Home > Consumer Reviews > Apple Mac Pro MA356LL/A Desktop (Two 2.66 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon Processors, 1 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, SuperDrive)

First of all, the included 1GB RAM will not do justice to this machine. I added additional 2GB for total of 3GB, but I still need more when I use professional apps. I upgraded from a Dual G5 2.3, and Mac Pro is quite a bit faster in every operation except PPC only apps. For them, it's about as fast as before, provided you give it enough RAM. Rosetta translation works effectively, but it requires considerable amount of memory. This is my observation that (even for Universal Binary apps) Intel Macs seem to require more memory than G5. So do yourself a favor and get extra memory when you get a Mac Pro. Unfortunately FB-DIMMs are not cheap.

Once RAM issue is taken cared, this machine is a dream. It's quiet, a lot quieter than G5 which was relatively quiet to begin with. Expansion option is great. With 4 drive bays, you can easily create RAID configuration internally.

One big bonus of using a Mac Pro (or any Intel Mac for that matter) is, by using Parallels software, I can run Windows at native speed in virtual environment. Windows runs so fast (disk array helps) that booting up to Windows desktop is considerably faster than my AMD 64 based PC.

The only other thing I might add to the system at a later time is a more powerful graphics board. The included GeForce 7300 is seriously underpowered for such a high performance system.

Overall, I highly recommend this Mac to anyone considering getting one.

I've been an Apple addict since the Classic was first introduced and have traveled through the good, great, and struggling years with them. Thus, I feel well-qualified in saying that Apple's new Mac Pro MA356LL is THE best Mac ever made. (Which, by extension, also means the best desktop computer ever made.)

First, it's incredibly fast. When I'm working full tilt, which is often, I'm running Photoshop, Quark, Illustrator, Acrobat, Word, and Final Cut Pro all at once, switching back and forth between programs often and in need of quick results. On this baby, everything flows smoothly and reaction times are instantaneous.

Second, it's resiliently stable. I run an advertising and design agency, so I keep the aforementioned programs running all day, all at the same time, plus iTunes, FileMaker Pro, and Internet programs, off and on. Even on my previous generation Mac G5, every now and then things would get bogged down and I'd have to reboot, then take the time to open everything again, etc., etc. Not even a hint of that on this one, so far. (As of this writing, I've had it about a month.)

Also, while the Mac Pro certainly resembles the G5 in size and casing, this new one has additional ports that make for increased productivity right out of the box. And, yes, you can add plenty more, although I'll probably just go with the factory build for the moment.

Lastly, it's worth noting that although Macs have traditionally cost somewhat more than PCs upfront (although I've always found them to be worth it), in this case, you'd be hard pressed to find a better value than the Mac Pro. Match it function for function and capability for capability with a PC, to the extent that you can, and the PC costs AT LEAST as much, and usually more.

Take this baby out and rev her up. You're in for a great ride.

What David Johnson forgot to mension was that the Dell has only ONE dual core processor. The Mac Pro has two. That will put you back much more than a lcd, tv tuner and everything else you mensioned. We're talking XEONS! Kind of expensive...
Anyway, compare the other features of the mac pro such as 4 sata hard drive sleds, 8 memory risers, dual gigabit ethernet, dual firewire 800, faster fsb on EACH PROCESSOR...lets not forget that there are not 1, but 2 dual core processors working side by side.
Anyway, before writing such a biased review, please research your topic.

This is my first Mac - I've been a PC/DOS user for over 20 years. When I took a look at my work needs and the upcoming requirements for Vista, it became clear that I would need to buy an entirely new machine just to upgrade to Vista - that was the last straw for me. Taking a look at Mac, it became clear that the new intel-based machines were a logical choice.

The reasons for my decision:

1. Extremely costly to upgrade to Vista, and I REALLY REALLY did not want to run a first-release WIndows OS based on my previous experiences with Millenium edition and XP. There are also potentially very serious issues with the current availability of regular 32-bit drivers in Vista at this time, let alone for 64-bit. You have absolutely no assurance that when you upgrade that all of your peripherals will work.

