Mac Pro :: Need Advice Building A New Mac Pro?
Nov 2, 2010
I work on several large software projects and need a new rig to handle some heavy compilation.
Here's my criteria for this new system:
Great at compilation/debugging (heavy CPU, RAM, HDD utilization)
Needs to triple-boot (Mac OSX, Windows, Ubuntu)
Needs to support dual monitors
Needs only moderate storage
Fit a US$8000 budget
Here's the components I have selected so far in my BTO Mac Pro:
6 Core 3.33 GHz Xeon Westmere
3GB RAM (will replace with 12GB, see below)
2 TB HDD
ATI Radeon 5870
Dual 27'' Cinema Displays
-- TOTAL: $6100
Here's what I'll be ordering separately, in addition to the above:
SSD Boot Drive: (is this compatible with Mac Pro?)
OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD3-2VTX360G 3.5" 360GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive
-- $1000
12 GB RAM: (I read 3 slots is best for triple-channel)
12GB RAM OWC Memory Kit: 3 x 4.0GB PC10600 DDR3 ECC 1333MHz
-- $330
I've never built nor owned a Mac Pro before so I'd really appreciate any advice or feedback you can give about my build.
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Jan 8, 2009
Well I'm planning on making the leap from laptop to desktop next year, when my macbook turns 3. I don't really have any reason to do it, I just figure I've never owned a desktop, and I should give it a shot. Anyways, I love how Mac Pro's look and run, but find that they run way too pricy for my tastes. Come from the owner of a second gen macbook, with just 2 ghz processor, and 64 mb vram, my standards aren't high. Plus I only use about 70 gb of the 120 gb hard drive.
My point, I would really like to build my own Mac Pro, but don't know how customizable they are. For example, would I be able to buy a current Mac Pro (but in a year, so more like a year old rig), and sell the HD and buy a small one turning a profit? My ideal computer set up would be;
3.0 ghz processor
2-4 gb ram
512 vram
120-140 gb hard drive
Can anybody help me know how possible an aspiration this would be next year. I figure If the current mac Pros will (used of course, and by that point 1 yr outdated), run at like 1400 on ebay, and I would sell the HD and buy a cheaper 3rd party for like 100 dollars, I could maybe get a nice computer about about 1000-1300? Anyways, any comments, recommendations, price quotes, or weblinks to third party "built it yourself" mac gear would be much appreciated.
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Nov 1, 2010
I just finished a project of mine, I decided to build a gaming PC but I wanted it to be a Mac, so I bought a cheap Mac Pro on ebay then added to it over a month or so, I wanted to spend about the same price as a basic Mac Pro from Apple, ?2,000 so here's what I bought
?750:
- Dual 2.66 Ghz Mac Pro 2006 1,1
- 2GB DDR2 FB-DIMM 667mhz RAM
- 250GB HDD
- Superdrive
This is what I've now ended up with after my upgrades:
- 2 x Quad Xeon X5355's @2.66 overclocked to @3.2ghz - 1.313v FSB@1600mhz
- 12GB DDR2 FB-DIMM Kingston RAM @800Mhz
- Sapphire 5870 1GB + XFX 5970 2GB Crossfirex 850/1200
- SATA III 6GB/s + USB 3.0 Asus U3S6
- Bluetooth 2.1 + Airport 802.11n
- 2 x 64GB OCZ Vertex 2E SSD's RAID 0 - Mac OS X 10.6.4
- 60GB Crucial C300 6GB/s - Windows 7 Pro x64
- 1.5TB WD Green - Mac
- 1.0TB WD Green - NTFS
- Liteon Blu-Ray R/W x12
- Apple 1000w PSU
- 5.25" 450 PSU
All together I spent ?2,300 so I went a tiny bit over budget but I did my best not to compromise.
The only other thing I'm thinking of buying is swapping my Asus U3S6 for a dedicated Nvidia Physx card.
