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iMac or Mac Pro

H

H&J Studios

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 26, 2012
13
0
I've been a PC user my whole life, I am extremely familiar with Mac and Mac software just don't own one. As many of you know the world of photography has completely changed when dslr cameras started shooting video.

In order to meet the demands of our clients over a year ago we started shooting video. My pc was up to snuff when it came to editing Photos. I am now an avid user of premiere and my pc don't like it. My partner owns the entire cs6 suite so in order to streamline the business a new Mac is in order.

This Mac will be used heavily with Lightroom, Premiere Pro, Speed Grade, and After Effects. I have determined a budget of 3k will be set aside for this project.

I am considering a BTO 27 iMac with everything except the 768gb optional ssd. Or a refurb or new Mac Pro. I would appreciate any insight to assist me in my business decision.

Feel free to visit our website at www.hnjstudios.com and "like" us on Facebook www.facebook.com/handjstudios

Thanks for taking the time to read my post! Happy Holidays!
 
I'm sure you will get more indepth responses.

Here is my 2 cents.

Thunderbolt would one issue. iMac has it, the Mac Pro doesn't.

I would also say that I have heard only the 12 core Mac Pros would be faster than any new iMac.
 
I went through the process of trying to determine to buy an iMac or MacbookPro in 2008. It was before the iPad came out, I thought I wanted portability, so I chose the MacbookPro. I love the Pro it's been a good laptop, but i just purchased the 27in maxed out iMAC except for the 769 flash drive instead of have the 3T fusion. I love having the real estate of the 27inch screen and haven't touched the Mac Pro since setting this iMac up. Unless you truly need the portability of those laden apps I would go big ass iMac. :apple:
 
flifish said:
I went through the process of trying to determine to buy an iMac or MacbookPro in 2008. It was before the iPad came out, I thought I wanted portability, so I chose the MacbookPro. I love the Pro it's been a good laptop, but i just purchased the 27in maxed out iMAC except for the 769 flash drive instead of have the 3T fusion. I love having the real estate of the 27inch screen and haven't touched the Mac Pro since setting this iMac up. Unless you truly need the portability of those laden apps I would go big ass iMac. :apple:
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I'm very confused by your post. Without meaning to come across rude. Do you know the difference between a Mac Book Pro and a Mac Pro. The Mac Pro is the outdated desktop machine. The Mac Book Pro is the laptop.
 
imac

I went with the Imac because it will be faster than the mac pro i had the exact same budget and use the exact same programs but also use pro tools and decided for the money that the imac is the best use of it since the mac pro is so outdated and u will end up needing to upgrade everything yourself for it to become competitive.
 
H&J Studios said:
I've been a PC user my whole life, I am extremely familiar with Mac and Mac software just don't own one. As many of you know the world of photography has completely changed when dslr cameras started shooting video.

In order to meet the demands of our clients over a year ago we started shooting video. My pc was up to snuff when it came to editing Photos. I am now an avid user of premiere and my pc don't like it. My partner owns the entire cs6 suite so in order to streamline the business a new Mac is in order.

This Mac will be used heavily with Lightroom, Premiere Pro, Speed Grade, and After Effects. I have determined a budget of 3k will be set aside for this project.

I am considering a BTO 27 iMac with everything except the 768gb optional ssd. Or a refurb or new Mac Pro. I would appreciate any insight to assist me in my business decision.

Feel free to visit our website at www.hnjstudios.com and "like" us on Facebook www.facebook.com/handjstudios

Thanks for taking the time to read my post! Happy Holidays!
Click to expand...

This doesn't make sense. If you're a lifelong PC user, and your partner is using CS6, and you have 3 grand to spend, get an INCREDIBLE PC, and don't waste time with a "good" Mac.

Reasons are, CS6 works better on PC than it does on Mac. The Mac Pro is a huge huge waste of money right now. The iMac is a flawed design for a workstation-like machine, it is a consumer grade machine. If one tiny component fails, you want your entire machine to be serviced by people at a retail store?

This sounds like you're ready to flush money on an "aspirational" purchase (I am creative, therefore I must use Mac!) rather than really select the right tool for the job. That is the idea that must be stressed here, these are tools, they have nothing to do with our own ability to get the job done, nor do they reflect on our skill level. If you want to be much smarter with your money, and be able to do more, get the workhorse PC. It will bury any Mac you can buy.
 
I'm by no-way a professional, however a couple of things I have gleaned over the last few years.

1. A Mac is definitely they way to go
2. If you need to upgrade now, then 2012 27" iMac fully loaded BTO is the best way forward
3. If you can wait, then i'm sure there will be another Pro released in the next 12 months so await it's release and this may suit your needs for the significant future.

HTH
 
Agree, you'd have to be desperate to buy a brand new MP now. The only way to justify it is you have a contract in hand that more than pays for the purchase because it's value is going to plummet when whatever Apple replaces it with hits b/c everyone is going to be selling at once.

