Apple Mac Pro MA970LL/A Desktop (Two 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon Processors, 2 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Drive, 16x SuperDrive)

Boost your productivity with the Apple Mac Pro desktop PC--the fastest Mac Apple has ever made. Combining two of Intel's new 64-bit, 45-nanometer Quad-Core Xeon 5400 processors running at 2.8 GHz, the Mac Pro is an unbelievably powerful workstation that can handle even the most intensive graphics rendering. Its industrial-style enclosure offers improved functionality with a cable-free installation process and massive upgrade ability--up to 32 GB of 800 MHz RAM and four hard drive bays for up to 4 TB (that's right--terabytes) of storage under the hood. And while it comes standard with a 16x SuperDrive (compatible with burning DVD±R/RW and CD-R/RW discs), you can also add a second writing SuperDrive.

Additionally, the Mac Pro MA970LL/A features a 320 GB hard drive, 2 GB of installed RAM, and the ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT (two dual-link DVI ports) graphics card with 256 MB of video RAM, both FireWire 400 and 800 slots, optical digital audio input and output, Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard, and iLife '08. The Mac Pro also includes a DVI to VGA adapter and an Apple keyboard and Mighty Mouse.

Smart design makes installing massive amounts of memory, adding expansion cards, and increasing storage surprisingly simple.

Processor
Based on Intel's next-generation Core micro-architecture, the two 2.8 GHz 64-bit quad-core Intel Xeon 5400 processors are based on state-of-the-art 45nm Intel Core microarchitecture. With a new high-bandwidth hardware architecture, 12 MB of L2 cache per processor (each pair of cores shares 6 MB), and dual-independent 1600 MHz front side buses, the new Mac Pro achieves a 61 percent increase in memory throughput. These 64-bit buses give each processor a direct connection to the system controller and deliver improved processor bandwidth of up to 25.6GB per second--20 percent greater than the previous Mac Pro. Every Intel Xeon processor features an enhanced SSE4 SIMD engine. Capable of completing 128-bit vector computations in a single cycle, SSE4 is ideal for transforming large sets of data, such as applying a filter to an image or rendering a video effect.

Because Intel designed this dual-core Xeon to be more efficient, it consumes less power than similar workstation-level processors, so your system fans don't have to work as hard to keep them cool. Working with Mac OS X Leopard, it also continues the tradition of enabling 64-bit computation. Ideal for scientific applications, the 64-bit Intel Xeon processors can express the extreme precision needed for floating-point mathematics and to express integers up to 18 billion.

The Mac Pro incorporates a 256-bit-wide, fully buffered memory architecture with Error Correction Code (ECC), which corrects single-bit errors and detects multiple-bit errors automatically. These features are especially important in mission-critical or compute-intensive environments. Apple designed a more stringent thermal specification for the Mac Pro FB-DIMMs, so the internal fans spin at slower speeds and keep the system quiet.

Graphics
This Mac Pro comes standard with the new, high-performance ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT graphics card with 256 MB of GDDR3 memory, PCI Express 2.0, and two dual-link DVI ports. GDDR3 (Graphics Double Data Rate, version 3) is a graphics card-specific memory technology that's better able to deliver fluid frame rates for even the most advanced games and applications. It provides great performance for typical creative applications, and you get dual 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Display support out of the box. With support for up to four graphics cards, the new Mac Pro can drive up to eight 30-inch displays at once for advanced visualization and large display walls.

Hard Drive
This Mac Pro (model MA970LL/A) comes loaded with a single 320 GB hard drive. It comes with four 3.5-inch internal hard drive bays for an enormous amount of internal storage--up to 4 TB. These bays are direct-attach and cable free, so it's easy to add or remove drives. Just attach the drive carrier to either a Serial ATA 3Gb/s or Serial Attached SCSI 3Gb/s drive, and slide the drive into place. There are no connectors or cables to contend with. Lock the drives with the side door latch, and you're done.

You can also choose ultrafast 15,000-rpm Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) 3Gb/s drives with 300GB of capacity for the highest in disk I/O performance. Together with the Mac Pro RAID Card, these drives provide 250MB/s of RAID 5 disk I/O performance. That's enough data to play back one stream of 10-bit uncompressed HD content. It's the ultimate storage solution for highly demanding data transfer situations like editing uncompressed HD video content or updating ultra-high-resolution images.

The Mac Pro is loaded with connectivity options.

Using Mac OS X, you can stripe two, three, or all four hard drives in a RAID 0 array to increase performance and create a massive volume for video editing; or create a RAID 1 mirror for protecting your critical digital media assets against a drive failure. For the ultimate in data protection and enhanced performance, add the optional Mac Pro RAID Card with 256MB of RAID cache, a 72-hour cache-protecting battery, and hardware RAID levels 0, 1, 5, and 0+1. Apple's RAID Utility software makes setting up and managing the RAID card easy.

