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This is not a "Pro" machine.

If I get a new Mac Pro, I'll probably bolt it to the underside of my desk, upside-down.

That way:
  1. I won't knock it over on the desk (it looks very light and tippy)
  2. Dust will be minimized as it will suck from the underside of a desk (with nowhere for dust to accumulate) and any that does blows downward
  3. It will heat my feet in winter
  4. Thunderbolt, USB3 and the other ports will be more able to swivel around without catching on the edge of a desk
  5. My desk can remain clear of most cables by putting peripherals on either the edge of the desk, or on a small end table beside my desk
  6. Fan noise (even if it's only a single fan) will be reduced by being behind my big, flat 1.5" thick desk

There are probably more benefits to upside-down bolting to underside of a desk, but that's what came off the top of my head.
 
wonderspark said:
If I get a new Mac Pro, I'll probably bolt it to the underside of my desk, upside-down.

That way:
  1. I won't knock it over on the desk (it looks very light and tippy)
  2. Dust will be minimized as it will suck from the underside of a desk (with nowhere for dust to accumulate) and any that does blows downward
  3. It will heat my feet in winter
  4. Thunderbolt, USB3 and the other ports will be more able to swivel around without catching on the edge of a desk
  5. My desk can remain clear of most cables by putting peripherals on either the edge of the desk, or on a small end table beside my desk
  6. Fan noise (even if it's only a single fan) will be reduced by being behind my big, flat 1.5" thick desk

There are probably more benefits to upside-down bolting to underside of a desk, but that's what came off the top of my head.
Click to expand...

Well if you are affraid of it ever overheating you can also get a 45 gallons drum of non conductive BPC oil and immerse it in it. It should also muffle any fan noise.
 
Digital Skunk said:
Not the latch that I am referring to. The latch on the back of the Mac Pro is built in.

View attachment 424540



Yes, but I am not talking about bolting it to the table, I am talking about providing a way to chain (for lack of a better word) the Mac to a table via a security cable, and a way to lock the case up so no one can get inside.

Both options always been available in Mac towers since the Beige G3.
Click to expand...

i stopped using security cables. can cut with one swipe of tin snips. Mine is locked into the workstand
 
thekev said:
Processors are socketed, so that those would be likely. Good luck changing weird proprietary video card implementations.
Click to expand...

Good news about the processor, business as usual about the limited GPU selections.

----------
flat five said:
yeah.. would be good to know



stack of externals?
do any of the following count as externals? : display, keyboard, trackpad/mouse, speakers, hard drive..

because it seems just about everybody has at least that.. you don't even have to leave the forum to see people more/less bragging about using 3 or 4 displays.. then complain about no expansion in the new mac?? i don't get it.
Click to expand...

It's not a problem for me. The width of the thing is 6 inches. If you have to stack some drives, it's no biggie. Plus are you going for looks or work power?
 
I don't think mostly sour grapes... Rather I think it's completely that. None of his arguments make sense (IMO) without that element.

But he's trying to say that the MP6,1 will be the first Mac with a non-replaceable GPU and that even iMac's GPUs could be swapped out. Of course this is entirely untrue. First we won't know the state of permanence of the MP6,1's GPUs until Apple tells us or someone looks inside and second, the overwhelming likelihood is that while proprietary they will be replaceable and are installed via a card-edge similar to what we have today. And that of course brings us full circle to the sour grapes point as these proprietary cards will likely only be supplied through Apple and 3rd party vendors will no longer be able to replace the firmware in a card intended for a PCIe slot in a non-Apple system with a hacked Apple firmware and sell it at a premium - and that's the business he's in.

Personally I see all of his arguments as an attempt to secure and maintain his business. The more people he can talk out of the new system and into a 4,1 or a 5,1 the more potential customers he'll have.

And before someone rags on me for flaming MVC or his business this is not my intention. I would probably do the same thing in his shoes. It's called self-preservation and we all do it - it's human. At the same time however it's only fair play for those who see through the games to lay it out in the open for others to see.

And of course I could always be wrong - he might just hate the MP6,1 because it's round or something? What did call the MP6,1 system in another thread, A "turd with buttercream" on top? LOL
 
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Digital Skunk said:
At a university, that's all a very VERY bad idea. Our labs are usually being used well into the early morning, and our building is locked, but registered students can get in with access cards. ...
Click to expand...
Your situation is not the same as mine. Again: all individual labs are kept locked all day long; department policy. Only lab members have keys. We do sometimes take computers home from our own labs, but we tend to bring them back :).

(Those labs with glass in the doors have been fitted with extra security so you can't just break the glass and open the handle from inside.)

The only public areas available to roaming students are the Electronic Classroom (iMacs, all secured) and a few classrooms with projectors installed with low-powered systems attached for presentations (these I imagine are secured but I haven't looked).

