About to buy a new Mac Pro

A few months ago I posted a very simlar question, but can't find it anymore.
I'm ready to purchase a new Mac Pro, now I have a 2008 8 Core 2.8GHz with 10 gig ram and was looking at the latest 8 core with a lesser speed of 2.4. GHz and cannot find a benchmark comparison of those two models. The closest I found was at Barefeat's site, where it show a chart with the difference of 6 seconds exporting 50 JPGs out of Aperture, 68 seconds on the new 8 core and 62 seconds on my 2008. My opinion is that the difference doesn't worth a $3,500 dollars purchase, unless there are numerous advantages I'm overlooking.
Another idea was to double the ram on mine and get a new video card, planing to keep my 2008 as a server in case I buy a new one.
Need advice and suggestions, making a decision this weekend before something else comes up and spend the money . As I said, purchasing a new one is not an issue, just want to make sure is worth it.

Mac Pro 2009 and later have Multi-Threading and improved memory, so their specs for compute power are near double what 2008 and previous models were:
Primate Labs has posted Geekbench results for all the Mac Pro models since 2006. Here are some of the numbers in 32-bi/64-bit modes:
2.0 GHz 4-core 2006, 4011/4445
2.66 GHz 4-core 2006, 5178/5865
2.8 GHz 4-core 2008, 5650/6456
3.0 GHz 4-core 2006, 5768/6567
2.66 GHz 4-core 2009, 8265/9226
2.8 GHz 4-core 2010, 8629/9723
2.93 GHz 4-core 2009, 9072/10072
2.8 GHz 8-core 2008, 9105/10523
3.0 GHz 8-core 2007, 9172/10783
3.0 GHz 8-core 2008, 9460/11153
3.2 GHz 4-core 2010, 9829/10279
3.33 GHz 4-core 2009, x/11475
3.2 GHz 8-core 2008, 10108/11807
3.33 GHz 8-core 2009, 10304/11476
2.26 GHz 8-core 2009, 11831/13323
2.4 GHz 8-core 2010, 12722/14083
3.33 GHz 6-core 2010, 14049/15781
2.66 GHz 8-core 2009, 14330/16034
2.93 GHz 8-core 2009, 15529/17608
2.66 GHz 12-core 2010, 20226/22733
2.93 GHz 12-core 2010, 21661/24333
from: http://www.lowendmac.com/deals/best-mac-pro-prices.html
This chart shows that to EQUAL what you have now, buy a 2.93GHz FOUR-Core 2009 or later.
The real "sweet spot" in the current offerings is the six-core at only 1.5 times the entry models instead of 2x or 3x. (It's a build-to-order of the four-core.)
In case of a tie, always choose more MegaHertz over more processors.

Similar Messages

Questions about buying a new Mac Pro for 4k video editing.

Hi everyone,
I'm currently looking into buying a new mac pro and I have a few questions. I'm a filmmaker/freelance editor looking to get a system that can handle any/at least most 4k formats that I might throw at it, and will hopefully last me around 7 years or so, like my last mac pro has. I've saved up about $5,300 and am becoming more obsessed with getting it asap, but am willing to wait a bit and save up more if necessary. I also play the occasional elder scrolls or civilization game, and might run windows on the new system as well. So here are my questions:
1. I've read rumors that a newer build could be released this year, with newer processors and graphics cards. Is there anything to point to when? I tend to buy things a month before a newer version is released, and I'd like to prevent myself from doing it this time around..
Here's the Build I'm looking at:
6 core
2 D700s
base ram to be upgraded myself to 32Gb (2x16Gb cards leaving 2 slots empty to expand to 64Gb later)
512Gb-1Tb internal hd
2. Should I be considering the 8 core? I'm not too excited about the additional $1500, but I want a system that will last.
3. Is getting the two 16Gb chips of ram and leaving two slots empty a bad idea?
4. I currently work with FCP studio 2 and love it. Not sure whether to go with FCP X, or adobe. Any thoughts?
5. I'm not finding many deals for cheaper ram and hard drives. OWC's prices seem to be comparable to Mac's. I want to do the ram so I have room to upgrade to 64Gb later, but are there any hard drives out there that would make it worth upgrading it myself?
I appreciate any insights you might have. I plan on getting a decent raid and 4k monitor in the next year or so, but for now just want a base system that will keep me editing and will be ready for 4k when I take that next step.

