Desktops : Apple Mac Pro

Apple's Mac Pro has design innovations that we hope will cross over to other systems. Its performance is as strong as you'd expect for a system in its class, and it's priced right, too. You might need more flexibility in your config options, especially for 3D design, but otherwise, the Mac Pro is as solid a professional-class PC as we've seen. Hide Full Review

As a user who has been on Mac's since 1984 and on PC's since 1989, I have dealt with my share of the good, the bad and the ugly.



I am a graphical person, designing websites for a living, teaching technology to middle-schoolers for career. Using the MacPro for web design is the most logical move anyone could make. Photoshop CS3 runs like a dream on this. CS3 takes to the MacPro like a fish to water.



As for ease of use, reliability and superior customer support, nothing beats Apple. Know those "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" commercials? It's the truth. Hide Full Review

I for the most part love this computer. My friend has a G5 running 8MB of RAM, capable of 16GB as this machine. For those looking to buy apple here are a few wonderful pointers I wish someone would have told me. This is truely 15 years of computer buying and using. I will just start off by saying buy the most processor speed you can afford at first. Most likely you are not going to upgrade it. Second I have a old Dell laptop that I was ready to trash the other week then I stumbled upon a old, but fairly new OS to me Unbuntu (spelling). Check it out, burn a disk, its awesome and secure. It has revived my Inspiron 7500 laptop that is 8 years old. Point is maximize your computer with an OS suited to it. Dont think of buying that new windows OS yet, whats its name uhh, of yeah Vista. Wait till it is optimized takes at least a year on the market minimum, and them buy the 64 bit only. Everything is going 64 bit without a doubt, thats the great thing about Apple it truely can run 32 bit and 64 at the same time without experiencing blue dead screens and crashing out on you. In ten years with apple I have crashed my desktops only 3 times. I have crashed windows 3 times in 15 minutes with a bad driver. Third buy all the RAM later. RAMJET offers quads allowing you to install 32MB of RAM in a POWERMAC. Leopard will surely recognize all of it. Windows will not for sure but who cares. I dont know why anyone would want to run windows on a Mac. I would go to office max or best buy and drop 499 on a skimpy laptop to handle that job. I say that because anyone thinking about buying a powermac and optimizing it is going to drop at least 4 grand to start with and can spend an unlimited amount. Add a graphics card later. Take the one that comes with it to save money. When prices drop buy at least a 1GB of video RAM card, its coming to MAC real soon. 512mB is already down to 399 now. Last this is an investment and look at it that way. Desktops are built to be added onto. You can do it over a year or two. A MacPro can be expected to last at least 10 years. It wont be outdated in two years either. It will take that long to add 16GB of RAM, the new video card, and three 500GB hard drives. If one were to buy a Macpro with 16GB RAM, top of the line video card, and a 30 " monitor it would cost over 10,000 dollars . Probably closer to 13,000. I dont think any comptuer is worth that, but thats just me. I could go on forever but my a Macpro or a powerbook pro 15-17" you wont go wrong. There are even some wonderful buys on G5s on amazon as of tonight (10-20-2007). They are every bit as fast as the newer units especially with some mac specific programs. In my opinion G5s were cleared out to quickly off the market. They may not ever run any intel software but hell why did you buy a mac in the first place. Leopard will scream on a G5 2.5GHz, and still handle 16GB of RAM. Hide Full Review

Dont buy Apple. I have had a MacBook and an IPOD. Both have had technical issues that were no fault of mine. My MacBook was under warranty and they refused to replace it, instead they wanted to send it to the factory to diagnose the problem.(it wouldn't boot up and was overheating) When I said that I couldn't wait that long they refused to offer any other options. I ended up waiting three weeks without a computer, just to get it fixed. So I was out for three weeks, and I had to fight daily with Apple just for that. And how was I compensated...I wasn't, they made me feel like they were doing me a favor.
Then they refused to fix my IPod because it is a month over its warranty. So in other words their products are good for a year. After that you have to buy a new one, but they gave me a good deal, only $79 for an IPod NANO 4gb.(how about backing up the products that you sell with a longer warranty or quality products, or even just better support.) What happened to making a product that lasted and customer service that serviced the customer? DONT BUY APPLE! Hide Full Review