[bmn]

Hi all. I'm about to invest a bundle into a new setup for my office (I work in commercial real estate but enjoy dabbling with lots of technologies ranging from programming to video editing) and was hoping to get a bit of advice as to any ways to improve the machine configuration I'd like to purchase. I'm open to any suggestions you may have as to how to get more value from my purchase, whether it be through upgrading or downgrading aspects...without further ado, here is what I'm thinking:

Mac Pro: 'Two 2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon' - My gut tells me this is fast enough, based on the how my 2 gigahertz intel imac performs...and the xeon chip is superior as right? Meanwhile I've heard that the quad-core chips really don't offer a big advantage for people who aren't using very specific programs?

2 or 4 gb of ram (I can't decide, what do you think? It costs about $400 to upgrade from 2gb...also is there a good reason why apple doesn't let people order '3 gigs' ?

250GB 7200-rpm drive. I only have 150gb at home and generally don't fill it up often...though isn't 7200rpm kinda slow?

ATI Radeon X1900 XT 512MB (2 x dual-link DVI) [Add $249] - In the future I'd like to get a 2nd 30" ACD so I think this is the best card...though realistically, can this card drive two 30" monitors without getting its ass kicked?

Apple Cinema HD Display 30 Inch - From what I've been able to google, there really isn't anything else on the market that is vastly superior in this size. Supposedly I could save a couple hundred by getting a dell monitor that has basically the same stuff on the inside, but I would prefer to just deal with apple unless someone else has a way better product. I heard lacie might have some wicked monitors, but couldn't find a 30"?

1 Superdrive

Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and AirPort Extreme

Absolutely any advice on any of these components would be most appreciated!

[dabigdawg]

I went with the HP and am loving it especially being able to use it with multiple machines

HP LP3065 30-inch monitor details revealed - Engadget

[unixadm]

A Quad Core 2.66ghz is a very fast machine. It sounds like you're looking at the right system and it will last you for several years unless your needs drastically change.

Personally I would go with 4gb of memory. However keep in mind that you do not need to buy memory from Apple. It's cheaper to buy 2gb of aftermarket memory for $150. I lucked out and scored 8gb for $320 at Newegg a couple of weeks ago.

The 250gb 7200rpm drive is fine. Performance will be good and unless you need more space, I wouldn't add another drive from Apple. Buy a 500gb Western Digital, Samsung, or Seagate from Newegg or Mwave to use as a backup drive.

The X1900XT can drive two monitors of that size in 2D without much fuss. Get the card now, verus later. Though you can buy any PC X1900XT or X1900XTX and flash it with the EFI rom to make it work in your Mac Pro. I got mine for $160 shipped (XTX model) and flashed it in a matter of five minutes. Works perfectly in OSX.

The current 30" displays are okay, but lack an OSD and multiple inputs except for the HP 3065. I personally run a Westinghouse 37W3 37" 1080P monitor that gives me 1920x1080 resolution. It's awesome for my Mac, PC, and Xbox 360. It just does not stack up against the resolution of the true 30" monitors, but if I were to get a 30", I'd wait another six months for newer models to come out. Most of the 30" displays are still first generation, HC gamut or not.

Super Drive, Bluetooth and Airport Extreme are good options.

[mduell]

Unless you desperately need to upgrade, right now is a very bad time for buying a Mac Pro. Intel dropped CPU prices today (quads are now the prices that duals were), and the rest of the system (RAM/HDD/GPU) hasn't been upgraded in a year. I expect an imminent upgrade to basically double all the specs, with no change in price: Two 2.83Ghz quad cores, 2GB RAM, 400GB HDD, and a graphics card that's twice as fast (8800GTX).

Originally Posted by bmn 

Hi all. I'm about to invest a bundle into a new setup for my office (I work in commercial real estate but enjoy dabbling with lots of technologies ranging from programming to video editing) and was hoping to get a bit of advice as to any ways to improve the machine configuration I'd like to purchase. I'm open to any suggestions you may have as to how to get more value from my purchase, whether it be through upgrading or downgrading aspects...without further ado, here is what I'm thinking:

Mac Pro: 'Two 2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon' - My gut tells me this is fast enough, based on the how my 2 gigahertz intel imac performs...and the xeon chip is superior as right? Meanwhile I've heard that the quad-core chips really don't offer a big advantage for people who aren't using very specific programs?

Yes, the Xeons are faster because they have a higher clockrate, faster FSB, and there's two of them. The 2.66 should be fine for the usage you described.

Originally Posted by bmn 

2 or 4 gb of ram (I can't decide, what do you think? It costs about $400 to upgrade from 2gb...also is there a good reason why apple doesn't let people order '3 gigs' ?

Buy 1GB from Apple and an additional 2 or 4GB from a third party. Apple's memory prices include a large, unjustified premium.

