Why are Mac Pros so expensive?

BlingPiece · Sep 29, 2010

Hello everyone - I switched to macbook pro from pc about 1-2 years ago and it's all good but I'm looking at upgrading as I use my mac for music production and sometimes it struggles.

I wanted a mac pro but I've looked at prices and I just can't justify spending that much when compared to even an imac - check these current offers from apple out:

iMac at £1649
2.8Ghz Intel Core i5 (Quad Core)
2560 by 1440 resolution 27 inch screen
4GB (two 2GB) memory
1TB hdd
ATI Radeon HD 5750 1GB graphics

Compared to..

Mac Pro at £1999
2.8Ghz Quad Core Xeon Nehalem
3GB (three 1 GB) memory
1TB HDD
ATI radeon HD5770 with 1GB graphics

????????

Ok so it has probably a slightly better processor (but I'm not even sure about that - isn't i5 newer than xeon)?? And maybe a slightly better graphics card - BUT IT DOESN'T INCLUDE A MASSIVE 27" quality monitor worth £899 bought separately AND it has less memory..

OK I know you can upgrade it but adding the cost of the monitor is it really worth an extra £1250 ((£1999 + £899) - £1649) just so you can upgrade??? Definitely not IMO as you could replace it in 3 years with that amount of money...

I don't get it - can someone explain???

Cheers!

halo200 · Sep 29, 2010

Even so, the i5 is still a dual core with hyper threading, the Mac Pro uses those true quad core Xeons which are pretty much Server grade processors which pack one heck of a wallop, the Ram they use as well is also server grade, fully buffered with the error detection, the downside to that is the Ram so so expensive. In the end the upgrade options for the Mac Pro are far more than the iMac, with RAID options, 4 Drive bays options to add far more Graphics cards more screens etc. It really depends on how you'd use it

halo200 · Sep 29, 2010

Ok didnt know the H word where diablo lives would be stared out

pigoo3 · Sep 29, 2010

BlingPiece said:
I don't get it - can someone explain???

To be honest it really doesn't matter!

The price of the Mac Pro is the price of the Mac Pro...and it's not going to change no matter if it makes logical sense for Apple to charge the price they do or not.

Many times you pay a premium price for premium products.

- Nick

G550 Pilot · Sep 29, 2010

THey are that much money because thats where people buy them.

CrimsonRequiem · Sep 29, 2010

Aye, they are worth that much because people are purchasing them for that much. >_>"

pigoo3 · Sep 29, 2010

CrimsonRequiem said:
Aye, they are worth that much because people are purchasing them for that much. >_>"

Adding to what "CrimsonRequiem" said...

Another way of looking at it is...why do Porsche's, Bentley's, Jaguar's, Ferrari's, etc. cost so much compared to your average Volkswagen, Ford, Honda, Toyota, etc.?

It's not just the sum total of the cost of the parts that go into them...but it's also that they are premium, high performance, products that the manufacturer can charge MUCH higher prices for simply because they can! Some of the higher cost is better higher quality components & additional features...and the rest is the "premium product" up-charge.

- Nick

Nethfel · Sep 29, 2010

Mac Pros are actually not very expensive compared to other name brands loaded out similarly. I loaded out a Dell precision and the Dell - same spec system - was more expensive then the Mac Pro at the time (the 2009 Nehalem)

Plus you're also paying for the easy ability to expand. The system can take up to 4 internal hard drives, has multiple expansion slots, ram upgradeable to 32gig (and it's ECC RAM, which is pretty much what you need to use with Xeons, and it's usually more expensive then non-ECC ram)

But it's a system of need - if you don't *need* its flexibility or expandibility, then there is no reason to put that kind of money into a system other then bragging rights.

DarkestRitual · Sep 29, 2010

BlingPiece said:
Hello everyone - I switched to macbook pro from pc about 1-2 years ago and it's all good but I'm looking at upgrading as I use my mac for music production and sometimes it struggles.

I wanted a mac pro but I've looked at prices and I just can't justify spending that much when compared to even an imac - check these current offers from apple out:

iMac at £1649
2.8Ghz Intel Core i5 (Quad Core)
2560 by 1440 resolution 27 inch screen
4GB (two 2GB) memory
1TB hdd
ATI Radeon HD 5750 1GB graphics

Compared to..

Mac Pro at £1999
2.8Ghz Quad Core Xeon Nehalem
3GB (three 1 GB) memory
1TB HDD
ATI radeon HD5770 with 1GB graphics

????????

Ok so it has probably a slightly better processor (but I'm not even sure about that - isn't i5 newer than xeon)?? And maybe a slightly better graphics card - BUT IT DOESN'T INCLUDE A MASSIVE 27" quality monitor worth £899 bought separately AND it has less memory..

