The Mac Pro. If one was to liken a computer to a mythical Phoenix, this would probably be the one. The workhorse of the Macintosh lineup, it incorporates features previously available to only server machines.

This machine is equipped from the factory with 2 Xeon quad core 2.8GHz chips, 2GB of RAM, a SuperDrive, a NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT graphics card, Wireless Extreme card, and a 500GB 7200RPM drive. Aftermarket improvements include an extra 6GB of RAM (total of 8GB), a Pioneer SuperDrive, and the removal of the stock Apple HD for the addition of 4 640GB WD 7200RPM drives. Computer baseline price is $2300, as ordered $3050, with aftermarket upgrades ~$4000.

Build & Appearance - Whether you hate or love macs, you cannot deny, some serious thought went into the design of this computer. Everything from the perforation in the front and rear to facilitate case fans and air flow, to the placement of ports and bays, everything has the appearance of design for purpose. The case itself is built out of a 5mm thick aluminum that looks as if it could take a bullet. Despite this choice of light weight material, the computer still weighs in at just over 70lbs. Aside from placement of fans and the number of ports, little has changed from the design of the G5 tower. Seams line up nicely, and overall, the tower looks as if it could just as happily be on display as a art gallery. Read more