two master's degrees. And I'm here to tell you it doesn't mean shizit for qualifying opinions. Calling people trolls is much more telling IMO.
While bourbon and girls are much more interesting compiling code is not all a CS does. There's HW/SW emulation, simulation, page layout, DB/SS, illustrations (vector art), etc. which are needed. And of course entertainment to break the monotony during breaks between long hours of study and assignment completion. Compiling itself is only a part of a coding cycle. It's one step in the code->compile->debug loop which repeats hundreds or even thousands of times during the creation of a program. I was a full professor here in Japan and can tell you some of the corse work is pretty grueling these days. Even though I taught CG art and animation I saw what was expected of CS majors.
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There's a Tesla S for the C=64? Awesome!!! I'm selling my Mac post haste!
While bourbon and girls are much more interesting compiling code is not all a CS does. There's HW/SW emulation, simulation, page layout, DB/SS, illustrations (vector art), etc. which are needed. And of course entertainment to break the monotony during breaks between long hours of study and assignment completion. Compiling itself is only a part of a coding cycle. It's one step in the code->compile->debug loop which repeats hundreds or even thousands of times during the creation of a program. I was a full professor here in Japan and can tell you some of the corse work is pretty grueling these days. Even though I taught CG art and animation I saw what was expected of CS majors.
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There's a Tesla S for the C=64? Awesome!!! I'm selling my Mac post haste!
But in the we tiny bit I've played with and modified the compiling was the only thing that took any real power.
In the UK we have 6 months and 12 months interest free deals, basically if you pay it off in the allotted time you don't have to pay anything on top of the sticker price.
I got my degree in Software Engineering with a 11" Macbook Air.
So I don't think you need a Mac Pro just to get a CS diploma.
So I don't think you need a Mac Pro just to get a CS diploma.
Out of curiosity, what is that you were compiling? It's been a long time since I've encountered anything that took more than a 0.5 - 1 minute to compile. I recall the Linux kernel taking over an hour, but that was ~ 1999. In my impression, compiling just isn't a big deal anymore (e.g. the prevalence of JIT).
Though, I very well could be wrong. At the moment I work on a very, very large C# project, so my view is limited.
nothing that took more than a few seconds and that was kinda my point though I was talking around it. I can't see buying the power because for the one time you might need it it can be gotten through the school.
Ah cool, I totally misunderstood you.
Truthfully, in some weird way, I'm disappointed that compiling doesn't take more time+power. I've always gotten some strange satisfaction out of compiling. I always found the linux kernel compile process to be pretty fun. These day's compiling is such a trivial thing :/
Yeah, compile-time can be pretty long. The last project I worked on took over 6 hours to compile the complete application.
Still as mentioned there are lots of other things expected of a student or that a student might want to get into themselves which a nice system makes so much nicer. And something people don't seem to be considering here is just because the OP is asking about taking out a loan doesn't mean they're talking about the most expensive model. The entry level MacPro even without a student discount starts at only $2,500, comes with free shipping, and has "special financing" for 6, 12, or 18 month plans. Refurbished is of course even cheaper too - for example currently the 3.2GHz quad is $2,139. And so on.
Yeah, compile-time can be pretty long. The last project I worked on took over 6 hours to compile the complete application.
Still as mentioned there are lots of other things expected of a student or that a student might want to get into themselves which a nice system makes so much nicer. And something people don't seem to be considering here is just because the OP is asking about taking out a loan doesn't mean they're talking about the most expensive model. The entry level MacPro even without a student discount starts at only $2,500, comes with free shipping, and has "special financing" for 6, 12, or 18 month plans. Refurbished is of course even cheaper too - for example currently the 3.2GHz quad is $2,139. And so on.
I really doubt anything a student works on would take 6 hours to compile. Never did when I was in school. I don't even have any projects today that take longer than 6 hours to compile on a dual processor machine. And I've compiled some pretty large third party projects. Longest compile I've had has been about 20 minutes, and that was for a project way way bigger than anything a student would be working on.
Hehe, A terrible troll with an MCS and an MDes. That's two master's degrees. And I'm here to tell you it doesn't mean shizit for qualifying opinions. Calling people trolls is much more telling IMO.
So why in the world are you recommending taking out a loan for a mac pro that ones CLEARLY does not need for a CS degree?
I am always amazed at how people think college is demanding on computers. It really isn't.
OP:
As the vast majority of thread contributors here have also said, my advice is to NOT take out a loan for a Mac Pro.
I was a CS major. I went to college for 5 years (besides CS I also majored in music and math). For the first 3 years of study, I didn't even have a computer. I did everything from either the computer lab or by using a non-CS peer's basic machine as a simple terminal to the server. For my last two years, I used my own 200 MHz Pentium (with MMX technology!). It was overkill for anything I ever needed to do.
