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Apple Finally Updates the iMac With Significantly More Powerful CPU and GPU Options (arstechnica.com)

Today, Apple will finally begin taking orders for newly refreshed 21- and 27-inch iMacs. The new versions don't change the basic design or add major new features, but they offer substantially faster configuration options for the CPU and GPU. From a report: The 21.5-inch iMac now has a 6-core, eighth-generation Intel CPU option -- up from a maximum of four cores before. The 27-inch now has six cores as the standard configuration, with an optional upgrade to a 3.6GHz, 9th-gen, 8-core Intel Core i9 CPU that Apple claims will double performance over the previous 27-inch iMac. The base 27-inch model has a 3GHz 6-core Intel Core i5 CPU, with intermediate configurations at 3.1GHz and 3.7GHz (both Core i5). The big news is arguably that both sizes now offer high-end, workstation-class Vega-graphics options for the first time. Apple added a similar upgrade option to the 15-inch MacBook Pro late last year. In this case, the 21.6-inch iMac has an option for the 20-compute-unit version of Vega with 4GB of HBM2 video memory. That's the same as the top-end 15-inch MacBook Pro option.

The 27-inch iMac can now be configured with the Radeon Pro Vega 48 with 8GB of HBM2. For reference, the much pricier iMac Pro has Vega 56 and Vega 64 options. Apple claims the Vega 48 will net a 50-percent performance improvement over the Radeon Pro 580, the previous top configuration. Speaking of the previous top configuration, the non-Vega GPU options are the same as what was available yesterday. The only difference is that they now have an "X" affixed to the numbers in their names, per AMD branding conventions -- i.e., Radeon Pro 580X instead of 580. RAM options are the same in terms of volume (up to 32GB for the 21.5-inch and 64GB for the 27-inch), but the DDR4 RAM is slightly faster now, at 2666MHz.

143 comments

  1. 5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    And $200 add on for an 256GB (SATA??) SSD.

    also imac pro not updated.

    1. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by fred6666 · · Score: 1

      It's Apple's "budget" desktop computer. What did you expect?

      Most people buying an iMac would be better off with a regular (non all-in-one) desktop, or a laptop with external monitor, keyboard and mouse.

    2. Re: 5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, a $200 upgrade should be a 2TB SSD... Not 1/4 GB

    3. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Anubis+IV · · Score: 1

      also imac pro not updated.

      Actually, it was. Ars just doesn't seem to have reported on it (yet).

    4. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Apple usually uses top of the line NVMe SSD's in the range of 2 GB/s write and nearly 3 GB/s read (see 2017 iMac tests)

    5. Re: 5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Type44Q · · Score: 4, Funny

      5400rpm's no doubt not only soldered in place... but there's evidence that it's booby-trapped with explosives that'll take your fingers off, and there are rumors of a hidden glass capsule with "gay pheromones" in it that, when broken, will cause you to become part of Tim Cook's" zombie" (after a fashion) army.

    6. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sure they do.

    7. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Half the performance for twice the price®.

      Glad to see they have "upgraded" their latest models to what I had 7-8 years ago.

      Good work, Tim. You don't get to be a trillion dollar company by spending money on new hardware.

    8. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Crash+Dummy+Redux · · Score: 1

      The iMac pro got new RAM and video options for those who can't get enough. You can get 256GB ECC RAM for $5,2000. Woo-hoo!

    9. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

      also imac pro not updated.

      Actually, it was. Ars just doesn't seem to have reported on it (yet).

      Cool!!

      Now..if they'd just announce the damned Mac Pro and spec it out already!!!!

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    10. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Apple customers love taking it up the shitter â" I thought you would have known that by now!

    11. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by squiggleslash · · Score: 3, Insightful

      What's the price difference between a 240Gb SSD and whatever it is Apple's shoving in this thing? For reference, the street price of a 240Gb SSD is about $30. Is 240Gb too small for an entry level computer? Well, street price for half a terabyte is $70.

      Looking at prices, I think we've reached the point where "enough storage" is available in both SSD and spinning disk form for the same minimum amount of money. The price per GB is higher with SSD, but the floor is much, much, lower, which means the cross-over point where SSD and magnetic is now at a level where you're talking usable amounts of storage. For that reason, there's no reason to exclude SSD from an entry level system unless you're trying to punish the customer for buying cheap hardware.

      At this stage magnetic discs are what cheapskates like me use to build a 1Tb i5 system for $400, not what a premium computer company should be using in its $1,000 personal computers. The only other legitimate use of them is for building external storage systems you'd make back-ups to, be they USB or NASes.

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    12. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by alvinrod · · Score: 1

      I'm sure the specs were finished long ago, but you just know that Jony Ive is busy trying to figure out how to get the damned thing into a tesseract or some other obscure shape. Either that or we're getting a god damned sphere.

    13. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by ctilsie242 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      In a way, I find a 5400 RPM HDD almost insulting. I can see something like that in a sub-$300 laptop, but for a computer that costs four digits minimum, that is inexcusable. The only good thing is that maybe the HDD can be replaced by a SATA SSD, allowing for some expansion.

      As secondary storage, maybe it would be usable. It would be interesting to put in two 3.5" drives and have them run RAID 1 just for Time Machine backups, ensuring that the SSD is well backed up. Bonus points if there is OS protection, so ransomware can't have a field day with the TM drives.

    14. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by fred6666 · · Score: 1

      trying to punish the customer for buying cheap hardware.

      That's the whole point. They charge $240 CAD to upgrade the 1TB 5400 RPM drive to a 256 GB SSD.
      If it came with the base model, they would lose this profit.

    15. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by ctilsie242 · · Score: 1

      At least it is being upgraded. The "trashcan" Mac Pro languished for years without any refreshes.

    16. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by gtall · · Score: 1

      I thought they were waiting until Intel cleared up its processor screwups. And as Apple's chips get better, they might be waiting for those to reach some sort of efficiency and speed. I don't want a damned sphere either or the trash can. I want a cheese grater Mac with component swappability.

    17. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      also imac pro not updated.

      More likely in June during the WWDC (developer conference).

      These were just announce-by-PR refreshes (before next week's streaming event).

    18. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "get the damned thing into a tesseract or some other obscure shape"
      Already been done:
      It's called the Cube (https://www.macworld.com/article/1153341/cube-10thanniversary.html)

    19. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The Mac mini is the budget computer and all models come with an SSD drive.

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
    20. Re: 5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      oh shut up... wth does AOC have to do with any of this.

    21. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by omnichad · · Score: 2

      I'm pretty sure that Apple uses only NVMe type drives. Even among the SATA SSDs, Kingston is cheap junk. An accurate price comparison is maybe $50 for a quality baseline, but the read/write speeds are way lower than you would get in NVMe, so that's not even a fair comparison.

      Still, $200 should get you close to 1TB of high performance NVMe in any brand (ok, so the 970 EVO is over $200).

    22. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      when are you getting dental prosthetics

    23. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by fred6666 · · Score: 1

      Probably because it is too small for a hard drive, even a 2.5" one.
      Given it's Apple, I wouldn't even be surprised they soldered it so that you can't upgrade or repair it yourself.

    24. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      5400 was slow 10 years ago, and showing its age as early as the XP days, they have no business being inside anything above netbook prices. This decision is going to bite them in the ass and they'll have yet another crow to eat.

    25. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You did notice that Crash Dummy Redux replied to Joe_Dragon? Remember Joe_Dragon? You accused him of being creimer before you went after CaptainDork.

      Who was the new guy on Saturday you accused of being creimer? Funny thing about that comment thread. Creimer RESPONDED directly and you IGNORED him.

      Sad. Fucking sad.

    26. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by magusxxx · · Score: 1

      Which was an awesome machine for it's time. Our university computer lab had a few. As usual for Apple's products, it cost more than people wanted to pay.

      --
      Care killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.
    27. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are aware that you are replying to a well known Slashdot troll, aren't you?

