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.

Similar Messages

  • I'm about to buy my first MacBook Pro and I need a little help

    Hi everybody!
    I'm about to buy my first MacBook pro and I have no experience on mac so I would be really thankfull if someone guides me to get an appropriate Notebook
    Here are some imformations about what I want from a MacBook Pro:
    1) I have a limited budget so the price can not go anywhere upper than 2,000 dollars
    2) I'm a graphic designer working with photoshop, 3ds max and maya so I need strong CPU and VGA card
    3) 15 inches and high resolution
    4) Absolutly Lion OS
    5) weight doesn't matter!
    6) Ram doesn't matter cause I can upgrade it myself later when I got enogh money
    7) Hard capacity doesn't matter (I can upgrade it later too)
    8) It would be much better if it got HDMI port
    That's all
    Thanks for reading and answering

    Except for #8, you're talking about the new entry-level MacBook Pro for $1,799.00 (see at http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MD103LL/A). It's a little less expensive at Amazon and you won't have to pay tax on it until you file next year instead of up-front.
    It will do everything you need and, yes, you can upgrade it yourself when you get more cash. In fact, if you're willing to spend another $160 (still under your $2K limit) you can go ahead and upgrade the RAM to 16 GB. Later, spend $400 and put in a 512GB SSD.
    Now to item #8. From monoprice, you can get a Thunderbolt-to-HDMI adapter for under $7 - click here.
    You'll have exactly what you need for under $2K. Go for it...
    Clinton

  • I am about to buy my first Macbook Pro, should I wait for the possibility for a 2015 macbook, or just get the most recent model currently? (9-22-14)

    I am about to buy my first Macbook Pro, should I wait for the possibility for a 2015 macbook, or just get the most recent model currently? (9-22-14)

    No one knows if there will be a new model and if so, when that would be. However, there always will be something bigger, better, and newer around the corner, so you'd be waiting forever.
    Buy it when you want or need it.
    FWIW, here are the specs of the latest models (which happen to be mid 2014):
    Apple - Support - Technical Specifications

  • Im about to buy my first mac. i need help tho!!

    i am ready to buy my first macbook pro. Should i go ahead and buy one now before lion is out? or wait untill lion is out? please help!!
    thanks- Cameron

    I would recommend you to get it when lion osx comes out. Anyway, it is just round the corner And based on eww's statement, Lion osx will be free for you, while others have to upgrade with $29.99.
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  • 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.

  • I am about to buy my first Mac and I need advise.

    So the main thing I want the Mac is for music production.  I am unsure as to what size hard drive i should get and someone mentioned a solid state drive? I want one with enough memory? so basically anyone out there thats using a mac for this kind of work what would you suggest I go for? Im willing to pay what ever for it as I want to make a good investment!
    Thanks

    ds store wrote:
    <SNIP>
    If you get the non-Retina MacBook Pro, later on you can upgrade to a large SSD once the prices have come down a lot more.
    The Retina MBP's you cannot later upgrade.
    That was true when the rMBPs were initially introduced. It is no longer the case though and one can most certainly upgrade the SSD in a rMBP:
    http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/Aura_Pro_Retina_2012
    Of course, unlike the normal MBPs, this is not a user replacement part as defined by Apple and higher capacity SSDs are expensive when compared to normal hard disks or hybrid hard disks, but it most certainly can be done.

  • About to buy my first Mac, but I wanted some advice.

    Well, that's not entirely true. I'm a very pleased iPhone customer and I love my iPad, but I've always stuck to Windows for my powerhouse computing.
    Sadly, my laptop took a dirt nap this week, and I'd really like to make the switch to a Mac laptop now. The question is, what?
    I have very little experience with Mac laptops, but if picking one is similar to picking a windows machine, then I should probably tell you what I'm planning to use it for, and then (if I'm lucky) someone might be able to point me in the right direction. Day by day, I'm becoming more of an audiophile so I feel the Mac switch is a natural progression. I work for a production company (very, very new to the job), so I would want a laptop that has storage and power to run live applications for such an environment (if anyone knows of any, I would greatly appreciate that input as well). Along with that, battery life is crucial and I will need 5 hours minimum. I think my iPad has spoiled me.
    Other than that, the switch looks painless. The question is, what to buy? I'm planning on financing, so money isn't particularly an issue. Other than that, I would really appreciate any advice you would have for me.
    Thanks in advance for any advice. Sorry if this is posted in the wrong forum.
    I look forward to joining the "real" Mac experience soon!
    Matthew

    eww wrote:
    The problem with this idea is that the batteries in current MBPs are not considered by Apple to be user-replaceable, and removing them voids the warranty. There are external batteries on the market, but they're quite expensive:
    http://www.batterygeek.net/Batterygeeknet_MacBook_MacBook_Pro_Battery_Packss/78.htm
    http://www.hypershop.com/HyperMac-External-MacBook-Battery-and-Car-Charger-s/91. htm
    http://www.quickertek.com/products/macbookprocharger.php
    Well, Apple REALLY dropped the ball on this one by omitting user replacement of battery and thereby reducing the user friendliness of current MBPs.
    I guess Apple engineers just didn't have the expertise to come up with an easily replaceable battery, hmmm? If not that then what was their rationale for rendering current MBPs batteries non user replaceable?