Obviously some of my stuff only works in Windows but as I'm not really playing games in OSX that's fine for me.
I'm looking for suggestions to improve my setup so any are welcome. Except those that say "duhhhh haha buy a PC and sell your Mac" because those really are irritating.
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Jul 26, 2009
I have been pondering building a LAN for a Computer System that is used for Photography Editing/Printing and Videography this will be for multiple MAC computers which will share a mass storage drive and accommodate a print server capable of addressing 6 Epson Stylus Pro printers with print expansion to 10 printers. The beginning network will consist of 2 iMACs, 3 MAC Pro's and 1 MAC Book. The Network server needs to be at least 2 TB with expansion capabilities. In addition, the Server must be able to address up to 8 MAC computers. I have been searching the WWW as well as various manufactures for information but after hours of searching and reading they all claim to be capable of doing what I desire. I am interested in feedback from MAC users who have experience in this area and have positive results. If you have built a similar system and can recommend the Hardware/Software that has functioned with your MAC equipment I would be interested in your results and recommendations. Finances are not an issue so going cheap is not my intent, speed, reliability and expandability are key factors.
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Aug 6, 2009
I'm trying to learn how to build applications from source on Mac OS 10.5.7, and I'm not really sure how to do it. What do you do with files that look like 'filename.tar.gz' or 'filename.tar.bz2'.
How do you install these and build them on your computer?
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Oct 13, 2009
I am looking at building a network for my company which currently has 1 Hackintosh, 1 Desktop PC, a Windows Laptop and a Macbook Pro. Eventually, I want to convert the whole business over to Mac. I do web development and graphic design.
Should I go down the route of Windows server or Mac OSX Server?
If I choose Mac OSX Server, can Windows machines connect to the OSX network with an account based on the OSX Server?
My only pull either way is the fact that I can get Windows 2008 Server free due to being an IT student at university.
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May 19, 2010
i bought an imac, 10 days ago, and today i took it back, the screen was killing me, i have horrible eye strain and the brightness on the glossy screens is stupid
to get the colour definition ineed to work with i had to have it up to fully brightness, suffering from albinism i have a hyper sensitive retina and simply cannot cope with the extended exposure not to mention a lack of sharpening in the os menues causing me to squint (which combined with the small font size is just horrible)
however, despite this, i love the os, the first tiem i have ever had one, and im hooked
unfortunately i cant get a system anything like equivelant from mac that doesnt have the glossy screen, so im left with no choice but to build one,
so where do i start?
what do i need to know?
is there certain things that will and wont work?
and how much am i looking at?
(and also anyway of reducing the size of the tower i will need)
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Oct 17, 2010
We have a small company and we want to start sending out newsletters
Looking for a good newsletter app to make some very good and pretty newsletters any ideas?
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May 19, 2008
OK I know most reviews say the SSD is not worth the extra money.
But, when I worked on my friends SSD I must say it just feels faster in normal use. I also know this from my previous laptop where I had SSD.
So I'd like to know:
are there SSD's out there that we can buy and install ourselves?
Which ones and how much do they cost?
I believe it needs to be 1,8 inch with Ziff connection... right?
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Jul 29, 2009
I tried to start building my web page using my MAC on averizon.net account. how do get the mac to upload to the website. My MAC keepd telling to sign in to the mobileme account. I dont have an account. Do I need an account in order to build a web page
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Sep 15, 2009
I'm looking for a quick and fun program to mess around with. I mean a program with pre-set graphic objects that you can import into a scene and mess around with.
For example some Lego blocks game. Something with virtually no learning curve, just drag and drop fun.
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Nov 27, 2009
So I got tired and board and decided that instead of buying a desk everyone else has I would build my own so I am starting with this a base for the top ...i am picking it up in the morning but I still need to come up with a idea for some legs
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Mar 21, 2010
I've done some research on external drive recommendations here. I've read the buying guide thread and most of the threads that it pointed to.
