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iMac or Mac Pro? (Sorry about this repetitive question)

S

Siderz

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 10, 2012
991
6
I do apologise that this is like the 10th iMac vs. ____ question this week, but I don't remember there being an iMac vs. Mac Pro question.

I'm planning on getting a maxed out 21.5" iMac (i7, 16GB RAM, Fusion Drive) on student discount (I'm in the UK), and I estimate it'll be about £1,700, which is also the price of the lowest spec Mac Pro on student discount.

Would the Mac Pro be much of a step up? Or is it kinda old now?

It misses Thunderbolt, something which is nearly a dealbreaker IMO. Will there be Thunderbolt PCIe cards soon?

I'm gonna do a decent amount of video editing, decent amount of VFX along with that, Photoshop work etc. etc.

The iMac should be able to handle my needs, but I've wanted a Mac Pro for ages (I've been saving for a while, then my iMac broke down :(), would really like to be able to add/remove internal hard drives, get PCIe stuff, change the processor (This is possible), get a Blu-ray drive.

OR, would it be better to get the iMac now, sell it when the apparent 2013 Mac Pro comes out? I just hope the next Mac Pro gives you the same upgradability. By then I'm sure I'll have the money to pay the difference.
 
I

ihuman:D

macrumors 6502a
Jul 11, 2012
925
1
Ireland
In past models(2011 etc.) you could upgrade the CPU and GPU, but Haswell will be moving on to a new socket so the (current)Mac Pro and (2012)iMac will be left behind anyway - CPU wise.
 
S

Siderz

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 10, 2012
991
6
ihuman:D said:
In past models(2011 etc.) you could upgrade the CPU and GPU, but Haswell will be moving on to a new socket so the (current)Mac Pro and (2012)iMac will be left behind anyway - CPU wise.
Click to expand...

Wait, when Haswell is available you won't be able to upgrade it (In a Mac Pro)? Or are you saying it was possible to upgrade older iMacs?

Or...are you saying 2011/2012 Mac Pros (Mac Pro had a tiny refresh when the rMBP came about) won't be compatible with Haswell? If that's the case, I might as well wait for this 2013 model and sell the iMac when it's available.
 
I

ihuman:D

macrumors 6502a
Jul 11, 2012
925
1
Ireland
Siderz said:
Wait, when Haswell is available you won't be able to upgrade it (In a Mac Pro)? Or are you saying it was possible to upgrade older iMacs?

Or...are you saying 2011/2012 Mac Pros (Mac Pro had a tiny refresh when the rMBP came about) won't be compatible with Haswell? If that's the case, I might as well wait for this 2013 model and sell the iMac when it's available.
Click to expand...

Haswell is changing to a new socket so computers that use Ivy Bridge or Sandy Bridge won't be able to use a Haswell processor.

It was possible to upgrade previous iMacs(and probably the 2012 one too) and Mac Pros with a processor that has a compatible socket.
 
M

mchoffa

macrumors 6502a
Jul 12, 2008
832
52
Asheville, NC
just my opinion but the only reason I'd go for a mac pro would be if I did really intense video/3d rendering work... other than that, an iMac should handle everything else, even lighter video work, especially if you bumped up to a 27" with upgraded GPU. I know that pushes it to about $2500, but the mac pro STARTS at $2500 without a display (which is equivalent to the $999 TB display) and only 1GB GPU
 
I

ihuman:D

macrumors 6502a
Jul 11, 2012
925
1
Ireland
mchoffa said:
just my opinion but the only reason I'd go for a mac pro would be if I did really intense video/3d rendering work... other than that, an iMac should handle everything else, even lighter video work, especially if you bumped up to a 27" with upgraded GPU. I know that pushes it to about $2500, but the mac pro STARTS at $2500 without a display (which is equivalent to the $999 TB display) and only 1GB GPU
Click to expand...

The maxed out iMac would also be good for some heavy video/CAD work too.
 
B

bbapps

macrumors regular
Jan 19, 2008
248
0
Texas
Siderz said:
Would the Mac Pro be much of a step up? Or is it kinda old now?
....
OR, would it be better to get the iMac now, sell it when the apparent 2013 Mac Pro comes out? I just hope the next Mac Pro gives you the same upgradability. By then I'm sure I'll have the money to pay the difference.
Click to expand...

If I understand your question; get current Mac Pro now OR get the new iMac then sell it when the 2013 Mac Pro comes out.

You probably should get some input from the "Mac Pro" forum; but I would not get the current Mac Pro, rumor has it is that the 2013 Mac Pro is going to be a major refresh. Thinking you would get a bigger return selling a new iMac VS selling an old Mac Pro; after the new Mac Pro comes out.

Of course, all that is based on the premise that your can take the financial hit AND you need a computer now.
 
S

Siderz

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 10, 2012
991
6
bbucy said:
You probably should get some input from the "Mac Pro" forum; but I would not get the current Mac Pro, rumor has it is that the 2013 Mac Pro is going to be a major refresh. Thinking you would get a bigger return selling a new iMac VS selling an old Mac Pro; after the new Mac Pro comes out.
Click to expand...

I think there was even a PR about a 2013 Mac Pro.

Problem is, will Jony just decide to glue a couple of Mac minis together and call it a day?

Well considering we don't know much, I guess I'll just get a maxed 21.5" now, and see what comes in the 2013 Mac Pro. If it's not good enough (Upgradable, same price or less etc.), I could always just get a refurb 2012 Mac Pro.
 
B

bbapps

macrumors regular
Jan 19, 2008
248
0
Texas
Siderz said:
Problem is, will Jony just decide to glue a couple of Mac minis together and call it a day?
Click to expand...

This is true; it is up to someone at Apple to make that decision, who that is beats the heck out of me....

Seems like they are moving the Mini line into the entertainment center (e.g. powerfull/do-more AppleTV). As a consumer, I'd like to see the Mac Pro line split into two; a beefed-up Mini Pro (for the Pro/consumer) and a Mac Pro Server (for the Professional).
 
960design

960design

macrumors 68040
Apr 17, 2012
3,699
1,566
Destin, FL
just my opinion but the only reason I'd go for a mac pro would be if I did really intense video/3d rendering work... other than that, an iMac should handle everything else, even lighter video work, especially if you bumped up to a 27" with upgraded GPU. I know that pushes it to about $2500, but the mac pro STARTS at $2500 without a display (which is equivalent to the $999 TB display) and only 1GB GPU
Click to expand...
We all use iMac 27s and use a linux farm to render finals ( you did say really intense video/3d ). The iMac 27 handles the build renders with ease.

I'd recommend grabbing the 27" although we do have 21.5's in the office at the end of the hall and they look pretty impressive for only having a 21 inch display.

just thinking
 
S

Siderz

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 10, 2012
991
6
bbucy said:
This is true; it is up to someone at Apple to make that decision, who that is beats the heck out of me....
Click to expand...

It's Jony Ive.

The new iMac design was definitely a stupid move, but he's done a lot of good designs in the past.
 
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