TAXI.com

With a tax refund of appx. $2,500 coming, it's time to finally look into replacing my old Mac. I'll be running DP and various music libraries, softsynths, and plugins. Does anyone have suggestions as to the best Mac for under 3K?

R

I'd check the Apple website for refurbished ones first. Like this one: http://store.apple.com/us/product/FB871 ... TEzMjY2NTA

I'd go Intel, 4 core minimum.

Craigslist would be another good place to go.

Enjoy!

Mazz

Ditto on the refurbs. All mine are refurbs and they all work great. I'd go for all the processing you can get, more so than RAM and extra drives. Third party Apple RAM is MUCH cheaper and the mac pro's accept almost any pro hard drives very easily. So I wouldn't frett over the RAM in the initial purchase, but I'd throw as much 3rd party RAM in as I could once the deed is done. You'll come out much better in the end.

Let us know what you get so we can frown with envy.
B

Thanks guys. I've been waiting a long time to upgrade. Wish I could replace my PC too, but that will have to wait.

Should I fret over the difference between the 4-core and the 8-core? The 8-core is about $1000 more expensive, but is it SO much better that I'll regret not getting it?

R

The 8 core can take more memory and, obviously, has twice the processors. But the 4 core is a formidable machine. I'd do some poking around on the forums and Google. Motunation is a good one for DP and MOTU centric stuff.

Have fun!

Mazz

Just one more thing to add. If you want to keep this machine in play for a long time I think 8 cores can't do anything but prepare for next years toys. The macs have a pretty long shelf life to begin with, but 64 bit is about to really start to pop and I can guarantee you that, sooner than not, you're gonna want that new toy that really wants them 8 cores to sing. That being said, they are a lot more expensive and four cores is still kind of ridiculous if you really think about it. Should be more than fine.
B

Among the many computer-related things I'm confused about is the subject of 64-bit compatibility. Will a whole new computer be needed for that, or will an 8-core machine be compatible - either from the start or through an upgrade - with 64 bit processing?

I read that the new Macs (6-core?) may be coming out in March, and if that's the case, it might make sense to wait until then so the price of the current refurbs comes down.

Any ideas on the best place to buy ram?

Thanks for all your suggestions.

R

The Intel Macs are already 64 bit hardware-wise, it's just the OS and applications that are lagging. Word on the street is that Digital Performer is going to be 64 bit "any day now". The new version of Ethno is already 64 bit. Kontakt already has addressed some of the memory issues on 32 bit Mac OS and applications by having an extra piece of software called Memory Server which bypasses the 4G limitation of the 32 bit apps and lets you address as much memory as is available.

I like Other World Computing for memory:

http://www.macsales.com/

I'm sure there will be new Macs out soon, they usually release them this time of year.

http://gainsaver.com has some refurb Mac Pros, an Intel quad would fit your budget, I'm thinking. I also think jes' being able to address more RAM will be more important than the number of cores, when stepping up to 64-bit.

I really like

http://www.ramjet.com

Amazing customer service. Just call them, tell them what you are looking for, what your machine is and they'll find you great RAM at great prices.
B