Many hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment sits unshackled behind heavy wooden doors in dozens of labs in this building. Our lab owns a TMS rig that's about a hundred grand in itself, plus other ancillary systems. If you wanted to chew through a door, you'd be on security camera; also as you left the building. (The animal labs in the basement of course are quite secure regarding entry; again, I don't think anyone bothers with little cable locks.)

This is a well-endowed Ivy League university the size of a small city, very cost-conscious of course, and they don't do things stupidly (weeellll, not that kind of stupid!)....

[sorry so off-topic; i'll try to come up with something to add to this entertaining discussion]
 
Tesselator said:
I don't think mostly sour grapes... Rather I think it's completely that. None of his arguments make sense (IMO) without that element.

But he's trying to say that the MP6,1 will be the first Mac with a non-replaceable GPU and that even iMac's GPUs could be swapped out. Of course this is entirely untrue. First we won't know the state of permanence of the MP6,1's GPUs until Apple tells us or someone looks inside and second, the overwhelming likelihood is that while proprietary they will be replaceable and are installed via a card-edge similar to what we have today. And that of course brings us full circle to the sour grapes point as these proprietary cards will likely only be supplied through Apple and 3rd party vendors will no longer be able to replace the firmware in a card intended for a PCIe slot in a non-Apple system with a hacked Apple firmware and sell it at a premium - and that's the business he's in.

Personally I see all of his arguments as an attempt to secure and maintain his business. The more people he can talk out of the new system and into a 4,1 or a 5,1 the more potential customers he'll have.

And before someone rags on me for flaming MVC or his business this is not my intention. I would probably do the same thing in his shoes. It's called self-preservation and we all do it - it's human. At the same time however it's only fair play for those who see through the games to lay it out in the open for others to see.

And of course I could always be wrong - he might just hate the MP6,1 because it's round or something? What did call the MP6,1 system in another thread, A "turd with buttercream" on top? LOL
Click to expand...
Just for accuracy, I believe the MacVidCards business is just a hobby little side business when he's not doing other more permanent work.

I don't think the proprietary GPUs the nMP will have will stop people like MVC et al from coming up with ways around the issue of GPU upgrades. Someone will solder and code up a solution, if there's a way to do it.
 
Digital Skunk said:
Not the latch that I am referring to. The latch on the back of the Mac Pro is built in.

View attachment 424540

Yes, but I am not talking about bolting it to the table, I am talking about providing a way to chain (for lack of a better word) the Mac to a table via a security cable, and a way to lock the case up so no one can get inside.

Both options always been available in Mac towers since the Beige G3.
Click to expand...

I like that little latch. I have a padlock and a biiig, thick cable that I use to secure it when I load-in before a show and then have to go away for a while.

With the new Tube, I guess I could test everything out at sound check, then slip the MP into my jeans pocket and bring it back later!
 
wonderspark said:
Just for accuracy, I believe the MacVidCards business is just a hobby little side business when he's not doing other more permanent work.
Click to expand...

Maybe. He's sold over 5,000 cards tho - just on one site - it's probably double that. That doesn't sound so hobby-ish to me. ;)
 
I saw this elsewhere and I thought of this thread... :D

whtu.jpg


Sorry if it's already been posted, I'm not reading all posts here.
 
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d-m-a-x said:
i stopped using security cables. can cut with one swipe of tin snips. Mine is locked into the workstand
Click to expand...

Not the kind that are used to secure $4000 workstations. They can be cut, but the bolt cutters needed would draw a **** ton of attention.

Photovore said:
The only public areas available to roaming students are the Electronic Classroom (iMacs, all secured) and a few classrooms with projectors installed with low-powered systems attached for presentations (these I imagine are secured but I haven't looked).
Click to expand...

Yup, we do just that with the iMacs, and the Mac Pros, and the displays and such. We did at one time do the same with . . . . . every piece of tech in the labs, but I thought it rather ridiculous when I was hired, and removed the cables from the monitors, the decks, the Avid Mojos, the displays, etc.

That university is ULTRA paranoid, however, I had to break a few thumbs to get them to install a gate in the equipment room.

It's definitely not off topic at all. It's one of the things some may have to consider. As you mention later, you take your machine on the road, so you'll have to find a way to secure it somehow . . . or not, or just stick it in your pocket.

omnious said:
I saw this elsewhere and I thought of this thread... :D

Image

Sorry if it's already been posted, I'm not reading all posts here.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much how it's going to look. I mentioned either here or in another thread that there's going to have to be 5 additional boxes for certain editors cutting in 4k, so even in your photo with the Fibre Channel TBolt adaptor, you'll still need to add like 3 Sonnet PCIe boxes.
 
omnious said:
I saw this elsewhere and I thought of this thread... :D

Image

Sorry if it's already been posted, I'm not reading all posts here.
Click to expand...

