So to those who hope for a new Mac Pro on the forthcoming WWDC: what do you people want in the next Mac Pro and for what kind of tasks?
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Wishes for Next Mac Pro
- Thread starter shinobi-81
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GTX 670/680. For CUDA, Video games, and extending the life of my 2010 hex so I don't have to fill up my Antec p180 with PC parts
I really love it too. but my home have 5 of this. its boring!!! (2xG5, 3xMP)
If it come from Jony's brain. That enough.
Silly answers aside,
- CPU bumps and no horrific price bumps. Its an obvious wish, but shouldn't go unstated.
- SSD-on-the-motherboard boot drive. Just take the SSD sticks from the Macbook Air, and give us something like the performance equivalent to OWC's PCIe based Mercury Accelsior without us having to lose a PCI slot or a HDD bay.
- Thunderbolt.
- SATA 6GBps.
- FW800 needs to stay around on this revision because the transition to TB isn't anywhere close to complete. Similarly, I'd also like USB3, based on mere principle.
- Reconfigured case internals - - basically, to convert the one optical bay into having a couple of 2.5" SSDs installed in there in addition to the four current 3.5" bays. Much of this wish list item is to point out that having fewer spots than at present for installing internal drives is undesirable. I can live with a certain number of externals, but it gets old pretty quickly.
When it comes to the case, I'm tempted to say that a rack mountable would be nice to have...but it isn't particularly important to my individual needs. I'd be fine with accepting it to go that way so long as the current capabilities aren't lightened up.
For tasks, I'm looking at primarily digital still photography and now some HD movie development too, with the desktop also serving as the data repository for itself as well as for several other (including iOS) systems...in other words, it is the anchor that's going to be managing TB-sized sets of redundant data backups.
FYI, the way that I conceptulalize this all fitting together is:
SSD sticks @ motherboard - boot
SSD x2 @ optical bay / RAID 0 - scratch disk
HDD @ Bay 1 & 2: / RAID 0 - data stack
HDD @ Bay 3 & 4: / RAID 1 - clone of boot & first backup set (possibly running Time Machine)
External HDD / RAID 1 - second backup set
Network HDD ... third backup set ...
Remote Site HDD ... fourth backup set ...
-hh
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I was thinking the same thing. I kinda want mine equipped with a flux capacitor, and red rope liquorice dispenser.
In addition to Sandy Bridge-E and fast GPU
- Smaller chassis that is rack mountable.
- Redundant Power Supply
- Six 2.5" Drive Bays
- Lights Out Management
• keep it quiet and cool
• Not just a new CPU, the whole system should upgrade to prevent bottlenecks.
• top GPU integration and the possibility to use a wide range of cards to satisfy a wide variety of pro users.
• SSD boot drive out the box. And, please, the latest generation SSD.
• Incremental updates when new technology becomes available, not just one every two years.
• Thunderbolt and USB 3.0
• built-in wireless card - nobody connects to a modem through cables any more
• make sure there aren't any problems when connecting large displays - no use of adapters to connect a 27" or a 30" display. New connectors should be able to handle high resolutions. After all, the mini display port is also Thunderbolt compatible - at least it's using a similar interface. The best would be to make all display connection future proof and ditch that standard that required the purchase of expensive and often malfunctioning adapters.
It's a workstation, not a consumer product. It should provide a certain future proof factor. Professional users don't buy for fun, they buy for need and use (not that this can't be fun as well).
• a really good data pipeline without bottlenecks.
• No smaller case. I don't care how big it is: quiet and cool, good access and lots of space for cards and drives is paramount.
• Not just a new CPU, the whole system should upgrade to prevent bottlenecks.
• top GPU integration and the possibility to use a wide range of cards to satisfy a wide variety of pro users.
• SSD boot drive out the box. And, please, the latest generation SSD.
• Incremental updates when new technology becomes available, not just one every two years.
• Thunderbolt and USB 3.0
• built-in wireless card - nobody connects to a modem through cables any more
• make sure there aren't any problems when connecting large displays - no use of adapters to connect a 27" or a 30" display. New connectors should be able to handle high resolutions. After all, the mini display port is also Thunderbolt compatible - at least it's using a similar interface. The best would be to make all display connection future proof and ditch that standard that required the purchase of expensive and often malfunctioning adapters.
It's a workstation, not a consumer product. It should provide a certain future proof factor. Professional users don't buy for fun, they buy for need and use (not that this can't be fun as well).
• a really good data pipeline without bottlenecks.
• No smaller case. I don't care how big it is: quiet and cool, good access and lots of space for cards and drives is paramount.
Nonsense. My philosophy is to always use wired ethernet unless impossible or impractical. For a workstation that doesn't move? Wired should be standard. I hardly ever use the wireless card in my MP, I usually keep it powered off unless I know I want to wirelessly connect to my MBP.
Yeah, plus 1.
My MacPro is wired. I also use a wired keyboard, hell, it never moves more than a foot away from the USB port at the rear of the screen, why mess with batteries?
I really don't want a smaller case. I love the current design. Does the job. I want more space for drives internally - either HDD or SSD but leave me one optical bay - I got too much stuff backed up on DVD ( and no, an external optical drive for a desktop isn't a good thing).
Question for everyone looking for a new case. Are you looking for a new case because of aesthetics or useability? I own two Mac Pros (2.66 and Octo 2.8) that are used in my recording studio. I never look at them. I don't really care what the case looks like as long as it does what it should. Curious for an answer to this question.
Depends on where your ethernet cable is, and where your computer station is located.
And my ethernet port is being used by a print server and not available for internet.
Kudos on your classy discussion style, though
Depends on where your ethernet cable is, and where your computer station is located.
And my ethernet port is being used by a print server and not available for internet.
Kudos on your classy discussion style, though
True, but I would say that the majority of Mac Pro users still connect over wired Ethernet. I have an AirPort card in mine, but it's only used in the rare instances where I have to set the machine up away from home.
I'm not sure how running a print server leaves you dead in the water for running Internet hardwired (unless of course running a physical cable isn't feasible in your situation). All Mac Pros have dual gigabit Ethernet ports.
Sandy Bridge E
Base model be 6 core, Mid model be 8 Core (1cpu), top end model be 12 core (2x Hex) with BTO option of 16 core (2x Oct) - This is all assuming SBE will have Hex and Oct core CPU's, haven't really looked.
Base models to have MINIMUM of 6gb Ram.
256gb SSD Boot drive (MBA Stick style)
BTO options for top end GPU's
Internally, as easily upgraded as the current Pro, minimum of 4 3.5" bays.
They can drop of the 5.25" Bays, don't need 2 optical drives.
Base model be 6 core, Mid model be 8 Core (1cpu), top end model be 12 core (2x Hex) with BTO option of 16 core (2x Oct) - This is all assuming SBE will have Hex and Oct core CPU's, haven't really looked.
Base models to have MINIMUM of 6gb Ram.
256gb SSD Boot drive (MBA Stick style)
BTO options for top end GPU's
Internally, as easily upgraded as the current Pro, minimum of 4 3.5" bays.
They can drop of the 5.25" Bays, don't need 2 optical drives.
Since this is a wish list, not a "what do you expect?" list, I'm going to wish for a Blu-ray drive and playback software. I'd also like a wider range of video cards. I don't mind whether it's the current case or a new one, so long as it's still easy to work in.