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iMac 2.93ghz i7 OR Mac Pro 2x Xeon 3.2ghz Quad Core (2008)

I

I AM THE MAN

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 10, 2011
291
0
Hey Everyone. I'm really confused on which computer to choose as far as HD 1080p video editing goes. I found a 2008 Mac Pro 2x Xeon 3.2 ghz Quad Core with 4GB ram (which I will upgrade in the future) for just about $2,000. On the other hand, I have a choice on the 27inch 2.93 ghz i7 iMac (which I will add 16GB ram to). I really need all the help on which machine to go along with.

I will use either machines in editing footage from a Cannon T2i Rebel using Final Cut Express.

Currently, Im thinking of getting an iMac.

Thank you for all the help in advance.




Link of Mac Pro:

http://cgi.ebay.com/APPLE-MAC-PRO-E...1344333?pt=Apple_Desktops&hash=item1e631512cd


Link of iMac:

http://store.apple.com/us/product/G0JP0LL/A?mco=MTkwMzU2MzQ
 
I Would go with the imac. With it you will get a built in display, keyboard, mouse, and a one year waranty.

With the mac pro you would need to provide a display, mouse, and keyboard. and no waranty.

Also in regards to processor power. alot of changes have happened to processors in the last 2 years. a i7 will smoke that Xenon. I speak from experience.

I actually have both except my imac has the 2.8Ghz i7. With 8GB of ram. And it smokes my mac pro.

So go with the imac!
 
thedubman129 said:
I Would go with the imac. With it you will get a built in display, keyboard, mouse, and a one year waranty.

With the mac pro you would need to provide a display, mouse, and keyboard. and no waranty.

Also in regards to processor power. alot of changes have happened to processors in the last 2 years. a i7 will smoke that Xenon. I speak from experience.

I actually have both except my imac has the 2.8Ghz i7. With 8GB of ram. And it smokes my mac pro.

So go with the imac!
Click to expand...

Thank you for your help! I'm most likely going to make my purchase in the next month, mainly because I think there could be a possible update to the iMac line-up right now. Again, Thanks for your response!
 
If you've got the funds, Mac Pro all the way.

In multithreaded tasks (which will hopefully be fully supported by FCX) that Pro will run circles around the quad core iMac and there is absolutely no doubt about it.

1080p editing also requires very fast IO, something you could never provide with an iMac that isn't equipped with a ThunderBolt port (none of them are as of this moment).
The Pro offers far more options, more RAM, considerably faster IO, considerably faster graphics cards and more than only one external display.
 
Transporteur said:
If you've got the funds, Mac Pro all the way.

In multithreaded tasks (which will hopefully be fully supported by FCX) that Pro will run circles around the quad core iMac and there is absolutely no doubt about it.

1080p editing also requires very fast IO, something you could never provide with an iMac that isn't equipped with a ThunderBolt port (none of them are as of this moment).
The Pro offers far more options, more RAM, considerably faster IO, considerably faster graphics cards and more than only one external display.
Click to expand...

I see what you mean, but my budget is just about $2,300.
 
I AM THE MAN said:
I see what you mean, but my budget is just about $2,300.
Click to expand...

I would suggest to keep saving then, although I'm a huge fan of Apple and I would recommend an iMac over any PC; I would not recommend an iMac to anyone besides a basic user i.e. itunes, Internet, E-mail, light photo work. The Mac Pro is perfect for everyone else... I can promise you that if you go with an iMac you will regret it just as I did 6 months later, luckily I was able to sell my iMac without losing much money, (view my sell add on macforums.com) it was the same model you are currently looking to buy. Now with my Mac Pro I have found the sweet spot, I can upgrade as need be and I do not have to deal with voiding a warranty to change HDD's or deal with slow external drives. a 2TB drive will fill up very fast, however 8 TB's takes a while and it is easy to switch them out if need be.
 
Although the 2008 Mac pro is no slouch, I would recommend watching apple refurb site and grabbing at least a 2009 Mac pro. I made the mistake in 2006 getting a iMac to edit video. Ended up getting a Mac pro 6 months later. The refurbs come with a 1 year warranty too. For 2 grand, you should be able to get a refurb with a warranty. Even if you have to add a couple hundred to get it, will be worth it.

