1st Gen Mac Pro or iMac?

[kvasir]

There is a gentlemen offering a Mac Pro 2.66 (Dual Dual Core), 2gb RAM, 250, 500 gb Hard disks, ATI Radeon X1900 graphics, Dell 24" monitor and Klipsch Pro Audio 5.1 speakers for $1,000. I've been looking at the 20" and 24 inch previous gen iMacs. Either one sounds good, but I have a few questions:

1. I am using this for some light video editing, storing and editing pictures, web surfing, ect. Nothing heavy, just something more powerful than my current Air.

2. I've seen conflicting reports that the 1st Gen Mac Pro's processors can be swapped. I see that the processors are around $500 each. Is it possible though?

3. In terms of raw speed, which one would be better? The iMacs are the 2.66 and 2.8 ghz models.

I like the upgradability of the Mac Pro, but the age concerns me. The iMac is my top choice at the moment, but for $1,000, what would you do?

 

[simplymuzik3]

I would get the mac pro! It can easily be upgraded in the future, and its faster! Think about it, would you rather get a pro machine, or a consumer machine? I would go for the mac pro any day, and you also get a 24" monitor and speakers! Awesome deal!

 

[QCassidy352]

mac pro! That's a stunningly good deal. $1000 for just the MP would be great, but with the monitor and speakers??? Buy it before this guy comes to his senses.

The imac is a great option as well; don't get me wrong. I have a 20" 2.66 previous gen imac (radeon 2600) and it's probably the best mac I've ever owned. But the mac pro is far faster, can be upgraded to an nvidea 8800 if you want, and can hold a lot more RAM and HD space in the future.

In short, mac pro. (unless it's a scam, which at that price, I'm thinking it might be)

 

[srl7741]

Good Deal

I would agree a MP and items listed for $1100 is a great deal.

 

[QuantumLo0p]

...It can easily be upgraded in the future, and its faster! Think about it, would you rather get a pro machine, or a consumer machine?...Awesome deal!

IMO, simplymuzik3 said it quite well. If the deal is real I would go for it. Also, try to see it all running if it is for sale locally and take any steps you can to protect yourself.

When it comes time for me to replace my old PowerMac I may buy an iMac or Mini because I just don't need the horsepower anymore. However, if I go that route I know I will badly miss the expansion. Power Macs and Mac Pros have a lot expansion capability. Mac Pros can have four hard drives, Heck, even my old Dual 2.7 G5 Power Mac can shoe horn two more drives for a total of four and there are also open slots for just about any card you could ever need. Those are things that iMacs and Minis are not able to do.

Have fun!

 

[cherry su]

Definitely Mac Pro. The HDD bays will mitigate any storage issues you will encounter during video editing.

 

[opera57]

For the price, definately the mac pro! Get it while you can!

 

[nerdish]

Have to agree with everyone else - Pro!

 

[twoodcc]

yeah, that price seems to good to be true. if it is a real deal, go for it!

 

[Nasty Roo]

If your heart is really set on the iMac, I would say buy the Mac Pro and flip it for a profit. Shouldn't be too hard to do considering how good of a deal people are saying it is.

Might be a bit of work on your part, but you'd surely benefit from it.

 

[Schtumple]

Get the Mac Pro, jesus, that's an insane deal.

The Mac Pro will be faster than the iMac because of the differences in architecture, iMac uses laptop parts, Mac Pro uses server/desktop parts.