003 ordered, now need a new mac

[OneMadSon]

So my g4 gave up the ghost. And since i was running PT 5 and OS9 when i started to run the numbers on updating software etc it just seemed to make more sense to use the trade in option and get the extra bonus of the 003 and the software bundle and the Toolkit.

So, now I need a new machine. I've seen that someone like Gorilla has this and since Gorilla was around here starting up the mac mixes the last time i was shopping (5 years ago) I figure he knows what he is up to.

Mac Pro dual core 2.66Ghz
2 gigs of ram
4x500 gig hard drives internal
OSX 10.4.8
PTLE 7.3.1cs2

However, I've seen some other people talking about really large amounts of RAM.

The machine I had speced out was looking at around $3500. Anyone advice on what would be best for that kind of money. I've got two OWC backup drives so i'm fine for storage. The speced machine.

2 2.66GHZ Dual Core Intel Xeon
2 Gigs RAM
250 and 500 internal drives
NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 256MB (single-link DVI/dual-link DVI)


That is $3300 without Applecare. For another $400 I can double the RAM. Thoughts? I end up doing some sessions with a lot of tracks in LE and now figure i might run it up higher with the ability to do 48. I occasionally ran into trouble with my current system. However, I'm usually not too heavy on plug ins other than Amplitude and Waves EQ and Reverb (I imagine this would mean Sans Amp and TL Space on the new rig).


And one last thing, are these machines quieter than the famous "wind tunnel" Mirror Door G4's. That would be a nice benefit. Any other advice for a new 003 Factory Set up?

Thanks.

[lamp]

The trade in deal is a no brainer. GRAB IT. Buy the basic Mac 2.6 somewhere like MacMall, $2344.00 w/ free shiping & printer. 1 gig of mem. is fine to get you started unless you want to run a lot of soft synths. I only have 1 gig at the moment and I just played back some 32 track sessions with lots of plugs no problem.

Don't buy your drives or memory from apple. You can save 1/3 to 1/2 from third party venders.. I use Seagate drives and they have been great. I would go with the stock video card also.

Yes the 2.6 is very quiet.

[Jsswtpmp182]

i've been running 48 track sessions with thte ssl channel on almost every track, the ssl bus comp on the master fader, and reason with about 10 midi tracks on my mac pro dual 2.66 ghz with 2 gigs of ram and my cpu/memory usage has yet to spike or pass 25%... that should give you an idea

[OneMadSon]

whoa. I think i've got the info I need. time to get this rig set up and crawl back under a rock for the next 5 years.

thanks.

[GORILLA]

Hey what's up OneMadSon!!!

Yes, this Mac Pro 2.66 is doing great for me! I have plenty of ram (Will get more eventually... doesn't hurt to have more hey?) And YES, I bought my extra hard drives from a local store (much much cheaper than Apple)

I've ran BIG sessions for local bands with many many many plug-ins being used and my meters do move but the Mac Pro keeps on chugging fine! And for your info.... my G5 is way louder than this Mac Pro!

Good luck!


GORILLA

[OneMadSon]

thanks. Good advice and you saved me money.

Hopefully I won't be back here complaining about bugs and errors in a few weeks.

Regardless it sounds like i'm in for a treat.

[GORILLA]

Here's a pic of a recent session using the 2.66Ghz Mac Pro with 2 gigs of memory!! The whole tune was playing and the Mac Pros' CPU meters barely move!!