Sale 2008 Mac Pro for a new MacBook Pro

[Adam Welch]

I have an 2008 Mac Pro that I am thinking about selling and getting a MacBook Pro. I was just wondering what other people's thoughts are. Should I try to upgrade my Mac Pro more or should I get a MacBook Pro and use Thunderbolt technology to have external GPUs?

My Mac Pro's Specs:
Model: 3.1
OS: Mountain Lion
Processors: 8-Core 2.8GHz
RAM: 14 GB
Video Card: NVIDIA Quadro 4000
HDD: 1TB & 350GB

Software:
Avid Media Composer 6.5
After Effect CS6

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

 

[Patrick Wieland]

I'm selling my 2011 Mac Pro and 2011 Macbook Pro to upgrade to new fully loaded Imac with SSD and thunderbolts to work with multiple Thunderbolt Raids. Also getting a new Macbook Pro Retina with SSD and fully loaded. I just feel like the price of upgrading my Mac Pro with new Graphics card and not having thunderbolt isn't worth it.

 

[Steve Sherrick]

I think having both are essential to be honest but it comes down to workflow. It also comes down to testing the various configurations. Thunderbolt is not an automatic win in my opinion. Some things are great about it, others not so much.

Assess what PCI-e cards you may have, what your graphics cards needs are, and how much horsepower you need. You may determine that you need a tower and that may then lead to the question of which one considering there is a possibility of a new Mac Pro in 2013 and there are powerful PC solutions as well. iMacs work well for some people, others find them too limiting. The new MBPs are nice but they are not an end all be all...yet.

I'd think through the decisions carefully, making sure you have covered all your bases. Think through storage as well. Fast storage can be as important as anything, so don't underestimate that. Think of RAM and how much you'll need to get the most out of your apps. Expandability as well. Lots to consider.

 

[Adam Welch]

I have always loved having a Mac Pro and have upgraded it over the years. My system has really started to slow down on me especially since I started working with RED footage. I am trying to find out how I can squeeze as much power out of my system. I have thought about maxing out the RAM and putting in an SSD as the system drive, but I am not sure if it is worth putting more money into an older system.