Memory
While this Mac Pro comes loaded with just 1 GB of 667 MHz DDR2 RAM--which is satisfactory--this Mac Pro has two memory riser cards with four fully buffered DIMM slots each. Just slide out the riser cards and snap in the memory. You don't have to dig around inside the computer or wrestle with wires or cables. With a total of eight DIMM slots available, you can install up to 32GB of 800MHz ECC fully buffered DIMM memory.

Expansion and Connectivity
The Mac Pro features four full-length expansion slots, including a high-performance PCI Express 2.0 graphics slot, with up to twice the bandwidth of PCI Express. The graphics slot is double-wide, so it doesn't cover up an adjacent slot. In addition, three available expansion slots, one PCI Express 2.0 and two PCI Express, provide room to grow. And thanks to a tool-less PCI bracket, you can take out cards as fast as you put them in.

• Two FireWire 800 ports (one on front panel, one on back panel)
• Two FireWire 400 ports (one on front panel, one on back panel)
• Five USB 2.0 ports (two on front panel, three on back panel)
• Two USB 1.1 ports on included keyboard
• Front-panel headphone minijack and speaker
• Optical digital audio input and output Toslink ports
• Analog stereo line-level input and output minijacks

Preloaded with Leopard, you'll enjoy enhanced productivity and a clutter-free desktop (thanks to the redesigned 3D Dock with Stacks).

Preloaded with Leopard and iLife '08
The biggest Mac OS X upgrade ever, the Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard operating system features over 300 new features, including:

• Time Machine, an effortless way to automatically back up everything on a Mac
• A redesigned Finder that lets users quickly browse and share files between multiple Macs
• Quick Look, a new way to instantly see files without opening an application
• Spaces, an intuitive new feature used to create groups of applications and instantly switch between them
• A brand new desktop with Stacks, a new way to easily access files from the Dock
• Major enhancements to Mail and iChat

Leopard's new desktop includes the redesigned 3D Dock with Stacks, a new way to organize files for quick and easy access with just one click. Leopard automatically places web, email and other downloads in a Downloads stack to maintain a clutter-free desktop, and you can instantly fan the contents of this and other Stacks into an elegant arc right from the Dock. The updated Finder includes Cover Flow and a new sidebar with a dramatically simplified way to search for, browse and copy content from any PC or Mac on a local network.

Time Machine lets you easily back up all of the data on your Mac, find lost files and even restore all of the software on their Mac. With just a one-click setup, Time Machine automatically keeps an up-to-date copy of everything on the Mac. In the event a file is lost, you can search back through time to find deleted files, applications, photos and other digital media and then instantly restore the file.

The Mac Pro also comes with the iLife '08 suite of applications that make it easy to live the digital life. Use iPhoto to share entire high-res photo albums with anyone who's got an email address. Record your own songs and podcasts with GarageBand. Break into indie filmmaking with iMovie and iDVD. Then take all the stuff you made on your Mac and share it on the Web in one click with iWeb.

Dimensions
It measures 20.1 x 8.1 x 18.7 inches, and weighs 42.4 pounds.

What's in the Box
Mac Pro, Apple Keyboard and Mighty Mouse, DVI to VGA adapter, USB keyboard extension cable, install/restore DVDs, printed and electronic documentation

Start your engines, all eight of them. Eight-core processing power was once only top-of-the-line. Now it comes standard. This time around, performance is more phenomenal than ever - up to two times faster than the previous standard-configuration Mac Pro. And with the multi-core technology enhancements of Mac OS X Leopard, the new Mac Pro is a force to be reckoned with. For what ever your working on, either Photoshop or Final Cut Pro enjoy up to 1.8 times faster processing power with this new Mac Pro. All-new high-performance graphics cards from ATI make Mac Pro graphics technology even more cutting edge. ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT with 256MB of GDDR3 memory, PCI Express 2.0, and two dual-link DVI ports - provides great performance for typical creative applications. The Mac Pro has four 3.5-inch internal hard drive bays that allows for an enormous amount of internal storage, up to 4TB. These bays are direct-attach and cable free, just attach the drive carrier to a Serial ATA hard drive and slide the drive into place. Another smart design allows you to install more memory in a snap. Mac Pro has two memory riser cards with four fully buffered DIMM slots each. Just slide out the riser cards and snap in the memory. With a total of eight DIMM slots available, you can install up to 32GB of 800MHz ECC DIMM memory. If you're looking for a powerful and a sweet looking desktop this is the one for you. ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT 256MB GDDR3 video memory SuperDrive with double-layer support Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR Two independent 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet Front ports - FireWire 800, FireWire 400, 2 USB, Headphone minijack and speaker Back ports - FireWire 800, FireWire 400, 3 USB, Optical Digital Audio In/Out TOSLINK ports, Stereo line-level input/output, 2 RJ-45, 2 DVI ports Expansion slots - 2 PCI Express x4, 1 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Drive bays - One open optical drive bay for optional second SuperDrive, 4 internal 3.5 Mo

This is my 3rd computer. Had a Compaq Computer, a Dell Computer and now the Apple Mac Pro. This is one of the best computers i have ever purchased in my life. Seamless Operating System. MAC OSX is the best and Years ahead of its time. It makes me think how did i ever used Windows!!! Vista is the real reason i switched to mac. After Vista came out Microsoft fell off. Vista is garbage, Office 2007/8 is garbage, and now theres talk of Windows 7?? Looks no different from vista. Just another quack product to milk the consumer.