      Crash Dummy Redux == CDR == Christopher Dale Reimer == creimer. He has a total of 50+ sock puppet accounts on Slashdot!
      Proof: They all post the same sock puppets karma whoring and/or bragging stories and/or spam links.

      Here are two identical posts from 2 different sock puppets:
      Crash Dummy Redux:
      https://slashdot.org/comments....
      The Original CDR:
      https://ask.slashdot.org/comme...

      Last year, I proved to creimer that I was running a click bot to inflate the views on his stupid channel and he admitted it! He has even written about it on twitter, go check and you will see.

      I specifically targeted music videos to make him believe that he had just discovered a new Klondike! It was very funny to watch him come on Slashdot bragging about how much his new music videos were successful before I finally told him about the click bot!

      Then, when the party was over, I proved to him that I was the one inflating his views, I told him in advance that I would stop the views on one specific video which I did and he confirmed that fact on twitter.

      Well, he just posted a imaginary story here where he pretends that pedophiles were looking at his kid music video. Maybe he figures that pedophiles are better click bait material. My bot isn't a pedophile! No pedophiles looked at his video at all!

      See his post here:
      https://medium.com/@cdreimerth...

      He is such a liar and a thief! He will say or do anything just to get 1 click on his stupid videos which have amazon affiliate links attached to them all over the place!

      --
      -the biggest loser on Slashdot

    28. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      oh chris
      you're so petty and funny

    29. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      The only reason to get a Mac today in 2019 is if your home is wired on the Apple Ecosystem. Wanting to take advantage of airplay, or the Home Kit products. Today there isn't really much advantage in owning any one Apple product, as they are better products available across all the business units, but the fact they work together more seamlessly then the competition makes it having the ecosystem more palatable and overall useful.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    30. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are so delusional Chris!

      Only yourself would know so much and attach so much importance to creimer's nutcase!

      Your channel is going downhill again! CROFLOL!

    31. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by tsa · · Score: 1

      I looked at the possibility they offer to trade in your old computer. They offered me 580 or so euros for my 2013 27" iMac with 32 GB and the best graphics card that was availabe back then. At marktplaats.nl I can get almost double that. No thanks Apple.

      --

      -- Cheers!

    32. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by tsa · · Score: 1

      It's a lot of work to upgrade an iMac ;).

      --

      -- Cheers!

    33. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by tsa · · Score: 1

      The only reason I want a Mac is MacOS. Unlike Linux and Windows it's safe and works well.

      --

      -- Cheers!

    34. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      Well there are different qualities of SSD drive. Such as a high speed NvME which is probably the best thing you can do today to improve your overall computing experience, for most cases. Cost more than the slower SATA drives.

      Now for 2019 I do not know of any really good brand PC maker but Apple has been lagging behind them all. While Apple never produced the bleeding edge in gear, they were normally 6 months behind in terms of performance technology. But offered bells and whistles that people wanted, such as in 2002 Powerbook, having Wi-Fi built in, or in the 2006 MacBook Pro having a (High Resolution at the time) video camera, built in. With a slim and light form factor that was hard to match with the competitors. But post 2010s Apple is more or less in a slump, they haven't really offered anything worth the Premium cost. And their update delays really puts a hamper on people willing to wait for the next version to upgrade.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    35. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      Besides the Slashdot hate on Windows. OS X, Linux and Windows when upgraded and properly maintained, are all rather secure, reliable and works well. Yes, Windows is heavy handed with the users, with forced upgrades, and Linux sometimes works like a hodgepodge of ideas, that got release after they had a clean compile.

      But I haven't gotten BSOD, Kernel Panics, or the Gray screen of failure. In a while unless I am doing something really stupid anyways. Or I have failing hardware.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    36. Re: 5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

      oh shut up... wth does AOC have to do with any of this.

      Well, as much of a whack job I think AOC is, to be fair, I believe it was Elizabeth Warren that was pushing the idea to break up Amazon, Google and Apple....

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    37. Re: 5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You can't read, how would you know?

    38. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      His video that Captain Marvel has PTSD was too serious for his audience.

    39. Re: 5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I know that /. sometimes suffers from a low common denominator, but when did they start allowing 12-year-olds to post?

    40. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by tlhIngan · · Score: 1, Interesting

      I'm pretty sure that Apple uses only NVMe type drives. Even among the SATA SSDs, Kingston is cheap junk. An accurate price comparison is maybe $50 for a quality baseline, but the read/write speeds are way lower than you would get in NVMe, so that's not even a fair comparison.

      Still, $200 should get you close to 1TB of high performance NVMe in any brand (ok, so the 970 EVO is over $200).

      It's actually part of the T2 controller chip that Apple uses to manage the touchbar and other things.

      It's PCIe based storage, and yes, it's a VERY fast device. I'm not sure if it emulates an NVMe interface.

      The use of the T2 chip is why Apple's SSDs are strange - as in they're raw flash. In early iMacs, this lead to problems because people would assume they could take out the "SSD" and move it to another Mac, only to find out it doesn't work. The reason is the T2 chip encrypts all data on the flash and it's stored in the T2 chip itself, so moving the raw storage around does nothing without the key. That's why the updated iMacs soldered in the SSD - it was pointless to move the flash chips around without the T2 chip coming along

    41. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Highdude702 · · Score: 1

      Seriously? My 256gb rd400 from Toshiba does better than that. Iirc ~3 write and 4 read give or take in sequential.

    42. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Rob+Y. · · Score: 1

      For what it's worth, I imagine that the casual iMac user would rather have 4 times the storage than a faster bootup time - which is probably all they'd notice between an SSD and a magnetic disk. Of course, 250GB is probably plenty for them too, but still...

      --
      Posted from my Android phone. Oh, I can change this? There, that's better...
    43. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by omnichad · · Score: 0

      Admittedly, I'm using "NVMe" as a shorthand for any protocol that operates directly on the PCIe bus.

      However, "Blancco" (owner of former DBAN) seems to think it's NVME after all.

    44. Re: 5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Type44Q · · Score: 1

      Nothing whatsoever other than fantastic comedic potential.;)

    45. Re: 5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Type44Q · · Score: 1

      Elizabeth Warren that was pushing the idea to break up Amazon, Google and Apple....

      And even a phony liar is sometimes right.

      Replace "Apple" in that list (they're notthat bad) with Facebook and Twitter and I'd be down with that shit.

    46. Re: 5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Type44Q · · Score: 1

      I make jokes about angry, orange clowns who wear mullets and I make jokes about bug-eyed dipshits who can't count.

    47. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Almost insulting? It is completely insulting and a stupid move by Apple. They killed off cd-rom drives, head phone jacks, etc, etc...but won't kill off the spinning hard drive. That's embarrassing actually.

    48. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by ceoyoyo · · Score: 1

      He said safe, not doesn't crash. Windows isn't safe, it's spyware that's getting ever more dickish.

      Linux works well and is safe, but can still occasionally be a bit of a PITA.

      I'm typing this on an OS X notebook, in front of a Linux/Windows dualboot desktop. You're absolutely right, I don't remember the last time I saw any of them crash.

    49. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by fred6666 · · Score: 2

      A SSD doesn't only improve boot time.
      The casual iMac user would be much better off with a slower CPU but a SSD.

    50. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by squiggleslash · · Score: 1

      While this may be true, and I see a cost difference, I'm not seeing one that that changes $30 into $300, more like $50 like you're saying. So it doesn't really change the question of why are they still sticking high latency mechanical drives in an entry level high end personal computer in 2019.

      And... let's pretend for a moment NVMe does cost $300 for "enough storage", well, they're putting in a SATA interface anyway, so why not add the cheap $30-60 drive, rather than a magnetic disc? The only problem with it is likely to be performance, and it's still going to perform extremely well compared to a magnetic equivalent. And make the computer lighter. And less sensitive to movement. And will mean they can reduce the size a little or put more of something else in (I've yet to see a 3.5" SSD drive, I'm sure they exist, but I'm not seeing one.)

