Another what should I buy thread.. (Pro vs regular)

[WitchallsMedia]

Apologies for another thread on the subject, but I’m on the fence and could do with some sensible input to either talk me out of, or into spending more money!

My current desktop is a Mid 2010 iMac i7, 16gb of RAM and upgraded 2 years back to a 1tb SSD, which changed the performance massively.

I’m at the stage where I want to upgrade, after I discovered the machine couldn’t play back videos taken on my new GoPro 5.

So.. If I buy a ‘regular’ iMac, it’ll likely be the i7 4.2, 1tb SSD, 8gb RAM (which I’ll update immediately to either with an additional 16gb or 32gb) - This works out at £2,820 (with my work discount inc numeric magic keyboard) + either £177 for 16gb or £333 for 32gb so max total price of £3,153. Probably don’t need the 32gb though.

The lowest spec iMac Pro is £4,605 (work discount), which is a much bigger spec than the above, but nearly £1,500 more expensive.

I mainly use the Mac for photography, recording music with Logic Pro X minimal web design work.

The iMac Pro is likely to be total overkill for my needs, but I’m thinking about longevity and also that the current iMac line is likely to be updated mid year with newer 6 core processors ?

I’ve got the money now for the normal iMac (not that there’s a desperate need) or could have enough for the Pro in a couple of months without having to dip into any savings.

Nice problem to have of course, but what would you do in my situation?

 

[SecuritySteve]

It seems like your needs aren't that immediate. I would hold off until late spring / summer of this year for the new iMac line in your position. That way you can get the latest regular iMac for probably much less than the iMac Pro.

 

[Bradleyone]

Good advice.

You should only buy a "Pro" Mac if your immediate needs justify it. Never buy one to "future proof," it just doesn't work that way.

I know many developers who bought the Mac Pro (2013) and then replaced it with the first iMac 5K Retina barely a year later, as the consumer grade machine actually surpassed the pro machine for suitability for the task.

 

[Fishrrman]

I agree with SecuritySteve above.

IF you can "get by" until this coming summer when the new iMacs should appear, it might be better to wait.

On the other hand, if you absolutely need to "buy now", I'd skip the iMac Pro.
It's just "too new" at the moment, and do you really want to become one of the "pioneers" with all the arrows sticking out of your back?

I'd get either an i7 iMac (high-end) or the "midrange" model.
Actually, I prefer the midrange model (3.5ghz) with the 7600 CPU. Reports are that it's far less noisy than the high-end with "fans that come on sooner"...

DO get ONLY an SSD inside.
Don't be messin' with the fusion drives at this stage of the game!

Re the problem with the GoPro:
What video editing app are you using?

 

[WitchallsMedia]

Thanks for the sensible replies chaps, much appreciated - The machine functions just fine day to day, I am planning to do some more music work on it once I move house this year and have a dedicated space to do so without waking up my daughter, so I think waiting (which is a nightmare for me, given how impatient I am!) is the right thing to do

@Fishrrman It won't play large files back from the GoPro (smaller ones seem OK) without jittering, blocky footage etc.. from any players I've tried, including VLC and a few others I googled that might have been better with 4k content.

Next machine will definitely have an SSD, the difference it made to my current iMac was night and day!

 

[1050792]

Logic will only benefit from all the iMac pro cores if you are running tons of VST's, otherwise the normal maxed out is enough.

 

[WitchallsMedia]

Just to update this, I went for the 8 core Pro.

A few reasons, shelf life - hopefully this will serve me as well or better than my 2010 iMac
Noise, I’d have bought the i7 (similar reasons to above) and from the threads on here, I’d much rather have it running almost silently.
Lastly, price... I got John Lewis to price match ‘Laptops Direct’ and then bought JL vouchers via my work scheme, final price is £4355 rather than £4899

It’s being delivered tomorrow, should still get £500-600 for my current iMac too!

 

[Bryan Bowler]

Just to update this, I went for the 8 core Pro.

A few reasons, shelf life - hopefully this will serve me as well or better than my 2010 iMac
Noise, I’d have bought the i7 (similar reasons to above) and from the threads on here, I’d much rather have it running almost silently.
Lastly, price... I got John Lewis to price match ‘Laptops Direct’ and then bought JL vouchers via my work scheme, final price is £4355 rather than £4899

It’s being delivered tomorrow, should still get £500-600 for my current iMac too!

Congrats! You bought a machine that will serve you well for many years.

 

[richinaus]

You made a good choice. The fans design is amazing and I love the Mac Pro for the lack of sound in the fans. This alone is worth the extra to me as I was getting fan noise all the time in my 2017 I7 iMac.

I have not found the 8 core lacking in any areas so far and is very quick. Even though single core it is slower than the I7 it is not very noticeable in everyday use