back to article Dell fuels up Precision workstations with Xeon E5s

Intel has got its Xeon E5 processors out the door for boxes with one or two sockets and is getting ready to start the "Ivy Bridge" generation of desktop processors, and so it's no surprise Dell is revamping its Precision workstation lineup. The direct vendor is keeping momentum going in this fast-growing segment of the desktop …

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  1. Stephen 10

    Serious question

    How hard would it be to Hackintosh one of these?

    My Mac Pro is getting a little long in the tooth...

    Also noteworthy that Apple haven't announced their new Mac Pros with the Xeon E5s being released, normally when there's a new workstation Xeon they're among the first announced.

    1. Davidoff
      Holmes

      Hackintosh

      Frankly, if you have the money to shell out for a Dell Precision T7600 or a HP z820 then you're way better off investing that money into the current Mac Pro if you really need a Mac. None of these machines are meant for home use anyways, and no sane person would set his business on a Hackintosh.

      Additionally, the current Mac Pro using Westmere (XEON 5600 series) processors should still fit all needs, especially within the limits of Mac OS.

      1. Adam T

        Re: Hackintosh

        Or get a 3XS system from Scan. I've a couple of i7 systems from them, their Xeon builds are a fraction of the cost of Dell & Apple.

        Extras are discounted from their retail prices too (instead of bloated) - i.e. 64GB EEC RAM in a 3XS E5 build is £454+VAT, whereas Apple will happily make you pay £2840+VAT.

        That said, I've also got a 2006 Mac Pro here that runs as smoothly as the day I bought it. Got to hand it to Apple, they may charge over the odds but they sure as hell know how to build solid workstations.

        1. Davidoff
          WTF?

          Re: Hackintosh

          "Or get a 3XS system from Scan. I've a couple of i7 systems from them, their Xeon builds are a fraction of the cost of Dell & Apple."

          Yeah, great, a generic standard PC from with zero ISV certification and no professional support (which is what makes a PC a Workstation). And if later on something dies, good luck getting the exact same component as a replacement.

          There is a reason why white box PCs from assemblers like Scan are cheaper. Most of these systems wouldn't even pass basic EMC tests.

          "Apple, they may charge over the odds but they sure as hell know how to build solid workstations."

          So do Dell and HP (still have a 2006 Dell Precision 690's).

          1. Adam T

            Re: Hackintosh

            Well, yeah granted, and I'd probably feel differently if I'd had any problems (haven't so far, touch wood). Probably Dell are a better bet in that outlook, at least they handle enterprise at the enterprise level (whereas Apple has...the genius bar?)

          2. Stephen 10

            Re: Hackintosh

            "Apple, they may charge over the odds but they sure as hell know how to build solid workstations."

            Ignoring the fact I've had 3 power supplies die on the Mac Pro (though all 3 replaced outside warranty which makes me think it's a known problem) and the WiFi has been flaky as hell (replaced with '500MB' powerline networking which has worked far more reliably and quickly) it has been reliable.

            I disagree about 'professional support' making a PC a workstation though - it's entirely your opinion and goes against the idea of Apple offering workstations, professional support requires on-site which Apple don't do in Australia. In mine it's level of power and expandability that raises it above a regular PC, that's all.

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