Apple Mac Pro MA356LL/A Desktop (Two 2.66 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon Processors, 1 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, SuperDrive)
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List Price: $2,299.00
Our Price: $2,639.83
Your Save: $ ( % )
Availability:
Manufacturer: Apple Computer
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Average Customer Rating: 
Prices subject to change
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Binding: Personal Computers
Brand: Apple
CPU Manufacturer: Intel
CPU Speed: 2.66
CPU Type: Intel Pentium II Xeon
EAN: 0885909091843
Feature: Two dual-core 2.66 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors, 1.33 GHz per processor bus
Hard Disk Size: 250
Label: Apple Computer
Manufacturer: Apple Computer
Model: MA356LL/A
Processor Count: 2
Publisher: Apple Computer
Studio: Apple Computer
System Memory Size: 1000
System Memory Type: DDR2 SDRAM
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Features
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Two dual-core 2.66 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors, 1.33 GHz per processor bus
1 GB RAM expandable up to 16 GB, 250 GB hard drive, 16x Double-Layer SuperDrive
NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT with 256 MB of GDDR2 SDRAM graphics
Two FireWire 800 ports, two FireWire 400 ports, five USB 2.0 ports, and two USB 1.1 (on keyboard)
Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard, iLife '08, Comic Life, Omni Outliner, Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Test Drive, iWork 08 (30-day trial), FileMaker Pro 3.5 trial
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Excede las expectativas
Comment: Excelente producto, absulatemente veloz y confiable. Para aprovechar realmente su desempeño incrementè en 8GB la memoria.. la mejor compra por su dinero
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Good except for multitasking
Comment: Disclaimer: The following explanations based on my experience, and others may have a different model/version that works adequately. If you can relate to these problems, they are not unique to me alone.
Mac Pro really isn't any better than machines running Windows. No computer can multitask well regardless how new they may be (especially when opening a program, even the smallest application, i.e. Text Edit or Firefox will take several seconds longer to finish loading).
Mac does far better reading damaged CDs than on Windows. Even iTunes and QuickTime can handle corrupt movie clips from a digital camera and damaged audio files that any version of Windows will reject or crash Explorer! However, there is a serious flaw in the OS where certain folders appear not to contain files when you can access them on Windows. Opti-Arc SuperDrives write and burn discs with much better accuracy than with any PC's DVD writer I have tested. Too bad you can't plug earphones into the drive or eject from the drive.
Seagate is far from Western Digital. I bought a 500 GB hard drive from them and is defective (electrical calibration issue causing noise and erratic read/write access). Avoid buying a secondary hard drive if the primary drive has enough space, unless you can find a compatible Western Digital or other brand. (Generally, higher capacity drives may have a greater chance of failure, as with the larger the capacity flash memory the laws of physics can become an issue.)
VMWare Fusion 2 comes nowhere close to Parallels Desktop, but Parallels 4 had compatibility issues on Windows XP. I (currently) use Tiger running Parallels Desktop 3 and everything will work without much trouble. However, it severely slows everything down on your Mac unless you have more than 2 GB of RAM, and RAM does not come cheap like flash memory. Still, cheaper than it was eons ago.
Overall, if you don't open more than one program at once and have at least 4 GB of RAM, your Mac will perform very well (even better with Leopard, and that system is awesome, but on the secondary Seagate that gives me trouble, so good for manual backup).
You can't properly access recordings on the newest Sansa on Mac without Parallels (read my review on the Sansa Fuze player for the technical details).
For a system less likely to be infected, but with mimimal sound card features and no video capturing on-board (e.g. analog video from a VCR, tuner, or video game outputs), and you are happy with what a Mac Pro can do, I highly recommend it.
My late 2007 Mac pro is working very well, and all updated.
Hope this helps. Probably anyone claiming Mac is very fast and can multitask may have a different experience from what I had.
Personally, Windows Vista is more attractive than Leopard is.
I have the iPod Nano 4 GB 2nd Gen, and has worked perfectly (except Micro Memo's recording accessory I'd rate 3/5 stars for locking up the iPod on playback and its microphone attachment records as poorly as a telephone receiver might.)
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fast, stable, quiet, reliable = best mac I've owned!
Comment: This has to be the best Mac I've owned yet. It is much quieter (the only thing I hear every once in a while is the DVD drive), much more stable, much faster, and better constructed than my Dual G5 (the liquid cooled version). It has yet to crash after over a year of use! I couldn't be happier!
Customer Rating:
Summary: The best keeps getting better
Comment: I've been using Macs since 1987, with my first Mac being a Mac SE. Apple has come a long way since then and has led the way in innovation and pushing the envelope in product development. I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but for me, it's obvious that Apple's dedication to engineering and creating highly functional and elegant product design continues to improve.
As a graphic designer, I have purchased "desktop" or daily use "workhorse" Macs about one every 4 years, and I have worked with printing companies and web development teams on a wide range of projects, so I have hands-on experience with a number of Macs over the years. I make a living doing high-end graphics and pre-press work, so I am a demanding computer user.
I purchased the Mac Pro as a replacement for my 4+ year old Mac G5. This review is primarily a comparison of the two Macs, and if you are currently using a G4 or G5 Mac, this review should be useful.