The late 2013 Mc Pro uses Intel Xeon ECC processors (error correction), and as far as I know Intel has not announced any newer Intel Xeon processors than those in the late 2013 Mac Pro. I would not expect to see an update to the 2013 Mac Pro until the end of 2015 at the earliest and probably later than that.
If time is not an issue, then you should be quite happy with the 6 core 2013 Mac Pro. It will do an excellent job with 4K video footage. And, yes, I would suggest getting the best raid system you can afford. That is actually more important than processor speed since I/O is frequently the bottleneck when doing multi camera video or 4K video.
I have the latest version of Adobe's Premiere Pro 2014 CC installed on my late 2013 Mac Pro and i have used it a bit without problems. However, I find it much much slower to edit with than FCP X. Also be advised that if you Google you will find several individuals on the Adobe Forums who purchased the late 2013 Mac Pro and have not been able to use it with Premiere Pro CC because of either a hardware incompatibility or software issues between Premiere Pro CC and BMD's Resolve. It is quite possible that I have not experienced these problems because I have not made very demanding projects with Premiere Pro CC on my 2013 Mac Pro.
I strongly recommend FCP X. Apple released FCP X before it was ready, and many early users were unwilling to take the time to learn how to use this very different NLE which is not track based. Apple has over the last 3 years since FCP X was released, issued more than 10 updates (all free), and the program is stable and blazingly fast. I urge you to check out the FCP X training offered by Ripple Training and/or Larry Jordan. Both are inexpensive, and worth every cent. Watch their training videos and you will be up to speed in FCP X in no time at all, and you will wish you had switched a long time ago.
If you can afford the 1 TB of PCie internal flash storage on your Mac Pro, then by all means get it. For me 1TB is well worth the cost.
As far as editing 4K video, the format of the video will be important to the ease of editing. For example, I am able to edit in its native format (XVAC S) several streams of 4K video form my Sony FDR-AX100 with no problems. If I were editing Sony's XVAC format used in their professional 4K cameras, that might pose a problem that would require transcoding. Similarly for other 4K formats. XVAC S is an easy format to edit natively because it is essentially a high bit rate h.264 format.
Best of luck on whatever you decide to do, and happy editing.
Tom

Can someone please help me... i'm about to buy a new macbook pro and i need some pros and cons of SSD

hi.. i'm about to buy a new macbook pro and i need some pros and cons of SSD.... i'm not sure which is really better, the regular hard drive or the SSD... because if i buy the mac with SSD it would be the 128GB, so i want to know how would that affect the overall performance of the computer...
Thanks!

I would suggest that you purchase the SSD through a third party source. You will save money that way.
Regarding the performance, go to the OWC web site. They have bench tested their SSD vs conventional HDD and have published the results for anyone to see,
The difference between the 128GB and the 256GB drives is capacity, no practical change to performance.
Ciao.

Buying the new Mac Pro

Hi there, I want to buy the new mac pro, I am a after effect user, need to know which graphic card to select, there is two option: 1-NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 with 512MB four of them, or 2-ATI Radeon HD 4870 with 512MB of GDDR5 memory single one.
Thanks Edward.

true Andrew!!
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600XT (256 MB)
I have, works with AE CS4, basta.
no need for Photoshops' geeky eyedropping and GPU intense interface improvements.
anything else is pure hardware marketing insanity (not blaming Adobe directly, ok!?)
I think it's really time for a slowdown on new technology impacts and settle down to the key purposes and develop them. that would take a huge impact on operability, stability, exchange among other platforms.
this digital warfare must come to an end.
it kills creativity!
without creativity this planet will become dead...