I have narrowed it down to an OWC:
[URL]
or one of the WD with fire wire 800 or building my own with a WD green drive.
My main priorities are for the drive to be quiet, cool and very reliable. I will be used only to back up my 1TB iMac i5.
I am leaning towards building my own so...My questions:
1. In terms of best reliability, what are the different classes of drives. I've heard of the term "enterprise". Is this a higher grade of components? How can I tell from looking at newegg.com which are the "better" drives? I would be looking at WD, hitachi and seagate, with preference in that order. Those seem to be the leaders. Any guidance you can give would be appreciated.
2. Once I pick a disk, what else will I need? I've never built an external drive before so need some help/advise. I know I need an enclosure but not sure if I need to purchase a controller, etc, etc. Which enclosures have good cooling? I am thinking of strapping the external drive to the back of my iMac stand.
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Oct 18, 2010
I am looking into a new computer, I was full force ahead toward a mac until a friend told me a couple of concerns. He told me that he has heard about macs being kind of glitchy and somewhat touchy. Things like leaving it in the car for even short periods of time or banging it around in a laptop case will cause problems. I am not crazy rough with my computer, I mean hell, I made a Dell last me 5 years before having to get the another one, but I need something that can take the occasional mis-judgment. I also want some advice on what kind of specs I should have. I am looking at doing Grad school via distance education and need a computer that will provide the ease of doing things like a virtual class room with little to no problem and of course a good paper writing program.
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Apr 10, 2009
I'm hoping that I'll get into Bangor University in September in Wales and I really want to switch to Mac before going there! Anyway, I need a Mac that will be powerful enough to run multiple sessions on photoshop, a word processor and the internet obviously at the same time! So the one I'm planning to buy at the moment is the Mac Mini, and I was wondering if I would be able to run it using my Windows laptop by using the display, keyboard, speakers and touchpad on it. Does anyone know if that would be possible? Because I can't be bothered buying another keyboard and display!
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Oct 4, 2010
Maybe not the best subforum to post in but I couldn't see where else I could post it.
My brother and I both have MBP's and we'd like to share a hard drive connected to out WiFi router. We'd also like to use the new 'AirPlay' technology that'll be coming out soon.
Since I've never assembled a home network before, I'd like to know what are all of the components that I'd need?
An external hard drive and WiFi router running to an Airport Express Base and then using everything over the wireless network?
How would I connect a printer to this too?
Sorry for the possibly confusing questions, I just don't to go out and buy anything I don't need.
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Sep 1, 2008
This doesn't pertain specifically to Mac Pros or Power Macs, but I couldn't find a better place for this.
Is it possible to build a Mac from scratch, like a PC? I've looked everywhere and I can't seem to find what proprietary hardware, if any, Apple still uses. I use a macbook right now and I'm wondering if it's as simple as booting with the Leopard install disc.
On a similar note, is it possible to use boot camp on a separate internal drive rather than partitioning an existing one formatting for OS X?
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Oct 21, 2008
I originally have a MBP (see specs below)...
But my PC is ancient by todays standards. I used to know which components are the top of the line for that particular item (ie. CPU, motherboard, ram, etc.) Which product is the best for gaming:
1. Graphics card (PCI Express or AGP? Nvidia or ATI)
2. Sound Card
3. CPU (No extreme - too expensive)
4. Power supply (1000 watt?)
5. Motherboards
6. RAM (speed)
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Jan 11, 2009
I'm trying to find a free or trial version of software.
Something where I can work in html or switch to a website view to fine tune things without learning all kinds of code.
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Mar 8, 2009
i frequantly use my macbookpro in huge wi-fi area's and notice a lot of other mac/pc users on their computers as well. Is there a way to totally monitor the network I'm on..(how many users, bandwidth using)
I've seen/heard people "hacking" into others computers on the network and messing stuff up. I just wanna prepare/protech myself.