OK I know you can upgrade it but adding the cost of the monitor is it really worth an extra £1250 ((£1999 + £899) - £1649) just so you can upgrade??? Definitely not IMO as you could replace it in 3 years with that amount of money...

I don't get it - can someone explain???

Cheers!

No, Xeon is the line of server grade chips that intel releases. Nehalem is the architecture. The same architecture that i3s, i5s, and i7s were initially built on. It is the 45nm process whereas the newer i3s, i5s, and i7s user the 32nm process (arrandale).

You can also get dual CPU configurations with the Mac Pro, it has a bazillion more ports, a WAY better logic board, and a crap ton of expansion room. Either way, you can get dual 6-core Xeon Mac Pros. Awesome.

osxx · Sep 29, 2010

Does the competition even offer anything close to the new Mac Pro other than a home built gaming rig that might come within a grand of it without the server grade parts.

Sonicjet · Sep 29, 2010

osxx said:
Does the competition even offer anything close to the new Mac Pro other than a home built gaming rig that might come within a grand of it without the server grade parts.

Studio XPS 9100 Desktop Details | Dell

Dell XPS 9100, my cousin spec'd out and bought one, he payed $2500 for:

i7 930
12Gb ram
ATi 5870
twin 750Gb in raid 0
wireless N wifi
BD writer combo drive plus a second normal combo drive
Sound blaster titanium sound card
22inch multitouch 1080p display
Bose Speakers
Logitech wireless mouse and keyboard.
BTW, for the base price of a Pro the XPS9100 can be purchased with identical specs plus the i7 980X.

harryb2448 · Sep 29, 2010

Download a little application called Mactracker and have a look at the bench tests for the Mac Pro and the iMac. Mac Pros are big, powerful machines that are very easily upgraded, and these u[grades include graphics, memory, hard and optical drives, CPU processors etc.

iMacs are more a glossy toy using quite a few minaturised components, non upgradeable graphics and the very devil to work on.

The bottom line is you get what you pay for.

osxx · Sep 29, 2010

Sonicjet said:
Studio XPS 9100 Desktop Details | Dell

Dell XPS 9100, my cousin spec'd out and bought one, he payed $2500 for:

i7 930
12Gb ram
ATi 5870
twin 750Gb in raid 0
wireless N wifi
BD writer combo drive plus a second normal combo drive
Sound blaster titanium sound card
22inch multitouch 1080p display
Bose Speakers
Logitech wireless mouse and keyboard.
BTW, for the base price of a Pro the XPS9100 can be purchased with identical specs plus the i7 980X.

Sorry I was referring to this one. Configure - Apple Store (U.S.) Also can Windows be configured to use 32g of ram now?

chas_m · Sep 29, 2010

The reason the Mac Pro is "expensive" (not really for what you get, but nevermind that) is right there in the name: Pro.

These are machines aimed squarely at people who do whatever they do *for a living,* and need the very best to keep the competitive edge.

In most professions, the cost of a Mac Pro is a) wholly or partly deductible and b) a trivial expense compared to the money that will be earned off its labour.

B0yB0y · Sep 29, 2010

They are the most powerful Macs out there and are the flagship models, hence the price.

Pro products come with a pro price.

iBeldar · Sep 30, 2010

Before you start comparing, look at the little details.... Just because they both have 2.8ghz quad core processors doesn't mean they are equal. Just because the Xeon name has been around longer than the i5, doesn't make it worse. There is a world of a difference in the motherboards, which leads to the next point...

You should also consider expansion and upgrades. Say you bought an iMac today. Little over 2 weeks later(past the return period), Apple starts shipping iMacs with a much improved GPU. Like just about anyone else here, you would want to upgrade it to keep up. So you just simply go online and ord.... Oh wait... crap.... Order a whole new iMac?

Sure, it is expensive. It isn't an everyday use computer, unless your toilet paper is made of Ben Franklin... A friend of mine is a graphic designer, he has not one, not two, but three 30" cinema displays. I don't think an iMac can do that.

ZachUSAman · Sep 30, 2010

like stated before, this is server grade stuff.
Typically desktop ram is around 2gb a stick, but server ram can get up to 8gb a stick, so you have the option of getting a lot a lot a lot more ram.
the gpu isnt much though, in all honesty, wait until amd (ati name was switched back to amd) releases the 6000 series because they are going to rock (much better tessellation) and prices are going to be cut. plus the 5770 is a much cheaper gpu, the step up (the 5850) is more than 2 times better.

but anyway, back on topic..
your mac pro is something you can really expand upon, and has been designed that way.

Why are Mac Pros so expensive?

BlingPiece

halo200

halo200

pigoo3

Well-known member

G550 Pilot

CrimsonRequiem

pigoo3

Well-known member

Nethfel

DarkestRitual

osxx

Sonicjet

harryb2448

osxx

chas_m

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B0yB0y

iBeldar

ZachUSAman

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