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

    Hi everyone,
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    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:
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    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

  • Buying my first Mac, Air or Pro with retina?

    I am buying my first Mac. Undecided between new Mac Air or Mac Pro with retina? Any help?

    Well if your computer needs are light weight and how light the computer is important for you then get the MBA
    If on the other hand your needs are more heavy weight and the weight of the computer doesn't matter then get the MBA
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  • Buying my first mac

    Hi,
    I'm going through some exciting times since I'm going to buy my first Mac (took me years of dedicated saving!).
    My main hobby is photo editing and doing complex mixed media projects so of course I want the MacBook Pro WITH retina display.
    A quick look into the specs learns that I have to choose among a version with an SSD of 256 GB or 512.
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    Working with an additional thunderbolt-connected external HDD seems impractical to me with the constant risk of damage and theft.
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    Hi,
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    One last thing: what do you mean with 'scratch disk for temporary storage'? Up until now, I simply created a temp-folder on my HDD...
    Thanks already for your swift reply!

  • Looking to buy my first Mac computer product. . .

    Hey there Mac support users! I'm looking to buy my first Mac computer product, and I am currently caught indecisive between the 13in and the 15 inch Macbook Pro. I have been over the technical specifications of both, and I do not really want to push out the 1700$ it would cost to buy the 15 inch if getting the 13 would be just as effective for my purposes. And of course, here is some background info on me:
    I am currently a college student (hooray education pricing), and am also a musician who plays guitar, bass, some keys, and does vocals.
    I will be using the Macbook for some light gaming (Diablo III with friends, maybe some other stuff later), but I am specifically wondering about which version to buy as concerns Pro Tools and audio recording -- something I plan on getting into after purchasing the Macbook.
    I am aware that the 15 inch has a more powerful processor able to handle more things at once, which may come in handy while utilizing Pro Tools. In addition, I have noticed that the 15 inch Macbook version comes with two built in 3.5mm jacks on the side -- one for audio in, and the other for audio out (as compared to the standard headphone jack of the 13inch model). I am curious to know whether having the two separate jacks would be ultimately beneficial for music recording, or would it simply be better/cheaper to buy the 13 inch and get an adapter for the headphone jack?
    I guess, in sum, I am just looking for some pointers in the best direction -- which would be best for a musician using Pro Tools: cheaper normal/super version of the 13 inch? Or the more expensive yet powerful 15inch model?
    Any help is greatly appreciated
    Thanks!

    Hi Ziatheral, and welcome to the forums!
    You've asked a lot of really good questions, and I'll do my best to be helpful.
    For starters, you'll need to know that Pro Tools requires a 7200 RPM hard drive. Your standard off the shelf Mac ships with a 5200 RPM drive, so you will need to custom order a machine to meet specs.
    Pro Tools is not yet officially qualified to run on Mountain Lion, although some users report it runs ok for them. It will take Avid a while to release an up-to-date version of Pro Tools.
    You can NEVER have too much screen real estate. I've run Pro Tools on a 27" monitor, and even the 15" screen seems tiny by comparison. You get better graphics on the 15" monitor, too.
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    http://apogeedigital.com/products/duet2.php
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    http://www.mackie.com/products/onyxblackjack/
    You have some time. It'll probably be a month or two before Pro Tools is ready to run on Mountain Lion. Keep looking. Do your homework. Don't just take somebody's word for it (including mine). And write if you have any more questions. The community is here for you.

  • I am about to buy a 13" MacBook Pro with 256 GB SSD drive.  I want a i am about to buy a MacBook Pro Windows partition set up.  How large should it be, and can I use XP Pro or does it need to be Win 7 or 8?

    I am about to buy a 13" MacBook Pro with 256 GB SSD.  I want a Windows partition set up.  What size should it be, and can I load Win XP Pro or does it need to be Win 7 or 8?

    You can use XP but it has to be in a Virtual Machine and OS X as the host instead of as a dual boot system with XP in its own partition. That is how I run Windows on my Mac, in a Virtual Machine.
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  • 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.

  • 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:
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    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

  • Is it worth buying the old Mac pro now, for iOS dev and designing?

    I want to replace my old Macbook Pro unibody 2008 late model, and buy something instead of that. Currently it has 8gb ram, an SSD drive, but it's getting slower and slower. I want to replace it with something, and if I don't have to I won't spend ~3000€ for a new machine.
    Would it make sense for me to buy an old Mac Pro (2008 - 2010 model, with at least 16gb ram, and SSD, and 2x27" monitor) and use that to create my iOS apps and design with Photoshop and Illustrator. I don't need a machine to do crazy stuff like 3D modelling (don't have time for it ) nor gaming.
    Thanks.

    The 2009 model and later are worth buying. They also feature Multi-Threading, which gives a performance boost.
    The 2008 model uses older FBDIMM memories, and its memory has been severely limited in size and expensive (unless you drop down one notch and use 667MHz, which has become quite affordable).
    The 2009 model and later change to processor-on-a-shelf, with either a one-chip  or a two-chip shelf installed. Each offers four memory slots per processor. 4 DIMMs @8GB would give you 32GB four under US$400.
    Four-core models would do what you are talking about, and you can upgrade to a 6-core processor if you are handy and can deal with thermal paste.

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