Apple could offer 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, or 16GB (but not 15!), but they've chosen to simplify the offerings.

Originally Posted by bmn 

250GB 7200-rpm drive. I only have 150gb at home and generally don't fill it up often...though isn't 7200rpm kinda slow?

As you work with media, you'll probably want something bigger in the future. Take the downgrade to 160GB from Apple and buy a 320GB with the money you saved.

Originally Posted by bmn 

ATI Radeon X1900 XT 512MB (2 x dual-link DVI) [Add $249] - In the future I'd like to get a 2nd 30" ACD so I think this is the best card...though realistically, can this card drive two 30" monitors without getting its ass kicked?

Yes, the X1900XT can drive two 30s.

Originally Posted by bmn 

Apple Cinema HD Display 30 Inch - From what I've been able to google, there really isn't anything else on the market that is vastly superior in this size. Supposedly I could save a couple hundred by getting a dell monitor that has basically the same stuff on the inside, but I would prefer to just deal with apple unless someone else has a way better product. I heard lacie might have some wicked monitors, but couldn't find a 30"?

Apple, Dell, and HP all use the same panel; the differences are price, warranty length, and input options.
LaCie has some monitors designed for color accuracy, but I don't think they have a 30".

Originally Posted by bmn 

1 Superdrive

Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and AirPort Extreme

Absolutely any advice on any of these components would be most appreciated!

Unless you're burning/copying a lot of DVDs, 1 SuperDrive (Apple's name for a DVD burner) is fine.

Bluetooth is for connecting peripherals like phones, wireless keyboards/mice, some printers, PDAs, etc.
Airport is for connecting to wireless (802.11) networks.

[bmn]

Now I really don't know what to do in regards to this big announcement apple is holding on Aug. 7th.

arghhh!

[Simon]

Originally Posted by bmn 

Now I really don't know what to do in regards to this big announcement apple is holding on Aug. 7th.

Most likely that will be all about the iMac. In any event it's only a week away. If you've waited this long to get a MP you might as well wait another week if it makes you feel better.

[Waragainstsleep]

The Apple displays are the best you can get. The Dell ones use the same model of panels, but when Dell released theirs, they quoted higher specs for response times and one or two other things. They weren't vastly better than the (much older) specs Apple was quoting, but when someone tested the pair of them, the Apple display met Dells specs, and the Dell one did not. Apple have sinced upgraded their own quoted specs.
This finding would seem to offer credibilty to the story I heard about why Apple displays cost so much more: They pay a premium to get first pick of the panels from the manufacturers. Not all panels are created equal. Some just turn out better. Apple LCDs have always been brighter than most competitors, with better colour, viewing angle and fewer dead pixels (these are so rare on Apple panels in my experience). These differences are less pronounced than they were a couple of years back, but they remain for the most part.
Add the most stylish enclosure on the market (even after all this time - I don't know what some others companies are thinking when they design theirs) and you have Apple's justification for their prices.

When people ask me for an unbiased opinion on displays, I tell them that if they are in the graphic design business, or video editors, or are simply insistent on all their kit being stylish and are willing to pay for it, then they should get Apple display. Everyone else should go elsewhere. The warranty being the biggest added value more often than not.

[mduell]

Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep 

The Apple displays are the best you can get. The Dell ones use the same model of panels, but when Dell released theirs, they quoted higher specs for response times and one or two other things. They weren't vastly better than the (much older) specs Apple was quoting, but when someone tested the pair of them, the Apple display met Dells specs, and the Dell one did not. Apple have sinced upgraded their own quoted specs.
This finding would seem to offer credibilty to the story I heard about why Apple displays cost so much more: They pay a premium to get first pick of the panels from the manufacturers. Not all panels are created equal. Some just turn out better. Apple LCDs have always been brighter than most competitors, with better colour, viewing angle and fewer dead pixels (these are so rare on Apple panels in my experience). These differences are less pronounced than they were a couple of years back, but they remain for the most part.
Add the most stylish enclosure on the market (even after all this time - I don't know what some others companies are thinking when they design theirs) and you have Apple's justification for their prices.

Sounds like just panel-to-panel or batch-to-batch variation. Anandtech compared the Dell and Apple 20" (same panel model) in 2005 and found the Dell had better measured specs.
In my opinion there's no credibility SJobs claim that Apple picks only the best panels and other major OEMs buy the rest. Apple has even had horrible systemic issues (23" ACD pink cast, 15" PB white spots) that other OEMs have not had.

[Waragainstsleep]

Don't even recall where I heard that to be honest. Odd that no else got the pink or white spot issues. But they must have really good luck with their batches otherwise, most of the displays I have seen are superior to other branded PCs. But also like I say, the gap has closed alot recently.