Could this be an incredible PC?

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Now don't flame me. I'm an avid Mac User (Currently selling my MacBook Pro 2.2GHz if anyone is interested?) and I am hoping to get my hands on a Mac Pro as I don't need my Mac notebook for portability as much; it rarely sees travel.

Now come September I am either going to be continuing my education on a Windows based course or going into the world of work whilst doing a sponsored degree alongside it and I feel I WILL need Windows no matter which path I take.

Of course I'd primarily be using Mac OS X in one HDD Bay, but I'd like to install Windows on another HDD Bay using Boot Camp. So my question is, would a Mac Pro make an incredible PC? Due to its high-end components? Or would I be better off building a PC to primarily run Windows?


Thanks for all your input and don't forget to PM me if you're interesting in buying my MacBook Pro =]
 
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yes it would, its very high quality hardware

But I bet you will be trying do do as much real work in OS X as you can get away with ;)

what is the windows based course by the way
 
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The hardware for the Mac Pro is very nice. The only limitations are the locked BIOS (cannot overclock things as far as I know). It'd make a fine Windows machine. If you are already going to buy it, it should do fine for your needs. However, I wouldn't buy one specifically to run windows simply because you can probably build an equivalent PC (performance-wise) for less.

When I had windows-based stuff in College, I always just used Crossover and it seemed to do alright.
 
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I'd be buying it to replace my current Mac! But it'd also allow me to stick multiple operating systems on it without having to partition my Hard Drive!

And the Windows based course I am currently on is a BTEC National Diploma in ICT.

The course I could go on is a Foundation Degree in ICT. But I am hoping for the job/sponsored degree!
 
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Just another quick enquiry...

I am beginning to get into Machinima, and I am not overly sure if my Mac (or any Mac) would support capturing footage from inside a Halo 3 match using a Capture Device..

If I had Windows on one HDD and used a capture card, would that device still be compatible even though it would be running through Mac Pro Hardware?


Thanks
 
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Windows will run better on a PC system than on the Mac. There isn't 100% compatibility because of all the drivers and such. But it's pretty close.
Most versions of Windows won't utilize some of the Mac Pro's power like the 16GB of RAM and possibly all 8 cores.
A capture card should work fine. It is probably more dependent on the OS than the hardware for compatibility.
 
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Thanks! Much appreciated!

I was originally going to build a new PC for that sort of stuff but I figured a Mac Pro might be bit of a space saver and more powerful. It sucks I'm stuck in such a crappy little room at home. lol I can't justify having 2 computers!
 
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But can you buy a motherboard that supports 2 Quad cores? I've only ever seen Single CPU Slot boards. Im building one next year and i'd love to have 2 Quads in there.
 
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Windows will run better on a PC system than on the Mac. There isn't 100% compatibility because of all the drivers and such. But it's pretty close.
Most versions of Windows won't utilize some of the Mac Pro's power like the 16GB of RAM and possibly all 8 cores.
A capture card should work fine. It is probably more dependent on the OS than the hardware for compatibility.

Vista 64BIT will. I use it for 3DS Max. Don't know where on earth you got the other fud from, but Windows SCREAMS on Macs.

But can you buy a motherboard that supports 2 Quad cores? I've only ever seen Single CPU Slot boards. Im building one next year and i'd love to have 2 Quads in there.

Google "Intel Skulltrail" which is a dual XEON motherboard. Downside is, it requires the same fully buffered DIMMS that Mac Pro uses; EXPENSIVE!.
 

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