5 ms·
I don't think performance numbers have been a good way to distinguish between mid-range and high-end for a while now. Especially for users who are looking for
by dasmoth 13y ago
I don't think performance numbers have been a good way to distinguish between mid-range and high-end for a while now. Especially for users who are looking for a single machine that covers a range of uses including games.
ECC memory is a high-end feature. As is the specific choice of GPUs. Arguably, the fast PCIe SSD counts, too, although I suspect that won't last -- everyone benefits from I/O bandwidth, and there's no particular reason, other than market segmentation, for PCIe SSDs to be more expensive.
- ricardobeat 13y agoSo what makes the Mac Pro a mid-range computer? Bear in mind that it's not a consumer product, it's squarely aimed at audio/video/graphics professionals, even though it'll blow any current gaming rig out of the water with those specs.
- kryten 13y agoIt is a mid-range machine and it is a consumer product. It's more a Mac Mini Pro than a Mac Pro. This is a high end machine. Go compare: http://www.hp.com/united-states/campaigns/workstations/z820_features.html http://www.hp.com/united-states/campaigns/workstations/z820_...
- ricardobeat 13y agoThey're in the exact same ballpark. That workstation has 2 x 8 cores, and a higher RAM ceiling on it's favor. On the other hand, it's limited to 7 PCI slots for expansion, three of them slow/legacy, vs a max of 36 chained devices on the Pro. The quadro GPU it comes with is 3.5x less powerful than the one in the mac pro, and it will come in at a higher price tag. Do you by any chance drive a mid-range Bentley?
- kryten 13y agoExcept in the HP it all goes inside, which is where I need it so it can be locked and powered from one supply, every part is replaceable, the GPU can be upgraded, it has a hot swap enclosure built in and guaranteed support for 5 years. Plus some kit I use won't go on the end of a thunderbolt bus...
- ricardobeat 13y agoThe Thunderbolt bus is faster than 4 out of the 7 PCIe ports on the HP. You're trying hard not to get it.
- tracker1 13y agoWell, being limited to a 256gb mSATA SSD might hold it back a little. It's not the hardware I have issue with so much as the form factor... I think the form factor screams low-mid range, and not upgradable. I think the form factor would be great with mid-range consumer hardware, a Core i7 and two consumer class GPUs.
- ricardobeat 13y agoI don't see mention of a 256GB limit anywhere. You also have 6 ports capable of 20GB/s, enough for way more external storage you'll ever need during the machine's lifetime. The key in the new Mac Pro is extensibility (those 6 ports, each daisy-chainable). Thunderbolt is like a PCIe cable, you could add a better GPU, storage or whatever you wanted as external devices. It's much more open to third-party manufacturers than the current model of apple-sanctioned upgrades.