I need a fast Mac

[zap2]

Mac Pro is going to be fast...My Core Duo Mini is faster then my iMac G5(it was the first one, but there wasn't a HUGE speed increase in the G5 iMacs)

But for what your doing, I think a MacPro might be overkill. A simply Firewire drive will work just as well. Or get an iMac with a 750GB harddrive if you don't want to think about space. (Only on the 24'' Model, but still cheaper then a Mac Pro,even more so if you need to pick up a display with it)

I'd say go with a 2Gb iMac 24'' with 750Gbs Hardrive...that a fast computer and prices at 2573USD. A Mac Pro would last longer, but I think by the time your iMac is "slow" you could put a new chip in there.

 

[netdog]

If you are that hot on getting the fasted machine you can, hold off for the imminent 8-core Mac Pro.

 

[zap2]

If you are that hot on getting the fasted machine you can, hold off for the imminent 8-core Mac Pro.

Wow...he is only going to be web browsing, iTunes, Messenger ect, and your saying he should get a 8 Core Computer?


Honestly go with a iMac, make it nice, and then you can upgrade sooner. In 2 years the iMac will be faster then the Mac Pro now.

 

[Lycanthrope]

Mac Pro is going to be fast...My Core Duo Mini is faster then my iMac G5(it was the first one, but there wasn't a HUGE speed increase in the G5 iMacs)

But for what your doing, I think a MacPro might be overkill. A simply Firewire drive will work just as well. Or get an iMac with a 750GB harddrive if you don't want to think about space. (Only on the 24'' Model, but still cheaper then a Mac Pro,even more so if you need to pick up a display with it)

I'd say go with a 2Gb iMac 24'' with 750Gbs Hardrive...that a fast computer and prices at 2573USD. A Mac Pro would last longer, but I think by the time your iMac is "slow" you could put a new chip in there.

It's also tempting I must admit

 

[Lycanthrope]

Wow...he is only going to be web browsing, iTunes, Messenger ect, and your saying he should get a 8 Core Computer?


Honestly go with a iMac, make it nice, and then you can upgrade sooner. In 2 years the iMac will be faster then the Mac Pro now.

I'll be running Pro Logic too and I do like to encode DVD's as well...

 

[netdog]

I'd say go with a 2Gb iMac 24'' with 750Gbs Hardrive...that a fast computer and prices at 2573USD. A Mac Pro would last longer, but I think by the time your iMac is "slow" you could put a new chip in there.

Oh yeah, it's a breeze to replace the processor in an iMac...not.

FWIW, I recommended the iMac too earlier in this thread. It's an awesome machine, and the wife will love that one when you upgrade again.

 

[Multimedia]

You NEED A Fast Mac? Then Why Did You Start This Thread?

I'll be running Pro Logic too and I do like to encode DVD's too...

I'm buying the 8 Core Mac Pro just so I can encode DVD Images faster and simultaneously encode several MP4 at once. Toast 8 will be able to use all 8 cores at once.

If you can spare $4-5 thousand then wait and buy the 8 core Mac Pro. It's really more about how much money you're willing to spend or in my case, I don't care how much money I have to spend - I want the fastest Mac I can buy because every day I have to face the fact that Quad core Macs are too damn slow. And it is driving me nuts!

Do you like waiting for complicated computing activities to finish like anything to do with compressing and/or transcoding video or composing complex MUSIC? If you want a Mac that will be a lot faster than anything you can buy today, then you are a candidate for the 8 Core Mac Pro.

A lot of members here think $4-5k for a Mac is too much money. I am among the minority who don't. Do you?

What I don't understand is if you KNOW you NEED a fast Mac then you KNOW you NEED an 8 core Mac Pro don't you? Did you just start this thread to kill time 'cause you know you have to have it and must wait a couple more months to have it in your home so you want to comingle with all the rest of the 8 core waiters? Admit it. That's the truth isn't it? Have a nice Day!

