Apple Reveals New 'iMac Pro' Built for Users With Demanding Workflows, Starting at $5K

[CWallace]

As a point of comparison, a current top end i7-7700K iMac (up to 4.5Ghz) with 32GB RAM and 1TB disk comes in at $3699. So, $4999 is still quite a big increase ($1300) for a move to the 8-core Xeon and ECC RAM. But I guess, for those that want the extra cores, it makes sense.

Do not forget you are also getting a much more powerful Vega-class GPU. That and the CPU are probably the bulk of that extra $1300.

 

[milo]

I hope so, but mostly doubt it.

https://www.apple.com/imac-pro/specs/
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Do not forget you are also getting a much more powerful Vega-class GPU. That and the CPU are probably the bulk of that extra $1300.

And for people running software that doesn't need GPU power, that's wasted money.

 

[CWallace]

And for people running software that doesn't need GPU power, that's wasted money.

Well if you don't need the CPU and/or GPU power, you should not be buying an iMac Pro in the first place.

 

[milo]

Well if you don't need the CPU and/or GPU power, you should not be buying an iMac Pro in the first place.

As I said, I'm talking about users who need CPU power but not GPU. The high end GPU is wasted money.

 

[CWallace]

As I said, I'm talking about users who need CPU power but not GPU. The high end GPU is wasted money.

Well then your other option (if you want to stay in the Mac ecosystem) is the current Mac Pro, but it's as expensive at 8-cores as the iMac Pro. So one might as well get the iMac Pro with all the extra goodies thrown in or wait until the new Mac Pro comes out which will decouple CPU and GPU performance and allow one to spec toward the former and not at the latter.

 

[Srtlewis]

I absolutely love my trashcan MacPro. It has been 100% reliable and has been beaten on, in terms of work/compute-load. No problems with it. I'm not sure what you're currently using but if the specs meets your needs then go for it. It seems like the new machines will be quite expensive.

Yep loving mine as well. On a production have it running proxies from footage in avid 24/7 has not exceeded 40c once in a non air conditioned location (most of the world outside of the US). An iMac would have melted long ago

 

[dandeco]

YOW. That's a really powerful and speedy iMac. I guess Apple realized how much the pros have loved the 27-inch Retina iMac, so they decided to come up with an even faster and more powerful version specifically designed for pro use. But at my college, we are still probably going with the regular 27-inch Retina iMacs for our video editing lab, as they do cost less, and would be a sufficient replace for the existing early 2009 24" iMacs.

 

[newhorizons2020]

No they are not single CPU Xeon E3s top out at 4-core designs. You have to move up to E5 to get 8-core.

The i9 is a consumer enthusiast processor. The Xeon equivalents and their pricing has not been announced. So we don't know anything yet about price points or whether it is an E3 or E5 part.

If these are the i9 equivalent Xeons the price points will be higher because i9s can't run ECC RAM. We also give no idea what chipset/socket this would use.

Most likely these are the rumoured Xeon E5 v5 chips (purley) which are rumored to have a TDP of 135 Watts, and be roughly based on the same Skylake platform as the i9 but support a different socket/chipset and add ECC Memory.

I would expect the 8-core Xeon used in the iMac will reatail for ~$1200-$1500, and be less crippled than the i7/i9 chips with regards to PCIe lanes. The iMac Pro will need 40 PCIe lanes at a minimum based upon the already released IO.

Don't confuse what a chip is capable of supporting with Memory and what a vendor Apple in this case is willing to support in standard product configurations.

You are mistaken. the Xeons that will be used in the iMAC pro are not released yet. they are the i9 Variant of Single CPU Xeons and with ECC support added.

looking at the imac pro 128GB max Memory says alot about it. E5 CPU start from 512GB to 1.5TB memory support.

imac Pro says 128GB memory max ... thats another chip , the E3 or so xeon kinds.

Expect them to come soon.

in General, single socket Identical to i7 Xeons are the same price point if the clock is the same.

and if you ask me ? I would love to see i9 in IMAC instead of Xeons . ECC support in AIO is not a big deal at all.

 

[mrkenta]

I like AIO's , less clutter on the desk.

　It's more clutter and cables for me as I would need an external case for my additional hard drives, SDI monitor out board, capture card, etc. So I guess I will be waiting for the modular mac pro whenever that comes out.

 

[danielwsmithee]

You are mistaken. the Xeons that will be used in the iMAC pro are not released yet. they are the i9 Variant of Single CPU Xeons and with ECC support added.

That is exactly what I just said...they are new Xeons E5s based on the same architecture as the i9/i7 Skylake X parts.

looking at the imac pro 128GB max Memory says alot about it. E5 CPU start from 512GB to 1.5TB memory support.

imac Pro says 128GB memory max ... thats another chip , the E3 or so xeon kinds.

You are reading way too much into Max Memory. You can have a chip that supports 1.5TB on a system motherboard that supports only 128GB. You could also have a motherboard that supports 512GB of Memory that has a CPU that supports only 128GB. Both systems only support 128GB of Memory.

Apple has only said they will sale the iMac Pro in either 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB configurations. There is a good chance that just like the 2015 iMac it could be feasible to upgrade to higher memory configurations then Apple offers...though that isn't supported by Apple.

 

[Spectrum]

That is exactly what I just said...they are new Xeons E5s based on the same architecture as the i9/i7 Skylake X parts.
You are reading way too much into Max Memory. You can have a chip that supports 1.5TB on a system motherboard that supports only 128GB. You could also have a motherboard that supports 512GB of Memory that has a CPU that supports only 128GB. Both systems only support 128GB of Memory.

Apple has only said they will sale the iMac Pro in either 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB configurations. There is a good chance that just like the 2015 iMac it could be feasible to upgrade to higher memory configurations then Apple offers...though that isn't supported by Apple.

Yeah - I agree with your understanding of this. With respect to max RAM, it looks like the iMac motherboard is limited to 4 slots. Which itself may be the reason for a stated 128GB maximum (4x32GB RAM sticks). Are compatible RAM chips larger than 32GB likely to be available?

EDIT: Actually, a quick search reveals this part: 64GB chip: https://www.mrmemory.co.uk/all-prod...autodetect=0&gclid=CLjx7qbTv9QCFeQW0wodRQMOxQ So that could put the max up to 256GB if compatible

 

[danielwsmithee]

Yeah - I agree with your understanding of this. With respect to max RAM, it looks like the iMac motherboard is limited to 4 slots. Which itself may be the reason for a stated 128GB maximum (4x32GB RAM sticks). Are compatible RAM chips larger than 32GB likely to be available?

EDIT: Actually, a quick search reveals this part: 64GB chip: https://www.mrmemory.co.uk/all-prod...autodetect=0&gclid=CLjx7qbTv9QCFeQW0wodRQMOxQ So that could put the max up to 256GB if compatible

My guess is the iMac Pro will work like the new iMacs, socketed CPU and RAM inside a sealed enclosure. Which means that it will likely b upgradeable for a person that is willing to break the seal on the screen.

 

[milo]

My guess is the iMac Pro will work like the new iMacs, socketed CPU and RAM inside a sealed enclosure. Which means that it will likely b upgradeable for a person that is willing to break the seal on the screen.

The pro has the memory in slots but on the front side of the motherboard. Like the new 21 it can be swapped but requires disassembly and voiding the warranty. The 27 has a door that makes the ram easily upgraded, as it has for a while.