Thinking out load here, tell me why I am nuts (or not)

Mountain Lion and the future are rendering my computer no longer updatable. Presently I am running a 2006 2.66 MacPro with 13 GB RAM but a lot of the heavy lifting (Hollywood Strings, Brass, and Woodwinds) is being done by my PC slave, so my Mac no longer needs to be my be all and end all.

I can buy a 2.8 Quad Core iMac i7 for $1700 or even a 2.7 Dual Core i7 Mac Mini, for $900, either of which would presumably smoke my present Mac, bump the RAM up to 16 GB for another $110, and buy a Magma or Sonnet Thunderbolt to PCI-e chassis for $800-1000 for my RME HDSPe-AIO and 2 UAD cards and be good to go. Alternatively, I could sell all three PCI-e cards and buy a UAD Apollo with the Thunderbolt option, which I can buy at a big discount and therefore probably only go about $1000 out of pocket.

My expense would be, depending on whether I go Mini or iMac, sell the PCI-e cards and go Apollo or buy a chassis between 2-3k, and if i decide to sell my present Mac for probably 1k, 1-2k out of pocket.

Am I missing something here?

The future isn't here yet, but when it arrives it will be buggy.

For now, I'd buy the most powerful current tower you can buy at the moment and load it up with RAM. That will give you easily 3 years of breathing room in which to work with your current OS and Logic version which (I presume) is stable and predictable and allows you to continue working. During that time you can see how the rest of the world fares with their non-towers and peripherals (like expansion cages). And in that time, prices will come down on the peripherals.

Meanwhile, to stay current, you could buy an additional hard drive and load it up with ML or whatever new crap Apple comes out with, as well as Logic X (Barbie Edition, of course), testing the waters until the OS and Logic X versions become mature enough to actually use for professional work.

The future isn't here yet, but when it arrives it will be buggy.

 

For now, I'd buy the most powerful current tower you can buy at the moment and load it up with RAM. That will give you easily 3 years of breathing room in which to work with your current OS and Logic version which (I presume) is stable and predictable and allows you to continue working. During that time you can see how the rest of the world fares with their non-towers and peripherals (like expansion cages). And in that time, prices will come down on the peripherals.

 

Meanwhile, to stay current, you could buy an additional hard drive and load it up with ML or whatever new crap Apple comes out with, as well as Logic X (Barbie Edition, of course), testing the waters until the OS and Logic X versions become mature enough to actually use for professional work.

Mountain Lion will not work on my machine. It needs 2008 or later.

Anyone want to buy a 2006 2,.66 Quad Core w/ 13 GB RAM, an RME HDSPe-AIO pci-e audio interface and a UAD-2 Duo and UAD-2 Solo?

I'm saying buy a new current-model tower and run it into the ground for the next few years.

i see, spend more money for a slower, noisier, hotter running, more power consuming computer that will be less future proof.

Shrewd strategy

Slower, noisier, hotter running, more power consuming computer than what?

Presently I am running a 2006 2.66 MacPro

So wouldn't a current-model MacPro smoke what you have now?

...less future proof...

Jay, you're a smart guy. A really smart guy. So how come you don't know that there is no such thing as "future proof"?

Oh, I see, ML has come out today.

Well, chances are pretty good hat it would have to run Lion. IOW, I'd be very surprised if current in-stock models had ML on them. See?

Slower, noisier, hotter running, more power consuming computer than what?

 

Presently I am running a 2006 2.66 MacPro

 

So wouldn't a current-model MacPro smoke what you have now?

 

...less future proof...

 

Jay, you're a smart guy. A really smart guy. So how come you don't know that there is no such thing as "future proof"?

Nonetheless, past experience leads me to believe that Thunderbolt will be around longer than pci-e, which will go the way of pci and pci-x. As Bob Dylan said, "You don't have to be a weatherman to see which way the wind blows". It is blowing, and for better or worse it is not in the direction of Mac Pros

You are definitely not NUTS!

The 2012 Mac Pro is really underwhelming. If I were you I would get myself a temporary iMac and wait for the 2013 revision which Tim seems pleased with.

You are definitely not NUTS!

 

The 2012 Mac Pro is really underwhelming. If I were you I would get myself a temporary iMac and wait for the 2013 revision which Tim seems pleased with.

But Eric, here is the thing: If you don't need pci-e or lots of internal bays, and with TB most of us don't, then I am just not sure that expensive towers make sense anymore. For video guys, sure, but for composers, particularly with those of us running slaves, I think that day is passing.

