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 PC Hardware : Apple Mac Pro MA970LL/A Desktop (Two 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon Processors, 2 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Drive, 16x SuperDrive) |
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Rating:  - The Finest PC you can buy
Read my other review about the G5 for the software advantages of the Mac. And my MacBook review about running Windows on your Mac. Let's talk about the hardware:
First off I don't own one of these machines, but I work with them extensively at work (I'm a PC/Mac Technician). This model in particular. I've probably seen at least 300 of these machines, and the failure rate is about 1 in 300 thus far. So, build quality is great.
Its 2 USB and one Firewire 400 port on the front are very convenient. It has 3 USB, 1 FW400 and 1 FW800 port on the back. The stock video card can drive 2 decent sized DVI monitors. It has a combined Optical/Analog minijack for audio in and one for audio out, as well as SPDIF in and out ports. It also has 2 Ethernet ports. Inside it has 3 open PCIe slots, 4 drive bays and an open removable/optical bay. Aesthetically, it's one of the nicest looking machines I've seen. The case is aluminum, and very solid. (We often take a couple of Macs and sit on the machines without fear of breaking the case. We're even jokingly, made a MacBed out of about 5 or 6 of them. The MacBed gets 1.5 stars.)
It is simply the best designed hardware money can buy PC or Mac. Upgrading parts is as easy as it can get. Installing a drive is child's play. It's so simple my mom could do it. Upgrading RAM is a snap. (Though maybe not mom-proof.) It runs very quiet as everyone has said. I have to look at the light on the power switch often to see if a machine is on when the screen has been powered down, that's how quiet it is. Everything in this machine is as well thought out as the software (OS X) is, if not better. In fact I would almost venture to say that there is nothing I can think of that could have been done better. (See Caveats below for its 2 flaws.)
Even the side door is a snap. If you're a PC user you know how hard it is on some PCs to even close the side door because the panel is flexible and won't line up? So you sit there for 10 minutes trying to get it back on, only to give up and leave it off half the time? Well the MacPro is just ht opposite. You have to TRY to mis-align the thing. To open it you simple pull a latch and the door pops open. To close it you slide the tab into the slot and close it like a door, and there is a satisfying click when it's closed. And that's just the side door.
Let's talk about speed:
Most of the current Macs boot up in less than 30 seconds from button press to logon screen. After you type in (or select) your user name and type in your password (*though you can configure it to automatically logon), the machine is ready to use -- meaning everything is completely loaded and the system is idle in maybe 15-20 seconds in stock configuration. And that's with the stock 320GB HD. So, all told you can be up and running in about a minute from a cold start on this model Mac.
Applications launch very fast as well. Most will bounce in the dock a few times and just come up. Some, like Adobe Photoshop and MS Word take longer, but they're very big programs. I've never taken a stopwatch to them, but I estimate about 5-10 seconds for most app launches. With a few, you literally blink after you click the icon on the dock and they're up and running.
Caveats:
With all these pluses there must be some minuses right? There's 2: First off: The weight. Unless you're used to carrying around 50 pounds of weight, these are pretty cumbersome because of the second design flaw: The handles, they're very uncomfortable to use (after all there's 50 pounds cutting off your circulation at the edge of the handles), but I'm glad they're there. I'm not worried about a system slipping out on my hands when I'm moving one, unlike a lot of PCs where you have to hunt for a stable place to hold on to the plastic most of those boxes are made out of.
A word about 10.5 (Leopard):
My other reviews on the G5 and MacBook cover Mac OS X (the mac's unique operating system) more generally and give the pros and cons vs. Winodws, but they were written before Leopard came out. In short, 10.5 (Leopard) is awesome. So, without further ado, here's the best of what Leopard offers:
Screen sharing/remote control is the best new feature. It works better than Windows RDC too because you don't have to have one person log out.
Time machine is a backup application built into the OS that makes backups painless -- just shell out a hundred bucks for another Hard Drive and you'll be set.
Stacks (where you click one folder icon in the dock and a grid of other icons spring up out of it) is a mixed bag. New users might like it, while older users might not. It's easy enough to switch is back to list view or folder behavior. (Right click the stack icon on the dock -- or click and hold -- and choose View content as "List" and/or Display as "Folder".
iChat 4: about the best and easiest teleconferencing software out there.
