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discotronic · Sep 29, 2006, 02:27 PM

I am looking into getting a new Mac Pro soon but I'm not sure which route to go. I did a search but didn't find a question like this one. Here are the options that I am looking at:

Mac Pro 2.0GHz
1GB RAM
160GB HD
Bluetooth
Wireless KB and Mouse
Radeon X1900 XT

$2267

Mac Pro 2.66GHz
Same as above except change the video card to the cheaper NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT.

$2312

Both of these are with the edu discount and before tax. This is also the most that I am able to spend at this time.

I have seen the MacWorld benchmarks and both of these with the stock configuration are close enough in performance for my needs. I will eventually upgrade the RAM to somewhere around 3GB-4GB. I already have a couple 250GB hard drives.

I currently have a PowerMac G5 1.8GHz single processor with 1.25GB RAM and Radeon 9600XT 128MB video card. The machine is used for things like Divx file conversions, light Photoshop/Adobe apps work, Dreamweaver. Eventually I would like to use ProTools for a little light audio video work. Last but not least it will be used for the occasional FPS and strategy game.

I also have a PC that I use with my TiVo (until they get their act together with their Mac software) and as a virtual server. The virtual servers run a mixed combo of Windows 2003 Servers, a few XP installs as clients and a couple different flavors of Linux. This is more or less for testing network changes so having the greatest amount of speed isn't necessary.

Which would I be better off with? Will the upgraded video card be better for me than the extra processing power? I can always upgrade the processor later when the prices drop.

The MP will replace both my G5 and the PC since I feel it has come time to replace both of them.

Also, I don't want an iMac. I already have a good LCD, I need the extra hard drive bays and I want to be able to do upgrade the processor, video card and etc without voiding my warranty.

Cadaver · Sep 29, 2006, 02:39 PM

I'd get the 2.66GHz model if I were you. The video card will help mostly with games, but the faster processors will help with everything else (espeically video encoding/editing).

discotronic · Sep 29, 2006, 03:23 PM

Originally Posted by Cadaver

I'd get the 2.66GHz model if I were you. The video card will help mostly with games, but the faster processors will help with everything else (espeically video encoding/editing).

I tend to think the same thing but I keep wondering about the cost of upgrading the video card later? In the past video cards for a Mac have always been high in cost. With the Intel transition it should be easier and cheaper to upgrade the processor down the road. At this point it is hard to tell if the same can be said in regards to video cards.

If I get the 1900XT now I am sure that it would last me until I am ready to purchase a new machine.

I should do some research on the differences in the 1900XT and the 7300GT. Would the 1900 offer so much more in performance to warrant the $250 increase in price?

P · Sep 29, 2006, 05:05 PM

The 2.66GHz model is a better buy. The money you'd get from downgrading it yourself (buying a 2.66 GHzer and selling the CPUs) is more than what you get from Apple. You can always upgrade the video board later on.

mduell · Sep 29, 2006, 05:18 PM

2.66... the 2.0 downgrade doesn't give you enough money back to make it worth it.

The price of the X1900XT is already down to $400, which is only about 30% higher than the cost of the PC version of the same card.

brokenjago · Oct 1, 2006, 11:56 PM

$250 for the upgrade, which makes it an even better deal.

sodamnregistered2 · 05:18 PM

I'd just wait until Adobe updates their apps.

Not much sense to get the latest hardware, and then run Photoshop and Dreamweaver under emulation. The resale on your G5 is already crushed, might as well ride herd on it another 6 months.

The hardware price points will improve every 6 months, and when the apps are native, you will be happier all around.

SierraDragon · Oct 2, 2006, 01:23 PM

I agree with sodamn. I do not see any reasons listed why you must upgrade right now (e.g. if you were running either Aperture or heavy PC emulation). If you can tolerate your G5 until Mac Expo SF in January you will receive far better MacIntel value, and applications as well as the OS will have evolved farther in the MacIntel direction.

Before the end of the year quad cores will double CPU capacities. OS/app engineers will be designing toward that higher standard during the 3-5 year life of any new Mac Pro. If you do need to buy now, buying the 2.66 CPU will help extend the life cycle.

Be aware too that limiting to 1 GB of RAM will generally hamstring most heavy apps as well as the OS. Waiting also allows RAM prices to continue to fall as ECC RAM production ramps up.

-Allen Wicks

thebunny · Oct 23, 2006, 11:58 AM

Originally Posted by P

The 2.66GHz model is a better buy. The money you'd get from downgrading it yourself (buying a 2.66 GHzer and selling the CPUs) is more than what you get from Apple. You can always upgrade the video board later on.

I checked that and it doesn't pan out. Ebay search revealse that you can get only $800 for the two 2.66 GHz. Two new 2.00 GHz will run you $500 + shipping + tax. Even if you pop in a single 2.00 it still isn't worth the trouble since you'd be voiding the warranty. If I were to get a Mac Pro (I won't do it) and I wanted to save every penny, I'd have Apple downgrade the chips to 2.00.

Abbas · Oct 23, 2006, 01:30 PM

I was also debating between the 2.0 and 2.66GHz CPUs and I ended up with the 2.66GHz thinking that the machine will, in total, be 660x4 = 2.6GHz higher in total speed or basically a whole extra CPU. The price difference for me is about $400 extra locally which I feel is worth it- especially in the resale market.

-a

P · Oct 23, 2006, 02:54 PM

Originally Posted by thebunny

I checked that and it doesn't pan out. Ebay search revealse that you can get only $800 for the two 2.66 GHz. Two new 2.00 GHz will run you $500 + shipping + tax. Even if you pop in a single 2.00 it still isn't worth the trouble since you'd be voiding the warranty. If I were to get a Mac Pro (I won't do it) and I wanted to save every penny, I'd have Apple downgrade the chips to 2.00.

Heh. eBay flooded with Mac Pro owners thinking to cash in?

thebunny · 03:42 PM

Originally Posted by P

Heh. eBay flooded with Mac Pro owners thinking to cash in?

Yup. Actually, it's more like $900 for both chips but it still isn't enough to make me go throught the whole hassle and void the warranty:

eBay: Intel Woodcrest 5150 2.66 GHZ Xeon Dual-Core Processor (item 260038514572 end time Oct-11-06 21:16:55 PDT)

edit: and the price of the new 2.0 is more like $670. Definitely not worth the trouble:

Intel Xeon 5130 2.0GHz Socket 771 Active or 1U Processor - Retail at Newegg.com