As Bob Dylan said, "You don't have to be a weatherman to see which way the wind blows". It is blowing, and for better or worse it is not in the direction of Mac Pros

But you're letting the wind blow you around, as if it's a hurricane, when in fact it's little more than a cow fart at the moment. Bottom line: "what system would afford Jay the most computing power possible for his professional work?"

Right. I have the feeling I'm getting nowhere with you. I'll call you later this afternoon or tomorrow and talk some sense into you.

[EDIT: calling you now]

Bottom line: "what system would afford Jay the most computing power possible for his professional work?"

if that is the question than the short answer is that the more powerful new iMac i7s will blow the socks off ANY current Mac Pro, regardless of price. And I suspect the Mac Mini i7s will also.

You don't really need Mountain Lion right now to do whatever it is you did last week, right?

You know software and operating systems will continue to get larger so that you will need to upgrade your computer every so many years.

Your not nuts, you just are nervously anticipating the inevitable.

You don't really need Mountain Lion right now to do whatever it is you did last week, right?

You know software and operating systems will continue to get larger so that you will need to upgrade your computer every so many years.

Your not nuts, you just are nervously anticipating the inevitable.

Exactly but right now my present stuff is worth more for resale than it will be 6 months from now, which is more than it will be a year from now, etc.

If you wanted to save even more money, check out the 2011 quad-core i7 Mini-Server. It says RAM is upgradeable to 8 gigs, but I've read reliable reports of it accepting 16 gigs. It smokes my 2.66 ghz C2D, and I believe the processor can be turbo-charged past my current 2.00 ghz.

I am becoming increasingly uncomfortable with Apple's business strategy. Depending on how long my Mini lasts, my next computer may be a (gasp) PC, and that would mean no more Logic.

It seems like Apple is out for world domination and all we want to do is make music.

I would be happy with anything that can record and let me process the sound.

Personally, I would rather have my face chewed off by a zombie than go back to using a PC (windows).

It seems like Apple is out for world domination and all we want to do is make music.

I would be happy with anything that can record and let me process the sound.

 

Personally, I would rather have my face chewed off by a zombie than go back to using a PC (windows).

I would not want to go PC for my primary computer but man, my PC slave is just great bang for the buck.

So after having "a little talk" with Jay and reviewing specs...

"what system would afford Jay the most computing power possible for his professional work?"

An iMac. Still, a new MacPro (though expensive) would still provide more power than he has now. The downside of the iMac is being tied to that screen and having to buy all kinds of other crap to support additional hard drives, cards, etc.

For both of us, ML is not an issue (or needed) for actual music production.

And with Logic 10 coming out in 3 weeks there's bound to be a whole lot of issues between this new OS and a new Logic, so... oh, wait, did I forget to take my "don't spread unfounded rumors pill" this morning?

An iMac. Still, a new MacPro (though expensive) would still provide more power than he has now. :

No, it would not, not even close. A 3.4 Quad Core i7 iMAc smokes any Mac Pro that is presently available, just destroys it. It does provide more flexibility and expandability, but not raw sample library playback power. Even the 2.0 Quad Core i7 Mac Mini server smokes it.

So I will probably be selling my 2006 2.66 Mac Pro with 13 GB RAM with the following options:

a) The computer alone for $1000.

b) The computer plus an installed RME HDSPe-AIO PCI-e audio interface with 2 different breakout cables for $1600.

c) The computer plus a Echo Audiofire audio interface with 2 different breakout cables for $1300.

Also, a UAD-2 Duo and UAD-2 Solo would be available, already installed.

If anyone is interested .PM me is some iteration of this before I actually list it.

Jay,

(Sigh)

(Jeez)

I'm not saying that the iMac isn't the way to go, but to my point about a current MacPro being more powerful than the one you have now, you can't argue the specs. But...

(Sigh)

Jay,

 

(Sigh)

 

(Jeez)

 

 

I'm not saying that the iMac isn't the way to go, but to my point about a current MacPro being more powerful than the one you have now, you can't argue the specs. But...

 

(Sigh)

Of course, the newer Mac Pros is way more powerful than M INE but that is not what I am comparing it to. Hell, a Mac Pro 1 year newer than mine is as well, but that would not make it a wise purchase.

Cjeck this out and compare it to your Mac Pro, which cost a lot more money.

 

No, it would not, not even close. A 3.4 Quad Core i7 iMAc smokes any Mac Pro that is presently available, just destroys it. It does provide more flexibility and expandability, but not raw sample library playback power. Even the 2.0 Quad Core i7 Mac Mini server smokes it.

