Should I go all out and get the $3300 8 core Mac Pro?

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Ok let me explain my situation to you guys.

I currently use a complete POS HP Pavillion computer, that is seriously on it's last legs.

The specs are......wait for it......

Pentinum 3 800 Mhz
320 mb ram
2 hardrives, one iks a 60 GB and the other is a 30 GB
some crap graphics card, etc

it used to have Windows Me on it, until i upgraded to windows xp. It also used to only have 128mb ram, and a 30 gb hardrive, but sometime around 4-5 years ago i added more memory and another hardrive.

This computer has lasted me around 8-9 years, it was the first and only computer i have ever bought. I have used it everyday since i got it. I have mostly used it for internet, music, videos, occasional graphic design, etc. nothing heavy.

Well now it's to the point where every little thing i do causes the pc to hang for a few minutes before it does what i want it to do. I am in need of a new computer.

I have wanted to get a mac for many years now, always reading about how great they are, trying it for myself a few times, and liking it. So i am now ready to purchase a brand new Mac.

I am not like many of you here, i do not purchase a new computer every few years. I try to milk a pc for as long as i possibly can, and want it to last for at least 8-9 years again.

so, i am thinking of getting the best possible mac i can afford which happens to be $3300 model Mac Pro, with the 8 cores. I want something that will last me that 8-9 years so i think it is a good idea to get the "best" right now, and people i have asked have said that this computer would probably last even longer.

should i go all out?

i would also like to add that i am not interested in the Imac, i'd like a tower for future modification if necessary, and i don't like the all in 1 design.
 

cwa107


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Your Mac's Specs
14" MacBook Pro M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD
Sounds like a good fit. Since the Mac Pro uses server-class hardware, it will most likely have a much longer lifespan than an iMac. If you have the means, and you intend to run it until the proverbial wheels fall off, then you might as well have the best.
 
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Your Mac's Specs
Unibody MacBook 2.4GHz/4GB Ram/320GB HD
Seems a little overkill for the type of tasks you'd be throwing at it however.
 

vansmith

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Your Mac's Specs
Mini (2014, 2018, 2020), MBA (2020), iPad Pro (2018), iPhone 13 Pro Max, Watch (S6)
Sounds like a good fit. Since the Mac Pro uses server-class hardware, it will most likely have a much longer lifespan than an iMac. If you have the means, and you intend to run it until the proverbial wheels fall off, then you might as well have the best.

Seems a little overkill for the type of tasks you'd be throwing at it however.

I agree with both statements. If you want a tower, you don't have many options (unless you consider the Mac Mini to be a tower). It will probably be a solid machine for many years to come. That said, with your description of usage habits, the Mac Pro is overkill. So, it's up to you.

You could buy 3 Mac Mini's in 9 years and have machines that meet your needs more than adequately and spend less money (you might even be able to get 4 depending on pricing and configuration).
 
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Your Mac's Specs
21" iMac * 2.8 Ghz Intel Core i7 * 16GB 1333 Mhz DDR3 * 1TB HD *AMD Radeon HD 6770M 512 MB
While the Mac Pro is an awesome computer, it's mainly for VERY professional use, such as intense video production. Its hardware will last a long time, but if all you're doing it for is surfing the web and playing music, you might just want to get an upgraded iMac, which should last you just about as long. I have a feeling that what's slowing down your old computer is stuff you won't have to worry about with a Mac, like viruses, spyware, cluttered registry, defragmented hard drive, etc.
 
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Your Mac's Specs
2008 8-core mac pro. 4GB RAM 1.5TB storage. Dual LCDs (one IPS monitor for the colour).
You won't use the "8 cores" for what you're going to use the computer for.

You do "occasional" graphic design (I'll take it as you do light work on it. )

Get an iMac. I know you said you want to do upgrades but you said you don't buy a new computer every few years and for what you'll be doing, your upgrades won't be spent on computer parts, more like peripherals. Monitors, mice, software, external hard drive, audio equipment even. You probably won't even need to do much with RAM. I have friends that do graphic design as professionals, probably still doing more demanding work than what you'll do and they're feeling good with their iMac.

I can tell right now the work I do is many times more demanding than what you'll be doing and I only needed to upgrade the RAM on my Mac Pro to 4GB, nothing else. I can almost assuredly say you won't be using what the Mac Pro has to offer.
 
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Your Mac's Specs
17" MacBook Pro, 2.4 GHz, 2 GB RAM | 24" iMac, 2.33 GHz, 3 GB RAM
If you're dead set against owning an iMac, you could probably get more than you'll ever need in a used G5 tower. Of course, you wouldn't get an Intel processor, which is why I'd say just for the iMac. I've owned one for two years (a 24-inch 2.33GHz Core 2 Duo with 3GB RAM), and I can't imagine needing anything faster for a long time yet. And I'm a graphic designer and illustrator, and I dabble in recording music. I've yet to throw anything at this computer that it can't handle. I can't really even complain about the lack of ports, since I have far more USB devices than most computers could accommodate. It was inevitable that I'd need a USB hub anyway. Kind of annoying to have had to buy a $20 mini-DVI to DVI adapter to hook up my Cintiq, but that's not much of a gripe.

And contrary to what some will tell you, an iMac is upgradeable. As long as you can get a part the right size, you can take anything out and fit a new one in. It's just getting the case off that's a pain, but not too difficult with a little patience. I recently upgraded my hard drive (the first one burned out on me at right about the two-year mark), and it was about a 10-minute job for the repair shop I took it to (would've replaced it on my own if it hadn't been covered by AppleCare).

But I have to agree with everyone else: the 8-core Mac Pro is way overkill for a light-use personal computer, even one that you expect to last 8-9 years. Buy an iMac and replace it with a new one in 5 years, and you still come out ahead. (Unless you buy the top-tier, maxed-out iMac, in which case you may well be set for 9 years.) As personal computers go, I don't see how you can beat the iMacs.
 
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If your that dead set against an iMac then you might as well get a Mac Mini with the specs maxed out. The Mac pro would just be stupidly overkill. It'd be like using a Boeing 747 to fly 10 people to a town 5 miles away.
 
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Your Mac's Specs
iMac Pro 2017 3GHz 10-core 128GB RAM MacBook Pro 13-inch 2.3GHz i5 16GB RAM
Or a Ferrari to go to work. Does not change the fact that it would be the best way to go to work though........
 
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Your Mac's Specs
iPod Nano 4gb, 20" 2.66 GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB of ram, ATI HD 2600 pro
I would consider getting a nicely upgraded iMac, because a mac pro is basically a huge waste of money for what you wish to do. I would say get the 24" iMac, it is wonderful to use a pure pleasure.
 

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