REVIEW: New Mac Pro

ByMike Moffit

For a long time, Don and I had an agreement when it comes to new Apple products: He gets all the new mobile products, and I get any new desktop workstations to try out and use. This agreement went well for both of us for the first 15 years of Small Dog’s life, but in 2010, Apple didn’t have any regular updates to the Mac Pro lineup. I was fine with it, as my old Mac Pro tower had plenty of life in it, but was definitely envious every time Don received a new MacBook while I plodded away with my old system.

Finally, in the summer of 2013, Apple announced the new Mac Pro! Unfortunately, I had to wait until October before I could order one. Then, when I could finally get one on order, they were on heavy allocation at our distributors, so I had to wait while we filled all of our customer orders first (of course)! Finally this month, nearly six months later, my shiny new Mac Pro has arrived!

I decided that I wanted to try to take advantage of all the new machine had to offer, so I purchased a couple of 1080p television monitors and mounted them to the wall behind my desk. Prices have come down on these monitors so much, so it was worth the investment to have some extra screen options.

I wasn’t exactly sure what I would use these displays for, but figured they would be good for having a sporting event on, and I could load on some tickers for various business processes on them as well. Currently, I have settled on Google Analytics for our website, a stock ticker, and my weekly calendar. Do you have any other suggestions for what I could put on these? Email me!

I opted for the base model Mac Pro, but got the 512GB of PCIe flash storage because trying to compress all my files into 256GB just didn’t seem possible.

We have one used 30-inch display in-stock — if you are interested in sporting a similar configuration to me, here is a special deal for you! Note: There’s only 1 available!

It includes:

  • Mac Pro 3.7GHz Quad-core 12GB/512GB/D300 CTO
  • Apple 30” cinema display (used)
  • Apple Mini DisplayPort to Dual Link DVI Adapter
  • 2 x Hammerhead Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Cable – 6ft
  • 2 x ViewSonic VX2252mh-LED 22in Widescreen HDMI Monitor
  • 2 x Chief FTR-V Tilting VESA Wall Mount
  • Seagate Backup Plus Portable USB 3.0 Hard Drive – 1TB Black
  • Kensington SlimBlade USB Trackball
  • Microsoft 4000 Egro Keyboard
  • AppleCare extended warranty on the Mac Pro (Note that you can’t add coverage to a used monitor)

All of this for just $4,799! Purchase Hapy’s special bundle here!

Similar Posts

  • Starbucks Card Mobile – App Review

    Recently, Mike D wrote a great article on the future of mobile payments on iPhone. One of the apps mentioned in the article…

  • I Got This New iPod – Now What?!

    With the world of technology changing about as frequently as my hair color (which is a lot!) it’s tough to keep up with…

  • Need to Charge Multiple iPhones or iPods?

    This day in age a vast majority of us have iPods–and now many of you have iPhones. As much as we love our gadgets, it can sometimes be a pain to charge one at a time, so which one do you pick?

    Leave it to Griffin Technology to solve that issue–one that I am surprised was not figured out sooner! The “PowerDock 2 Charging Cradle for iPod and iPhone”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/73013 will let you charge two iPhones, two iPods or an iPod and an iPhone at once! It can sit on your desk, beside, by the front door, wherever you will remember to charge it. This gadget won’t hook up to your Mac–it has no ports other than the AC on the back–but I like the fact that you don’t have to have everything plugged into your Mac at all times.

    I also like the “Griffin PowerDock 2”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/73013 because the thought of having my iPod or iPhone in the dock is more calming to me than just leaving my Apple gadget on the desk (in case it fell off–iPhone screen replacements are expensive!). A $39.99 price point seems fair to charge your devices to me! Most single iPod/iPhone chargers are about $19.99-$29.99 and this way you don’t have to worry about buying a sync cable as well. It’s also made out of brushed aluminum, which matches the MacBook Pros and iMacs very nicely (which is obviously super important!).

    “Check out the Griffin PowerDock 2 here!”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/73013