      All in all it doesn't make sense. I can understand Gateway wanting to put in a magnetic drive to meet a $399 price point for something with "arbitrary marketing friendly storage amount here" gigabytes of disk space, but it makes no sense in this context.

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    51. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

      Before the new 2018 models, the Mac mini had a 2.5" HDD.

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
    52. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by tsa · · Score: 1

      Same here. I can't even remember my last BSOD. But MS software has always been riddled with safety faults, Windows 10 reports just about everything you to to the mother ship and Linux is often een PITA to use, so I prefer MacOS/OSX.

      --

      -- Cheers!

    53. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by fred6666 · · Score: 1

      and did the base model came with a SSD back then?

    54. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

      There was no SSD as the standard option in any Mac mini before 2018.
      And now, even the base model of the 2018 Mac mini has an SSD.

      Apple still using HDDs in the iMacs in 2019 is just a cash grab.

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
    55. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by fred6666 · · Score: 1

      Apple still using HDDs in the iMacs in 2019 is just a cash grab

      I agree, and the reason they are not doing it on the mac mini is because there is no room.

    56. Re: 5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why wouldn't a 2.5 drive fit in there?

    57. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

      There used to be enough room.
      If they can still engineer the iMac to accept HDDs, surely they could have made the same cash grab on the new Mac minis. But they didn't.

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
    58. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by omnichad · · Score: 1

      $50 would be for a good SATA SSD. NVMe is faster. Much closer to $90 for one that performs to the same specs. The Apple tax being double that sounds closer to normal.

      Splitting the filesystem across two drives has always been problematic - as has some sort of hybrid/RAID approach. For one, even putting the user folder on the secondary drive could slow down files that should be fast - email archive, database files, and OS X has an additional user-level Applications folder. Way too hard to give a simple, consistent user experience.

    59. Re: 5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Sean+Clifford · · Score: 1

      5400 rpm HDDs? Let's not get crazy now, there are plenty of ways to make that a premium option

      *4500rpm HDD, 1TB base model
      *5400rpm HDD, 4TB (premium add-on), add $100
      *7200rpm HDD, 8TB (super premium), add $500

      Then you can add on the SSD options for ultra premium. ;)

    60. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you have no audience chris

    61. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It is not about the street cost of the SSD it is about what you can get someone to pay for the SSD upgrade.

    62. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      5400 RPM are slower than 7200 RPM and always have been, but they are not that terribly slow.
      Data density makes the other part of the equation. Physically smaller hard drives also mean smaller distance for the reading head to cover (from inside to outside of the disk. Plus, most SATA drives queue disk operations ("Native Command Queuing") to optimize head movement.

      That all means that a 1TB 5400 RPM 2.5" hard drive is massively faster than a 40GB or 80GB 7200 RPM 3.5" hard drive, except if you want to read a single, small piece of data as fast as possible then the 40GB 7200 RPM will probably complete two milliseconds faster. If you want to read say 1MB data, add the time taken reading it - 5400 RPM 1TB has much bigger transfer rate.

      It is, or it was a fast hard drive. It's only slow because software sucks and doesn't give a shit about spamming disk I/O. You can boot Windows XP, from BIOS hand off to desktop in 10 seconds on a hard drive (if not loaded down with auto running crap). You can use ubuntu, debian, mint, others etc. on a hard drive and it's still fast at least with Mate, XFCE, etc. But maybe launching VLC now reads like 100MB of libraries so you'll wait a bit on first launch.
      Use Vista or Windows 10 when it's simultaneously indexing your data, scanning your drive for malware, running windows update and swapping to disk, then you'll want to commit suicide but that's just bloated software doing crap behind your back. Run debian or ubuntu and the worst you'll get is apt-get upgrade takes a couple minutes to run while you do something else.

    63. Re: 5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It would fit, but it may be an obstacle to cooling from the physical room taken and the vibrations. At least they decided to spend room on SO-DIMM slots instead of soldered memory, and they engineered the hell out of the cooling (I think it's a strong point, and still has integrated power supply).

      A bigger reason might be they decided to standard on soldered storage on all their products. This is "evil" in several ways but it protects against evil maid attacks, is part of the strong lock down with the T2 chip. Though it also just means you can't put a cheap drive in there.
      The iMac is now the older design out there and might have soldered storage when they release an actual new model.

    64. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      An iMac looks good on a desk, is self-contained, and its display is also a known quantity - it should be a rather good one.
      I just saw one yesterday in a video, where they interviewed someone decent in his office. I could see myself having one but I'd run GNU/Linux on it.

    65. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They were first in using PCIe 4x SSD, that made them special but not so much anymore. PC CPUs or chipsets support this directly and the M.2 PCIe connector has become mainstream. Then for a couple years M.2 PCIe drives were too expensive compared to a SATA one but with the former gaining hold now you can have a low end SSD on a low end computer doing ~3GB/s reads.

    66. Re:5400RPM HDD in base systems WTF?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I would probably like a machine with 32GB or better eMMC for the OS (linux) but with SATA, M.2 for user files (a minimal system will only run on the eMMC)
      Then I have to put swap partitions on files on the secondary drives as well. But it'll work. Why do I need gigabytes/s for an OS? :)
      Similar philosophy to a NAS with the OS on a goddamned USB stick and files on a RAID 1 or RAID 6 or ZFS.

  2. How about Dell? Clevo? Or HP? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Or any other thousand other PC manufacturers? Did they update their PCs too? When? What Intel processor and stepping, and what L2 cache size? On board or add-on graphics?

    What is this? Computer Shopper for Nerds?

  3. SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 2

    SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro.

    As they don't seem to be moving forced T2 or higher locked pci-e storage.

    1. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro by UnknowingFool · · Score: 2

      Why champion for slower storage protocols? SATA is 6 Gbps at best whereas TB2 is 2 channels of 20 Gbps each and USB 3.0 is 10 Gbps. PCIe SSDs are nearly the speed of TB2. For a general purpose PC, that kind of performance doesn’t matter as much as it would a professional editing video which is what a person buying a Mac Pro would do.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
    2. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro by fred6666 · · Score: 1

      You understand that there is no such thing as a thunderbolt SSD. They are either SATA or NVME internally, along with a TB bridge, generally within an (overpriced) external drive enclosure.

      If you need a 4 drive external enclosure, chances are you should have chosen a desktop computer instead of an all-in-one with no room for expansion.

    3. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      You do understand that for high performance workloads like editing professional video (which is a primary market of a Mac Pro), PCIe SSDs have a huge advantage over SATA SSDs? For external storage I have rarely seen where these pros are using external SATA drives preferring TB drives in the case of a few users to dedicated NAS servers for many users.

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    4. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

      well sata is a lot better then apples Proprietary pci-e storage. that is very over priced.

    5. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      How is SATA better? Is it faster? Higher bandwidth? Is it more fault tolerant? No. SATA is not better in performance than PCIe. The only thing you could say is that is isn’t a proprietary as Apple’s PCIe. But you can get 3rd party modules today. Also bear in mind that when Apple used it in the Mac Pro 2013, NVMe wasn’t generally available only putting out a specification in Jan 2013. New Mac Pros might use the NVMe standard.

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    6. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro by fred6666 · · Score: 1

      You do understand that for high performance workloads like editing professional video (which is a primary market of a Mac Pro), PCIe SSDs have a huge advantage over SATA SSDs?

      Yes.
      By the way. we are not talking about the Mac Pro. The iMac is definitely not a professional video editing machine, with no room for multiple drives, and a form factor which offer no advantage to begin with.

      For external storage I have rarely seen where these pros are using external SATA drives preferring TB drives

      Again, you understand there is no such thing as a TB drive, right? There are SATA and NVMe/PCIe drives, connected to a TB bridge. The TB bridge can only make the drive go slower. It can't make it go any faster. Therefore you are always better with internally connected drives, saving a lot of money compared to that ugly TB enclosure.

      in the case of a few users to dedicated NAS servers for many users.