Like this one:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC560LL/A?mco=MTkyMTM1OTY
 
tpavur said:
I would suggest to keep saving then, although I'm a huge fan of Apple and I would recommend an iMac over any PC; I would not recommend an iMac to anyone besides a basic user i.e. itunes, Internet, E-mail, light photo work. The Mac Pro is perfect for everyone else... I can promise you that if you go with an iMac you will regret it just as I did 6 months later, luckily I was able to sell my iMac without losing much money, (view my sell add on macforums.com) it was the same model you are currently looking to buy. Now with my Mac Pro I have found the sweet spot, I can upgrade as need be and I do not have to deal with voiding a warranty to change HDD's or deal with slow external drives. a 2TB drive will fill up very fast, however 8 TB's takes a while and it is easy to switch them out if need be.
Click to expand...

I know what you mean, but the Mac Pro is out of date and everything.
 
bearcatrp said:
Although the 2008 Mac pro is no slouch, I would recommend watching apple refurb site and grabbing at least a 2009 Mac pro. I made the mistake in 2006 getting a iMac to edit video. Ended up getting a Mac pro 6 months later. The refurbs come with a 1 year warranty too. For 2 grand, you should be able to get a refurb with a warranty. Even if you have to add a couple hundred to get it, will be worth it.

Like this one:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC560LL/A?mco=MTkyMTM1OTY
Click to expand...

With $2,000 it would be a quad core though, right? I mean, I've seen tests with i7 2.93ghz iMacs compared to Quad Core Mac Pros, and the iMac really beats it. I know as far as customization goes, the Mac Pro will beat the iMac anyday, but with 16GB ram on an i7 iMac, wouldn't that blow away the Mac Pro?
 
I AM THE MAN said:
With $2,000 it would be a quad core though, right? I mean, I've seen tests with i7 2.93ghz iMacs compared to Quad Core Mac Pros, and the iMac really beats it. I know as far as customization goes, the Mac Pro will beat the iMac anyday, but with 16GB ram on an i7 iMac, wouldn't that blow away the Mac Pro?
Click to expand...

The MP is definitely a little behind, having not upgraded to at least 3.2 hex processors instead of quad, etc. etc. No thunderbolt yet, and imac probably will have it too. It comes down to expandability over performance to some degree. They both could have their proponents. The large screen on the imac can help with productivity as well if your option is a small mac pro screen. There are so many variables. Bottom line is that you cannot really go wrong with either one. But, both involve some compromises. Wish you the best of luck in your decision.
 
sbb155 said:
The MP is definitely a little behind, having not upgraded to at least 3.2 hex processors instead of quad, etc. etc. No thunderbolt yet, and imac probably will have it too. It comes down to expandability over performance to some degree. They both could have their proponents. The large screen on the imac can help with productivity as well if your option is a small mac pro screen. There are so many variables. Bottom line is that you cannot really go wrong with either one. But, both involve some compromises. Wish you the best of luck in your decision.
Click to expand...


Thank you! Im most likely leaning towards the iMac...and if I'm honestly going to be dissappointed in the future, the first thing I'll do is sell the iMac and eventually purchase a Mac Pro (8-Core). Thanks for your response!
 
IMO the MP will run in circles around the iMac. For the usage listed the MP would be a wiser choice. If you really want an iMac wait for the SB refresh that is just around the corner. But even then with the release of FCP X looming the more cores the better. Plus you can put more ram in the pro which is always good. More internal (faster) storage. Better gpus. Go Mac Pro I'd say.
 
The Mac Pro will probably perform ~25% better or so in applications that utilize all its cores. It's also more expandable and offers more powerful graphics cards.

The iMac is a great machine and I'm sure you'll love editing photos on the 27" display, although it is glossy. It's certainly powerful enough, but isn't as expandable or as easily expanded as the Mac Pro.

If possible, wait for the SB iMac's, they'll be great upgrade.
 
Mac Pro for expandability...

There's so much more to editing video than just processor speed. You're literally boxing yourself in as far as expansion goes. All you can do to an iMac is add RAM, maybe change out the HD, if you're that adventurous and add a second monitor. For the Mac Pro there are PCI cards for capturing and/or displaying video on HDTV's, cards for eSATA (faster than FW800) storage. You can create an internal (software) RAID to playback your HD video without any dropped frames.

As mentioned, look for a refurb that will come with a standard one year warranty. I recently found a deal on a mid 2010 MacPro and called while placing my online order and got a few hundred dollars off the already discounted computer and AppleCare.

If the iMac had Thunderbolt, I'd possibly say go that direction, but anything offered will be at a premium for quite a while. And you're still limited by however few ports they may give you.
 
