Comments on: Apple Announces the Mac Pro Update I’ve Been Waiting For

By: Kevin Fontana

Kevin Fontana — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:39:12 +0000

Thanks for getting back with me. Your APC 1500, is it a SMT1500 or one of their other 1500… RS, ES, XS?

By: terrywhite

terrywhite — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:25:47 +0000

I have a 12 core in an APC 1500.

By: Kevin Fontana

Kevin Fontana — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:14:56 +0000

Hi Terry,
I took a class from you in OS7! back at Meteor over 100 years ago & ran into you at the Apple Store during the iPhone 3G launch.

Friday, I ordered a 12 core Mac Pro to replace my G5 dual 2.0. About to order RAM, drives, etc from OWC & ran into an unlikely speed bump, the UPS. APC recommends their SMT 2200VA unit but it’s $900 & some say I’d have to run a dedicated 20 amp line to my home office to run it. When I ordered the computer, the salesman on the Apple Business line tried to sell me a low end APC saying that it was all I’d need. I posted my questions to the Mac Discussions forum http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=12158200#12158200 & the two guys that helped me say that a 1500VA 1000 watt unit would be enough & that I should get one that produce Sine Wave power.

Just wondering what your take on this would be? Did you buy a 12 core, if so, what are you using?
Thanks

By: terrywhite

terrywhite — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 13:56:08 +0000

I don’t see Apple adding Nvidia as a CTO option for the current line. Anything is possible, but Apple tends to make deals for a particular period of time and for now it looks like they are dealing with ATI.
As far as which card I plan to go with, it will likely be the Nvidia Quadro FX 4800. Yes it does work in the previous 2009 and 2008 models.

By: Joe

Joe — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 12:22:47 +0000

Terry,
You had said you are going to go with a Nvidia graphics card. I was just curious which one and if you think there will be a increase of options with the new mac pro? Also, do you see it being a problem using the newer graphic cards with the last mac pro before this one?

By: terrywhite

terrywhite — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:19:13 +0000

Hi Mark,
A core i7 iMac should be sufficient to run today’s hardware/software with acceptable performance. However, if you plan to not upgrade for a while a Mac Pro might be a better long term solution as you can swap out for a better video card down the road if you need to.

By: Mark Stern

Mark Stern — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:13:17 +0000

Hi Terry,
My Macbook Pro (2.33 Core2Duo / 4gigs ram / 500Gb HD) is showing its age, and I’m getting some (really annoying) lag when I use my 21″ Cintiq with it (mainly in Sketchbook pro).

Thing is, I’d love to get the new iMac that just came out (8GB ram, and the i7 processor), but will I see the same issues? Graphics cards being what they are, I know that an older and expandable Mac Pro could probably handle the load a bit better… albeit cost as much as two iMacs, whereas I’d be stuck with the difficult-to-expand all-in-one. How well does a 27″ iMac graphics card handle an external display like the 21UX?

What do you think? Any suggestions, advice or opinions?

Thanks!

By: Claude

Claude — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:07:01 +0000

On that note, have you used an accelerator or capture card (like Blackmagic Intensity) for the PCI slot in the mac pro? They say they are for video, After Effects, & even PS. I haven’t tried it yet, but it would seem to be another useful boost to the custom graphics card?

By: terrywhite

terrywhite — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:12:15 +0000

Lynn, the glossy display can be a nuisance depending upon your room lighting conditions. Hard to say as it’s different for everyone.

By: Lynn Rogers

Lynn Rogers — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:08:36 +0000

I had a Personal Shopping appointment yesterday at the Apple store to see about replacing my 4 year old iMac which has only 1g of RAM – not enough for Lightroom 3. Imagine my surprise to find out that new iMacs had been released that day. The same thing happened to me 4 years ago. They were just starting to unpack them so I didn’t come home with a new computer. Maybe today. My question: will I hate the glare on the screen?

By: John

John — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:52:58 +0000

The state of Apple’s professional line – Brook Willard
http://preview.tinyurl.com/2c3mp99

By: Warren

Warren — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:40:15 +0000

I am impressed by the speed and power potential of this new Mac. I am in the market for this machine, aw well. However, I am disappointed by the absence of the following: USB 3.0, Firewire 1600+, and an external eSATA port. Certified USB 3.0 peripherals have been on the market since January. When I consider that I kept my existing Mac Pro for four + years, it seems that, in external port terms, this new machine will be way behind the times in a couple of years. I know you can add cards in the future but I would argue the base configuration should be state of the art in terms of ports today.

By: Phil

Phil — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:30:25 +0000

You said, “Although there was no new case design, that doesn’t bother me. It does seem odd though that Apple (a company focused on design) would continue use virtually the same design they introduced with the Power Mac G5 back in 2003!”

First of all, the case design has been refined over the years. And, in its current implementation, this case design is surely the finest example of how to do it right. This is the state-of-the-art! I think it’s foolish to fall into the trap of change for its own sake– reminds me of the GM of old and MS Office. Rather than mildly dissing the heritage of the case design, you should extol its virtues. It is one awesome tower.

By: Shawn Moore

Shawn Moore — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:02:37 +0000

About Time way past it’s cycle date. The rumor mill have been saying it’s coming out at every apple press conference for a year plus.

http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#Mac_Pro

By: Brian S.

Brian S. — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:02:13 +0000

Hi Terry:

What video card do you plan to purchase?

Thanks

Brian