      I'd prefer a drive maxing the SATA cable over a 10 gigabit Ethernet NAS. I believe it is faster for most use cases (especially latency), despite the fact that the theoretical bandwidth of Ethernet is a little faster.

      I hope these "professionals" are not using gigabit...

    7. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      By the way. we are not talking about the Mac Pro.

      Yes we are. The OP said: "SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro." It is the literal title of this entire thread.

      The iMac is definitely not a professional video editing machine, with no room for multiple drives, and a form factor which offer no advantage to begin with.

      The specs on the iMac Pro. Besides the 5K display and 4 TB connectors, there's no advantage?

      Again, you understand there is no such thing as a TB drive, right? There are SATA and NVMe/PCIe drives, connected to a TB bridge. The TB bridge can only make the drive go slower. It can't make it go any faster. Therefore you are always better with internally connected drives, saving a lot of money compared to that ugly TB enclosure.

      You do understand that at 2 X 20Gbps, a TB2 bridge isn't a bottle neck to SATA drive which maxes out at 6Gbps right? So when you say the TB2 bridge makes it go slower, I have to wonder about your math. Many of the TB2 enclosures support multiple drive RAID which can increase speed.

      I'd prefer a drive maxing the SATA cable over a 10 gigabit Ethernet NAS. I believe it is faster for most use cases (especially latency), despite the fact that the theoretical bandwidth of Ethernet is a little faster.

      Do you and all of your multiple video editors share the same SATA cable? The primary use case of a NAS isn't speed. The term "Network Attached Storage" lays out the primary use case which the term "network" describes. The primary use case is that multiple users can access the same drives. Also for those that set up a NAS, they also tend to set up a backup strategy which is far easier to back up the NAS than to make sure every one used the SATA cable to copy to a lone SATA drive that isn't backed up.

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    8. Re: SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Professionals don't edit on a local machine if working with large data sets. Real editors uses things called scenes, they don't rewrite the whole film to a new file after each edit. High end video editing is basically rsync. I'm just a hobbyist, but even I know that. If i want to apply an effect, say a zoom, pan and sepia tone filter within a scene, my editor basically says what time to start each effect, what time to end each effect, etc. It then jumps to that timecode (or previous keyframe if MPGing it), renders it, then cut/inserts it into the scene list.

      The only time I might run it all out as a single file is when I'm burning it to menuless/sceneless restricted copy, like with watermarked airline entertainment seat kiosks.

      Professionals figured out all this stuff ten years ago, when cheap mellanox 40gbs NICs were the hot new thing and we ran it on the "server farm".

    9. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro by fred6666 · · Score: 1

      Yes we are. The OP said: "SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro." It is the literal title of this entire thread.

      But that's not why I replied to your first post. I could have changed the title from there.

      Besides the 5K display and 4 TB connectors, there's no advantage?

      I was talking about the form factor. You don't need an all-in-one to get 4 TB connectors. Also you wouldn't need any TB connectors to begin with if you had room for internal storage.

      You do understand that at 2 X 20Gbps, a TB2 bridge isn't a bottle neck to SATA drive which maxes out at 6Gbps right? So when you say the TB2 bridge makes it go slower, I have to wonder about your math

      The math is simple. The TB bridge can't make the drive go faster. It can only make it slower. It's an additional middle man, which hopefully delivers close to 100% of the speed.

      . Many of the TB2 enclosures support multiple drive RAID which can increase speed.

      It doesn't increase the drive speed. Bandwidth isn't shared between multiple SATA ports in a desktop computer either. You could be doing RAID within your desktop computer instead. Using either SATA or PCIe/NVMe.

      The primary use case is that multiple users can access the same drives.

      You can share your local drive on the network and get the same effect. The main advantage of a NAS over this solution is to offer continued availability even when you are rebooting your computer. The disadvantage is cost, and performance (for the local user at least, remote users get similar performance of course).

    10. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      But that's not why I replied to your first post. I could have changed the title from there.

      But you didn't. So let me see if I understand you: You changed the subject without mentioning you were changing the subject even though the OP and I were talking specifically about the Mac Pro.

      I was talking about the form factor. You don't need an all-in-one to get 4 TB connectors. Also you wouldn't need any TB connectors to begin with if you had room for internal storage.

      Whether we were talking about the Mac Pro 2013 or the iMac Pro, there was no internal room for additional SATA drives. Again, the workload of professional video editor is that they do not store all of their files locally. They store them on a separate drive for redundancy. Like a TB drive. Like a NAS. They copy files to their local system to do work then transferred finished work back to the

      The math is simple. The TB bridge can't make the drive go faster. It can only make it slower. It's an additional middle man, which hopefully delivers close to 100% of the speed.

      That was never the point. The max of SATA 6Gbps is 6Gbps. That's it. You can't get faster than that using TB; however, the bottleneck still is the SATA connector not the TB connector.

      It doesn't increase the drive speed. Bandwidth isn't shared between multiple SATA ports in a desktop computer either. You could be doing RAID within your desktop computer instead. Using either SATA or PCIe/NVMe.

      I suggest you brush up on your RAID levels. This is very simple. If you use any form of RAID 0, you can have 2 drives at 6Gbps pushing data through a 20Gbps TB connector. If you use a single SATA connector, your bottleneck still is the 6Gbps connector. It doesn't matter how you've set up your RAID if you have a single SATA connector.

      You can share your local drive on the network and get the same effect.

      Only if you suppose you are doing no work at the time that would be hindered by people transferring GB sized files from your computer. Also your computer houses multiple RAID drives for redundancy? Well if has to be at least 4 disks for RAID 10, 3 disks for RAID 5, etc.

      The main advantage of a NAS over this solution is to offer continued availability even when you are rebooting your computer.

      Dude, I suggest you brush up on IT infrastructure. One advantage of NAS is high availability. There is also reliability and redundancy. Multiple people can copy files all at the same time. Loss of a drive does not mean loss of all data.

      The disadvantage is cost, and performance (for the local user at least, remote users get similar performance of course).

      Argh. The whole point of a NAS is that your machine is not hammered when people are transferring large files from the server. The whole point is that there isn't a single drive failure that will destroy your work. The point is that backup strategy is much easier with a NAS.

      Frankly why are you arguing against a NAS and for single point of failure?

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    11. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro by fred6666 · · Score: 1

      First, you can't do RAID on a single SATA cable since you need at least 2 drives, which will use at least 2 SATA cables, duh. So how exactly are you supposed to be limited by the 6 Gbps of SATA when using more than one drive?

      Then you can do RAID just as well within a desktop as within a NAS (which is nothing more than a dedicated networked computer with drive bays running a dumbed down operating system). So NAS is no more redundant.

      Finally a desktop CPU is so fast, especially compared to a NAS CPU, that gigabit network transfers won't affect it that much (say, 10% of one core).

    12. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      First, you can't do RAID on a single SATA cable since you need at least 2 drives, which will use at least 2 SATA cables, duh. So how exactly are you supposed to be limited by the 6 Gbps of SATA when using more than one drive?

      Dude you are the one advocating using SATA instead of TB, not me. Your math is terrible. Once again, a single SATA III cable has a max of 6Gpbs. A single TB2 cable can handle 20Gbps or 3.5 x SATA. To use multiple drives in a RAID you have to have the space which neither the Mac Pro 2013 nor iMac Pro had for 2 disks much less 3 or more.

      Then you can do RAID just as well within a desktop as within a NAS (which is nothing more than a dedicated networked computer with drive bays running a dumbed down operating system). So NAS is no more redundant.

      Dude you seriously need to brush up on your IT. A NAS isn’t a just a desktop that shares its drive. These are highly specialized and optimized machines with hardware and software for this purpose. While you can convert a desktop to be a NAS, you shouldn’t be using it simultaneously as as desktop. This is as idiotic as using your desktop as the company’s web server at the same time while editing video..

