[MW Forums]

In part two of his in-depth look at the Mac Pro, Rob Griffiths shares his observations of working on the desktop, performs audio and video tasks, and uses Boot Camp and Parallels Desktop to turn his desktop into a Windows-running powerhouse. more

[Philbert]

The trade-off for the upgraded ATI card seems to be fan noise. A couple of months ago, both Derik and I laughed about how our MPs with the standard Nvidia card had the same noise level as our old G4s - when asleep! While the graphics performance is a trade-off I'd welcome, the Mac Pro is a VERY, VERY quiet machine. So much so, that the clatter of the HD in one of my external FW cases (no fan), became annoying. Something I never noticed before.
Can you check to see if your drive is running in PIO mode (i.e., really slow), or the faster Ultra DMA mode while BC'd into XP? Not sure if you're aware of this issue but early Boot Camp versions on the Mac Pro left the drive hobbled in PIO mode which made for some poor performance (4-7 MBPS second vs the true 60+MBPS.) The only workaround was to create a slipstreamed XP install disc. (I'm still running from this install today) I think it's been addresses in the latest BC versions but I'm not sure.
Thanks for all the great work!

[griffman]

Can I test by simply duplicating a large file? I can tell you that I haven't noticed any long load times for the somewhat-large Flight Sim levels, for instance. And apps seems to open nearly instantly, so it seems pretty speedy.
And yes, the higher-end video card will always be noisier than the entry-level, since they all now come with large fans and heat sinks. But it's still quieter than my G5, which is nice.
-rob.

[NickDring]

Just wanted to say well done on writing a great article!

[solipsism]

Three takeaway points
1) Nice article.
2) This is the first time I've hear the term "daughter cards". Is this an industry term or a Griffiths coinage?
3) Is anyone using CrossOver for any programs yet? I know it's still a Beta but there is certainly a interest in this product since there is no need for a Windows license or the need to allocate HDD space like you do with BootCamp and Parallels.

[griffman]

1) Thank you.
2) No /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
3) I've tried it, but had very little luck with it running anything at all (I don't own most of the apps it claims to support well, and those that I do own, I can't seem to get them working).
-rob.

[icerabbit]

Thanks for the coverage on the Mac Pro.
Regarding the noise, a question if I may: What is the performance setting? ( Energy Saver > Options > Processor Performance ) if you have that option.
To keep my G5 DP 2.5 GHz (original version) quiet, I have to keep mine at Highest. If I put it in automatic, just surfing the web with Safari causes some very loud and annoying throttling, revving up and down continuously with the slightest load increase. With highest it seems to run the fans a bit faster, I think, without extra noise really and prevent this throttling.

[Philbert]

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Can I test by simply duplicating a large file?

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You could, or you can use something like the free app HD Tune. (also checks drive health)
Or, you can check in the Device Manager under Primary IDE Channel (right click My Computer on the desktop -> Properties -> Hardware tab -> Device Manager -> expand the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers -> right click on Primary IDE Channel.)
Intuitive, right? /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Philbert]

Quote:

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To keep my G5 DP 2.5 GHz (original version) quiet, I have to keep mine at Highest. If I put it in automatic, just surfing the web with Safari causes some very loud and annoying throttling, revving up and down continuously with the slightest load increase.

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It was this same issue that caused me to return a DP 2.7GHz G5 - hit a link, and the fans kick up. Extremely annoying. With the Mac Pro on the other hand, I don't think I've ever heard the fans ramp up, no matter how hard I've pushed it.

[Steve_S]

Quote:

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The trade-off for the upgraded ATI card seems to be fan noise.

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I think you may have missed the note in the article that mentioned that the fan noise was only an issue briefly when waking up, etc. I also have a Mac Pro with the ATI card and it's absolutely silent, even immediatly after playing long sessions of Call of Duty 2. To your point, potentially, there could be more noise with the ATI card, but practically, I haven't seen (heard) it.
This machine is so quite, aside from the initial startup or wake up, the only thing you can hear is the DVD spinning up or the occasional clicking sound coming from the hard drive. No fans under normal usage. I've since moved my machine into my office that's shared with a "wind tunnel" G4. Needless to say, that's the only sound I can hear in the room. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Steve

[d00d]

That's interesting Steve because a bunch of people on xlr8yourmac have actually replaced the stock fan on the card because they found it so obnoxious.

[griffman]

On the ATI? Really? Weird. Compared to the XT800 in the G5, it's notably quieter -- except on wake from sleep, then it does a pretty good impression of a 747 for a second or two /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
-rob.

[d00d]

Here's the linkage.

[lipnorth]

Having just switched from a Dual 2.5 GHZ G5 to a 2.66 Mac Pro with stock video, I'd like to add two of my own observations.
1) This machine is soooo much quieter than the G5. The G5 often sounded like a jet taking off, the fans on this are so quiet, my office is so much quieter. I can't seem to make the fans even rev up!
2) To show startling speed differences, try running the Mac Pro with the stock 1 GIG of RAM. My page in's and outs caused the whole computer to crawl and hiccup when I ran any Power PC app. Rosetta was painfully slow. Upped to 3 gig of RAM and the machine now screams and I don't miss my G5 even on Adobe CS2.