[X4U] Mac Pro fresh updates?

[zapcat]

On Jun 16, 2010, at 8:45 PM, Joe Sporleder wrote:

> As you all seem to like to say on this list "YMMV". Compare that  
> $5,000 for a decked out MacPro vs $15,000-$20,000 or more for  
> automated pagination systems and the MacPro with an array of  
> monitors doesn't seem so bad.

forgive me, Joe, if I completely mis-understand the task of putting  
out a shopper, but $15,000 software to put out a 24-page weekly  
sounds to me like using a Howtizer to smack a skeeter.

Even a Mac Pro with an array of monitors seems like overkill for the  
task as I understand it. I have worked on 1200-page catalogs with  
just yer basic Mac, a 17" monitor and QuarkXPress. The page density  
ranged from a few items per page all the way to something about as  
dense as classifieds. There was talk of spending $3K for some Quark  
doo-dad, but it was decided not worth the money, and this was on a  
catalog whose budget was in the $1.2 million range.

Naturally, if you want to get the rig you describe and have the dough  
to fund it, then by all means go for it, but if you're asking about  
what your job *needs* then I'd let that inform the buy decision.

If you go with the blown-out Mac Pro with 8 monitors, then..have fun!  
I'm sure it'll be amazing to work on it.


zc