They kinda "overcharge" the amount of external components. Even if I still find this kind of sad. I think Apple really failed right now. Why the h*** Steve Jobs chose that Tim Cook a**hole as the new Apple CEO? I mean I could do better than him. Stupid Retina display, stupid lightning connector, stupid idea of non-upgradable Macs, stupid optical drive removal, stupid broken OSes, stupid super-thin iMac, stupid iTunes re-design, stupid OS name & design, and now stupid 2013 Mac Pro. They shouldn't have hired that man. I could do 10x better than him. Sad monent in history for Apple.
 
Tesselator said:
That's the only one I agree with. :p It went from kinda useful and a little restrictive to OMG WTH is this... :)

Sorry for the OT post.
Click to expand...

Only for iTunes? Don't you hate the new lightning connector? I do. I replaced my iPod Touch 5th gen cable 1 month after purchasing it. The one they gave me now is also to his way to death.

If insults were accepted on this forum, then I would start insulting Tim Cook in front of everyone. If only Steve Jobs would still be alive...
 
garirry said:
Only for iTunes? Don't you hate the new lightning connector? I do. I replaced my iPod Touch 5th gen cable 1 month after purchasing it. The one they gave me now is also to his way to death.
Click to expand...

Oh you mean like in my image below? Yeah their cable coverings kinda suck. That one is only a few weeks old BTW. But that's been true for years. <shrug> Or did you mean something else?
 

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wonderspark said:
If I get a new Mac Pro, I'll probably bolt it to the underside of my desk, upside-down.

That way:
  1. I won't knock it over on the desk (it looks very light and tippy)
  2. Dust will be minimized as it will suck from the underside of a desk (with nowhere for dust to accumulate) and any that does blows downward
  3. It will heat my feet in winter
  4. Thunderbolt, USB3 and the other ports will be more able to swivel around without catching on the edge of a desk
  5. My desk can remain clear of most cables by putting peripherals on either the edge of the desk, or on a small end table beside my desk
  6. Fan noise (even if it's only a single fan) will be reduced by being behind my big, flat 1.5" thick desk

There are probably more benefits to upside-down bolting to underside of a desk, but that's what came off the top of my head.
Click to expand...

what's funny is that all 6 of those are good reasons. (at least upon first read).. i guess you should come up with a cons list as well as an aesthetics decision and who knows.. you might actually end up with an mp bolted to the bottom of your desk.. (though i'm willing to guess the aesthetic choice will prevent it from happening.. that's why your post was in jest to begin with)
 
flat five said:
what's funny is that all 6 of those are good reasons. (at least upon first read).. i guess you should come up with a cons list as well as an aesthetics decision and who knows.. you might actually end up with an mp bolted to the bottom of your desk.. (though i'm willing to guess the aesthetic choice will prevent it from happening.. that's why your post was in jest to begin with)
Click to expand...

I made this a few months after I got my MP1,1 when someone was asking about such prefab purchasable goods of similar ilk.

http://tesselator.gpmod.com/Images/_Movies/DIY_Drawing.mov


Made, as in the design, models and animation - not the actual thing. :)
 
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twietee said:
Hope you didn't glue it under the table, though. :D


Edit:
Sorry, didn't read your whole post :eek: :rolleyes:
But that still applies for everyone interested..in the actual thing :D
Click to expand...

Totally... How to attach it would depend on what the desk was made out of and how permanent you wanted that thing to be. If you're permanently adding it to a wooden desk I would recommend matching the wood type and finish, routing a 0.5~1mm inset for the entire (unfinished) flush - chiseling the inset corners square, and then using white glue with 6 or 8 clamps. Wipe the excess with a wet rag, and wait 24 to 36 hours before hanging the Mac.
 
I disagree on the new Mac Pro not being a professional machine; I was initially skeptical but I've warmed to the idea in a big way. In fact I think Apple has created something pretty clever here, though I do wish they'd kept it a little bigger so there was room for a second processor and/or at least one SATA drive.

Even so; most professionals will be using fairly big RAID arrays anyway, which means an enclosure on the desk. It's going to suck for people with existing internal RAID cards with external connectors to switch to Thunderbolt, but I do think Thunderbolt is the better overall standard.

For those of us that don't have quite the same RAID requirements, a decent USB 3 enclosure isn't particularly expensive, and can handle four HDDs in RAID-0 without much trouble.

A lot of people have lamented the presence of enclosures on a desk, but if you think about the current Mac Pro isn't something that most people have on top of a desk (the thing is huge), so most people can easily put their enclosures under their desk where the old Pro would go, meanwhile the new one can easily take pride of place on top of the desk.

The move to two GPUs as standard is perfect for video editing, and if we see more professional apps leveraging them could be a huge boon for other applications as well.