Coverflow and page previews in the finder makes it even easier to find just what your looking for. cover flow basically shows document previews of everything from images to Word and PDF files to videos and audio files. Want to see a larger preview? just highlight the document and hit the space bar. This saves you the trouble of launching the application just to look to see if that .tif is the right one.
Exposé and Spaces are huge time savers too. Exposé is a way to control all or some of the windows on screen. Just hit a function key (assignable by you) and all the windows on screen or of an app tile on you display so you can find the one buried under 5 other windows. Spaces allows you to have "virtual desktops" that you can quickly switch. Say you're working on music is garage band or reason and oyu have all the windows laid out how you like them and a Friend instant messages you. Instead of having to minimize and juggle windows, you simply switch to another desktop where you only have to see your IM window. When you're done a lcick of garage bad on the dock or a key-combo will switch the desktop and windows right back to where you were. Check out the Spaces and Exposé System Preferences for more cool features and ways to customize it.
There's more but ths rview is getting long. SO buying advice:
You can't go wrong with this machine or the 3.0 model if you have the money to spend.
To PC users considering this or building/buying a PC: I built a PC system on par spec wise with the last rev of this machine about a year and a half ago for about $300-$400 less* (and I still didn't have as nice of a machine hardware design-wise as this one) -- but then I have to run Windows or Linux on it. The OS X will save you time and energy in the first 6 months to justify the added expense.
(*Yes, I probably could have built it cheaper but I was buying parts comparable in quality to Apple Hardware.)
To First Time Mac Purchasers:
Unless you're pretty well off, you have a demanding Application (video/3d rendering/software development) or need the extra 3 PCI slots, (or if you just like to cut to the chase and get the best when you jump into things), you'll probably be better served saving a bit of cash by getting an entry level consumer Mac first to try things out, then step up to the big boy if you need it.
To Mac Users considering this machine:
If you're comning from a non-intel Mac, you'll be blown away by the speed boost. If you're coming form a consumer level Mac, then you'll also be very pleased with the added speed and the quality of the hardware. I'm assuming you're gettin this because you need the speed. If you just surf the web all day and write Word docs, save your money and get an iMac, MacBook or MacBook Pro or even, dare I say, a Mac Mini. This is really a machine for people who need the power and are willing to pay for it.
Summary:
There is yet to be any review under 4 stars for this machine and it's been out for the better half of a year. And this is in a world where you can't please everyone. That right there should tell you how good these systems are. Expect this machine to outlast everything else currently on the market. If you cna afford it, it's a great purchase decision. You won't be disappointed.
Rating: - Five stars ain't enough
Most of the other reviews have covered this ground already but:
- Have had the machine since 11/7/07 and I'm not sure it has ever crashed.
-Four internal drives and it is almost silent
-Does use a bit of power on start- lights dim
-Awesome power! Fast beyond anything I have that can test it and I use, WINXP via Parallels, FCP HD, Photoshop and inDesign CS3, constantly
-Windows XP roars on this machine, boot camp or virtual
- I have 8 GB RAM- maybe you don't need that much but don't skimp
What more can I say?
Rating: - a dream come true!
this computer blows away all pc computers. why did i wait so long to change over to a mac. i love it!
Rating: - Mac Pro Quo
This Mac gives you what you pay for. It works great right out of the box.
Adding more Ram and such is suggested based on what you need it for.
It runs quiet and the only problems I have are due to the software.
Rating:  - Wicked Fast
I purchased the item from Amazon b/c i'm a Prime member, quick shipping. I upgraded the standard build to have an additional TB of hd space (www.macsales.com) and added 8gb of ram. the thing is wicked fast. The sound of the machine is also very low, which is great. I have parallels running my windows vm's (xp and vista) and am now testing out fusion. I added a 2nd video card (same as the one it came with) and now have 3 monitors (fusion beta 2.0 support multi monitor) but i'm not super happy with the speed of the machine which i exported (using the fusion VM Ware export tool). I think it could also be a beta thing. All in all, i used to be a Dell guy and now for the money i'm definately happy with the Mac Pro b/c for about 1k less i have an 8 core power house. I expect this will by my workhorse computer for some time.
Chris Boyd
www.windwardnetworks.com
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