Why I've been afraid to buy a Mac Pro

In a word, cost! I have been fighting this battle between whether to buy an Imac or a MacPro. But it is a huge difference in price. I began wondering today thought about the monitor. The Mac Pro price does not include a monitor. For some reason, I had it in my head that running anything less than 30" would be committing some sin or something. Maybe a 23" would be okay? That is $800. Does anyone run anything besides an Apple Cinema? Perhaps I could pay even less then $800 for the monitor. I use a Samsung Syncmaster 24" on my pc that I absolutely love. Are all monitors compatible with Mac Pro?

Anyways, I think I am going to go for the Mac Pro. If I don't, I know I will regret it later.

Yes you can use any monitor with a Mac Pro.

The need for a Mac Pro arises when you need expandability. The iMac would suffice in most cases, but you can't compete with the raw performance of a Mac Pro. All the models are at least Quad Core, the RAM is better, the HDD sizes go up to 3TB and the graphics are also upgradeable.

Depends on what you want to do with the Mac Pro...

Are you planning on doing any of the following as part of your daily routine (read as integral to your work, money-making ability and livelihood):

High-end, pro-level video editing?
3D modeling and development?
Professional-level graphic and multimedia design?
Studio quality sound and music production?

If you haven't answered "Yes" to any of those questions, then a Mac Pro is going to be overkill for you.

If you only dabble in those sorts of things once in a while and not every day, then the iMac is the way to go.

If you aren't a "Pro", then any Mac with that suffix in its name is really more than you would ever need.

I have a 20". I have no need or cash for anything larger. I paid $330 for my NEC and wouldn't dare spending 2x more for something larger but get the same quality.
Currently, I don't use it for too much but when I need some encoding or something intensive, I am so glad I ditched my iMac. This thing is a beast! The lack of expandability in the iMac really bothered me as well.

johnstac said:

Anyways, I think I am going to go for the Mac Pro. If I don't, I know I will regret it later.

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The first rule of computer buying has always been "Buy the most computer you can afford". I'd rather have more than I'll use than want more than I have. If you can afford a Mac Pro and are willing to live with the price, then get one. If not, then don't. Pretty simple.

baggss said:

The first rule of computer buying has always been "Buy the most computer you can afford". I'd rather have more than I'll use than want more than I have. If you can afford a Mac Pro and are willing to live with the price, then get one. If not, then don't. Pretty simple.

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Agreed.

I use a 24" acer and 2 22" dell monitors on my mac pro. 24" is plenty big and you can get 3 22" dells for less than one 23" apple cinema display. From what I hear there is almost no quality difference between the dells and the apple displays. You will also need more Ram, get it here:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...13340551+1327823907&name=240-Pin+DDR2+FB-DIMM

Get hard drives from here:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010150014+1035915133&name=SATA+3.0Gb/s

Remember that the ram has to be installed in matched pairs. If you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask. Also the Mac pro will support the new 1TB drives so you can go up to 4TB if you want.

You can find more good LCD deals here:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010190020+1301919996&name=Yes

johnstac said:

I use a Samsung Syncmaster 24" on my pc that I absolutely love. Are all monitors compatible with Mac Pro?

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I'm not getting this. you already have a 24" monitor, but you're considering replacing it with an $800 23" monitor that is practically the same quality?

jnev said:

I'm not getting this. you already have a 24" monitor, but you're considering replacing it with an $800 23" monitor that is practically the same quality?

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Replacing....no. I would likely keep my pc for gaming. Actually, I will likely keep it as my every day work computer until I learn the mac. I generally build my computer to fit my needs. So right there, you can see that I have always used pc's. While I don't do much in the way of cpu intensive processes, I do like speed. I also like to work with programs that don't crash when working on video. I have yet to find one that works well on a pc. I have used ulead, Pinnacle and others and they all have their problems. The thought of using something like ivideo, or maybe Final Cut Pro later, makes me happy inside.

I do not do any professional video editing. Maybe I don't even need Final Cut Pro, but as I said, I like speed, I like expandability, multiple monitors, etc. I also want to buy something that I can make my work computer if, after I use the mac for awhile, and I like it. For now though, I will continue with a computer I built in February. Intel Quad core QX6700, GeForce 8800GTX x2, 2 gig memory, and 2 24" monitors. I have heard that Apple computers were never really made for gaming and it is one of my favorite things to do outside of work so I will likely need to keep the PC handy. I am looking very forward to the Mac though. Video/Photo editing and storage will be it's main purpose for awhile though.