 

[netdog]

I'm buying the 8 Core Mac Pro just so I can encode DVD Images faster. Toast 8 will be able to use all 8 cores at once.

If you can spare $4-5 thousand then wait and buy the 8 core Mac Pro. It's really more about how much money you're willing to spend or in my case, I don't care how much money I have to spend - I want the fastest Mac I can buy because every day I have to face the fact that Quad core Macs are too damn slow. And it is driving me nuts!

Do you like waiting for complicated computing activities to finish like anything to do with compressing and/or transcoding video or composing complex MUSIC? If you want a Mac that will be a lot faster than anything you can buy today, then you are a candidate for the 8 Core Mac Pro.

A lot of members here think $4-5k for a Mac is too much money. I am among the minority who don't. Do you?

What I don't understand is if you KNOW you NEED a fast Mac then you KNOW you NEED an 8 core Mac Pro don't you? Did you just start this thread to kill time 'cause you know you have to have it and must wait a couple more months to have it in your home so you want to comingle with all the rest of the 8 core waiters? Admit it. That's the truth isn't it? Have a nice Day!

Multi, you forgot to tell them about the camera.

(I'm just bitter because I bought an HC3 when they came out)

 

[Willis]

Just get a Mac Pro, you'd be happy when you get it, and it looks like such a sexy beast, you will spend the good part of 10 minutes looking it before you even plug the damn thing in!

I have 2Gb of ram, and doing video editing, I can see that it will benefit from more ram. Except, its either, get the Powerbook more Ram and new battery, which we have anyway... Look at a MBP, or more Ram. atm, MacPro Ram is 3rd.


Anyway, just buy a Mac Pro

 

[Lycanthrope]

I'm buying the 8 Core Mac Pro just so I can encode DVD Images faster and simultaneously encode several MP4 at once. Toast 8 will be able to use all 8 cores at once.

If you can spare $4-5 thousand then wait and buy the 8 core Mac Pro. It's really more about how much money you're willing to spend or in my case, I don't care how much money I have to spend - I want the fastest Mac I can buy because every day I have to face the fact that Quad core Macs are too damn slow. And it is driving me nuts!

Do you like waiting for complicated computing activities to finish like anything to do with compressing and/or transcoding video or composing complex MUSIC? If you want a Mac that will be a lot faster than anything you can buy today, then you are a candidate for the 8 Core Mac Pro.

A lot of members here think $4-5k for a Mac is too much money. I am among the minority who don't. Do you?

What I don't understand is if you KNOW you NEED a fast Mac then you KNOW you NEED an 8 core Mac Pro don't you? Did you just start this thread to kill time 'cause you know you have to have it and must wait a couple more months to have it in your home so you want to comingle with all the rest of the 8 core waiters? Admit it. That's the truth isn't it? Have a nice Day!

Good question Mr Multi - I've not got money to burn as such, $4-5k will probably be 5-6EUR here in Europe which is way too much although I will be buying through a company so will save 21% tax on that. Looks like I'll have a couple of months to save up some more though

But for me there's no such thing as 'too fast' for a computer - I like the app to be open even before the second mouse-click. I like to be listening to MP3's while encoding a DVD, playing Doom and backing up my hard disk, without any noticable performance drop. OK, perhaps that's pushing it but this is what I'd like.

I wouldn't say I've settled for an 8-core, perhaps a price-drop on the current 2CD would be a good entry-point assuming I could swap out the processors in a few years time to keep up with the pace. If I get serious with the music then perhaps an upgraded sound card might be in order too...

Pfff, why the bloody wait, come on Apple, pull your corporate finger out!

 

[Lycanthrope]

Anyway, just buy a Mac Pro

It's a compelling statement You're happy with yours then?

 

[Lycanthrope]

OK, I liberated about 50GB of space and also did the Mail "vacuum" command and the (this) iMac is really flying again even while running SETI at the same time.

Still need to decide on that 2CD or 4CD though 'cos this one's for the missus

 

[JeffDM]

Opening Mail takes some time, spinning beachball etc.