Anyway Back to MAC Pro. Nice design, Very Quiet (You will never know its even on). Ultra fast. If you need RAM don't buy it from apple. Get it from OWC. They use the same ram apple uses just 60% cheaper.

Now to the Cons. The only real con's is the price. $2500+ is a heavy investment for a computer especially in these hard times in the economy. But to me its worth the price. You really get what you pay for. I would not mind spending $2500+ for a piece of mind. zero to no virus,spyware, and regular headaches of the common PC user is well worth the price.

After years of struggling on PC's from Windows 3.1 to Vista this is the answer for all of those issues.

Setup via Bootcamp was a breeze and it is one fast and silent machine!

This is one computer that will not be obsolete any time soon. I own the 3.2GHz version of this computer. I installed RAM from Memory America for much less than the cost of purchasing with the machine. I put 16GB of memory in this machine and to date I have not had any Page Outs. What this means is you really don't need 16GB of memory. I would still recommend getting 4 4GB DIMM memory boards because at some point, perhaps with the new operatings system Snow Leopard, you might be able to use it all. That will also leave space for another 16GB of Ram for a few years farther out when applications are written to take advantage of all this memory.

I also installed (4) 1 TB drives and found this was not enough. So far have we come since the PDP-11 I learned on in 1972.

The Apple OS X operating system is without peer. I could leave this running forever without any problems. no viruses.

If you purchase Pith Helmut for Safari, and run Safari 3.1.2 you will eliminate all advertisements in your web browings. It is amazing! Make surfing the internet fun again.

I use my machine for iTunes--not a problem there, although I had many problems on Windows it iTunes.

I also use my machine for video editing. Until you have tried it on a Mac, you won't know how sweet it can be.

I've owned this machine for nine months now, and it has been the nicest computer I've ever owned, and I don't see that I'll ever use anything but an Apple ever again. The earlier Mac's were just ok. This is increadibly perfect.

I am buying one of the sculpted aluminum MacBook's for my niece for XMas, and an iMac for my girlfriend. At some point I'll buy a MacBook Pro for myself for video editing in the field.

Apple has hit a home run, but it is more like the winning home run in the final game of the world series.

The only negative too all this is price. I can only say I have no regrets about the cost of this machine--none.

I've used Apple products since 1985, and purchased my first Mac in 1989, a SE/30, which I dearly loved. I went though a few of mediocre products of the 1990's, and then a G3 tower. About four years ago I got a dual G5 tower and it quickly became my favorite. I love the "cheese-grater" aluminum design, and this machine proved to be a reliable workhorse for many years.

This year I realized I needed to move to the Intel platform, and wanted the extra horsepower. Although I hated to get rid of my old tower, I'm happy to say this new model has surpassed my expectations. It's much faster and quieter than my old "wind tunnel", and upgrades are much easier. Thankfully, it kept the same tower design, one of the nicest looking enclosures I've ever seen.

I've owned it for almost six months now, running 24/7, and I've not had one issue with it. Working with multimedia applications is a breeze and it has enough power to quickly accomplish anything I throw at it. I upgraded the video card to a ATI 3870 and use it with two, 24" widescreen displays. I kept the standard 2600 card should I decide to add another monitor (or two).

I love how easy it is to upgrade and install new hard drives and memory. It's a pro-user's dream, and worth every penny I spent on it. Amazon had a great price on it, and as always, provided fast, reliable delivery.

I thought the G5 would become my best Mac, but now, it's this one!

The Appleheads are right: This is a great machine with a nice operating system. The Apple OS, though flawed, is better than MS, especially Vista.

The Appleheads are wrong: It is probably not worth double the price of a comparable PC. There are almost as many weird crashes and oddball things that don't work as with XP. One reason I got it was Vista is getting such a bad rap and XP will not be supported forever.

My bottom line: If prices were roughly equivalent (or if money is no object for you), I would recommend the Apple over the PC. As it is I am not so sure. I think Appleheads overstate the advantages. For the most part the advantages and disadvantages cancel each other, in my view, with a slight edge to Apple. Hopefully MS will get it together with Windows 7.

It would have been nice if Apple had licensed its operating system to other vendors. Their hardware is good, but not always the best out there. Most of their parts come from the same place as the PC parts. Some of their design concepts are useful and superior, others are just "look cool" nonsense. If other computer manufacturers could offer the Apple OS the competition would leave us all be better off.