I was undecided when I bought my Mac Pro. I had just purchased a 24" Dell Ultrasharp and I'm not a big fan of the all-in-one (which was really the deciding factor). When I ordered the Mac Pro I also ordered an extra 4 gig of Ram and 2x400 gig hard disks. I have the same philosophy that Baggss mentioned -- buy the best you can afford at the time. If I get 5-7 years out of these beast I'll be happy. By that time I'll probably be ready to settle-in to laptop only mode.

Try and get a widescreen LCD if you go LCD.

I just went through the same consideration.

My Home PC was getting old. I also have a dell laptop I travel with and several PC’s at work. My main home application is Photoshop. I bring in 200-500 photos at a time. The kicker is for many reasons my kids 8-10 will use the computer and you know what that is like in PC world. Reload the machine every 8 months. I started looking at Mac because (I am told) the kids can’t bring it down. I am also going to be sure to give everyone an account. That is what brought me to Mac.

The Imac is nice I was looking at a 24” machine. Then I started thinking I would be stuck with the monitor forever. I also had this feeling that I must have the 30” monitor.
I would also end up with external hard drives all over the place. With 4 internal bays capable of accepting 1TB drives it will take a while to fill it up. I also believe that the upgradeability of RAM and Video card and open card slots in general give me room to maneuver in the future. I am hoping that extends the machines life. Finally I decided to use my widescreen Dell Monitor for a while until the memory of what the machine costs dulls then I could go for a higher quality monitor, with the 30” being on the top of the list at this point. I pulled the trigger Monday, 2.66, 500GB HD, 1 meg ram. I ordered 2 GB of ram from Other world computing to start, Photoshop cross platform upgrade from CS2 to CS3. When it is time I will start adding hard drives. Too much machine for my needs? Certainly. Too much machine for my needs in 5 years, maybe? I am privileged to be in the more money then brains club so what the heck, I treated myself.

Well, you are a better man then I. When it came down to it, I just couldn't do it. I have always had this thing about buying the best but in looking back, I have wasted a lot of money also.

In reality, I just don't need that much power. I will use photoshop and even though I say I will learn Final Cut Pro, I know myself. I won't do it. I don't have the time. I am running a business and have a family. I will probalby use one of the programs in iLife '08 to do my editing. I may or may not also use Aperture.

So last night I purchased the iMac 2.8 24". It really has everything I need. I was initially concerned about being able to use only one monitor but I read last night that I can in fact use two monitors. This is my first mac. I don't even know if I will like using a Mac. I've never touched one in my life. The only thing I know about Macs, is what I have seen on their website. That said, I will probably love it, but if I don't, then I won't be out 3-5K for making a bad decision. I will get my feet wet with the iMac and if I really like it, then I can begin converting my business and personal computers over to Mac. We are a family of 4. My wife and I and my 7 & 8 year old daughters. We have 3 laptops and 5 pc's before this purchase. Transitioning over may take some time....lol.

Bill S said:

My Home PC was getting old. I also have a dell laptop I travel with and several PC’s at work. My main home application is Photoshop. I bring in 200-500 photos at a time. The kicker is for many reasons my kids 8-10 will use the computer and you know what that is like in PC world. Reload the machine every 8 months. I started looking at Mac because (I am told) the kids can’t bring it down. I am also going to be sure to give everyone an account. That is what brought me to Mac.

The Imac is nice I was looking at a 24” machine. Then I started thinking I would be stuck with the monitor forever. I also had this feeling that I must have the 30” monitor.
I would also end up with external hard drives all over the place. With 4 internal bays capable of accepting 1TB drives it will take a while to fill it up. I also believe that the upgradeability of RAM and Video card and open card slots in general give me room to maneuver in the future. I am hoping that extends the machines life. Finally I decided to use my widescreen Dell Monitor for a while until the memory of what the machine costs dulls then I could go for a higher quality monitor, with the 30” being on the top of the list at this point. I pulled the trigger Monday, 2.66, 500GB HD, 1 meg ram. I ordered 2 GB of ram from Other world computing to start, Photoshop cross platform upgrade from CS2 to CS3. When it is time I will start adding hard drives. Too much machine for my needs? Certainly. Too much machine for my needs in 5 years, maybe? I am privileged to be in the more money then brains club so what the heck, I treated myself.

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Well done!

You won't regret buying a Mac. I used to have a Dell, I hated it! I hated Windows and everything about it! I switched 3 weeks ago, I have not looked back.

Buy more Mac's you won't regret it.

Nick.

Congrats on your new iMac. I'm sure you are in for a crazy ride without any viruses and spyware. Go use your computer the way it was meant to be used...for productivity and not maintenance.

If you have any problems, you always have mac-forums!

John enjoy it I am sure you made the right choice and I went over the top.