2. Recently tried adding a wireless USB mouse to my XP PC, from a major manufacturer. Placing the transmitter dongle in my USB hub resulted in an immediate system crash down to the BIOS level. I was without my computer for 4 days and paid a "PC plumber" $150 to find and solve the problem.

3. Boot camp - this wonderful beta release software allows you to convert your intel Mac to a dual boot XP machine - you have to do a single disc based install of XP SP2, but this is a minor issue. There is a superb tutorial on workarounds at Paul Thurott's web site to help if you need to create a slipstream XP disc containing service pack 2 - this would apply to those of you (like myself) whose original XP install discs are based on SP 1. The practical upshot - you can run your Mac in native XP mode for graphics-intensive programs like Half-Life 2. You'll still need to protect your XP partition in the usual way with respect to anti-spyware and antivirus software, but hopefully you'll do most of your web-based work in OS X anyway. Also note that the upcoming OS X Leopard release this spring will fully incorporate Boot Camp into the OS.

4. Parallels - this software will allow you to run windows apps inside a window inside of OS X using a virtual machine. This software will work very well with software that does not require the full processing power of your graphics card, so it is ideal for non-game apps like Office and quicken. The current Parallels offical release requires a separate install of windows, but beta versions are available which will allow you to run windows from a previously installed boot camp partition. A note of caution - the release candidate versions of Parallels are truly betas - you could have significant problems getting them to work and you could be placing your boot camp partition in jeopardy using them. Nevertheless, it appears that the Parallels team is working VERY hard on getting out an official, stable release that will work from a boot camp partition. I am waiting for this with great anticipation.

5. OS X just works - no muss, no fuss, and it has fewer present security risks as well as highly superior stability compared with XP. As a security aside - it looks as though future versions of Parallels may allow drag-and-drop functionality BETWEEN the windows virtual machine and the OS X desktop - this potentially creates a doorway of vulnerability into the otherwise very secure OS X operating environment. Further discussion of this possible issue can be found on the Parallels support forum, for those of you who are interested.

6. Change for the sake of change: It seems every release of Windows changes the location of many common tasks/operations and often completely changes many menus, and Vista appears to be no exception. We'll all have to learn where to find these all over again. In OS X, the fundamental organization and layout does NOT change from relase to release. Also, the release upgrade cycle in OS X tends to be considerably shorter. Significant enhancements to the OS seem to occur in 12-24 month intervals, historically closer to 12 months. The Longhorn/Vista product cycle was around 5 years.

To sum it up - with the intel-based Mac Pro, you can have your cake and eat it too, playing in windows and working in OS X. You can work in the wonderfully designed, secure and stable OS X environment and also run your indispensable windows apps inside a window inside OS X using the Parallels software. Want games? - use the incredibly simple Boot Camp software to install a windows partion - you can even put it on a physically separate internal HD. You won't have to give up Half-Life 2 to work in OS X. BTW - with a good graphics card, XP games absoultely SCREAM on the Mac Pro.

A final word on prices - buy the base configuration desktop and add your own enhancements - it is incredibly easy because of the masterful internal design of the Mac Pro.

The cost of upgrading your HD or adding additional HDs is about $299 for a 500 GB SATA II from Apple. I bought TWO Seagate Barracuda 500 GB SATA II HDs online for $320. It was literally plug an play installation - no cables, no power connections. All that was needed was a small phillips-head screwdriver to mount the drives in the plugable, removable brackets. It took 5 minutes total for both drives. You could also have the work done at an authorized Apple reseller or by the "Genius" guys at an Apple store, if you are nervous about doing this yourself. Apple also has excellent, very clear PDF instructions on how to do this on the main web site

An upgrade to 4 GB of RAM from Apple costs $1100 - VERY pricey because of the heat sinks and ECC features. I purchased an additional 3GB of RAM online, buying "certified" (as opposed to "genuine") RAM w/heat sinks for about $530. Note that buying heat sink RAM is advisable if you want to keep your Mac Pro as quiet as possible. The case design is such that the airflow which cools the RAM passes over the CPU BEFORE reaching the memory. If your RAM overheats, you may experience performance degredation and the fan, which is actually rather loud at full speed, will be running a lot more.