      Finally a desktop CPU is so fast, especially compared to a NAS CPU, that gigabit network transfers won't affect it that much (say, 10% of one core).

      Do you work in professional video editing because the more you post, the less likely it seems as you speak in absolute generalities? Using your desktop as a single point of failure isn’t done by professionals for a multitude of reasons. If you tried to tell these pros that they should just use someone’s desktop, they’d laugh at you.

      Also we have gotten far away from original point: why would you advocate for slower storage in machines that didn’t have the space for multiple drives? Why are you arguing to single point of failure?

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    13. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro by fred6666 · · Score: 1

      Dude you are the one advocating using SATA instead of TB, not me.

      No I am not. What I am saying, is that your shinny TB box may be using SATA internally to connect hard drives. Either that, or NVMe/PCIe to connect faster SSDs. There is no such thing as a TB drive.
      If your TB box has 4x SATA ports, then it can only be slower (or equal) than if you connected those same 4 drives directly inside your desktop using 4x SATA cables. Nobody ever talked about sharing a single SATA cable for more than one drive except you. I wouldn't even know how to do that.

      Is it obviously even slower if you connect to a gigabit Ethernet NAS. By the way, the Mac Pro doesn't have 10 Gbps Ethernet. The average NAS is gigabit at best.

      Your math is terrible. Once again, a single SATA III cable has a max of 6Gpbs. A single TB2 cable can handle 20Gbps or 3.5 x SATA.

      Your understanding is terrible. I never said the opposite.

      To use multiple drives in a RAID you have to have the space which neither the Mac Pro 2013 nor iMac Pro had for 2 disks much less 3 or more.

      That's why it would be a much better idea to use a real desktop instead of these toys. A real professional video editing machine have multiple drive bays.

      Dude you seriously need to brush up on your IT. A NAS isn’t a just a desktop that shares its drive. These are highly specialized and optimized machines with hardware and software for this purpose.

      They are not highly specialized. Especially not the cheap ones. They are running some sort of embedded Linux or BSD. You can use FreeNAS to make your own NAS. They just use a cheaper CPU, no GPU, no audio or other useless peripherals, and less RAM than a regular desktop. So yeah, they are cheap desktop computers, dumbed down. The good ones might have a good hardware RAID controller but that's pretty much it.

      While you can convert a desktop to be a NAS, you shouldn’t be using it simultaneously as as desktop. This is as idiotic as using your desktop as the company’s web server at the same time while editing video..

      Then don't call it a NAS. Call it a network file server.
      Again, the reason for not running the web server on your desktop is availability. And in this case maybe also security. You don't want to take the web site down while you are rebooting your PC because of an update. However, your coworker who wants to transfer a video file you've just worked on can wait 2 minutes. And he's not even really waiting because you are saving on the transfer time from your PC to the NAS on that gigabit Ethernet. Basically, instead of transferring the file twice, from your PC to the NAS, and then from the NAS to you coworker's PC, you are transferring the file directly from one PC to the other. It should take half the time on average. You save on costs (not having to buy a NAS) and you save on transfer time. Win-win.

      Do you work in professional video editing

      No, and never pretended to.

      Using your desktop as a single point of failure isn’t done by professionals for a multitude of reasons.

      Again, you can have multiple drives on your PC. No reason to have a single copy of a video file just because you are not using a NAS.

      If you tried to tell these pros that they should just use someone’s desktop, they’d laugh at you.

      They may be good video editors, but that would not give them good knowledge of computer solutions.
      It's possible some video editors like OS X and/or FinalCut, and accept the disadvantage of being stuck with external drive solutions because Apple doesn't provide a real, expandable, desktop computer.

      Also we have gotten far away from original point: why would you advocate fo

    14. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      No I am not. What I am saying, is that your shinny TB box may be using SATA internally to connect hard drives. Either that, or NVMe/PCIe to connect faster SSDs. There is no such thing as a TB drive.

      Dude, you are missing the whole point again. Internally, the Mac Pro 2013 and the iMac Pro do not use SATA to connect to internal drives. The Mac Pro used their own PCIe standard before NVMe became the standard. The iMac Pro uses NVMe. At no point are these Macs limited to SATA at 6 Gbps internally. You do understand this right? Externally they use TB. They don’t use eSATA as an external connector for all the reasons above. You do understand the difference between internal and external right?

      Nobody ever talked about sharing a single SATA cable for more than one drive except you. I wouldn't even know how to do that.

      Nobody but you. When I’m talking about TB as an external connector and you champion SATA, what the hell are you talking about?

      Is it obviously even slower if you connect to a gigabit Ethernet NAS. By the way, the Mac Pro doesn't have 10 Gbps Ethernet. The average NAS is gigabit at best.

      I said previously that the main advantage of a NAS isn’t speed over TB or eSATA. I said specifically the term “network” was the main advantage. Availability, reliability, redundancy, backup strategy?

      Your understanding is terrible. I never said the opposite.

      And yet you keep championing SATA over TB.

      That's why it would be a much better idea to use a real desktop instead of these toys. A real professional video editing machine have multiple drive bays.

      Bahahaha. “Toys” that have Xeon processors, ECC RAM, PCIe SSDs (starting in 2013 no less), Pro video cards, TB? By the way, you later admit to not having any experience in professional video editing, but you’re absolutely sure what professional video editors use. Here’s a clue: the current trend is that video editors don’t have multiple drive bays. Why? Because as you accumulate more files, it is difficult to expand your desktop to have enough drives. If your NAS becomes full you can add more drives if there is space or add another NAS. Unless you started out with a desktop that had 4 or more drive bays, enough drive connectors, etc., this is why pros don’t use a multi-bay desktop anymore.

      They are not highly specialized. Especially not the cheap ones.

      Oh really? So what do they use for hardware and software then? Let me guess for hardware: just standard ATX x86 MBs running standard Windows? Oh wait they use specialized boards and specialized OS. I guess the term “specialized” applies.

      They are running some sort of embedded Linux or BSD.

      Wait didn’t you just admit the term “specialized” applies then?

      You can use FreeNAS to make your own NAS. They just use a cheaper CPU, no GPU, no audio or other useless peripherals, and less RAM than a regular desktop. So yeah, they are cheap desktop computers, dumbed down.

      So the term “specialized” doesn’t apply? Also if you have a desktop with no GPU, no audio, no peripherals, etc, how is it a “desktop”? You could call it an appliance maybe. In this case also a “server”. Please brush up on your IT.

      The good ones might have a good hardware RAID controller but that's pretty much it.

      Again not “specialized” according to you.

      Then don't call it a NAS. Call it a network file server.

      Please read the wiki on what is and is not a NAS as you just contradicted yourself by installing FreeNAS to make a NAS.

      Again, the reason for not running the web server on your desktop is availability. And i

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    15. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro by fred6666 · · Score: 1

      At no point are these Macs limited to SATA at 6 Gbps internally

      Oh I get that. They are only limited by the 6 Gbps SATA externally. Because SATA is used in the NAS or the TB box.

      Internally, the Mac Pro 2013 and the iMac Pro do not use SATA to connect to internal drives.

      My point is that the NAS or TB box can only be slower than if the drives were attached directly, with a SATA cable, to the motherboard of the desktop computer. Obviously it rules out any computer which doesn't have any SATA connector.

      When I’m talking about TB as an external connector and you champion SATA, what the hell are you talking about?

      What kind of connection is used inside your TB box to connect hard drives? That's right, SATA. Just because you put the hard drive in an external TB enclosure will not make it any faster compared to inside your desktop. After all this discussion, you are a loss cause if you still don't get that.

      And yet you keep championing SATA over TB.

      If you still think these two technologies compete you are a loss cause.
      The choice is not SATA or TB. The choice is either SATA + TB or SATA only. You are arguing that the first must be faster because TB is faster than SATA. I hope you finally get how stupid it is.

      Unless you started out with a desktop that had 4 or more drive bays, enough drive connectors, etc.