I love my iMac but I would never buy one again for pro work. CPU power is only part of the story. I think the iMac is the perfect all-round computer, but for heavy-duty lifting only a Pro will do.
 
tpavur said:
I would suggest to keep saving then, although I'm a huge fan of Apple and I would recommend an iMac over any PC; I would not recommend an iMac to anyone besides a basic user i.e. itunes, Internet, E-mail, light photo work. The Mac Pro is perfect for everyone else... I can promise you that if you go with an iMac you will regret it just as I did 6 months later, luckily I was able to sell my iMac without losing much money, (view my sell add on macforums.com) it was the same model you are currently looking to buy. Now with my Mac Pro I have found the sweet spot, I can upgrade as need be and I do not have to deal with voiding a warranty to change HDD's or deal with slow external drives. a 2TB drive will fill up very fast, however 8 TB's takes a while and it is easy to switch them out if need be.
Click to expand...

Ommid said:
Mac Pro, just for the expandability.
Click to expand...

Thats what I did.. I got the 2009 mac pro then bought the 2010 motherboard and processor board(300 dollars) and now I have a 6-core, so yes.. mac pro all the way.. Sad to say I am mostly on my G5 right now, as I have yet to decide on what to use my mac pro for.
 
Joshuarocks said:
Thats what I did.. I got the 2009 mac pro then bought the 2010 motherboard and processor board(300 dollars) and now I have a 6-core, so yes.. mac pro all the way.. Sad to say I am mostly on my G5 right now, as I have yet to decide on what to use my mac pro for.
Click to expand...

Boy, I am the only one who's going to jump out of the window if I have to read that story once more?

Dude, seriously, we all know that buy now (not that anyone cares) and this has (again) NOTHING to do with the topic!
 
Transporteur said:
Boy, I am the only one who's going to jump out of the window if I have to read that story once more?

Dude, seriously, we all know that buy now (not that anyone cares) and this has (again) NOTHING to do with the topic!
Click to expand...

No, No you are not.... Dear Joshuarocks: Stop talking about your Mac Pro and G5... nobody really cares. If you have a comment about the topic, please post it, if its just carping on about how you have a Mac Pro you don't use over your oh-so-fantastic G5, please, don't post. It is getting monumentally annoying.

Dear OP: Get the Mac Pro. The expandability for video (and audio) editing is completely unmatched by any other Mac. I bought my 2010 for this reason, and the G4 I had before that for the same. Even if you think you won't need the expandability, it is much better to have it. (I didnt think Id need it to start with, but got it because I thought it would let me use the machine for longer, as I didn't expand my G4 for the first 3 years of its life, but its since been upgraded to make it last a decade. Within 2 months of getting my Machine, I added a BlackMagic card and an eSATA card. Both are invaluable for getting video work done, especially since I work with other video editing enthusiasts, and eSATA drives are the easiest way for us to share our projects around and collaborate. It also means if you ever want to add audio editing in, you can grab a ProTools card and drop it right in, instead of being limited to FireWire. The other large benefit is the dual optical drive bays - if your burning Demo Reel DVDs at 2am, getting the Demo DVD and its Backup burnt together really can help. Its saved me from insanity already, and mine isn't even 6 months old.
 
The iMac you reference is a quad core /8 thread, just like the Mac pro I suggested. Unless you can get an iMac with Thunderbolt, your not going to like using external drives. The Mac pro will work. Plus you can drop a hex in it later. Can't do that with a iMac.
 
bearcatrp said:
The iMac you reference is a quad core /8 thread, just like the Mac pro I suggested. Unless you can get an iMac with Thunderbolt, your not going to like using external drives. The Mac pro will work. Plus you can drop a hex in it later. Can't do that with a iMac.
Click to expand...

The external drives are especially relevant if the OP wishes to use any form of RAID array for video storage, as those tend to be much happier over e-SATA.
 
Neither choice will blow either away in any configuration. They are too similar. They are based on similar reference designs. The Xeon is Nehalem, the iMac Core i7 is Nehalem. The iMac TDP is 95W and allows for slightly higher turbo clocking than the Xeon. The Xeon is higher quality bin and will last longer under constant load. The tests you see where the iMac beats the Mac Pro is single threaded tasks as the extra turbo MHz show up. The iMac is not a Pro machine it is consumer machine. The differences go on and on. If you need a fast iTunes jukebox get the iMac. If you are a Pro and need fast quiet content creation, get the Mac Pro.
 
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