Buy a new Mac Pro 6,1 or new 2017 27" iMac with 4.2Ghz i7

[MrPoopiePants]

Hi all,
I'm looking to replace my very tired 2010 MacPro. I know this machine could be upgraded under normal circumstances, but my machine has some serious issues requiring an immediate replacement.

I was going to purchase a new 2017 27" iMac with a 4.2Ghz i7 processor, 512GB SSD and a Radeon Pro 580. However a local shop is selling a new 6-core 3.5GHzMac Pro 6,1 with 512GB SSD and D700 for about the around the price. In either case, I was planing on doing an OWC memory upgrade to 64GB and price still stays around $100 difference.

I have a two monitor setup, so I don't need the new monitor, but it would be nice to have three. That said, I'm worried about any possible noise and heat issues that may pop up on the the iMac when rendering. I have a new gig starting in two weeks, so I can't wait until December for the iMacPros. Anyone else in this situation?

FYI, I'm running Premiere, DaVinci Resolve and Lightroom.

 

[0388631]

I would go with the Mac Pro.

 

[flowrider]

Whatever your decision, if it were me, I'd stay away from OWC. My RAM supplier since the 80s has been:

https://www.datamemorysystems.com

Do a search. There is lot's of negative posts concerning OWC, including me (bad experience with an SSD for an MBA).

Too bad you can't fix you cMP

Lou

 

[MrPoopiePants]

Whatever your decision, if it were me, I'd stay away from OWC. My RAM supplier since the 80s has been:

https://www.datamemorysystems.com

Do a search. There is lot's of negative posts concerning OWC, including me (bad experience with an SSD for an MBA).

Too bad you can't fix you cMP

Lou

Their ram kit is $50 cheaper than OWC as well. Thanks!

 

[Redneck1089]

I am interested in peoples' opinions on this as well, as I currently have both a 5,1 Mac Pro six-core and a 6,1 Mac Pro six-core. I was thinking of getting rid of the 6,1 Mac Pro and getting a top spec'd iMac.

 

[AtomicGrog]

Went for the pro prior to the iMac pro being announce and don't so far regret it. Principally because I run dual screen and had i gone down the iMac road they would have been different... different make, specs, whatever.

Other benefits would be along the lines of having future change capability. Sure the mac pro has it's limits but it's nowhere near as bad as ripping an iMac apart (been there, done that...).

Word of advice on the graphics on the Pro - I went for dual D700 and have yet to see them do any work. I tried some games, fcp work etc. and haven't seen them at more than 15% utilisation. In hindsight i may have taken a cheaper option like the 500's.

 

[h9826790]

IMO, for long time rendering, alway go for the Mac Pro. Unless you fully prepared the iMac will die right after Apple care expire (yes, iMac really need Apple care), and then buy a new one).

 

[tuxon86]

Hi all,
I'm looking to replace my very tired 2010 MacPro. I know this machine could be upgraded under normal circumstances, but my machine has some serious issues requiring an immediate replacement.

I was going to purchase a new 2017 27" iMac with a 4.2Ghz i7 processor, 512GB SSD and a Radeon Pro 580. However a local shop is selling a new 6-core 3.5GHzMac Pro 6,1 with 512GB SSD and D700 for about the around the price. In either case, I was planing on doing an OWC memory upgrade to 64GB and price still stays around $100 difference.

I have a two monitor setup, so I don't need the new monitor, but it would be nice to have three. That said, I'm worried about any possible noise and heat issues that may pop up on the the iMac when rendering. I have a new gig starting in two weeks, so I can't wait until December for the iMacPros. Anyone else in this situation?

FYI, I'm running Premiere, DaVinci Resolve and Lightroom.

Since none of your stated product are mac exclusive you could also consider going for an HP Z serie workstation or a Dell. That way you wouldn't be stuck with 4 year old tech or throthling imac.

 

[theitsage]

I have a Mac repair business and the majority of iMacs die because of either hard drive or graphics card failure. Opening these up reveals heavy dust build-up that compromises the cooling system. The iMac Pro scares me.

Unlike the Mac Pro, you can't easily dust off the inside of an iMac periodically. Parts for the Mac Pro are mostly proprietary but at least you can replace them yourself without much effort.

 

[MrPoopiePants]

I am interested in peoples' opinions on this as well, as I currently have both a 5,1 Mac Pro six-core and a 6,1 Mac Pro six-core. I was thinking of getting rid of the 6,1 Mac Pro and getting a top spec'd iMac.

So I ended up ordering a new 27" i7 iMac from B&H and 64GB of aftermarket ram. I just spent all weekend running it through it's paces and through a rush 4k video job. I am pretty happy with it so far and I didn't notice any throttling or fan noise during rendering or use. In fact there is zero fan noise. This machine is supposed to be a stop gap for me until the new MacPros come out next summer, so it seems to be a pretty good solution for now. Time will tell.

Also, I didn't realize that running three monitors is nicer than two!

 

[Redneck1089]

So I ended up ordering a new 27" i7 iMac from B&H and 64GB of aftermarket ram. I just spent all weekend running it through it's paces and through a rush 4k video job. I am pretty happy with it so far and I didn't notice any throttling or fan noise during rendering or use. In fact there is zero fan noise. This machine is supposed to be a stop gap for me until the new MacPros come out next summer, so it seems to be a pretty good solution for now. Time will tell.

Also, I didn't realize that running three monitors is nicer than two!

Thanks for reporting back. Glad to hear throttling and fan noise has not been an issue.