Harpertown vs Nehalem upgrade?

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Harpertown vs Nehalem upgrade?

Hi there,
I am about to upgrade from my MBP to a MP as I want to get into editing using FCP2. I have been patiently waiting for the Nehalem to arrive as I was told that would be the bee's knee's and should future proof me for the next few years. However I have been doing my research and have been almost put off these due to the over-heating drama's that have been well documented on nearly all the reputable mac forums I have been doing my research in.
On the other hand it seems that the Mac Pro 3.2 Ghz 8 Core 512 MB GDDR4 VRAM/16GB RAM/2TB I have been looking at seems to generally have the best reputation and has even been called "the best mac ever" on a couple of forums. Now I know that the Nehalem bench tests are almost double that of the older model but as I am only just starting out and can still get the 3.2 8 core with 3 years apple care and at a lot less money am I doing the right thing? I really want something that I can still be using productively for at least the next 4 years.I would get the ATI 4780 card and I would want to run 2 23" Apple cinema screens on it. Any suggestions/issues/upgrades I should consider would be fantastic.
thanx in advance for your help
Cheers

MBP 3,1, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Dec 27, 2009 9:35 PM

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Answer 1

a brody

Level 10

85,314 points

Dec 28, 2009 12:16 PM in response to bmw01

Since no one can predict the future, doing the "right" thing is a matter of a bit of luck, and understanding what one is working with. Don't forget reputable boards such as these are still troubleshooting boards. Rarely will you find a board that is not a troubleshooting board, and not including a disproportionate number of lemons being reported, since people are more apt to complain than to praise. A lot of people are happily using their machines. And with the fast profit growth Apple has seen the last few years, such confidence wouldn't be coming if over 50% of the machines are lemons.

So just find out if the machine you desire can do the tasks you desire within the time you need. If it can, go ahead and get it. See my FAQ* on used and refurbished Macs if price is an issue, and ask the stores in question if an extended warranty is still available on those machines. Sometimes your credit card can extend the warranty of the said machines.

http://www.macmaps.com/usedrefurbished.html

- * Link to my pages may give me compensation.

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Answer 2

bmw01 Author

Level 1

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Dec 29, 2009 6:38 PM in response to a brody

Thanks A Brody,
your advice and links are very helpful, and I have read them all. As I am a complete non-techy person I suppose what I am really asking is if the Harpertown 3.2 will do what I require as I really don't know who else to ask. When I bought my MBP I told Next Byte guy that I was purely buying it for FCP and yet he sold me the 2.2GHz/2 GB model which I cannot even load FCP onto as it doesn't have enough ram. Yes I realize that now but I would have bought the more expensive option had I been aware of this fact at the time. I figure that if I am going to get into editing in any way I would be better off buying a tower now than just spending money on upgrading my laptop that will always be running at max capacity from the get go. Apple won't give me any advice as they don't have any older models (I'm in Australia) for sale so it is not in their interests to expound on anything but what they are selling now and I thought I was doing the right thing by buying from a reputable Apple reseller rather than from a department store but still feel I got completely shafted. So I still don't know what to do. I did contact the online shop and they have said that the unit is brand new and even the graphics card upgrade etc will be covered by Apples ext warranty so I suppose that is something.
cheers

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Answer 3

bmw01 Author

Level 1

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Dec 29, 2009 6:48 PM in response to a brody

Hi again,
I just realized that I could take your advice on finding out if the Harpertown will do what I need it to by posting in the FCP section of the forums. I will give that a try and see how I go.
thanks again
Cheers

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Answer 4

The hatter

Level 9

61,031 points

Dec 30, 2009 7:01 AM in response to bmw01

The Early 2008 Mac Pro "Harpertown" is a fine machine and should serve you well.

3.2GHz 8-core - you probably saved some over brand new 2009 Nehalem, but whether you will notice the difference.... you will though avoid some of the problems with the 2009 model.

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Answer 5

bmw01 Author

Level 1

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Dec 30, 2009 2:02 PM in response to The hatter

Thanks Hatter,
I guess that was what I was asking deep down - will I notice the difference between the two markedly.
and I just wanted assurance that the Harpertown was a reasonable machine. Machines being what they are, I realize that as with any mass produced product, some will be prone to problems but the 8 core seems to have stood the test of time with its reputation intact. I feel more confident in making the decision now and only got confused because so many people in the retail areas and forums seemed to be collectively holding their breath because the Nehalems were going to be soooo much better, faster and different etc, etc. Maybe that is the case but for where I am at this stage and what I am trying to do I think I will go for tried and tested rather than new and flashy. Who knows what will be around in another 4 years when I may be in need of upgrading.
Thank you both so much for responding to my plea, your thoughts and advice is very much appreciated.
Cheers and a very Happy New Year to All!

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Answer 6

The hatter

Level 9

61,031 points

Dec 30, 2009 2:24 PM in response to bmw01

2009 = DDR3 and somewhat better memory bandwidth.
Sometimes 8 cores / 16 threads with HT though is too much of a good thing UNLESS you use something that can really benefit.

Bleeding edge technology.... it cuts both ways!

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Answer 7

bmw01 Author

Level 1

0 points

Dec 30, 2009 4:25 PM in response to The hatter

I totally agree that this beast will be more than a handful for me initially, but I was hoping that down the track I would be able to take advantage of most if not all of its capabilities. I am looking at it as a long term purchase with enough scope for me to grow into it and editing over an extended period of time. In your opinion do you think that this will fit the bill? Or is it complete overkill?

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