      It should be the case for any "pro" desktop. I have more than that in my "mid tower" non-pro desktop. 6x SATA is quite a common number for a plain home/office/gaming desktop.

      Wait didn’t you just admit the term “specialized” applies then?

      They may be specialized, but you said "highly specialized". This is not rocket science. They are running plain Linux/BSD.

      While your CPU isn’t fully taxed, your SATA connection is maxed, your Ethernet is maxed. Good luck saving anything or using the Internet.

      You understand that transfering a 100 GB file over gigE won't tax your CPU at all and won't saturate your SATA link, right? You likely won't notice any difference while browsing the web but if you do, just use a second gigE interface.

      but if you upload it to the NAS, it has redundancy unlike your desktop.

      Wrong. You can do RAID in your desktop just as well as in your NAS.

      So I have to have a RAID on my desktop because . . . you don’t want a RAID on the NAS server. As well as every other video editor has to have a RAID. Because . . .?

      You don't have too. But it's a good idea if you want redundancy. Or perhaps to increase speed. You are going to need so much storage that you need multiple drives anyways so why not use RAID?

      Bahahahaha. Video editing software doesn’t really care what storage is used. None of them

      Nobody ever claimed the opposite. Your understanding skills fail again. At least it makes you laugh.

      You advocate getting a desktop with multiple drive bays because you use RAID on your desktop using 6Gbps SATA III.

      I also said you can use NVMe SSD if you need more speed. But storage will be limited.

      When someone wants your original or edited files, you can’t save or use the Internet and vice versa.

      Why not?

      Backup strategy means each and every desktop RAID has to be backed up.

      The total amount of data to backup will be the same, and the backup speed should be the same or faster.

      Every editor doesn’t have multiple bays but uses NVMe which is significantly faster.

      You can have multiple NVMe slots/bays. I never argued for SATA over NVMe. Only, good luck buying these 8TB SSDs.

      And guess what, you can hav

    16. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      Dude, give it up. You called a server "a dumb desktop". That tells me you have no clue about what you're talking about. I can literally dismiss everything you are going to say.

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    17. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro by fred6666 · · Score: 1

      Failed understanding skills until the end. I was not talking about a server (full fledged computer), but a NAS device. A NAS is indeed a dumb, or stripped down, computer. Since that computer is not portable or battery powered and doesn't have a display, I call it a desktop but we could call it a server just as well if you prefer.

    18. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      You called a server a “desktop, dumbed down”. You called a Pro workstation with Pro hardware, a “toy”. You don’t know at a NAS is. Please do your research further commenting as you’re only making yourself look dumber.

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    19. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro by fred6666 · · Score: 1

      You called a server a “desktop, dumbed down”.

      No I didn't. You fail to understand basic sentences again.

      You don’t know at a NAS is.

      Of course I do.

    20. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      Your exact words:

      They just use a cheaper CPU, no GPU, no audio or other useless peripherals, and less RAM than a regular desktop. So yeah, they are cheap desktop computers, dumbed down. The good ones might have a good hardware RAID controller but that's pretty much it.

      This part tells me you don’t know what a “server” is. A server doesn’t mean a high end CPU and lots of RAM. No audio, no GPU, and fewer peripherals is characteristic of every single server I’ve worked with from big iron to web servers to enterprise databases. Most of Google’s web crawling servers are low power and low performance CPUs. Many big iron mainframes don’t have the fastest CPUs either but focus on processing a high number of transactions. Low cost print servers don’t use any high end CPUs yet they are still servers.

      Please learn what is a server is as your world seems entirely centered around desktops even though no NAS was designed to be a desktop. They are highly specialized to be a NAS. They are not specialized to be a database server or a enterprise web server. Most of them cannot even made to be print servers. Their hardware are not standardized and specialized specifically to that model.

      On the other end of performance your words on the Mac Pro and iMac Pro:

      That's why it would be a much better idea to use a real desktop instead of these toys. A real professional video editing machine have multiple drive bays.

      So you called two machine with Xeon processors, ECC RAM, Pro GPUs, PCIe SSDs, and TB “toys.” It seems you don’t know what a “workstation” is. At the same you have never worked with professional video editors yet boldly and arrogantly claim that these machines are not “real” video editing machines despite they are exactly what professionals use.

      At this point it seems you are now resorting to lying as to what you said even though anyone can scroll up and see your words. There is no misunderstanding. You are just wrong and desperately trying to cover it up by lying about what you said.

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    21. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro by fred6666 · · Score: 1

      You fail to understand what the word "they" was referring to. You think it was servers. It wasn't. It was NAS devices.
      Understanding failure. I point it to you. And yet, you keep not wanting to re-read or even accept there could have been a confusion.

      So you called two machine with Xeon processors, ECC RAM, Pro GPUs, PCIe SSDs, and TB “toys.”

      I knew you would bite. Just because you put over expensive CPUs or RAM in a computer doesn't automatically makes it good for all types of work.
      For professional video editing, you often need multiple drives. You don't need to save a little bit on space on your desktop by using an all-in-one computer. And no, you don't absolutely need ECC for that work, and it's probably a waste. So are single-socket Xeons over regular Core-i7/i9/Whatever.

      As I said, I agree some video editors use iMacs or Mac Pro. Or even Mac laptops or the very non-Pro Mac Mini. Why would they use such mortal hardware? The same as grandmothers? Because well, first, they like OS X and/or FinalCut. And there is no mid-tower Mac available. So they settle down for what is available, since their dream computer doesn't exist.

      But I've never met a video editor who prefer PCs over Macs AND chose an All-In-One PC or a small form factor with no drive expansion such as the Mac Pro. They are just not worth it. For the same amount of money, or even less, you can get the expansion bays. So why not?

    22. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You fail to understand what the word "they" was referring to. You think it was servers. It wasn't. It was NAS devices.

      A NAS is, by definition, a server. Again, you don’t know what a server or a NAS is. By function it is a server. By other characteristics it is a server.

      Understanding failure. I point it to you. And yet, you keep not wanting to re-read or even accept there could have been a confusion.

      There is no misunderstanding on my part. You’re just wrong because you’re ignorant on what a NAS is and have refused to admit it.

      I knew you would bite. Just because you put over expensive CPUs or RAM in a computer doesn't automatically makes it good for all types of work.

      According to you a NAS isn’t a server because it doesn’t use a high end CPU and at the same time an Apple using a high end CPU is a “toy”. Do you hear how idiotic you sound? These are workstations. Please learn what that means. Professional CPUs and ECC RAM is what professionals use.

      For professional video editing, you often need multiple drives.

      As a pro you need local space and long term storage. Local space needs to be fast (NVMe). Long term storage needs to be available, reliable, and redundant and networked if there are many editors.

      You don't need to save a little bit on space on your desktop by using an all-in-one computer.

      How would you know? You’ve already said you don’t work in this field. Talk to a pro and learn something before you make yourself look dumber.

      And no, you don't absolutely need ECC for that work, and it's probably a waste. So are single-socket Xeons over regular Core-i7/i9/Whatever.

      How would you know? To be clear you called them toys and a waste at the same time. Which is it?. Can you get away with using lower CPUs and non-ECC Ram. Yes. But Pros who can afford both opt for both.

      As I said, I agree some video editors use iMacs or Mac Pro. Or even Mac laptops or the very non-Pro Mac Mini. Why would they use such mortal hardware?

      Probably the same reason why people buy non-OC Core i5s instead of OC Core i9s for every computer: $$$. Not everyone can afford the best hardware/software. However if time is money as a pro video editor, getting the right hardware is a time saver. Such hardware is not cheap.

      The same as grandmothers?

      We have already established that the “Pro” Apple hardware isn’t the same as grandmothers.

      Because well, first, they like OS X and/or FinalCut. And there is no mid-tower Mac available. So they settle down for what is available, since their dream computer doesn't exist.

