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$13000 workstations is a niche market too. One that's dominated by people who want expandability.

by phaus 9y ago

akvadrako 9y ago
I also thought that before the iMac Pro was released, but now I'm not so sure. Most top professionals don't actually upgrade they machines often, because you usually want new everything, and saving a few $1000's every year isn't worth the hassle.
sbuk 9y ago
I buy on average 50 Workstations a year for my business (FTR Dell 5800 series). Do you know how many get upgraded in their 3 year lifecycle? None. Not a single machine. I also know that others in a similar position are in the same boat. Extensibility in the Workstation market is a canard. The requirement comes from a hand full of enthusiasts at home that feel the need to have a maxed out workstation class pc for editing photos in Lightroom.
ntsplnkv2 9y ago
We're talking within that niche though. More and more evidence comes out suggesting that it is not as dominated as you think. But if you can substantiate your claim I'm all for it.
PeterisP 9y ago
What are your reasons for wanting expandability? In my mind, there are two main advantages - one is that you can save money by buying only the capacity you need with an option to increase the power later if you need it; and the other is that you can extend the lifespan of the system by upgrading it after a few years instead of buying a new one. Both of these things don't actually get you a better workstation - they get you cost savings. If you max out the system initially, and when you need something more then replace it with a brand new one, then you get better results, though at a higher cost. I'd say that the market of $13000 workstations is one where you've already stated that you don't care about savings that much, and you're willing to pay a premium for a better workstation. Enthusiast home users tend to care about expandability, since they want maximum power at a limited price, and would be willing to spend some time and hassle to save, say, $2000. However, they're not the target market of the premium pre-packaged workstations; they're less likely to pay the "Apple tax" and more likely to build something with comparable power cheaper. On the other hand, companies buying $13000 workstations would rather pay $2000 extra to save time and hassle. If they had a decision "upgrade vs replace" they're going to replace anyway, so the ability to upgrade is literally worthless as they're not going to use it.

$13000 workstations is a niche market too. One that's dominated by people who want expandability.

by phaus 9y ago

$13000 workstations is a niche market too. One that's dominated by people who want expandability.

I also thought that before the iMac Pro was released, but now I'm not so sure. Most top professionals don't actually upgrade they machines often, because you usually want new everything, and saving a few $1000's every year isn't worth the hassle.

sbuk 9y ago

I buy on average 50 Workstations a year for my business (FTR Dell 5800 series). Do you know how many get upgraded in their 3 year lifecycle? None. Not a single machine. I also know that others in a similar position are in the same boat. Extensibility in the Workstation market is a canard. The requirement comes from a hand full of enthusiasts at home that feel the need to have a maxed out workstation class pc for editing photos in Lightroom.

ntsplnkv2 9y ago

We're talking within that niche though. More and more evidence comes out suggesting that it is not as dominated as you think. But if you can substantiate your claim I'm all for it.

PeterisP 9y ago

What are your reasons for wanting expandability? In my mind, there are two main advantages - one is that you can save money by buying only the capacity you need with an option to increase the power later if you need it; and the other is that you can extend the lifespan of the system by upgrading it after a few years instead of buying a new one. Both of these things don't actually get you a better workstation - they get you cost savings. If you max out the system initially, and when you need something more then replace it with a brand new one, then you get better results, though at a higher cost. I'd say that the market of $13000 workstations is one where you've already stated that you don't care about savings that much, and you're willing to pay a premium for a better workstation. Enthusiast home users tend to care about expandability, since they want maximum power at a limited price, and would be willing to spend some time and hassle to save, say, $2000. However, they're not the target market of the premium pre-packaged workstations; they're less likely to pay the "Apple tax" and more likely to build something with comparable power cheaper. On the other hand, companies buying $13000 workstations would rather pay $2000 extra to save time and hassle. If they had a decision "upgrade vs replace" they're going to replace anyway, so the ability to upgrade is literally worthless as they're not going to use it.