Buying a new mac pro, new things to consider?

Hello all,
Below is the question I posted in may along with someone's response. I'm wondering if I should still go with the response I received considering the new release of the mac pro 12 core. Did anything change that I need to note in my purchase or is the below response suitable? THANKS!!!!!
my question:
I need some help in choosing the right specs for my mac pro. I am looking for a computer that will help me in running my small business and keep my art portfolio organized. I'll probably be running several programs at a time (ex. mozilla, itunes, adobe bridge, dreamweaver, illustrator, and photoshop). More specifics below
What i'll be using it for:
building a few websites
managing my small business
large photo file editing
keeping business files, artist receipts, etc
cataloging my art portfolio (large photo files)
storing photos, music, and short videos
graphic design
infrequent film editing
infrequent sound editing
what programs i'll be using:
CS5 (mostly photoshop, illustrator, bridge, dreamweaver)
iphoto
itunes
maybe minimal finalcut/soundtrack pro
maybe minimal aftereffects
Advice?
My concerns are that it needs to run pretty smoothly with multiple programs open, no overheating, plenty of space for file storage and application support.
Hello washleyill,
My advice would be to buy the standard configuration 2.66GHz Quad Core (i.e. 3 x 1GB RAM, 640GB hard drive) from the Apple store, with the exception of the graphics card which you can buy as a CTO option for $200.00. It is well worth the upgrade from the GT120 - I know, because I upgraded myself last November after using a GT120 for 4 months.
With regard to the memory, if you can afford it now, buy 4 x 4GB from OWC now. If not, I would suggest that you buy 2 x 4GB now, and then add another 2 x 4GB in the future. 16GB of RAM is a much better option than 8GB for your requirements. You can sell the 3 x 1GB RAM to OWC in "part exchange", and there would be little difference in price for 2 x 4GB to the CTO option of 4 x 2GB.
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Mac-Pro-Memory#1066-memory
Instead of buying 2 x 1TB hard drives as a CTO option, you could purchase 2 x 1.5TB or 2 x 2TB HDDs for less money, and you would still have the 640GB. Spare drives are always useful. I use my original 640GB as a spare emergency system boot drive (OS and applications) in an external enclosure.
Another alternative is to wait a few more weeks, in case the rumours of the introduction of a new Mac Pro range in June have any foundation.
Regards,
Bill

Interesting questions you have posed here.
I am thinking about upgrading from my MB to a MBP and I too intend to run a similar set of programs, and with large RAW photo files in Aperture. I find my MB is struggling and I dont want to invest any money in upgrading it, I will use it as a back up. I like the MBP and the 13" screen version is so handy and portable.
Have you made your decision yet...or are you still sitting on the fence like myself..?
Regards
Paul

Should I buy a new Mac Pro or an iMac?

Hi,
I co-run a video production company in the UK. We have an old 2009 iMac, a MacBook Pro from 2010/11 ish, and a PC all used for video editing, and some other intensive apps like Photoshop and Adobe After Effects.
We're about to spend some money on either a fully specced 2013 iMac or a new Mac Pro. The mac Pro we'd be able to afford would be £1500 more than the iMac (which includes purchasing an external display, mouse and keyboard - all of which an iMac obviously already includes so the price comparison is valid).
The Mac Pro would be a 3.7 quad-core processor, 256ssd, 12gig ram - which I would then upgrade to 64gig (somewhere else for financial reasons) and finally Dual AMD GPUs with 3gig of ram each. That's all we can afford unfortunately!
The iMac would be a 3.5 quad core, 1TB fusion drive, and 8gig of ram that I would then max out externally to 32gig, and finally NVidia Geforce 4gig GPU.
Either one we buy we'd get Applecare.
Any suggestions as to which would be better to purchase? Our difficulty comes with the fact that we don't have an awful lot of cash to spare, and we also have other things we'd like to invest in (building improvements etc). The guys who work at the company are naturally leaning towards the Mac Pro, as was I intially, but my job is also to spend our money as wisely as possible, so I'd like some advice on whether the Mac Pro is worth spending that extra £1500 on.
Obviously I understand the Mac Pro will be faster generally speaking, but will it really make a big difference when using Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects and Photoshop? Or is a fully specced iMac going to be just as good?
Also what other advantages, other than just speed, would a Mac Pro bring?
Cheers in advance,
Phil