      People are free to use Windows and software ecosystems like Adobe. It is a matter of choice that Pros use Macs.

      But I've never met a video editor who prefer PCs over Macs AND chose an All-In-One PC or a small form factor with no drive expansion such as the Mac Pro. They are just not worth it. For the same amount of money, or even less, you can get the expansion bays. So why not?

      You’ve never met or you’ve never asked? I already stated earlier why: As a pro video editor, your video library can quickly exceed the capabilies of a desktop. Unless you started with a 6 or 8-bay desktop, you’ll have to keep replacing all your HDDs with larger ones. OR use a NAS. And that’s if you work alone. Please research why tech Youtubers like Linus Techtips and iJustine use enterprise versions.

      If you eventually need a NAS then having an 6 bay desktop becomes pointless.

    23. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      So it seems that you spent days not knowing the a NAS by definition is a server. Not only that you’ve argued vehemently in a topic area you seem to know nothing about.

      --
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    24. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro by fred6666 · · Score: 1

      A NAS is a server. But a server is not necessarily a NAS.

    25. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1
      Again you said about a NAS on Wednesday:

      They just use a cheaper CPU, no GPU, no audio or other useless peripherals, and less RAM than a regular desktop. So yeah, they are cheap desktop computers, dumbed down. The good ones might have a good hardware RAID controller but that's pretty much it.

      From the very beginning I told you to research what a NAS is. It appears you didn't do so. It appears it took you almost a week to realize that a NAS is a server. If you didn't know a NAS was a server then what other knowledge are you lacking? Because many of your arguments look nonsensical if you didn't know that a NAS was a server. Like the statement above makes you look like an idiot. A NAS was never designed to be a desktop and you called them "cheap desktop computers, dumbed down."

      On the topic of a Mac Pro or iMac Pro, they are workstations and specifically not toys. Learn what a workstation is.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
    26. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro by fred6666 · · Score: 1

      I knew what a NAS was. Probably a lot more than you, but whatever.

      A NAS can be a dumbed down desktop computer. Again, by desktop, in this sentence, I meant non-laptop. So this includes servers. I already explained all that. A desktop computer can be a server. A server doesn't have to be a 1U form factor. It can be a mid tower.

      And yet, you stick to your stupid point. So let's make this clear again: I never said a NAS isn't a server.

      On the topic of a Mac Pro or iMac Pro, they are workstations and specifically not toys. Learn what a workstation is.

      I see I insulted your religion. Not sorry.

  4. The NVIDIA embargo continues by JoeyRox · · Score: 2

    Much to the detriment of Apple's pro customers.

    1. Re:The NVIDIA embargo continues by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Maybe Apple just can't stand dealing with NVIDIA. You know, the same way Linus feels...

  5. 50-percent performance improvement over slow by AHuxley · · Score: 1

    is still slow.
    Want to move heat out of a computer?
    Design a real computer that can keep a CPU/GPU working without having to slow down quickly for heat.

    --
    Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  6. Apple not newsworthy anymore. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    In the past, it was newsworthy, because they were going unusual, interesing ways, or to laugh at their "courage".

    Now they're just another extremely expensive manufacturer of sub-standard quality (ask Louis Rossman) PCs with (apparently desireful for some) lock-in as its most distinctive feature.

    It makes no more sense to report about Apple's new products than about Dell's.

    I may not like Apple, but I'm still feeling bad for its fans, that it's now taken over by standard issue MBA vulture suits.

    1. Re: Apple not newsworthy anymore. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thanks man. Windows 10 seems to be the way to go!

    2. Re: Apple not newsworthy anymore. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hell no, Linux is the only sensible choice now.

    3. Re: Apple not newsworthy anymore. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      LOL no.

    4. Re: Apple not newsworthy anymore. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ha, ha! Yes...

      Enjoy your Winblows!

    5. Re: Apple not newsworthy anymore. by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

      I prefer NintendOS.

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
  7. Vega 48? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Are these chips that didn't make binning for Vega 56?

    1. Re:Vega 48? by Terkanil · · Score: 1

      This sounds like the Intel chip with a Vega 20 onboard: https://www.engadget.com/2018/...

      --
      "I do not suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it!"
  8. Nerds? Apple? Huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You seem to think of those cute girls wearing fake glasses and playing console games so they can say "I'm soo nerdy!".

    I don't blame you. :)

    But you can't go further from "nerd" than Apple.

    1. Re:Nerds? Apple? Huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Whooooosh...

  9. Wow by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What an overpriced piece of shit!

    Specced out like a base model PS4, not even a PS4 Pro.

  10. Lipstick on a pig by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yawn.

  11. Sorry, no Linux, no sale by ctilsie242 · · Score: 0

    If Apple's T2 chip still disallows Linux from using the onboard SSD, that is a deal breaker. Mainly because when Apple stops supporting a Mac model in macOS, you need to run something that gets security updates.

    1. Re:Sorry, no Linux, no sale by Known+Nutter · · Score: 4, Informative

      If Apple's T2 chip still disallows Linux from using the onboard SSD, that is a deal breaker.

      It doesn't. Calm it on down.

      --
      Beware of the Leopard.
  12. They couldn't handle it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They buy Apple because they can't handle the power and freedom of using a full PC. So that would only be useful to them, of somebody would turn it into a Hackintosh for them and maintain it.

  13. CUDA or GTFO by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Dear Apple, many of us want / need a GPU capable of running CUDA. Until you get over yourselves and resume offering NVIDIA options, we simply aren’t interested.

  14. Mouse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Mouse have the cutest commercials, But mainly a Japanese brand.

  15. Woosh yourself. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I did get that. Duh.
    But still... beyond that ... still ...

    1. Re:Woosh yourself. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In that case, the whoosh is all mine.

  16. On an iMac?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I think the overlap of people hopelessl incompetent enough to buy not onl Apple, but an iMac, of all things, and of those who havr even heard of CUDA or would ever need it, is absolutely zero.

    Also, fuck supporting the quasi-monopoly. Even if I own a nVidia card, I still aim for full standards compatibility. So OpenCL or GTFO.

    Those who feed lock-in, deserve the hurt they'll fall into.
    But when they drag us with them, like with Windows, IE, Intel, and now nVidia, they become our enemies too.

  17. In 2019 with SSD prices around $50 bucks by rsilvergun · · Score: 4, Insightful

    for a decent 256 GB from newegg without bulk pricing I expect an SSD. I at least expect a 7200 RPM hard disk. A 5400 RPM drive will hamstring the entire computer, OSX or not. It'll lead to a poor user experience.

    This tells me Apple is confident enough in their brand to sell substandard merchandise for a premium.

    --
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    1. Re:In 2019 with SSD prices around $50 bucks by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 3, Insightful

      This tells me Apple is confident enough in their brand to sell substandard merchandise for a premium.

      The goal is to hook customers with the lower price, and then sell them the upgrade.

      It is like selling cars. People price compare the base models, but then order plenty of upgrades, which is where the profit is.

      But it is silly to quibble about SSD vs HDD, when that is only one of many problems with the iMac. Anyone with half a brain will know that buying a computer integrated into the back of a monitor makes no sense.

      A Mac-Mini and a nice 3rd party 4K monitor is a far better deal.

    2. Re:In 2019 with SSD prices around $50 bucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      for a decent 256 GB from newegg without bulk pricing I expect an SSD. I at least expect a 7200 RPM hard disk. A 5400 RPM drive will hamstring the entire computer, OSX or not. It'll lead to a poor user experience.

      This tells me Apple is confident enough in their brand to sell substandard merchandise for a premium.

      The 1TB model does have 32G of SSD, and the 2TB has 128G SSD.
      If you want 256G SSD, pick it from the drop down... are you serious quibbling about a $50 premium on an iMac?

    3. Re:In 2019 with SSD prices around $50 bucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why, are monitor technologies going somewhere?
      Computers going anywhere?

