Shez

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Just a comparison and moment of "wtf?".

How do these comparable systems, one being put together,the other from Apple, have such a huge price discrepancy?

Mac Pro
CPU: Two 2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon “Woodcrest”
GPU: nVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT graphics with 256MB memory
RAM: 1GB memory (667MHz DDR2 fully-buffered DIMM ECC)
HDD: 250GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s 7200-rpm hard drive1
CD/DVD: 16x double-layer SuperDrive
Price tag: $2500

Home built system
CPU: Core 2 Quad
GPU: 8800GTS 640MB
RAM: 2GB DDR2800
HDD: Western Digital 250G 3Gb/s
CD/DVD: LITE-ON DVD-R
Price tag: ~$1100

Am I painfully overlooking something or are Macs now the overpriced, underpowered POSs that they've always been? From my standpoint, the CPUs and HDDs are comparable but you can effectively and easily double the RAM and performance of the GPU at half the price.

Just a thought... :)
 

SolPC

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Apple has usually been overpriced for the hardware they pack. They sell on the "cool" factor. I've never really found them that appealing.
 

maverick7

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like with dell.. it all depends on the pc really for more expensive pc's they get more money. Like with Voodoo and Dell XPS you can build those for tons less. While the lower end pc's u could maybe build for just a bit cheaper but not by much
 

Nitro350Z

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The fact that it has 2 server procs, fbdimm memory, and a server mobo really raise the price, not worth it but it's going to be more expensive. That and the points others have given
 

joedhiggins

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Apple doesn't know how to make a high end workstation/gaming box. They have never understood how, and they probably never will. It comes down to this (and I don't own a mac atm, and wouldn't buy one as it now stands): Do you want subpar hardware and an OS that doesn't blow, or do you want good hardware and a terrible OS?

Apple thinks of themselves as a hardware company, and they always have. Unfortunately for them, their biggest selling point is their software (which, admittedly is an outstanding triumph that outclasses windows in just about every way). It is a damn shame that you can't reliably run X on your own box.
 

mrmez

Splendid


Good point, those components will ALWAYS cost more.
Also it IS important to compare with another brand name pc as suggested.
Still, Macs are always going to be more expensive.

Sure the parts are better quality etc, but the Intel chips for example are SO good right now that even the garbage e2xxx series are reaching 3+ ghz oc and lasting forever. Kinda makes getting higher binned parts a waste if u know what i mean.
FB-Dimms are from satan himself. Slowwer and more power hungry, and totally useless in any application other that vital servers.

The price comes down to psychology. Its like if u pay $9.99 for something, a small part of your brain says its $9. Thats $1 or 10% less than $10 right?
It does a similar thing with price/quality. Some products have beat ye olde supply(price)/demand economic model, and have increased demand by raising prices! Obviously if it costs more it MUST be better. Right?
Apple have spent many years and loads of money building their brand to the point where they can charge more for less and still end up with happy customers.
To an extent price/product mean less than percieved quality/value to many people.
 

Shez

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I think mrmez has the best point. Hardware costs vary widely across the board. As Maverik was saying, Dells too overprice their rigs, especially in the XPS series.

However, what struck me about the Apple Mac Pro that I listed above is simply the overwhelming difference in price vs. product. It will always be that high end systems (much like high end cars) will always be very overpriced, based simply on the "cool factor" or eliteness of the system, even though they could be home built for much less. With the Mac Pro however, it seems like a mid-range product for a high end price.

I'm not trying to knock Apple (I'll admit that I do really love some of their products) but I feel like they're going to shoot themselves in the foot with such sub-par products. But hey, I'm a PC guy :p