I've sold some stuff to fund a new computer and I want something where I don't expect to be complaining about performance. The question really is whether 2 seperate processors means twice as good or whether it's a law of diminishing returns...

There's always a law of diminishing returns, but it doesn't seem to be so bad for Macs. I think the Mac Pro is the best Mac you can get for the money (I admit, it's a debateable and possibly irrational position), but I don't necessarily think need it. It doesn't look like you necessarily need more than two cores. If you don't think you'll need multiple gigabytes of memory or terabytes of storage any time soon, then I'd consider some other Mac.

 

[Multimedia]

Well If 8 Core Is Too Much Money Get The New 4 Core Or A Refurb 2.66GHz Quad MP

It's a compelling statement You're happy with yours then?

OK then from what you say a 4 core Mac Pro will be the way to go. But you would do best to wait for the hardware changes that will come with the 8 core so your 4 core comes with Leopard and iLife '07. OR if it's really tough for you, buy a refurb for $2099 if they offer that to you in Brussels.

 

[Zwhaler]

I've run a lot of tests and my iMac C2D 2.33 w/2 gigs RAM and X1600 w/256 VRAM outperforms my old dual 2.3 G5 everytime..Time to switch to Intel.

Hey, that is my exact system. That is good to know.

 

[dwl017]

Well I have 1GB of RAM but I get the spinning beachball quite a lot - iPhoto and Mail are perhaps the worst culprits, iTunes too - OK, I have 16000 photos and 120GB or music files and 5000 emails, perhaps that's what it doesn't like.

Anyway, I'm very demanding

Dude!

You just need to clean house a little your machine is loaded down my friend.

 

[Lycanthrope]

OK then from what you say a 4 core Mac Pro will be the way to go. But you would do best to wait for the hardware changes that will come with the 8 core so your 4 core comes with Leopard and iLife '07. OR if it's really tough for you, buy a refurb for $2099 if they offer that to you in Brussels.

Unfortunately the refurb deals in Europe are poor compared to those in the US, If I was your side of the pond I would probably order this today:

Refurbished Mac Pro Quad 3.0GHz Intel Xeon
Two 3.0GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors
2GB (4 x 512MB) memory (667MHz DDR2 fully-buffered DIMM ECC)
250GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s 7200-rpm hard drive
16x SuperDrive (double-layer)
ATI Radeon X1900 XT graphics with 512MB memory
• Save 15% off the original price Original price: $3,849.00 Your price: $3,299.00


Extra memory and from what I've read the "no brainer" upgrade graphics card.

They don't even list any refurbed Mac Pro's in the Belgium store

I'll have to buy Leopard anyway for my wife's iMac so I can get a family pack for that perhaps, we'll see...

 

[akadmon]

Wow...he is only going to be web browsing, iTunes, Messenger ect, and your saying he should get a 8 Core Computer?


Honestly go with a iMac, make it nice, and then you can upgrade sooner. In 2 years the iMac will be faster then the Mac Pro now.

Huh, I think somebody just fell of his rocker, and I don't think it's me!

A Mac Pro isn't that much more money than a tricked out 24" iMac, especially if you own a good size monitor. And whatcha goonna do when you're 750 GB internal HD craps out? Oh yeah, get a 750 GB external FW for backup, that costs more than two 500 GB internal HDs that you can stick inside a Mac Pro. I don't think it's a good idea to put all your eggs in one large basket. And one last thing -- how will you feel in 3-4 years when it's time to retire your iMac? I bet throwing away a perfectly good 24" screen will make feel just great...NOT!

OP -- go with Mac Pro. I think the new 8 core may be overkill for your needs, so I would just wait until the 8 cores come out and the prices on the current 4 cores MPs drop (Apple will continue making them for at least another 6 months). Mine is just great with 2 GB RAM, running the type of stuff you describe.

