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User profile for user: Sparklebuns
Sparklebuns Author
User level: Level 1
0 points

What Mac Pro do I need?

I currently have an Imac with an Intel core 2 duo at 2.8 with maxed out 6gb of 800 mhz ram. My graphics card is 256.


I casually make music, do photoshop projects, and have recently gotten into video editing. So its time to upgrade, because this poor imac just can't handle it.


Problem is, with so many options, and limited knowledge about what is what, I have NO idea what I need in a Mac Pro. I have a limited budget, and would like to get the best possible machine to fit my needs, and still be able to buy a monitor for it.



Will a quad core suffice or do I need an 8core and what speed? I see a lot at 2.6. Will a quad at 3.2 be much different than an 8core at 2.8? How much ram should I have? What about an additional drive? Is that needed? Is a 512 graphics card be a huge step done from a 1024?


Whats going to be the different beentween an early 2008 and an early 2009 ?



If I were to find an Early 2008 with:

2 x 2.8 ghz Quad Core Xeon

14 GB Memory

1024 Graphics Card

and a 240 Gb SSD for a boot drive and a 640 gb for storage...

what is a fair price? $850? $1250?



And one last annoying question, is there anything one should look for when buying a used machine? Aside from making sure it boots and all of that?

Posted on Sep 21, 2013 12:41 PM

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User profile for user: Grant Bennet-Alder
Grant Bennet-Alder
User level: Level 10
126,979 points

Sep 21, 2013 1:09 PM in response to Sparklebuns

The 2009 and later models benchmark almost twice as fast at the same specs as the 2008. The RAM on the 2009 and later is much less expensive and can go much denser. I suggest you skip the 2008 and previous models if you do not already own one.


A quad core is plenty, but try to get up off the bottom-of-the-line speed, if possible.


You DO need to solve the "traffic jam" around the boot Drive, otherwise everything gets constipated waiting for access to that one drive. Drives are cheap. Several are required, but you do not need to buy them at the same time as your Mac.

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What Mac Pro do I need?

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