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Sep 10, 2009
Well I am building a file server/hackintosh. I want to run OS X and linux and possible windows. Is it better to just use separate smaller HDs are split a larger HD into thirds with a partition? Or does it even matter?
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Nov 18, 2009
I'm building a mac computer and i wonder to know what are the parts of building a mac computer on a tight budget.
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May 7, 2010
i'm wanting to build a desktop hacintosh. But i also want the get pretty much the top of the line hardware. I'll also be installing windows 7 for games. I'm wondering if os x will run on core i7s, and also what specific hardware is compatable with os x? CPUs, Video Cards, Ram ETC. I have a 13 inch MacBook Pro but i am planning to sell it. I need a significant upgrade for everything i plan to be doing with computing in the next year.
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Apr 20, 2012
My wife is bombarded with work these days. She works on a 2006 Mac Pro that's in need of a complete OS reinstall. There's almost no time for her to stop and have me work on her machine, unless I did it all in one night, but I hate rushing something like this. I'd like to know if I can build a drive, with all her software, etc., on my 2010 Mac Pro and then simply drop it in her machine when it's complete. Since they're completely different year models will I end up with odd problems?
Info:
Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.3), 2010 12-Core 24GB 5870 600GB Raptor
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Jan 20, 2010
I've decided to jump on the apple band wagon and purchase an iMac.
I'm planning on ordering the 27-inch quad core i5 but I'm wondering whether it's worth upgrading the processor or increasing the RAM - does anyone use FCS 3 and if so, would it be better to increase the RAM to 8GB+ to run more smoothly.. or does the 4GB RAM basic run fine with FCP 7 and the like?
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May 3, 2010
I have a question for anyone out there who is into customizing their desktop. This is my current desktop setup (for my second display) created with Geektool. I'm pretty happy with it but being as anal as I am I want the AM/PM lights to be lit properly.
I can create two desktop wallpapers but OSX wallpaper settings aren't detailed enough to change the image every 12 hours. The only other thing I could think of was to create a 24 hour video, 12 hours of AM followed by 12 of PM. Then use Mach Desktop to play the video.
Though this is crazy overkill and would unnecessarily use a ton of resources. Any ideas would be awesome!
Running OSX 10.6 on a MBP and using Geektool 3.0.
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Jun 3, 2010
So I got offered a Quad G5 for $450. It comes with Leopard and I have wanted one for a while.
What are the benefits and detriments of this system?
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Jul 8, 2010
I have a 2008 MacPro with dual 2.8's running the latest version of 10.5 (I have been reluctent to upgrade to 10.6). I also use Apples's magic mouse.
The only reason I still use my PC is for Quicken. I have tried trials of Mac replacements but they just didn't cut it for me and Essentials has had disappointing reviews. So I have a full copy of XP Pro, SP2 coming.
I was going to do a small partition of 20 or 30 gigs and install XP and Quicken using Boot Camp.
Any advice/comments form those with Mac/Windows experience?
My Mac is hard wired to my Airport so wireless internet is not an issue and I may not even activate internet for the windows partition. No need for Mac to PC file sharing either.
Will the Blue Tooth mouse work?
I have read SP3 can cause problems so stay with sp2?
Might it be better to have a HD just for windows?
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Aug 17, 2010
I think I will get the base model (3GB) and add a 2x4GB Crucial kit.
My question is this - is there any hit for keeping 2 x 1GB and putting the 2x4GB in (10GB Total)?
My uses are VM (XP for Corel Draw only) and CS5 in the mac side. I also need to do a lot of handbrake to convert my divx encodes to a more mac friendly format.
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Aug 1, 2007
I have a perfect condition G3 Lombard Powerbook I have stopped using the last year or so. Rather than collecting dust I was considering tearing this apart and building a wireless photoframe. I would keep OS X fully functional along with the DVD drive and all external ports. Would you crack this baby open or keep it intact?
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