[X4U] Mac Pro fresh updates?

[Joe Sporleder]

On Jun 17, 2010, at 9:41 AM, zapcat wrote:

> 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.
> 

Yes, $15,000 software is overkill for a 24-page weekly, it'd be easier to justify it if we were doing 3 or 4 or more regional weeklies. Part of it too is we run our deadlines fairly close to press time, to maximize face time with the advertisers and to accommodate last minute changes (ya know, a little thing called customer service). So, once all content is finalized and ready to go, we have a short 1-2 hour window to get everything ready to send to the Press.

> 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.

I've decided to scale back a little bit on my purchase, and going to go with 4 screens, and 8-16GB of RAM.

Any thoughts on RAM from OWC as far as quality/reliability? How about the NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 that is the standard OEM card for the MacPro - should I consider a different card for the 2nd video card (I realize each card has connectors to drive 2 monitors), or just order an extra one from Apple (at $149US)? In adding an extra hard drive, any manufacturers I should avoid? I'm not necessarily looking for the cheapest price for my upgrades - just the best value (I define "best value" as a good balance between price and quality).

Joe