One question to ask yourself is how long you need this machine to do these tasks and what future programs/tasks will you need?
While both machines can handle everything you mentioned now, the MAc Pro will be faster now, and easier to expand in the future. The iMac will simply not be as cost effective long term. If however your needs wont change or you don't plan to use the machine more than 3-4 years, the iMac is going to get the job done and of course be much cheaper.

Buying a new Mac Pro

Hello,
After many happy years with my G4 and using my MacBook Pro for higher end editing I am finally getting around to replacing the G4 with a brand new Mac Pro.
It will be used manly for video editing so I will get the best model available.
Here is my questions.
1. Does anyone know when the next best thing, so to speak, will be released by mac? If I buy the Two 3.0GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, will a better one be released soon after.
2. Does anyone know a good graphic card for video editing? I have been cutting HD projects but have never really been techy enough to know how to configure to get the best out of a computer.
3. Is it worth filling all the drive space with drives and RAIDing them up.
4. Is there anything else I maybe forgetting?

1. Does anyone know when the next best thing, so to speak, will be released by mac? If I buy the Two 3.0GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, will a better one be released soon after.
Only Apple knows the answer to this question. We have no insights or information on what new products/software Apple may introduce in the future.
2. Does anyone know a good graphic card for video editing? I have been cutting HD projects but have never really been techy enough to know how to configure to get the best out of a computer.
There are presently only three video cards from which you can choose. All are generally more than adequate for video editing. If high speed video is a must then you should upgrade to the ATI X1900 card.
3. Is it worth filling all the drive space with drives and RAIDing them up.
Only if you need the storage space. However, you will find it is cheaper to buy additional drives third-party than have them pre-installed at purchase. You might consider reading this article to learn more about RAIDs.
4. Is there anything else I maybe forgetting?
Only you know.

Help with buying a new Mac Pro

Hi all,
I'm currently in the market for a new Mac Pro, as I seem to be stretching the boundaries of what my MBP can do in a reasonable amount of time. After reading these forums for a while, I still have some questions/concerns about my needs that I hope someone can answer.
I will be using the Mac Pro for web development (CS4 and CS5 down the road), video editing on FCE, and possibly audio work in the future. I'm about to graduate college and am still somewhat unsure if I will be using more powerful software in the immediate future. One other thing, I tend to have a bunch of apps open at once (Mail, Safari, FF, VMWare, MSOffice, iCal, etc.), and I don't want to have to close them all out to get decent speeds when rendering video. I currently don't use any "Pro" apps (FCP/LogicPro), but I haven't ruled them out for future use.
Would I be better suited with the 2.66 Quad (possibly 2.93) or with a 2.26 Octo? I'm concerned the Quad would have a much shorter life with the 4 RAM slot limitation, but paying for the Octo and leaving a bunch of cores idle would not be ideal either. I'm planning on buying before SL release, because I want to be able to install it on my own terms.
Any input appreciated,
Ty

I think the quad has a lot of potential and even with 'only' 16GB RAM (4 x 4GB) you shouldn't be hurting.
Nothing you listed should be a significant bottleneck. And if that day comes, there will be equally more powerful bass level systems.
Most of the non-intense apps will only use a small small fraction of your resources. The 2.66 is nice and will throttle up or down as needed, and just surfing etc run @ 1.6GHz. iTunes for now is 'out of control' and buggy.
Q: you want to buy now also to use your student discount I assume.
Check these Store Specials for price / config
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/mac_pro

