Thinking of getting an Apple MacPro.... anybody got one?

you could save yourself a grand and get the same performance out of a pc...

 

PC's blahhhhh....and graphics/virus protection wise PC's can't compare.


I have a Pro, got it last month....I do alot of freelance graphic work with it. Works great, quick, never gets a virus, and it looks cool....but it is pricey. But you get what you pay for. If you know a teacher, have them get it for you....they get a discount at the Apple stores.

 

I've never had a single virus with an MS product.

One of the big draws to Apple's products is that you can easily use Bootcamp to install and dual boot XP if one ever needs to.

 

Get it, I have a Macbook. I also have a desktop G5, never had problems with either..

I sometimes do freelance Graphic Design and everyone I work with uses Mac's and loves them as well. You can't go wrong.

 

We have MacPros at my school in the library, those things are amazing.

 

It all depends on the SOFTWARE you will be using.

All the software I use has NOT been been universally coded yet. I'm talking major players like Photoshop, all the Macromedia products, etc - big stuff!!! They constantly crashed on the MacBook Pro ($3,000) & a little less on a $1500 MacBook.

I was told by a very successful Mac tech to run Parallels (Windows) on the Mac until the coders rewrote the programs I was using... and to hold my breath until Leopard came out.

Yeah right! Spend $2,000 more on a Mac, just to have to run Windows on it until they sort out the new Intel chip + universal binary code??? F that! I'll take a nice Toshiba with fingerprint scanner, Lightscribe dual layer drive & more memory THANK YOU!

 

I have a mac....i can't believe people still buy microsoft stuff.

no question apple is better.

 

thats not true, Kyle. My cousin uses a Mac, and it's 100% more stable than my pc. in fact, i'm thinking about getting an iBook in a few months time.

 

ive got a macbook pro, and love it... i had a G4 Ti Powerbook before, and my desktop is an intel mac mini

i love bootcamp/parallels -- i only boot to windows when I'm working with Vegas Video or anyo ther PC-only programs -- for photoshop/imageready/illustrator/dreamweaver/etc, i run it in OSX.

the mac pro is great from what i've seen go for it!

though, i'd recommend to upgrade the ram to atleast 2GB. i had to upgrade my mac mini to 2Gb because with 512, and even 1G OSX doesnt run too great on the intel procs.

even when I boot my mini to windows, it still runs more stable than any PC i've ever had or built.

 

This may have been the case in the past - no longer. If you price out a Dell or HP or whatever with equivalent hardware, you will find that the Mac is within $150 or so.

When the Mac Pro first came out, it actually cost less than a Dell with the same specs.

It's true that Apple does not sell cheap computers - but that does not mean that the computers they do sell are overpriced.

They have the same performance for the same money - and the Mac comes with OS X, which is a much more secure, reliable and flexible operating system with a better user interface.

And don't let anyone tell you that Macs are only for newbies or people who don't know how to use a computer. Fully half the computers here in the MIT Computer Science department are Macs - these people are not buying them because they're too stupid to use a PC.

There is absolutely no reason not to buy a Mac now. If you find you don't like OS X, just put Windows on it.

However - if you're not in a hurry, you'd be well-advised to wait a few months, as Apple will be releasing a new OS and slew of new hardware.

 

I have one... got it last year... battery overheated and went bad but was replaced for free under a recall...

Once you go MAC, you never want to go back, the build quality and features are so much nicer than any windows product... They are pricey though, but I got a 10% employee discount on mine..

 

I should have gotten my Mac Book Pro sooner, my change was also due to mirosoft's Vista issues. These computers are an excellent way to go, much smother than my old wind D'ohs machine.

 

I find that OS/X frustrates me less than XP. I've managed to convert most of my friends and family to Mac's. I use a MacBook Pro at work here (everyone else has IBM Thinkpads, so I stand out!). The windows-centric engineering apps I need to use run just fine under Parallels. With the latest Intel Macs and Boot Camp, or Parallels, there is no reason to suffer with a PC any longer.

I also disagree about saving $1000 if you buy a PC. If you really price a comparable PC to a Mac Pro, you'll find you won't save that much money. Keep in mind that a comparable Dell system is NOT from their Desktop line, but their PowerEdge Server line. The Mac Pro is a server, not a desktop.

-steve

 

I'm a Mac guy as well. An unmentioned advantage is the Apple store. IF you live close to one, they have a help desk. You can make an appointment on the web, show up at the appointed time, and have a skilled technician help you with your problem. To me, this is a HUGE advantage.

Parallels works great, BTW. I run a proprietary database on Windows Vista (on my MacBook Pro) with zero issues.

Edit: Their phone support is excellent as well, and is US or Canada based (I know this because of complicated problem that turned out to be an HP printer hardware failure--the difference between Apple support and HP support was significant). Also, Consumer Reports rates Apple's technical support as the best in the industry.