Mac Pro

I was a Mac user for all four of my college years because the campus used Apple exclusively at the time. Then I switched to PCs for business applications and gaming. After 11 years of using Windows operating systems, it is hard to believe that my desk once again sits an Apple desktop. Yep, I am posting this latest entry with Apple's latest desktop tower, a Mac Pro running Mac OS X Leopard.

Why did I decide to go back to an Apple?

My Sony Vaio desktop died due to a hardware failure that caused the machine to reboot itself. I looked at several Windows based PCs from Dell, ACER, and HP as possible replacements. All the new PCs are using the new Microsoft's Vista OS. And the Vista reviews were disappointing. And I read that some of my existing XP applications may not work well with Vista.

I went to an Apple store.

I saw the Mac Pro.

I booted up Photoshop on the demo Mac Pro. It took less than 3-5 seconds to load Photoshop CS3. Then I opened the cover to see if I can add more storage and RAM. As soon as I opened the cover, I was sold. Hard drives can be added by simply attaching them to the drive carriers. Once attached, they slide into place and connects. No wires. No tools. Amazing!

Mac Pro can also be set up to dual boot. It can run both Mac OS and Windows OS (XP or Vista). It is like getting two computers at once. This means I can still run some of my needed XP software without having to purchase new ones or find replacements. The Mac Pro definitely serves my needs and much more. There is only one catch. Mac Pro costs almost $3,000!

Is it worth the price?

Mac Pro is powered by two Quad-Core Intel Xeon processors. This equates to having 8-Core processing power. The RAM uses a 256-bit-wide, fully buffered memory architecture which is more efficient. The board can accommodate up to four PCI Express 2.0 graphic cards.

Personally, I think Mac Pro is a little over priced by a few hundred dollars. But when you consider the overall design of the hardware to Mac's more superior operating system, it is actually worth the extra few hundred bucks.

Trendy qualifies for a discount due to her educational status as a resident at USC. Her status will be changing soon so we had to make a decision right away. Apple has a special summer sale for students and teachers. All those who qualify receive a $200 discount off the retail price, a free 8 GB iTouch, a free $100 printer, and discounts for software and protection plan. Well, the deal is too good to pass up especially for an Apple product. Apple, being its evil self, rarely discounts any products in its own stores. It also forces all resellers to set the same prices.

I could not resist the temptation.

And I have to admit, Apple's OS does pretty much kick ass even though it will take me a while to fully become acquainted with everything. There is only one thing that I fear. If Mac OS does not break nor requires constant maintenance, what am I going to do with all the extra free time? I guess I can always boot up Windows XP and waste a few hours fixing something.