      A 27" iMac with 5k screen will be good for at least ten years for anything but gaming.
      Source: I have a 2013 27" 2.5k iMac and there is no reason to upgrade for anything but gaming and I still have a better monitor than most people.
      Our entire office is still rocking one or two 1080 monitors, with no signs of that changing.

      It’s safe to settle on 4K/21" or 5K/27", you will not be getting monitor envy anytime soon. I’m not sure if you thought the monitor or computer would be worth upgrading in the future? Why? Computer upgrades are not worth the cost anymore, and these are desktop machines.

  18. If you're a pro customer aren't you better off by rsilvergun · · Score: 2

    with AMD? One of the things I've read consistently is AMD does better in productivity apps that use the GPU. As near as anyone can tell the Radeon VII is just their high end professional GPU repackaged for gaming (which explains the stupidly large 16 GB of expensive ram).

    As for stability, AMD really has got their act together, and the GPU power draw is just fine at idle. Nvidia wins out there once the GPU is under load, but if I'm loading my GPU I'm probably plugged in.

    --
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    1. Re:If you're a pro customer aren't you better off by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      well if your software uses CUDA it ain't running on AMD no matter what.

    2. Re:If you're a pro customer aren't you better off by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And before someone say "why would use use CUDA on a desktop?", imagine a company which uses their desktops' spare cycles when they're unused a la SETI at home.

    3. Re:If you're a pro customer aren't you better off by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, Nvidia doesn't "win out" under load; they win a bunch of carefully crafted benchmarks running on games which are specifically tweaked to run well on Nvidias stuff - and sometimes are heavily sabotaged by "Gameworks" to not work well with AMD cards.

  19. Never did by SuperKendall · · Score: 2

    You need to recheck because you can turn off the protections that disallow using Linux, even on the older iMac Pro (which has the T2).

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  20. upgrade RAM etc. by ruddk · · Score: 2

    Can't see if you can upgrade the RAM on this model.
    Based on experience, I would max out the CPU and GPU in the configuration, go for a 512GB or 1TB SSD, ditch FusionDrive.
    If the RAM is upgradeable then save on that and expand that later.

    I am running a late 2013 iMac and I can still use it for video editing, even a bit of 4K. I have added an external RAID0 for editing (2x4tb 7200rpm, partitioned with the fastest part of spindle for editing) and a 1tb SSD for smaller projects.
    I wanted to go all SSD but I having trouble finding an external enclosure that supports TRIM which I "need" as editing videos don't seem to play well with traditional SSD usage. Since I only have the original Thunderbolt specs, the choices are limited.

    But as I had said before, FCPX is really the only thing that keeps me on the Mac(ok, I like the OS too) so perhaps I should have a go at a Hackintosh again, or learn DaVinci Resolve already. I guess I will stay on my old iMac until it gives up the ghost and makes the decision then. :)

    1. Re:upgrade RAM etc. by magusxxx · · Score: 1

      I'm currently using my trusty ole' 2007 and 2012 Mac Minis. And have been patiently wait for 'the next big thing' in redesign and specs and upgrade to a regular Mac.

      Guess I'll be waiting awhile longer. *heavy sigh*

      --
      Care killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.
  21. translate for me by Tom · · Score: 1

    and for everyone not following the very latest technobabble GPU boards:

    Does that mean the new iMac has good VR support coming?

    That's basically the only thing the slightly older ones don't have. I play everything on max settings in most games, so I really wonder why it's considered insufficient - except for VR.

    --
    Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
    1. Re:translate for me by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      VR support to create VR.
      The playing of the VR product will need a real computer with a real CPU and GPU that can keep the needed VR speed and quality.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  22. "Shanghai" Bill is a known liar many times over. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Bill got caught lying 12-25 times repeatedly stating "Blood plasma is sterile" and then later that "The Chinese Govt does not directly censor Chinese citizens" and other absolute bullshit head-in-ass retard-level lies. You're not trustworthy.

    You are not a source of information that anyone should or even could trust, knowing your dishonest history. Sorry. That's what accountability means when you get caught lying repeatedly, over and over, even after directly corrected.

    You're a liar, Bill.

  23. APPLE GET RID OF THAT AMD GPU BULLSHIT by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Seriously. Nobody wants that bargain basement hardware. Just bite the bullet and stick in the Nvidia stuff people WANT.

  24. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro Please by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

    You specially said that you were talking about servers and not a NAS. Again we can scroll up or are you going to lie about that? By definition, Mac Pro and iMac Pro are workstations as is a Dell Precision. Again you show a stunning level of ignorance and arrogance at the same time. If you can’t basic definitions right, how bad must your conclusions be.

    --
    Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
  25. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro Please by fred6666 · · Score: 1

    You specially said that you were talking about servers and not a NAS.

    I've talked about both. But when I said that NAS are dumbed down desktop computers, I was not talking about servers in general. Even you understood that right in your post https://slashdot.org/comments....

    Again we can scroll up or are you going to lie about that?

    Please do. Either you won't find what you are looking for, or I will have to point out yet again how you badly understood a basic sentence.

    By definition, Mac Pro and iMac Pro are workstations as is a Dell Precision. Again you show a stunning level of ignorance and arrogance at the same time. If you can’t basic definitions right, how bad must your conclusions be.

    Again you fail at logic/understanding. Workstations are desktops computers. Not all desktop computers are workstations. I never said the Mac Pro isn't a workstation, yet, you seem to claim otherwise. When I qualified them as toys, I meant that they have some serious shortcomings for many types of work. They are made to be small and stylish, as most Apple products.

  26. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro Please by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

    I've talked about both. But when I said that NAS are dumbed down desktop computers, I was not talking about servers in general. Even you understood that right in your post

    You lie. These are your words.

    You fail to understand what the word "they" was referring to. You think it was servers. It wasn't. It was NAS devices.

    Please do. Either you won't find what you are looking for, or I will have to point out yet again how you badly understood a basic sentence.

    Please read up above where your own words contradict you. Liar.

    Again you fail at logic/understanding. Workstations are desktops computers. Not all desktop computers are workstations. I never said the Mac Pro isn't a workstation, yet, you seem to claim otherwise.

    No you called them toys because you don't seem to understand what a workstation is and now you're desperately trying to cover up for that.

    When I qualified them as toys, I meant that they have some serious shortcomings for many types of work. They are made to be small and stylish, as most Apple products.

    Please are you now going to lie even more about what you meant. You just dig yourself more and more into a hole because you didn't know something basic and are trying to lie your way out of it now.

    --
    Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
  27. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro Please by fred6666 · · Score: 1

    You lie. These are your words.

    Please read up above where your own words contradict you. Liar.

    And? Where is the contradiction? I don't see what you are talking about.

  28. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro Please by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

    Give it up. You’ve been caught lying. From the beginning you were insistent about talking the iMac even though no one was taking about it. The you compared SATA which is an internal connector to TB2 which is not remotely the same. Then you said a NAS wasn’t a server. All you called Pro workstations as toys. When pointed out all this idiocy you just doubled down and insisted that’s not what you meant. You tried to explain the “toys” comment as meaning that workstations can’t do all types of work. Dude, they are workstations for a reason. They are specialized for certain tasks. Learn what a workstation is. You’re just dishonest.

    --
    Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
  29. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro Please by fred6666 · · Score: 1

    I take that you can't even explain where I contradicted myself. Let alone "lied".

  30. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro Please by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

    I pointed it out already. I take it you still don’t know a workstation is because your statement is idiotic.

    --
    Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
  31. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro Please by fred6666 · · Score: 1

    I pointed it out already.

    You didn't. You pointed out two statements with no contradictions.

    I take it you still don’t know a workstation is because your statement is idiotic.

    And you are wrong once more but who cares at this point.

  32. Re:SATA is a good sign for the next mac pro Please by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

    Bahahaha. You didn’t know a NAS was a server. You didn’t know TB was external. You didn’t know what a workstation is. Please tell me what a workstation is because your answer will show you that you’re an idiot.

    --
    Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.