In summary, I was able get my Mac Pro with an addtional 3 GB of memory and 1 TB (!) of storage at an $800 savings over the "offical" cost.

While the Mac Pro is by no means cheap, it represents exceptional performance value for dollar spent, especially if you upgrade outside of the Apple store. If you carefully compare major mfgr. PCs with the same specs, you will probably find that cost differences are in the low hundreds of dollars.

I'm delighted I fired Bill Gates - I couldn't have done it as little as a year ago. I now have the best of both worlds.

Even those of us who weren't around when the Altair first came out still know its impact. Everybody who's used the Internet knows what an Altair is (though, we may not know anything specific) and that people used to think the Comodore 64 was really "neato." The first Apple computer (Apple I) made great strides; the PC market eventually moved away from catering to corporations to delivering to consumers a product they could use on a daily basis.

That's all nice and dandy, but when was the last time you actually ENJOYED using your computer? It doesn't matter if you're regular or rare user...the answer is still the same: hardly ever. While most people are bogged down trying to boot their computers or recover lost files due to foolish mistakes or viruses, there's a small group of individuals (a group, I might add, that's getting bigger every week) who sit back and take silent pleasure in their Mac Pro's.

Hands down, the Mac Pro is THE fastest computer on the market (excluding that super computer you've had your eye on, of course). The Intel Xeon processors are blazing fast and the Mac OS is simple, intuitive, and unobtrusive. The applications don't just freeze for no apparent reason on a regular basis; the OS doesn't keep force-feeding you information you don't need (i.e., "You are not connected to the Internet"; or "Your computer may be at risk. Please update your virus software"); and you find yourself enjoying even the small tasks like emailing or Google-ing your favorite recipe.

Now imagine doing this on a machine that has four fast Xeon processors. Amazing.

I know it sounds all like a commercial, but the facts are that clear. Yeah, you could go out and buy a PC with a dual-core system for a little cheaper, but you'd also be investing in viruses, lockups, and a plethora of other unfortunate events known to the PC market. With an Apple computer you're at least confident that next week won't bring a new slew of viruses (and hope that your McAffee license is still good to download the updates).

The thing is, it doesn't matter if you're buying a Mac Pro or MacBook or Mac Mini. The experience will be the same. But for those of us interested in photography and videography the faster the computer, the better our turnaround time.

Yes, the Mac Pro is a very expensive computer, but it also offers the most out of any machine on the market. The upgrade options are very impressive, and only beaten by the do-it-yourself kits and boxes that an experienced compuer user would dare to tango with.

Want to upgrade the RAM? Buy the modules; open the case on the side; pull out one of the RAM trays; insert both modules in the slots; close the machine; reboot. Easy, huh?

Suppose you want to add that 500GB hard drive you think you need. Get the specified drive; open the case; pull out the hard drive tray; screw the hard drive to the tray; reinsert the tray; close and boot the computer.

The same goes for upgrading video cards or adding a separate optical drive or adding more USB or FireWire slots via a PCI-X card. Simple to use and simple to upgrade.

As for the actual experience of using a Mac Pro...well, you should just walk over to the nearest Apple Store or CompUSA and try it out. Go ahead and launch iTunes, iMovie, Microsoft Word, Firefox, GarageBand, and Photoshop...all at the same time. While you're listening to U2, putting together a movie on iMovie, writing that award-winning thesis, checking your email, composing the next great rave track, and editing your digital photos, you'll suddenly realize that life is as it really should be: you and your computer are in harmony with each other. You'll feel a wave of calm overcome you as you begin to understand that your Mac Pro doesn't look down on you, doesn't keep telling you how stupid you are. It silently waits for your orders and carries them out.

Then again, this experience (as I said before) isn't limited to the Mac Pro. You'll think and feel the same way using any Apple computer. But, hey, on the Mac Pro you get to experience all this on the fastest consumer machine on the planet.