About to buy my first Mac Pro

I would like to upgrade from a 24" Intel iMac to a new 8-core Mac Pro. This is my first Mac Pro so would appreciate a little advice. I'm an amateur videographer and this is a major investment for a computer for my personal use. The new Mac Pro will be used mainly for FCP 2.0. My plan is to get the 8-core, 2.8 GHz processors with 4GB of memory, a 1TB drive, a single ATI HD 2600 graphics adapter, and 2 monitors (one I already have). This pushes to price to close to $5K. I considered the faster processors and more memory, but this seems to a reasonable compromise of cost vs. performance. Agree?
The next question that comes to mind is how long will it take to move everything over from the iMac. As I understand it, Apple has a transfer utility that eliminates the need to re-install everything. Hopefully this includes FCP. I have about 500GB of applications and data that will have to be moved. Does the transfer utility delete the app from the source computer once it is installed on the target computer? Hopefully it doesn't so I'll be able to still use the iMac until the Mac Pro is fully configured and stable. Even though I don't make any money with this, I have several commitments and I can't afford to be shut down for long.
Lastly, I have a lot of trouble with firewire devices on the iMac. I have several firewire HDD's, a control surface for FCP, various capture devices, etc. with a mix of both FW400 and FW800. On the iMac, I've had nothing but trouble, especially when both FW800 and FW400 devices are used simultaneously. Anyone had problems like those I described with their Mac Pro? Can I add a firewire card to the Mac Pro to increase the number of FW inputs... perhaps run all FW800 devices on the card and all FW400 devices on existing FW inputs.

I had a small engineering / product development company that started out with a handmade 8080 computer and Dr. DOS. From there it was Win 3.1 and a 286 computer and so on. I was locked into the WinTel environment since I used several specialized programs and hardware cards that were only available with that platform. I promised myself that, when I closed the company and retired, I'd buy a Mac... and I did. I've purchased a pair of iMac's, a MacMini and a MacBook and am now shopping for my first Mac Pro. I've never regretted that decision and am sure I'll be among the Mac faithful for the duration.
My results have been somewhat different that yours. Yes, the Mac is more expensive than a comparable Windows machine, but now, with the Intel Macs capable of running both Mac and Windows software, its like getting two computers for not much more than a Windows only computer and you gain the ability to run both Windows only and Mac only applications. As far as reliability goes... I used mainly Enterprise versions of IBM and Dell computers in my company and they were far less reliable than my current Mac gear. I'd like to add AppleCare to the list of benefits, but since they started shipping the calls overseas, it hasn't been much better than what I was getting from Dell.

Need to buy a new mac pro

I read some reviews and tests on web, but didnt get a conclusion... What config is better to buy:
1. Mac Pro 2008 3,1 8 core 3.0mhz 8gb RAM 500gb HD nivida geforce 8800gt - U$1.000
2. Mac Pro 2010 4 cores 2.8mhz 3gb RAM 1tb HD Ati radeon HD 5770 - U$1800

On CPU testing, the numbers are only about 18 percent different:
Primate Labs has posted Geekbench results for all the Mac Pro models since 2006. Here are some of the numbers in 64-bit mode:
2.0 GHz 4-core 2006, 4506
2.66 GHz 4-core 2006, 5933
2.8 GHz 4-core 2008, 6543
3.0 GHz 4-core 2006, 6661
2.66 GHz 4-core 2009, 9225
2.8 GHz 4-core 2010, 9659
2.93 GHz 4-core 2009, 10119
2.8 GHz 8-core 2008, 10715
3.2 GHz 4-core 2010, 10834
3.0 GHz 8-core 2007, 11014
3.0 GHz 8-core 2008, 11376
3.2 GHz 8-core 2008, 12054
2.26 GHz 8-core 2009, 13400
2.4 GHz 8-core 2010, 14174
3.33 GHz 6-core 2010, 15574
2.66 GHz 8-core 2009, 16066
2.93 GHz 8-core 2009, 17608
2.66 GHz 12-core 2010, 22418
2.93 GHz 12-core 2010, 24219
3.06 GHz 12-core 2010, 25375
--from http://lowendmac.com/deals/best-mac-pro-prices.html

About to buy a new Macbook Pro, decisions...