 

So I will probably be selling my 2006 2.66 Mac Pro with 13 GB RAM with the following options:

a) The computer alone for $1000.

b) The computer plus an installed RME HDSPe-AIO PCI-e audio interface with 2 different breakout cables for $1600.

c) The computer plus a Echo Audiofire audio interface with 2 different breakout cables for $1300.

Also, a UAD-2 Duo and UAD-2 Solo would be available, already installed.

If anyone is interested .PM me is some iteration of this before I actually list it.

Like I said:

The 2012 Mac Pro is really underwhelming. If I were you I would get myself a temporary iMac and wait for the 2013 revision which Tim seems pleased with.

The Mac Pro (or what ever that thing is.) 2013 will probably, to use your words, smoke todays iMac and so on...

"And the seasons they go 'round and 'round

And the painted ponies go up and down

We're captive on the carousel of time

We can't return we can only look behind

From where we came

And go round and round and round

In the circle game"

 

No, it would not, not even close. A 3.4 Quad Core i7 iMAc smokes any Mac Pro that is presently available, just destroys it. It does provide more flexibility and expandability, but not raw sample library playback power. Even the 2.0 Quad Core i7 Mac Mini server smokes it.

 

So I will probably be selling my 2006 2.66 Mac Pro with 13 GB RAM with the following options:

a) The computer alone for $1000.

b) The computer plus an installed RME HDSPe-AIO PCI-e audio interface with 2 different breakout cables for $1600.

c) The computer plus a Echo Audiofire audio interface with 2 different breakout cables for $1300.

Also, a UAD-2 Duo and UAD-2 Solo would be available, already installed.

If anyone is interested .PM me is some iteration of this before I actually list it.

 

 

Like I said:

 

The 2012 Mac Pro is really underwhelming. If I were you I would get myself a temporary iMac and wait for the 2013 revision which Tim seems pleased with.

 

The Mac Pro (or what ever that thing is.) 2013 will probably, to use your words, smoke todays iMac and so on...

 

"And the seasons they go 'round and 'round

And the painted ponies go up and down

We're captive on the carousel of time

We can't return we can only look behind

From where we came

And go round and round and round

In the circle game"

Yes but that 2013 Mac Pro will cost between 5-6k.

Yes but that 2013 Mac Pro will cost between 5-6k.

Oh, I see. So really, you're just being cheap. Right. I see. Got it.

Oh, and impatient, too.

Luv,

Ski

Yes but that 2013 Mac Pro will cost between 5-6k.

 

Oh, I see. So really, you're just being cheap. Right. I see. Got it.

 

Oh, and impatient, too.

 

 

Luv,

 

Ski

What I am looking to do, because financially I have to do it, is upgrade my rig to a considerably more powerful one without going much out of pocket. And abandoning the Mac Pro line is the clear way to do so. My present stuff is going to lose its value precipitously quickly. It will not go up in value, only down.

In the past the need for pci-e meant that I could not, that I had to have a Mac Pro. Thunderbolt is making it so that is no longer the case.

i will invite you over next month when you will see my new setup and then you will go home and want to open your wrists.

Yes but that 2013 Mac Pro will cost between 5-6k.

Sure! It will be more expensive, but I thought you wanted the fastest.

I actually agree with your line of thought. An iMac with a Promise Pegasus enclosure is a real power horse.

The iMac's are due to an upgrade real soon (hopefully) so there should be even more power on the new ones, most importantly the SSD disks available will be faster and bigger. Right now you'll get a relatively slow SSD with a maximum of 256 GB. Wouldn't it be nice to be able too buy an iMac with two super fast SSD with a capacity of 512 - 980 each excluding your TB enclosure?

Food for the greys.

PS. Here's a nice blog post from the Dark Caves:

http://blog.ted.com/2012/03/14/thunderbolt-lifestyle/

Yes but that 2013 Mac Pro will cost between 5-6k.

 

Sure! It will be more expensive, but I thought you wanted the fastest.

i want that fastest I can get at an affordable price, bang for the buck.

i will invite you over next month when you will see my new setup and then you will go home and want to open your wrists.

Thanks for the invitation! But what you probably don't know is that in situations like this, I'm all about quid pro quo. So after the scars have healed and I recover from my anemia, let's get together and have a game of scrabble; by the time my wife is done racking up points you'll be asking if you could borrow my razor blade.