My main concerns are:
  • Only having internal Flash storage. The speed of it sounds great, and it should make a sweet Fusion drive when combined with an external RAID-0 array over USB 3 or Thunderbolt 2. However Core Storage lacks any provision for disconnecting an SSD/Flash device from a storage pool cleanly, which means upgrading to a future Mac Pro could be a massive pain, rather than a nice simple swap which external devices would otherwise make possible. I did used to have my SSD and RAID-0 as separate volumes, but after trying them as a Fusion Drive instead I never want to go back to manual volume management!
  • Cost. Having no dual CPU arrangement means a big cost from the high-end model is eliminated, but twin GPUs potentially means that all Mac Pro models are going to be more expensive. I assume Apple will be getting a great deal on the cards, hopefully eliminating the bulk of the premium price that professional GPUs provide, but even so I can't see it being cheap. Most of the components the new design eliminates weren't that expensive, same goes for materials cost for the case itself, reduced fans; these savings add up but I doubt it'll be enough compared to an extra GPU and Flash storage as standard, plus the cost of smaller components (power supply etc.).

I dunno; my 2008 Mac Pro doesn't seem to be very healthy lately, and I'd love to upgrade. I already have a heap of HDDs inside my current Mac Pro, and a USB 3 enclosure for them wouldn't set me back much, but on top of what could be an expensive machine, even for the low-end model, I'm not sure if I'll be able to afford the upgrade. That said, I could probably make do with a Mac Mini in the mean time since it would be pretty easy to just swap in a Mac Pro later, but I don't know if I can live with a mere four cores and no discrete GPU :)
 
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haravikk said:
I disagree on the new Mac Pro not being a professional machine; I was initially skeptical but I've warmed to the idea in a big way. In fact I think Apple has created something pretty clever here, though I do wish they'd kept it a little bigger so there was room for a second processor and/or at least one SATA drive.

Even so; most professionals will be using fairly big RAID arrays anyway, which means an enclosure on the desk. It's going to suck for people with existing internal RAID cards with external connectors to switch to Thunderbolt, but I do think Thunderbolt is the better overall standard.

For those of us that don't have quite the same RAID requirements, a decent USB 3 enclosure isn't particularly expensive, and can handle four HDDs in RAID-0 without much trouble.

A lot of people have lamented the presence of enclosures on a desk, but if you think about the current Mac Pro isn't something that most people have on top of a desk (the thing is huge), so most people can easily put their enclosures under their desk where the old Pro would go, meanwhile the new one can easily take pride of place on top of the desk.

The move to two GPUs as standard is perfect for video editing, and if we see more professional apps leveraging them could be a huge boon for other applications as well.

My main concerns are:
  • Only having internal Flash storage. The speed of it sounds great, and it should make a sweet Fusion drive when combined with an external RAID-0 array over USB 3 or Thunderbolt 2. However Core Storage lacks any provision for disconnecting an SSD/Flash device from a storage pool cleanly, which means upgrading to a future Mac Pro could be a massive pain, rather than a nice simple swap which external devices would otherwise make possible. I did used to have my SSD and RAID-0 as separate volumes, but after trying them as a Fusion Drive instead I never want to go back to manual volume management!
    [*]Cost. Having no dual CPU arrangement means a big cost from the high-end model is eliminated, but twin GPUs potentially means that all Mac Pro models are going to be more expensive. I assume Apple will be getting a great deal on the cards, hopefully eliminating the bulk of the premium price that professional GPUs provide, but even so I can't see it being cheap. Most of the components the new design eliminates weren't that expensive, same goes for materials cost for the case itself, reduced fans; these savings add up but I doubt it'll be enough compared to an extra GPU and Flash storage as standard, plus the cost of smaller components (power supply etc.).

I dunno; my 2008 Mac Pro doesn't seem to be very healthy lately, and I'd love to upgrade. I already have a heap of HDDs inside my current Mac Pro, and a USB 3 enclosure for them wouldn't set me back much, but on top of what could be an expensive machine, even for the low-end model, I'm not sure if I'll be able to afford the upgrade. That said, I could probably make do with a Mac Mini in the mean time since it would be pretty easy to just swap in a Mac Pro later, but I don't know if I can live with a mere four cores and no discrete GPU :)
Click to expand...

I haven't paid much attention to the Mac Pro discussions since the announcement but do we know that there won't be a single GPU model?
 
hudson1 said:
I haven't paid much attention to the Mac Pro discussions since the announcement but do we know that there won't be a single GPU model?
Click to expand...

From what I gather, and what more informed CPU aficionados inform me there will only be a single socket model. The single CPUs come in either 4, 6, 8 or 12 cores though.

Personally, I am crossing fingers for 6 cores starting out at $2500 . . . . . I know it's a dream.
 
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