What are the "pros and cons" of the Mac Pro? Is it right for my needs?

Like any other purchase, only you can make the decision whether or not the Mac Pro is the right Mac for you, but you can evaluate the pros and cons of the series to see if your needs are met. This "run down" may be helpful in making a decision:

Pros (All Models):

• Extremely fast when running native applications.
• Numerous configuration options available.
• Wonderful case design makes it quick and easy to upgrade the RAM, hard drives, and optical drives.
• Two more 3.5" hard drive bays supporting faster 3Gb/s drives, an additional 5.25" optical bay, and more ports compared to the Power Macintosh G5.
• Competitively priced compared to similar Windows PCs.

Cons (All Models):

• No support of MacOS 9/Classic applications.
• Memory is expensive (but inevitably becomes less expensive over time).
• AirPort Extreme (802.11a/b/g/n) costs extra.

Cons (Early 2009/Nehalem Models):

• Mini DisplayPort limits display connection options (adapters are available at added cost and these models do have one Mini-DVI port as well).
• Low-end Mac Pro "Quad Core" 2.66 (2009/Nehalem) only officially supports a paltry 8 GB of maximum memory (unofficial maximum of 16 GB).

Cons (Original Models):

• MacOS X applications forced to run via "Rosetta" are slower than the same applications running on the Power Macintosh G5.
• Bluetooth 2.0+EDR -- and AirPort Extreme (802.11a/b/g/n) -- cost extra for the original Mac Pro.
• Default graphics card may not satisfy the needs of 3D graphics intensive applications (games, in particular).
• Dynamically allocated PCIe architecture prohibits even the possibility of 16-lane SLI or Crossfire video card configurations.

Essentially, if you are looking for the most powerful and expandable new Apple computer you can buy, have no MacOS 9/"Classic" applications, and no existing "mission critical" MacOS X applications that are incompatible or run too slowly using "Rosetta", then the Mac Pro would be an excellent choice.

If compatibility and performance of older applications is critical, but expansion is a lower priority, a Power Macintosh G5 remains well worth consideration.

Site sponsor PowerMax sells all of these systems. Site sponsor Operator Headgap Systems specializes in heavily upgraded systems with an eye on backwards and future compatibility.