I have been reading all the discussions I could find pertinent, over the last couple weeks... Many different points of view, different ways to go... I've had Macs since the Mac Plus first came out... Presently a 17" MacBook Pro I've had since 2006... It seems it's time to go forward... :-)
First question is to get an Apple installed SSD or a third party SSD.. I think I sort of grok the pros and cons both ways, and would definitely like to save the money if it results in a machine as least as solid as Apple's with their SSD... I'm quite comfortable switching out the HD for an SSD and putting the HD into an enclosure, first putting the SSD into the same enclosure to format and install Mountain Lion onto it... I want the optical drive, so putting the HD there is not an option... Also creating a boot disk with a flash drive, so can boot and set the SSD as the startup, as well as have a boot disk around... Also running TRIM install software, seemingly understanding the real need to do that for the benefit of the SSD long term... I realize no one can tell me what I want, there in the final moment of ordering, so to speak... But any direct thoughts on this decision in the meantime would be more than welcome...
Second question, which third party SSD to buy, not size necessarily, but manufacturer... aprox 256GB, possibly up... And specifically for the new 15" MB Pro, NOT Retina, with a link to a particular SSD, if it is possible... I ask that because I've looked at the Crucial site, and what they recommend for the new 15", and their # on it doesn't seem to match Crucial's manufacturer numbers on sites like OWC, J&R, etc... Got me confused... Any help on this greatly appreciated... Criteria for me in order of importance are quality (durability) and reliability, costs, speed... With quality and reliability including its interface with the new MB Pro as a third party SSD... Any other thoughts more than welcome...
Third question, which ram upgrade (16 GB possibly 8 GB), re manufacturer again, and specifically of course for the new 15"... Same criteria as above... I understand that 1.35 volts could be important, enough at least for me now that that is what I think I want to get... Interestingly MacConnection"s ram specs don't show the voltage,... Other places do... So again, which particular ones, and again links would be hugely appreciated...
Thanks ,
John.

The 15" will be fine ... the lack of ExpressCard slot means you have limited expansion options eg no way to add fast eSATA storage, but for your web production needs then the limited options should not cause any great impact. If you need I/O then there are firewire based options out there. If you need broadcast quality monitoring then you could use the Matrox MXO solution. For high speed dedicated storage you can use a FireWire 800 based drive or RAID.
Best
Andy

Confused about Install procedure on new Mac Pro

With 10.4 on my old G4 I would put the DVD in, hit install and the machine would restart. The installer could come up and I could select the disk utility and do a repair disk and disk permissions from the install disk before my actual install. With my Mac Pro, when I hit install from the disk it goes right into the installation process. I began that process thinking it would first restart the machine and give me a choice to access the disc utility first, but it looked like it was going straight to install. So I stopped the dang thing quickly. Now I've got this .DS_Store icon on my desktop that won't go away. A few questions...
1. How do I get to Disc Utility on the boot DVD and do maintenance?
2. How do I get rid of the dang .DS_Store icon on my desktop?
3. I'm experiencing quirky behavior on my Mac Pro, like jitters in Mail sometimes when I just open and start to scroll through notes in my inbox, slow opening of windows, etc., and my pointer suddenly going from the center of the screen to up to the top of the screen for no apparent reason. What is the best recommended repair and maintenance third-party utility for 10.6.3 Snow Leopard, to keep my Mac running optimally? I used to use SOCKS and Tech Tool Pro for 10.4.
Thank you so much for any help you can give me.
Leonard