Even my CS professors didn't use Mac Pro (or workstation-caliber) computers. I still know those same professors now, and they are still not using anything like a Mac Pro.
When I was a developer out of college, I needed nothing more than a laptop for my work. As someone else said, I got far more benefit out of a large monitor than I would have out of a more powerful computer.
Today, I truly and constantly depend on my Mac Pro, but this is because my career has shifted completely from the software world to music/audio. So I've seen first-hand where a Mac Pro is necessary, and where one is not.
Listen to the vast majority of posters here. Skip the mac pro. You can always change your mind later if you realize you actually NEED it for some reason. And whether or not you get a mac pro, keep your debt to an absolute minimum. If you come into a ton of money, then do as you please, but as long as you're counting your dollars and cents, I just don't see how this would be anything but a really foolish and unnecessary purchase.
One last thing- the advice to check with the CS department at your university is excellent. If for some reason your program is unique and demands unusually serious hardware from its undergrad CS students, then you'll be able to make a much more informed (and validated) decision about what to do with your money.
As the vast majority of thread contributors here have also said, my advice is to NOT take out a loan for a Mac Pro.
I was a CS major. I went to college for 5 years (besides CS I also majored in music and math). For the first 3 years of study, I didn't even have a computer. I did everything from either the computer lab or by using a non-CS peer's basic machine as a simple terminal to the server. For my last two years, I used my own 200 MHz Pentium (with MMX technology!). It was overkill for anything I ever needed to do.
Even my CS professors didn't use Mac Pro (or workstation-caliber) computers. I still know those same professors now, and they are still not using anything like a Mac Pro.
When I was a developer out of college, I needed nothing more than a laptop for my work. As someone else said, I got far more benefit out of a large monitor than I would have out of a more powerful computer.
Today, I truly and constantly depend on my Mac Pro, but this is because my career has shifted completely from the software world to music/audio. So I've seen first-hand where a Mac Pro is necessary, and where one is not.
Listen to the vast majority of posters here. Skip the mac pro. You can always change your mind later if you realize you actually NEED it for some reason. And whether or not you get a mac pro, keep your debt to an absolute minimum. If you come into a ton of money, then do as you please, but as long as you're counting your dollars and cents, I just don't see how this would be anything but a really foolish and unnecessary purchase.
One last thing- the advice to check with the CS department at your university is excellent. If for some reason your program is unique and demands unusually serious hardware from its undergrad CS students, then you'll be able to make a much more informed (and validated) decision about what to do with your money.
Don't know why so many are to against buying a used Mac Pro they clearly cannot afford a brand new one for thousands of $. (Taking out a loan for a computer is the dumbest thing one can do)
Get a nice 2009 Mac Pro and throw some $ into upgrades when you can afford to. You can get these 2009 MP's for around $700-$800. I would also check Craigslist or eBay.
Get a nice 2009 Mac Pro and throw some $ into upgrades when you can afford to. You can get these 2009 MP's for around $700-$800. I would also check Craigslist or eBay.
+1
If you get a single core machine, you can 5,1 flash it, then install a 5680 or 5690.
Keep saving pennies....
Eventually buy a Dual CPU processor tray and get a 2nd 5680/90 and you have a 12 Core machine that is, from initial GB scores, the equal of the next Mac Pro for computation
Then sell original tray with original CPU
This way you move upward slowly, as you have $$$ instead of borrowing
Why, why, why is not having TB a "huge Setback"? What can you do with TB that you can't do with PCIE and/or FW800 except cost a bunch of money and add clutter to your desk (and then run at 1/4 speed once all said & done)? I realize soe people have rMBP and want to share storage, but beyond this I think people hankering for TB are responding to marketing.
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See, that's where this discussion went a little nuts. I didn't recommend doing anything. The question was posed if it was worth taking a loan over. And in my honest opinion it is based on three criteria: Want and/or need with means.
If the person wants it and has the means then yes.
If the person needs it and has the means then yes.
If the person wants and needs it and has the means then yes.
In qualifying want - I didn't need an $800 leather jacket and $900 boots to attend university But I wanted them. In wearing them for the 1st 5 years in attendance they actually helped me quite a lot - in terms of image, self esteem, and confidence which indirectly are all very useful in an academic environment.
How about a MacPro? For me I got and still get an emotional charge sitting down to a powerful computer (even just to web-surf). That charge assists me greatly by increasing and helping to maintain an interest in whatever it is I'm doing with the machine. This of course includes homework and other school activities.
Furthermore there are no added costs by taking out a loan (through Apple) and it upgrades your credit rating (if you're prompt).
It can be. It just depends what kind of student you are. If you're aiming for the top GPA there's quite a lot of self study and "extra-credit" projects one endeavors to undertake. Sure, if all you do is the average minimum required of you an 8-year old laptop will probably suffice. This of course falls under the category of need which IMO is absolutely NOT the complete equation.
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