My $18,000 Mac

[Zwieback]

As much as I love my current Macs, I love to fantasize about the ultimate Mac machine. Based on options available on Apple US Store, this would be a dream machine:

Mac Pro
Two 2.93GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
32GB (8 x 4GB) 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM
Mac Pro Raid Card
Four 1TB 7200-rpm Serial ATA Hard Drives
Two Nvidia GeForce GT 120 512MB
Two 18x SuperDrives
Two 30" Apple Cinema HD Displays
Apple Mighty Mouse

Cost: $17,597 (About R180,000 in SA)
Purchase Date: Never

http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MB535LL/A?mco=NDE4NDIyMQ

 

[Keeper]

what a rip off.

with 180 Grand I could Build a much better PC.
lol @ only 4 TB, and two GT 120 512MB's !

If It was possible to SLI Workstation Graphics Cards, I could put in 4 x Quadro® FX 5800 Cards for 16 GB Video Memory - that's half the size of your RAM!

 

[Zwieback]

Based on options available on Apple US Store

I do realise aspects could be improved about this system, but I have limited the options to what are available on the Apple US Store. With a bit of planning one could get even more for half the cost. I mean, the 32GB of ram is over $6000, which clearly is just crazy!

Ahem, I don't want this to turn into a PC vs Mac thread - I must have read thousands of threads on that subject! LOL

 

[Drunkard #1]

Not to rub it in, but SATA drives in a R 180 000 machine. Ha ha ha ha

I've also played around with these websites. Managed to get a Dell workstation up to R 300 000. What a joke, the components were totally inappropriate for a workstation. Honestly, if you need that sort of processing power, you're better off sending it to a proper server to be done and just getting the results back.

And that's the conclusion I've come to. A desktop can do amazing things these days, rendering entire movies, storing thousands of photos, 3D flythroughs of 100 000 sq m buildings created in CAD, and so on, but most of the time this sort of work is best moved off the desktop and onto a rack; blade servers for processing, SAS RAID systems for storage etc. Specing up a workstation like that is just for fun, the real work should be done on a rack. And furthermore, MACs suck, PCs pwn all

 

[butc8]

Doesn't even come with a keyboard

 

[bwana]

Doesn't even come with a keyboard

The Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad comes standard with your Mac Pro.

 

[killadoob]

No SSD for 18k dolla?

 

[Dark Agent]

Seems People got Drunk this Weekend

 

[dj_jyno]

Impressive spec sheet, but ridiculously overpriced.

Mac Pro RAID card - $700 vs. Promise SuperTrak EX4650 SATA RAID - $400
RAM - Crucial DDR3 1333 ECC 32GB (8x 4GB) = $1512
4TB "Mac" HDD - $1000 vs. 4TB Seagate SATA 7200RPM HDD - $600
2x Superdrive - $100 vs. 2x LG BD-ROM - $200
2x Apple Cinema Display - $3600 vs. 2x Dell 30" 3008WFP - $3400

Saving you about $5400 in total. I'm almost 100% sure you'll be able to get all the above components to work in a Mac.

 

[PeterCH]

RAM - Crucial DDR3 1333 ECC 32GB (8x 4GB) = $1512

I think TransIntl MacPro RAM is even cheaper but just as good or better than Crucial.

2x Apple Cinema Display - $3600 vs. 2x Dell 30" 3008WFP - $3400

The Dell is a superior display, I went that route over ACD 2 years back because it just had better quality and specs.

 

[PeterCH]

No SSD for 18k dolla?

Well since most MacPros are used to crunch video, images and high definition audio you'll need more diskspace than read speed. Once SSDs come as 1TB each, it will be a different story but now 4TB of SSD storage will cost more than the rest of these components.

 

[Zwieback]

The Dell is a superior display, I went that route over ACD 2 years back because it just had better quality and specs.

The only problem is I am a Mac snob - I just couldn't have a Dell monitor on my desk, the Apple Cinema Display is so simply gorgeous. (Now I am opening myself up to a lot of flak)

 

[dj_jyno]

I think TransIntl MacPro RAM is even cheaper but just as good or better than Crucial.

Just posted pricing for the first brand-name RAM that popped into my head. Seems like Kingston comes in at about $1360.

The Dell is a superior display, I went that route over ACD 2 years back because it just had better quality and specs.

I know You can always just pull the Dell logos off and paste little Apples in their place

 

[PeterCH]

Just posted pricing for the first brand-name RAM that popped into my head. Seems like Kingston comes in at about $1360.

I know You can always just pull the Dell logos off and paste little Apples in their place

Why bother?

 

[PeterCH]

The only problem is I am a Mac snob - I just couldn't have a Dell monitor on my desk, the Apple Cinema Display is so simply gorgeous. (Now I am opening myself up to a lot of flak)

You mean the bevel is 'gorgeous' but the picture quality is bad compared to a Dell. Seriously, being a snob is cool, but not if you're missing out on a better picture.

 

[Zwieback]

You mean the bevel is 'gorgeous' but the picture quality is bad compared to a Dell. Seriously, being a snob is cool, but not if you're missing out on a better picture.

OK, if I was seriously in the market for two 30' monitors, which I'm not, I would have a look at both (and others). However, I would have a natural slant towards the Apple - being brand and aesthetically influenced. Sure, if the Apple monitor was really crappy then aesthetics would have to play second fiddle.

 

[PeterCH]

OK, if I was seriously in the market for two 30' monitors, which I'm not, I would have a look at both (and others). However, I would have a natural slant towards the Apple - being brand and aesthetically influenced. Sure, if the Apple monitor was really crappy then aesthetics would have to play second fiddle.

I was seriously in the market for just ONE (of course DELL delivered two 30 inch monitors to me by mistake and I so wanted to keep the second one) but I chose DELL. There were only 3 choices open, Apple, HP or DELL. Dell had better reviews, had a newer LG-Philips S-IPS panel and a wide color gamut - plus it had HDCP support. Apple did not have these features. The Dell actually looks good even when switched off, but when ON, it is beautiful.

 

[Zwieback]

The Dell actually looks good even when switched off, but when ON, it is beautiful.

I went to have a look at it on the web, and I must say it does look good - I do realise I have my snobby Apple ways to deal with. I wasn't fair to knock the Dell monitor earlier like I did.

 

[Serqet]

That is one hot setup you posted zwieback. If you going to buy a MAC you keep it to MAC. Those monitors are just beautiful.

 

[boramk]

Tomshardware has already proven with even with the most dmeanding games and apps, going over 6GB of RAM will start to limit the system