 

[akadmon]

Unfortunately the refurb deals in Europe are poor compared to those in the US, If I was your side of the pond I would probably order this today:

Refurbished Mac Pro Quad 3.0GHz Intel Xeon
Two 3.0GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors

Hm -- I'd thather get a 2.66 with 4 GB RAM than 3.00 with 2 GB. The cost/benefit ratio of the faster processor is questionable in this case.

 

[volvoben]

Hm -- I'd thather get a 2.66 with 4 GB RAM than 3.00 with 2 GB. The cost/benefit ratio of the faster processor is questionable in this case.

Indeed, the 3.0 is $800 more than a 2.66, but you could buy 4x1gb ram from anywhere but apple for $700 or less. I'd much prefer a 2.66 with 5gb over a 3.0 with 1gb. refurbs make the math slightly less clear, but it's a similar ratio of 2.66/4gb vs 3.0/1gb for similar price.

 

[Multimedia]

Mac Pro 2GB Sticks Cost Same Or Less Than Two 1GB Sticks

Indeed, the 3.0 is $800 more than a 2.66, but you could buy 4x1gb ram from anywhere but apple for $700 or less. I'd much prefer a 2.66 with 5gb over a 3.0 with 1gb. refurbs make the math slightly less clear, but it's a similar ratio of 2.66/4gb vs 3.0/1gb for similar price.

ALERT: Mac Pro type 2GB Sticks now cost same as two 1GB sticks. It is not wise to buy 1GB sticks for a MacPro any more EVER. Buy two 2GB sticks for same money as four 1GB sticks please. Your 8 RAM slots are too valuable to waste them on 1GB sticks.

two 2GB sticks are as low as $530 now.

 

[NewbieNerd]

ALERT: Mac Pro type 2GB Sticks now cost same as two 1GB sticks. It is not wise to buy 1GB sticks for a MacPro any more EVER. Buy two 2GB sticks for same money as four 1GB sticks please. Your 8 RAM slots are too valuable to waste them on 1GB sticks.

two 2GB sticks are as low as $530 now.

Except for the fact that you need to keep them matched. Say your Mac Pro already has 2GB of RAM (be it 2 x 1GB or 4 x 512MB) and you want to bump up to 4GB, you would want to buy 2 x 1GB or even another 4 x 512MB, depending on what you see as your personal expected RAM limits.

Nevertheless, thanks for the post. Lower RAM prices => more incentive for me to go Mac Pro too.

 

[Multimedia]

Old Wives Tale

Except for the fact that you need to keep them matched. Say your Mac Pro already has 2GB of RAM (be it 2 x 1GB or 4 x 512MB) and you want to bump up to 4GB, you would want to buy 2 x 1GB or even another 4 x 512MB, depending on what you see as your personal expected RAM limits.

Nevertheless, thanks for the post. Lower RAM prices => more incentive for me to go Mac Pro too.

That's an old wives tale. Not true. Tests prove you do not gain by keeping them all the same at all.

Expected RAM limits and how much RAM you wind up wanting are two completely different numbers. The former is always smaller than the latter.

 

[dpaanlka]

ALERT: Mac Pro type 2GB Sticks now cost same as two 1GB sticks. It is not wise to buy 1GB sticks for a MacPro any more EVER. Buy two 2GB sticks for same money as four 1GB sticks please. Your 8 RAM slots are too valuable to waste them on 1GB sticks.

two 2GB sticks are as low as $530 now.

Some of those don't look to meet Apple's heatsink specs.

 

[NewbieNerd]

That's an old wives tale. Not true. Tests prove you do not gain by keeping them all the same at all.

Expected RAM limits and how much RAM you wind up wanting are two completely different numbers. The former is always smaller than the latter.

I'm not talking about keeping them all the same, just that you have to have memory installed in matching pairs. If you already have XGB of RAM installed (in matching pairs) and want to add another 2GB to that, you can't just add a single 2GB stick...you have to add pairs, either 2 x 1GB or 4 x 512MB.