Studio Setup Advice?

After giving this some thought, I’m thinking about selling my Mac Pro 3,1 2X Quad Core Xenon Processor in favor of a New MacBook Pro 2.6 (which, according to GeekBench is faster than my current desktop), a Matrox TripleHead2Go to support my three display setup, and a Mac mini server. I think this setup would be much more flexible, as powerful as my current setup, plus a lot less expensive in terms of energy use.

I’m just curious how many of you have bagged your desktops in favor of a MacBook Pro and if you’re happy with that decision.

Thanks!


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I can’t remember when I last used a non portable Mac. I’ve been using various MacBooks, Pros and Airs for years. In the office I plug into my massive monitor and keyboard or roam the house with it (at the moment I’m typing this in the kitchen) or pop it under my arm and head off to a client meeting or presentation. My work tends to be where my laptop is and I’ve a spare 10 minutes.
Regards,
Tim.

On 20 Dec 2012, at 17:14, RavenManiac wrote:

After giving this some thought, I’m thinking about selling my Mac Pro 3,1 2X Quad Core Xenon Processor in favor of a New MacBook Pro 2.6 (which, according to GeekBench is faster than my current desktop), a Matrox TripleHead2Go to support my three display setup, and a Mac mini server. I think this setup would be much more flexible, as powerful as my current setup, plus a lot less expensive in terms of energy use.

I’m just curious how many of you have bagged your desktops in favor of a MacBook Pro and if you’re happy with that decision.

Thanks!


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I would say it totally depends on the work you are doing. If you need the extra capabilities expansion cards give you for audio or video work then I would stick with Mac Pro. But for graphics/web design type of work you will be just as happy with latest model Macbook Pro.

You’ll probably save some on your electric bill also. :wink:


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On 20 Dec 2012, 5:00 pm, chuckamuck wrote:

I would say it totally depends on the work you are doing. If you need the extra capabilities expansion cards give you for audio or video work then I would stick with Mac Pro. But for graphics/web design type of work you will be just as happy with latest model Macbook Pro.

You’ll probably save some on your electric bill also. :wink:

Yes, that’s one of the reasons I’m considering this setup. I’ve only added one expansion card in the 5 years I’ve owned the Mac Pro, and that was an Apple Graphics Upgrade Kit.


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If you can hold out, you might want to stay with the Pro for a while (unless it’s broken down or too slow). Tim Cook said in April or so that we would see a new Pro machine early next year. There’s a lot of pent-up demand in that area, and I’d love to see what Jony Ive gets up to when he’s had six or seven years to work on a worthy successor.

Walter

On Dec 20, 2012, at 1:10 PM, RavenManiac wrote:

On 20 Dec 2012, 5:00 pm, chuckamuck wrote:

I would say it totally depends on the work you are doing. If you need the extra capabilities expansion cards give you for audio or video work then I would stick with Mac Pro. But for graphics/web design type of work you will be just as happy with latest model Macbook Pro.

You’ll probably save some on your electric bill also. :wink:

Yes, that’s one of the reasons I’m considering this setup. I’ve only added one expansion card in the 5 years I’ve owned the Mac Pro, and that was an Apple Graphics Upgrade Kit.


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On 20 Dec 2012, 7:21 pm, waltd wrote:

If you can hold out, you might want to stay with the Pro for a while (unless it’s broken down or too slow). Tim Cook said in April or so that we would see a new Pro machine early next year. There’s a lot of pent-up demand in that area, and I’d love to see what Jony Ive gets up to when he’s had six or seven years to work on a worthy successor.

Walter

Thanks Walter. I’d love to see what Jon comes up with. Perhaps I’ll hold off on the mini, but I definitely need more portability so I think the laptop is a must. Plus, if I unload the MP now I’ll likely get a lot more for it than waiting until thousands of other owners try to sell theirs. :slight_smile:


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I do hope that whatever he comes up with is energy efficient, unlike my current model which uses about 400 watts.


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I’ve an iMac I bought last yr that is just smashing as far as Photoshop
work goes.

3.4 GHz i7
16 GB 1333 Mhz DDR3
27-inch AMD Radeon HD 6970M 2048 MB
Internal 251 GB Flash Drive for System, Internal 7500rpm 1TB hard drive.
Internal Superdrive.

Benchmarks outperform the Mac Pro of the time, for much less than the cost
of a Mac Pro, at the time.

As a Photoshop user since before it was Adobe’s and before it was even
Photoshop, I have never been happier with the way it performs. How
temperature cool and energy efficient a machine it truly is, and how small
a footprint it really works out to be.


Ernie Simpson

On Thu, Dec 20, 2012 at 3:40 PM, RavenManiac email@hidden wrote:

I do hope that whatever he comes up with is energy efficient, unlike my
current model which uses about 400 watts.


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It’s funny you mentioned temperature.

For years I had problems keeping my 12’ x 12’ office cool and last year I finally figured out the source of the heat wasn’t poor insulation or undersized HVAC ductwork, it was heat coming from my Mac Pro.

So, if I can get the same horsepower with less energy, cost, and heat that’s a huge bonus. Although I’ve always liked the iMacs I don’t like the new ones nearly as much—primarily because Apple made them even less upgradable. :frowning:


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I had discounted iMacs too as a serious option. It was a fluke that I went
back and started looking at matching my specific needs and found that I
could outdo the Pro just by selecting just a few optional features (faster
processor, 16gb ram, upgraded video, and the flash drive which makes apps
and scratch processing scream.

Even if the Pro gets a serious boost, I now see it as primarily a machine
for video media. I’m also happy to have missed the Retina “craze” as the
2560 x 1440 display is already perfect for the work I’m best at.

I don’t know what is available now, but it’s worth crunching a number or
two for comparison.


Ernie Simpson

On Thu, Dec 20, 2012 at 5:48 PM, RavenManiac email@hidden wrote:

It’s funny you mentioned temperature.

For years I had problems keeping my 12’ x 12’ office cool and last year I
finally figured out the source of the heat wasn’t poor insulation or
undersized HVAC ductwork, it was heat coming from my Mac Pro.

So, if I can get the same horsepower with less energy, cost, and heat
that’s a huge bonus. Although I’ve always liked the iMacs I don’t like the
new ones nearly as much—primarily because Apple made them even less
upgradable. :frowning:


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