Early 2009 iMac 24" upgrade to Mac Pro?

[m1cr0ch1p]

I was wondering if it's a worthy upgrade (considering the price hike) from a 2009 iMac to the upcoming 2013 Mac Pro... I've never owned a Mac Pro and this one is definitely much different from the rest.

I'd prefer this new Mac Pro because of its compact size. I already have monitors and might even dip for a Thunderbolt Display, but we'll see.

I do photography and video editing and have found that my iMac is not performing as I would like it to, or how it used to. Still good but not great.

What do you think?
Is 4 years a good amount of time to consider an upgrade?

My 2009 iMac specs are as follows:
- 24" screen
- Intel Core 2 Duo
- 2.93 GHz
- 4GB ram
- ATI Radeon HD 4850

 

[cledet]

I was wondering if it's a worthy upgrade (considering the price hike) from a 2009 iMac to the upcoming 2013 Mac Pro... I've never owned a Mac Pro and this one is definitely much different from the rest.

Why not pick up one of the new iMacs? I just purchased one for my wife for her birthday and she loves it. They look great and they're fast!

I have the Mac Pro and I must say Mac Pro upgrades are expensive. Especially for a new video card. I recommend just purchasing a new iMac.

I'd prefer this new Mac Pro because of its compact size. I already have monitors and might even dip for a Thunderbolt Display, but we'll see.

You won't be able to use the Thunderbolt Display with the Mac Pro. None of them have Thunderbolt ports.

I do photography and video editing and have found that my iMac is not performing as I would like it to, or how it used to. Still good but not great.

The performance difference between the Intel Core 2 Duo and Intel Core is so ridiculous. i7 upgrade is even more insane.

What do you think?
Is 4 years a good amount of time to consider an upgrade?

My 2009 iMac specs are as follows:
- 24" screen
- Intel Core 2 Duo
- 2.93 GHz
- 4GB ram
- ATI Radeon HD 4850

Definitely worth it.

If you end up going with either a new iMac or Mac Pro, be sure to pick up a SSD drive. It's the best upgrade you can make for your machine.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.

 

[ma5ter5]

You won't be able to use the Thunderbolt Display with the Mac Pro. None of them have Thunderbolt ports.

I think they were referring to the yet-to-be-released mac pro coming this fall, which does have thunderbolt...

 

[m1cr0ch1p]

Why not pick up one of the new iMacs? I just purchased one for my wife for her birthday and she loves it. They look great and they're fast!

I have the Mac Pro and I must say Mac Pro upgrades are expensive. Especially for a new video card. I recommend just purchasing a new iMac.

You won't be able to use the Thunderbolt Display with the Mac Pro. None of them have Thunderbolt ports.

The performance difference between the Intel Core 2 Duo and Intel Core is so ridiculous. i7 upgrade is even more insane.

What do you think?
Is 4 years a good amount of time to consider an upgrade?

Definitely worth it.

If you end up going with either a new iMac or Mac Pro, be sure to pick up a SSD drive. It's the best upgrade you can make for your machine.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.

Thank you very much for your reply!
I thought I read something about the upcoming 2013 Mac Pros having Thunderbolt support :O (Which is entirely new to me, either way haha)

I was actually considering a new 27" iMac, which would definitely be amazing for my needs. A friend then told me about the coming Mac Pro and that set me on a wild chase

It's puzzling because my budget is pretty okay and there's always that "what if I had invested more" into that future proof solution

But we'll see. I'm not in a hurry to upgrade so I guess I'll just wait and see how the new Mac Pro fares.

Thanks for making the point that they are expensive to upgrade. I have no experience with the Mac Pros whatsoever.

 

[cledet]

I didn't know you were referring to the new Mac Pro that's coming out in the Fall. That model actually has 6 Thunderbolt ports.

Anyway, I still stand by what I said. The new iMac is the way to go.

 

[m1cr0ch1p]

I didn't know you were referring to the new Mac Pro that's coming out in the Fall. That model actually has 6 Thunderbolt ports.

Anyway, I still stand by what I said. The new iMac is the way to go.

Haha thanks.
You still think so? From a Mac Pro user. Hmmm
I'll look into the maxed out iMac 27"'s and consider from there.

 

[phoenixsan]

I will say.....

Gather info around. Maybe the price hike is not justified in your case. And you can do it with a current generation Pro. Or even a newer iMac. Check benchmarks for software you use.And about upgrade time, 3-5 years seem reasonable, if doing productive stuff or medium-heavy use.

 

[m1cr0ch1p]

Gather info around. Maybe the price hike is not justified in your case. And you can do it with a current generation Pro. Or even a newer iMac. Check benchmarks for software you use.And about upgrade time, 3-5 years seem reasonable, if doing productive stuff or medium-heavy use.

Thanks!
I actually think I will step back a little and look into upgrading the RAM on my current iMac then wait it out to see how these black Mac Pros do