With both machines side by side, the cases look the same, but on closer examination there are many differences.
The biggest difference is how quiet and how much cooler the Mac Pro is in comparison to the Mac G5.
I purchased additional RAM for the Mac Pro and when I opened the case, as with the G5, it's very easy to get to the RAM slots and to add cards to the computer if needed.
I especially like the four drive bays (which are now filled) and how simple it is now to slide in an internal drive into it's slot without having to deal with connection cables inside the computer (in the G5 there were only two drive slots and short cables made it hard to change out the drives easily). The simplicity and ease of adding drives with the Mac Pro is huge plus when compared to the G5.
There are also more Firewire connectors on the Mac Pro than the G5, and an extra ethernet connection for connecting a hub, a network device or another Mac.
There is an extra CD/DVD drive bay. This will be of use when Blue Ray drives come down in price and if I need to add it to the computer.
Also, as with the G5, there are expansion slots for adding internal PCI cards. Though we live in a wireless world, I have a lot of USB and Firewire cables running behind my computers and a card or two will help cut down on the clutter.
As with previous desktop computers from Apple, there are plenty of RAM slots inside and room to add more RAM as your needs increase. Personally, I have never maxed out the RAM on any of the "work horse" Mac desktops. But I am sure there are other applications or uses which are more demanding than pre-press.
Like the G5, you can support dual monitors right out of the box. I run a Samsung 22" and a Sony 19" monitor.
As a rule of thumb, I work with about 4x the ram that comes with the computer, and if RAM is cheap at the time, I may add more.
No company is perfect, but I must say that for me, I continue to see Apple's care and attention to detail in every product.
Lastly, I have NEVER purchased any sort of extended warranty or the Apple Care and I have never had any sort of catastrophic failure with any of the Macs I have owned.
Hard drives can and do fail, which are made by various manufacturers, but having a good backup strategy will help you to deal with that, if it should happen.
I am not saying that the Apple Care is not necessary or needed--for some customers, it may be worthwhile.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Mac Pro MA356LL - Still Astounding!
Comment: After using this Mac Pro for a few months now having come over from the PC world, here's my initial impressions:
First and foremost, it's a BARGAIN! There's no way I could build a PC to these specs for the price I paid for this last-years model Quad-core Xeon. Please don't think about comparing it to a Core2Quad system.... it isn't one. This is a professional-class heavy duty Workstation with Dual Processors and Quad-Channel memory, and if you don't know the difference, you probably won't buy one.
To keep the price low, Apple gives us only 1GB memory, a smaller Hard Drive and a relatively weak Video Card. These are easily upgraded when convenient. I've got 8GB iRAM, 4 HDDs and a hand-me-down ATI HD2600 from a 2008 8-core in mine.
Leopard has been easy to learn and very stable for me. It's not as pretty as Vista, but is far more useful and secure. Fortunately, my video editing software has a Mac version that runs well on Leopard.
Boot Camp works well for me with one exception: Windows only seems to work with the front-panel Audio Port, completely ignoring any speakers plugged into the rear port.. Windows itself runs flawlessly and very fast.
Physically, the Mac Pro is a work of ART! The case is well-finished, the internal cabling is extremely tidy and well-thought out, the Hard Drive Caddies are flawless, everything runs cool and extremely quiet. The system is virtually SILENT in any normal room.
On the technical side, the Mac Pro uses the newer EFI system instead of the antiquated (mid 80's) BIOS that most PCs use. The end result is more stability, faster boot up, shut down and sleep operations.
If you are looking for a powerful, well made, silent and well thought-out system that should last a long time, buy one of these or one of the new 8-core Mac Pros. If you absolutely must have Windows, this system runs it extremely well, though I use it less and less as I learn Leopard.
I just finished my first 2-hour video project on this machine. The Mac Pro is ALL ABOUT RENDER SPEED! I cannot believe how fast this thing rendered 2 hours of source DV to DVD (under Leopard). It's roughly 4 times faster than my previous dual core PC workstation running XP. It makes no sense to me.... I must have done something wrong. Or maybe right?
Have Fun,
Keri
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Editorial Reviews:
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Introducing the fastest, most configurable Mac ever—you choose the processor speed, memory, graphics cards, and drives. Experience industry-leading quad-core performance with the latest Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors—MA356LL/A comes with 2.66GHz (configurable up to 3GHz and 4MB of shared L2 cache per processor). A redesigned enclosure gives you greater capacity and expansion options, including eight DIMM slots for up to 16MB of memory, four cable-free direct-attach hard drive bays for up to 2TB of storage, and four PCI Express expansion slots—including one double-wide slot for high-powered graphics cards. Conveniently located front FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 ports let you plug in a variety of external devices with ease. And with high-end workstation graphics, dual digital display support, and out-of-the-box support for a 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Display, the Mac Pro is the ultimate desktop workstation. Purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan (sold separately) to extend your service and support to up to three full years from the purchase date of your Mac Pro. The plan provides support for the Mac Pro, the Mac OS, and many Apple consumer applications, along with one display when you purchase it with the Mac Pro. Extended service for additional monitors is sold separately.
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