Here's a good link that shows a MacPro taken apart:

http://www.powermax.com/articles_reviews/article.php?id=33

by orlandoflores (See profile) - August 11, 2006 11:48 AM PDT

I am looking to buy a computer with the following specs.

Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E6400 (2.13 GHZ, 1066 FSB)
4 GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667 MHZ - 4 DIMMs
320 GB Serial ATA Hard Drive
256 MB nVidia Geforce 7300LE TurboCache Video Card

I was able to configure the XPS410 to those specs on the Dell website and it costs under $2,500 including a monitor and everything else. Can a get a Mac with similar memory/processor speed/Hard drive space?

The article made it sound like all Macs are cheaper than all similarly configured PCs. So, is this true? Can I get the system listed above for my budgeted price?

Enough of your pissing match between Cofflin and BigMac. Answer a question that really means something to an average user.

by cohenri7 (See profile) - August 10, 2006 1:53 PM PDT

"You can get FB-DIMM DDR2 ram from newegg right now so there's no issue about being locked in (also note that FB-DIMM RAM is WAY WAY faster than just DDR2 RAM"

I've never seen any type of buffered memory in a non-ECC DIMM. Therefore Fully Buffered would = ECC. So I don't agree with your statement that FB-DIMMs are "WAY WAY faster" compared to DDR2 RAM as a whole.

ECC memory is slower than the comparable non-ECC/unbuffered/non-registered memory regardless of the speed/density of the module. FB-DIMMs are improved in that they're faster than a non-FB DIMM w/ECC for a sever/workstation due to the serial interface and the advanced memory buffer on each DIMM. You need a compatible chipset to support this.

So the question is, do the new MacPros allow for the use of non-ECC? Is it required as your friend jcoffin asked? I would think that the chipset being used would allow for either regular DDR2 or FB though I am not certain. I do agree with you that this machine would work fine as a workstation for professional applications.

by orlandoflores (See profile) - August 9, 2006 1:12 PM PDT

The MacPro case is beautifully engineered, from the locking drive sleds, to
the to the wire-free internals. Take a look at the Dell 690 page, and you'll be
hard pressed to find any photos of the internals. Wonder why?

But just look at the outside of the 690... your typical 5.25" drives sticking out
like any other cheapo, home built, $30 case would look. Compare that to the
Apple aluminum enclosure, with sliding doors that conceal the optical drives.

People that build machines pay premium prices for quality cases. You get this
included with the MacPro (and any other Mac). And it's not just for bling
either. A solid, easy to work on, modular design is very desirable on a
machine with this kind of expandability.

Apple has done a great job on this machine from every aspect!

by neonart (See profile) - August 8, 2006 10:44 PM PDT

Too bad you had to act like such a complete ******* before you finally figured out that the 4 Gig. limit you were seeing was entirely a consequence of your own actions, and had nothing to do with the machine itself.

by jcoffin (See profile) - August 8, 2006 12:52 PM PDT

The new Mac Pro are great but $2499 is $2499. Some people can't afford that price. The starting professional wants the expansion possibilities but doesn't want the full gusto of dual processing. A Solo Core will do, Probably with a more affordable $1699 pricepoint. I'm a PC user acustomed to the sub $1000 price and looking at Macs with that price is shocking.

by ysunwoo (See profile) - August 8, 2006 5:55 AM PDT

Re: the gentleman who can't believe it's a workstation, but has not done any research. Aside from the other response noting that the Dell default card is a 128 MB GPU, a lower entry than the Mac base option, I have to wonder if you have noted that there are other video card options up from the default? For example, Apple is happy to sell you the $1650 option. I don't see a better option listed on the Precision 650 configuration page - same high end set up on the cards.

By the way, the price comparisons are using similar cards, not optioned out systems on one and low-end on the other. Similar storage was also configured for the comparison. I.e.a single 250 GB non-raid set up for both. Again, you can add a fibre channel card for your Mac raid for $599.
The Precision memory is DDR2 ECC RAM - and the Apple uses, oh, look at that DDR2 ECC RAM, albeit at a faster speed.

On the other pricing points, Apple does come with an OS, so I'm not sure why you price the OS as some sort of option on the Dell. Of course, the Dell doesn't come with the raft of included fantastic programs in iLife. But of course, the Dell does have the calculator included.

by PB G4 (See profile) - August 7, 2006 9:29 PM PDT

hahaha.. i love how this article points out that basically everything inside this thing is based on intel's pc components.. everything except the os.. but that's not even a problem anymore since it comes with bootcamp.. give it up, apple fan boys.. you lose

by russel_samson (See profile) - August 7, 2006 8:11 PM PDT

That this is a "workstation" computer for the professional user. Yet it includes an obsolete, cheap-sumer graphics card. The options in the Dell and HP systems are actual workstation cards - which retail for well over $1,000. Coupled with the need for XP Pro, real RAM (yes, Apple uses fake notebook-class RAM, which is why they NEVER release timings, only bus speeds), and a genuine RAID setup in any REAL workstation, any perceived price difference is irrelevant. The Apple system is useless as a professional workstation, and will not sell, except to idiot home users who worship all things Apple. Hence the choice of GPU (we come full circle).

by talk2farley (See profile) - August 7, 2006 6:25 PM PDT

First off - they are 5100 series chips so you'll need to check the business sections of HP/Dell to find the processors.
Second, the RAM is ECC - I have no idea why something would think otherwise - quote from apple.com "Mac Pro systems support up to 16GB of 667MHz DDR2 fully buffered ECC RAM"
Third, there is no faster machine out there than a dual-dual 3.0GHz. Core 2 Duo Conroes will only support single-dual core configs and it's been well shown that Intels' new core 2 duo (which this is!!!) are faster than their AMD counter parts - hands down.
Fourth - The base V-Card is only $50 cheaper than the base card for the HP and Dell workstations (source: PC Connection for pricing)
Fifth - This isn't a computer for browsing the web - this is a computer for high end professional applications. They need to give the developers some toys to make them happy because up to now it's all been consumer/upper-level consumer (MacBook Pro is upper-level consumer).
Sixth - SATA drives are freakin fast, some of you may have shelled out a bunch of cash to get something faster but SATA is where it's at and where it's going
Seventh - You can get FB-DIMM DDR2 ram from newegg right now so there's no issue about being locked in (also note that FB-DIMM RAM is WAY WAY faster than just DDR2 RAM (www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/266)
And last but not least - the display that comes with the baseline dell is absolutely awful - upgrade to the 20" and grab Apple's 20" and we're still talking about apple being 800-900 cheaper.

Now - I will admit that the choice of cards from apple is rather lacking. However, I do believe that the cards available for the iMac (x1600) and other cards can be shoved right in and work fine (that's the speculation as of right now and it seems like a perfectly valid assumption to make)

Ok - now let the "i can't figure out how to configure a computer" and the "workstations are popular" whining begin again...

by bigmc6000 (See profile) - August 7, 2006 4:52 PM PDT