Who is waiting for the Mac Pro Refresh to compare MP 2.8 Quad-Core to iMac i7 Quad?

[wirelessness]

It's looking like the entry level Mac Pro will still be $2499. That's only a few hundred more than the i7 iMac.

For me it's not about needing more power because the entry level iMac 2.93GHz will probably be faster in many situations than the 2.8GHz Xenon in the Mac Pro.

I just keep stressing over switching to an all in one computer that is so difficult to expand if your needs grow...mainly for adding SSD in the future and for RAID type data storage. All the solutions for adding SSD and or an external eSATA port are not graceful and will likely void the iMac warranty.

The Mac Pro obviously has none of these concerns but it's not as slick and seamless of a device which I really like about the iMac. I already have a quality 24" display but just can't decide which way to go. I want the iMac but in the back of my mind I think the Mac Pro is probably a smarter investment.

What are other people thinking of doing?

 

[Hellhammer]

Buy the 2.66GHz quad Mac Pro for 2149$, probably even less when new ones come. It's cheaper than iMac is and offers the expandability you need

 

[kaufman]

Buy the 2.66GHz quad Mac Pro for 2149$, probably even less when new ones come. It's cheaper than iMac is and offers the expandability you need

Agreed on buying a mac pro over an imac, I've been stressing about the same thing these past few weeks.

As you have a decent enough display also that's even more of a reason.
For me I realised i can upgrade so many things as the next few years go by and I love the idea of having all my hard drives inside a computer again as opposed to having many externals wrapped around my desk.

Like i mentioned in another thread I'm waiting and hoping on a good price on the refurb 2009 mac pro's.

 

[wirelessness]

Buy the 2.66GHz quad Mac Pro for 2149$, probably even less when new ones come. It's cheaper than iMac is and offers the expandability you need

The 2.66's are still $2499 through Apple and $2299 w/ Edu discount. I saw a few in the refurb store at one point but there none now. The usual online suspects are not selling them for less than the Apple Edu discount especially if you subtract the value of the free iPod.

Not to go down a Mac Pro wormhole in the iMac forum but is it worth a few hundred more bucks to get the 2.8 with the updated GPU?

 

[TheBritishBloke]

Depends if you really need a mac pro. Granted it has expandability, and people say it's cheaper than an iMac, but you then have to buy a monitor, and if you were to buy a 27" monitor such as the ACD, add $999 to your bill.

 

[Hellhammer]

The 2.66's are still $2499 through Apple and $2299 w/ Edu discount. I saw a few in the refurb store at one point but there none now. The usual online suspects are not selling them for less than the Apple Edu discount especially if you subtract the value of the free iPod.

Not to go down a Mac Pro wormhole in the iMac forum but is it worth a few hundred more bucks to get the 2.8 with the updated GPU?

They still show up in refurb store but go pretty quickly http://www.refurb.me/

I would expect that to be 1999$ when new ones come so that is pretty killer deal. The difference gets you ATI 5870 which is better than the 5770. It's up to you. If you want to save some $, get a refurb but the new one ain't that bad deal either. If you're a student, then get the new one because it's about the same with iTouch deal etc.

 

[wirelessness]

They still show up in refurb store but go pretty quickly http://www.refurb.me/

I would expect that to be 1999$ when new ones come so that is pretty killer deal. The difference gets you ATI 5870 which is better than the 5770. It's up to you. If you want to save some $, get a refurb but the new one ain't that bad deal either. If you're a student, then get the new one because it's about the same with iTouch deal etc.

I was thinking more about the differences between the GT120 vs the 5770 or 5870 in the next generation.

 

[Hellhammer]

I was thinking more about the differences between the GT120 vs the 5770 or 5870 in the next generation.

5770 is superior compared to GT 120. If you're a student, get the new Mac Pro. If you're not, then I would get a refurb and upgrade the GPU to 5770 or 5870 with the money you saved by going for refurb. Of course this is just assuming that you're getting a Mac Pro instead of iMac but it looks like you would benefit from Mac Pro's expandability.