Arch,
Every time I open Mail all the mail messages jitter for about 2 seconds, and my pointer, several times during the day, will jump up from, say, the middle of the screen to the top of the screen and I have to move it down. Odd. But it doesn't seem to be affected by how long I'm on the machine, or whether I just turn it on or whatever. Completely random. Plus, sometimes other drives won't open quickly... I mean I have another SATA drive that when I click on it, it won't open for about 6 or 7 seconds. The drive IS about 2 years old, it could be the drive, but it opened quickly on my old machine. That seems odd for a supposed speed demon like the Mac Pro. So I just wanted to run the Disk Utility from the install disk to try and see if that would stop these small issues. I brought a couple of apps over from my old machine. Photoshop CS and InDesign CS. I realize they aren't running optimum, and the new versions are native. But I can't afford them right now and I had several people tell me they will work, just slower. Is it just wrong to use them at all? These people are having no problems with them like I'm having. I did not use Migration Assistant. I'm using the mouse that came with my computer, with the scroll button top forward center. Yes, my only desire was to use the install disk to repair the disk as I thought a damaged disk would not repair itself as well as the install disk would. Would just a basic install work and get rid of these ghost icons?
Thanks again for your help,
Leonard

Buying a new Mac Pro, need help with Screen

Hello everyone, Im getting a Mac Pro, and I need a good lcd monitor to go with it. At the same time I would like to be able to have a LCD screen in my room to watch tv. Is it possible to watch tv with the Apple displays, any other displays or should I buy a LCD TV that has capabilities to be connected to a computer. I read a post that suggested a Dell screen to somebody for the purpose of watching tv.
Please any advice would be appreciated.
Gonzo

Elgato <http://www.elgato.com> lets you watch a record TV programs on the Mac's screen.
There are some non-Apple monitors with video, as well as DVI inputs. Some even contain TV tuners and speakers.
Some TVs can be used as computer monitors but there are potential problems:
Low resolution
Overscan (menu bar and dock off the screen)
Computer display not filling screen
Non-square pixels
Interlacing

Looking to buy a new Mac Pro...

Here is my desired configuration:
Mac Pro ($13,949.00)
Two 16x SuperDrives
500GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
32GB (8 x 4GB)
Apple Wireless Keyboard (English) + Mac OS X Accessory kit
Two 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon (8-core)
Apple wireless Mighty Mouse
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT 512MB (Two dual-link DVI)
Apple Cinema HD Display (30" flat panel)
AppleCare Protection Plan for Mac Pro (w/or w/o Display)
Now here's my question:
32GB of RAM from Apple is $9600 (which we all know that Apple charges a premium for RAM)
Is this memory just as good as apples???
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/64FB4MPK32GB/

For what it's worth, I actually prefer the Dell monitors to the Cinema displays. Price difference aside, they have a much brighter screen even though the same LCD panels are used in both. It means you have a much greater overhead for the long term. You turn down the brightness to start and are able to increase it over the years whereas my Cinema Displays have required maximum brightness almost from the beginning and then they get dimmer over the years, requiring a backlight replacement about 3 years into their life. (If users have never gotten a backlight replacement they won't actually see the dimming but is is significant.)
The downside of the Dells is that they aren't nearly as elegant but I've always put function over form unless there is very little difference.

Looking to buy a new mac pro will there be a i7 version?

I have an iMac 24" and looking to get a mac Pro as my needs have changed.
I have compared an iMac and 2.66GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon "Nehalem" processor ( two (friends) side by side and I have to say there is nothing in it, my initial thoughts were the Imac has better graphics and seems faster using Photoshop and final cut.
Does anyone know if they will make a i7 version (non xeon) and if the price will drop as the Mac pro seems to be so very expensive since the introduction of the i7 Imac in the region of £800 I'd say.

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/mac_pro
No, Mac Pro = Xeon, and there is quad 3.3GHz BTO $1200 extra.
You were looking at 2009 Mac Pro? sounds like 2006-7 model possibly.
Whether you need more hard drives and memory then an iMac Core i5 is up to you.
http://www.amug.org/amug-web/html/amug/reviews/articles/intel/macpro-2009/
http://www.barefeats.com/imi7.html

About to buy a new Mac Pro

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