Spend $2499 on a Mac Pro, or build a computer with the same parts for $1274

As the owner of a custom built (read: more expensive than usual) macbook pro I have to say... unless you are a creative professional in the audio or video departments, there really isn't much need for a mac pro because those are the people that require mac-only software AND power. A lot of people choose Macs because OSX is incredibly stable, and by using a Hackintosh you are compromising a bit in that area because the architecture of a Mac is different to that of a PC.

I bought my macbook because I study audio engineering and I needed to be able to use mac-only software at home.. but also because after a lot of shopping around, it really ticked all the boxes for me. The specs were good, it has a cd drive, a card reader, illuminated keys, it was the right size - I knew it'd do everything I wanted it to without having to buy a bunch of extra shit for it. When I first started uni I'd never really had the chance to use a mac properly, and at first I hated it. But once I got used to it, they're really nice. As soon as I got mine I whacked windows straight on it, because it's my only computer and I have to play games somehow. I have my windows partition set up with games and a few windows-only programs, and my OSX partition houses pretty much everything else that I use on a daily basis. I want to build a PC solely for games, hopefully by the end of the year, but for everything else the macbook is great. Uni stuff aside, I don't think I'd be able to go back to a windows-only laptop now.

Oh, and about the price.. I felt it was justified. I tend to keep my gadgets until they either die or become painfully and irreversably slow and buggy to use.. I had my last laptop for 3 years and it was a hunk of junk that took like 10mins to boot and the battery was shot so it had to be on AC power all the time. I figured if I went all out and spent my money on something that I thought would last - and be great to use in that time, rather than me saving money and whining about how crap it is for the next few years - it'd be worth it. I don't have a problem spending so much on a computer since it's the one thing I know I'll use for hours each and every day. I feel I've gotten my money's worth.

for 2.5k $ i can have 2x laptop gaming...

Tbh Apple doesn't suck, its products are for either professionals that need extra-power in specified task as audio, video or image editing, also engineers use it, or people who want to show off.
If I had money I'd probably go to an iMac or a custom PC built iMac Clone, just for the fact that they're useful if you have a small house and need a good computer. I know that apple's products specs are lower than a custom built, but you're paying the design and apple's "know-how".

Well, its not always just about computing power. In professional sphere its all about productivity, so you need reliable tools that support your workflow. Ease of use, unified workspace and relative stability of OSX are ideal for some professionals like DTP, vector/bitmap graphics, photographers, audio/video editors, high-level programmers. It isnt about the cost of the hardware, just license of the Adobe tools will cost you more than your hardware alone. Its all again about productivity, you can use Gimp instead of Photoshop but it will slow you down and it isnt industry standard (PSD files or nothing). It simply pays back, if not, youre doing something wrong. Its just irrelevant just as "Why I should buy Quadro/Firepro GPU instead of this gaming beast for 1/3 price.".

Why the hell would you need an Intel Xeon? Those things are for servers, and the only good GPU's come from nVidia these days.

Build it, don't be stupid.

I can find u a computer build that can run the latest games on high-max for a lower price

Haha, I feel like I do this every time I build a new rig. Figure out what I want -> check to see if Apple's offering will still cost a grand more -> confirmed -> buy PC, again.

Wait until the release of the new Mac Pro, then buy the same hardware if you want.

WWDC Mac Pro Keynote part

Buying the same hardware as the outdated mac pro (everybody was asking Apple why they didn't upgrade it in all this time), is just throwing your money.

You can save extra $100 by switching the processor to i5 3570k

Just build it. 1k$ more just because it's apple? Fuck that.

1k$ difference? xD

You have to pay 500$ extra, just for the name "Apple".

lol Mac Pro is not for regular users you know.....you need to have a good job that requires a very good computer like Mac Pro

And if you like Apple, buy an iMac and a gaming PC, but not a Mac Pro rofl

lol at mac

apple does indeed suck. Build a pc

Why would you even want to buy a Mac Pro? Do you need the audio/video editing software that you can buy with that OS? If not then just get the PC.

Intel Xeon is normally used for servers, so get an i5 or i7.
For mobos, get an ASUS or Gigabyte one.
Regarding the HDD, get a Western Digital one.
The Power supply won't get the necessary juice to the mobo, get at least one that has 750W mainly because of that graphics card. (Corsair has really good power supplies)

Spend 2500$ for a pc and now i explain you can get a high end pc with a gtx titan or three 7970 or one 7990(i dont think you need more explanation from these)

I don't see the monitor listed here...there is an equivalent of Apple's retina display?

Why do you want a Mac Pro? Or better, why is a Mac Pro copycat the alternative? Just build a High End rig for $1000 +/-....

Or build a PC with 2500$ ? ultimate rig :D

On the Mac / Hackintosh:

Wait until the new mac pro comes out, then get it. It looks like a turbine. :)

Remember that because the Mac's software is specialized, it will work a lot better than most Windows PCs with equivalent specs. Hackintosh computers often suffer from heat and other issues. I built one and my mainboard was fried a few days later.

Please don't buy that Rosewill thing. I know a wireless adapter doesn't seem that important, but when you've spent hours upon hours trying to find comparable drivers, you'll wish you went for something a tad bit better.

New 5770 cards are better than old ones, in almost all cases. It's kinda like a 3.3GHz Sandy would be worse than a 3GHz Ivy. I own one of the later 5770 cards (by MSI), it can play almost everything on med-high.

Never used Xeon before, so no advice from me there. Asus mainboards are usually nice.

Cooler Master is a great brand. I've probably bought more than 50 of their products now. I might want to upgrade that PSU a little though. I personally would use a 650W GX.

I have the NZXT phantom too. It's fairly nice. What it lacks in functionality it certainly makes up for in aesthetics.

G.Skill is a good choice for RAM. I recommend the Ripjaws Series.

Everything else looks good.

Hope I helped a little. :)

That is a very bad build for a 1300$

thanks steve jobs

If someone gave me the choice between a mac and my old samsung notebook I would take the mac. Then I would sell the mac and buy a computer that doesn't suck like a mac. Lol