Mac Pro Nehalem vs Previous Generation Mac Pro #MB451LL/A

[John J.]

Hey Guys,

Time for me to move up from the current G5 Quad 2.5G I've used in studio since late 2005.

I'm looking at either a current Mac Pro 2.66GHz with one Quad-Core Intel Xeon "Nehalem" processor or the previous generation Mac Pro with two 3.2GHZ Quad-Core Intel Xeon (8-core) processors.

I'd appreciate input from Pro Tools users of both these systems. I've been a fan of "if it ain't broke...", but coming into the 5 year mark, each cycle I like to jump back up closer to the front of the pack. Also knowing this time next year I'll have been left long behind with Snow Leopard no longer supporting PPC, there are a few reasons why the timing is right.

Both Mac Pros have plenty of room for ram/storage upgrades. The $1K I'll save versus considering the current top of the line 8 core Mac Pro will help with upgrading intel plug-ins, Pro Tools 8, etc. etc. Thanks!

- John

[lwilliam]

I just upgraded from a dual G5 2.5Ghz to a dual-Nehalem 2.26Ghz. It's a world of difference in performance that's for sure. You already have a quad G5, so it may not be quite as extreme for you.

I think that the 2008 8-core will be neck-and-neck with the entry-level Nehalem. However, the memory is faster in the Nehalem, so there might be some performance advantages there in some cases.

If there's any way you could bump your budget up to the dual Nehalem, you will see 16 processors available from within Protools. I think in the long term, it will have some performance advantages - probably with Snow Leopard.

I thought the difference in cost between the single Nehalem and the dual was $2499 vs $3299. That's an $800 difference and you get 6GB of RAM vs 3GB and can expand it to 32GB. You can't expand the RAM that much with the entry-level Nehalem. Where did you come up with $1000 difference, or was that just an estimate?

[davidman]

Im with IWilliam on this. I was in a similar situation to you about a month back. I was considering either the 2.26 octo or last years 2.8 octo. It proved pretty dam hard to track down one of last years models brand new here in the UK, but if you are in the US it might be a different kettle of fish. When I finally tracked one down, after upgrades the difference was only about £250-ish = no brainer. I went for the nehalem. I don't know your current situation but if you are not a student, then surely yuo will know a student who can get you silly discounts on the mac direct from Apple. This is what I did, I got my sister (who is a degree student) to ring up and order the Mac and havde it delivered to my house. If you are not a student but know of anyone who would do this for you I would highly recommend it - they can use your card to pay for it as well. This is what made the difference between this years and last years models so small for me, and the prospect of it being more future proof prooved a lot more valuable.

Hope this hepls.

[John J.]

Thanks Guys,

Good points all around - I'm gonna lean towards a dual 8-core and have peace of mind for a few years to come hopefully. Much appreciated.

- John