Time to Replace the Mac Pro?
As with any new hardware announcement from Apple, I find myself contemplating a change in the hardware sitting on my desk.
The current workhorse is a Mac Pro with a pair of dual-core chips and something like five gigabytes of RAM, two internal HDDs, and a 30″ display. This Fuck Box (as I so lovingly refer to her) supports the edge use cases quite well: ripping DVDs quickly, doing color correction on 15 megabyte RAW photos, and as a companion for doing work on the machines of friends. Aside from those tasks, most of what she does is browsing and media playback.
What I know I do not need is a laptop; my Lenovo netbook has me completely covered on the portable computing front for the time being. Also, I have a Home Server that handles all the large storage requirements (and can grow as my requirements do). So with portability and storage out of the way, I’m left wondering if I can reclaim some bedroom real estate by replacing the big tower with something smaller.
The iMac is an obvious choice, as it has been known for some time to be quite powerful and the faultless Jack of All Trades. The 24″ display could very well be enough to live with, and the simplicity of wiring could simplify my layout somewhat. The last advantage is that iMacs I believe keep their resale value better than most of Apple’s desktops.
The less-obvious choice though, and therefore the one that interests me, is the Mac Mini. It addresses the real estate concern without a doubt, and with Nvidia’s new graphics chip, could keep me in 30 inches and excessive pixels. The new Mini also supports four gigabytes of RAM, and I don’t see any problem with shoehorning a 7200 RPM HDD into that little case. The tertiary advantage to a Mini is also the cost savings; presuming I sell the Mac Pro, buying a Mini with the proceeds would keep a good chunk more money in my pocket than an iMac.
Would such a teeny computer strain (over time) to drive such a large display? Would it just look comical?
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J.D. Is your 30″ display an Apple Cinema display? I’m also thinking of getting a desktop to drive my 30″ Samsung 305t. Look at the reviews on Apple’s store for the Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI adapter. 2 stars. If you check the 4-5 stars, they are people with Apple cinema displays that plug in the USB cable for power and it seems to work. I haven’t seen a review of it working with a non-Apple display. So if I want to use my 30″ at higher res than 1280×800 (via standard DVI), it’s either a Mac Pro or a PC (not happening).
Hey JD, you should check out the post by my friend Steve who turned one of these into a solid state machine. You might like.
http://www.furrygoat.com/2009/03/06/solid-state-server/
Brianjo
Nathan - I’m using a Dell 30″, as I’ve always believed (even when I worked there) that Apple’s displays are uselessly overpriced. I’ve never seen Apple hardware have trouble driving 3rd party displays, though I will certainly be keeping that in-store Apple return policy at top-of-mind when i go to buy any new hardware ;)
Brian - That was a good read amico; thanks for the link.
J.D. You might want to mount it to the back of the display, If you can not see it the size does not matter.
Hope it works out for you.