If you need something now, best bet it to buy an iMac and sell it later this year. Macs have awesome resale value, especially when the original warranty is still in force, so very little downside. But don't try that with a PC. Heh.
 
Having two mac pros myself I know how great these machines are.
Yes they are outdated but still very very fast. the best thing about them is that you can upgrade absolutly everything inside / or replace when it fails.
A refurbished base quad core is $1819. A Xeon W5590 for upgrading can be had for around $400, a GTX 570 for like ~175-225 or a 580 for ~ 200 -300. 16GB RAM for not more than 70. Extra harddrives are cheap too. You will have a very quick system (maxed out imac would be quicker with some things) with the advantage of adding heaps more storage without external devices, easily replacing or exchanging parts in the future and importantly a very stable quietly running machine. When something fails in the iMac you will not have anything of the system you can use while its being repaired at apple (doubt very many people could repair it themselves). When something fails in a mac pro its nearly always easy to replace in a short period of time for not nearly as muc money then in a iMac and you can use ur screens with a different computer in the mean time aswell as the hardrives.
I am guessing you allready have screens from your pc that you can use.
The Mac Pro despite being outdated is a better long term investment then the iMac as it will most likely work for a longer period of time and has a higher resell value, even in a years time.
 
TennisandMusic said:
This doesn't make sense. If you're a lifelong PC user, and your partner is using CS6, and you have 3 grand to spend, get an INCREDIBLE PC, and don't waste time with a "good" Mac.

Reasons are, CS6 works better on PC than it does on Mac. The Mac Pro is a huge huge waste of money right now. The iMac is a flawed design for a workstation-like machine, it is a consumer grade machine. If one tiny component fails, you want your entire machine to be serviced by people at a retail store?

This sounds like you're ready to flush money on an "aspirational" purchase (I am creative, therefore I must use Mac!) rather than really select the right tool for the job. That is the idea that must be stressed here, these are tools, they have nothing to do with our own ability to get the job done, nor do they reflect on our skill level. If you want to be much smarter with your money, and be able to do more, get the workhorse PC. It will bury any Mac you can buy.
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I can build a 12 core system for under 2k but that's not the point. I have used premiere on both pc and Mac. The functionality on the Mac is much easier, and in my line of work time is money.

Maybe I should just build a hackintosh and solve all my dilemmas.
 
Post 7 TennisandMusic is spot on with that summary. If you ignore that advice then you are simply coming on this forum to either (a) validate your purchase decision or (b) simply saying heh guys look at me. For the money you are willing to spend then a Windows PC would be a much better tool for your work IMO.
 
Lankyman said:
Post 7 TennisandMusic is spot on with that summary. If you ignore that advice then you are simply coming on this forum to either (a) validate your purchase decision or (b) simply saying heh guys look at me. For the money you are willing to spend then a Windows PC would be a much better tool for your work IMO.
Click to expand...

For those of you saying PC over Mac when it comes to shooting, editing, and producing cinematic films you must be shooting your video with a gopro. Lol.

Lets keep the thread on topic. Thanks.
 
H&J Studios said:
For those of you saying PC over Mac when it comes to shooting, editing, and producing cinematic films you must be shooting your video with a gopro. Lol.

Lets keep the thread on topic. Thanks.
Click to expand...

I'm a photographer and when requested a videographer.

Years ago I did it on a PC.

Went Mac and will never go back.

I don't have to justify my purchases to anyone but myself.

As you said earlier ......

" Time is $$$$$$$$$$ "

PC's became a time waster and Mac freed up a lot of time and allowed me to focus on more revenue streams.
 
H&J Studios said:
I've been a PC user my whole life, I am extremely familiar with Mac and Mac software just don't own one. As many of you know the world of photography has completely changed when dslr cameras started shooting video.

In order to meet the demands of our clients over a year ago we started shooting video. My pc was up to snuff when it came to editing Photos. I am now an avid user of premiere and my pc don't like it. My partner owns the entire cs6 suite so in order to streamline the business a new Mac is in order.

This Mac will be used heavily with Lightroom, Premiere Pro, Speed Grade, and After Effects. I have determined a budget of 3k will be set aside for this project.

I am considering a BTO 27 iMac with everything except the 768gb optional ssd. Or a refurb or new Mac Pro. I would appreciate any insight to assist me in my business decision.

Feel free to visit our website at www.hnjstudios.com and "like" us on Facebook www.facebook.com/handjstudios

Thanks for taking the time to read my post! Happy Holidays!
Click to expand...

If you post in the Mac Pro forum you will get different responses. The iMac is a laptop on a pedestal with a consumer desktop processor that maxes out at 32GB of RAM. The "outdated" Mac Pro is a workstation with a workstation/server processor with great internal expandability with 96GB of RAM expandability for the 12-core.

And as a side note, I own both. (Not a 2012 iMac but a 2012 12-core Mac Pro.
 
Last edited:
H&J Studios said:
For those of you saying PC over Mac when it comes to shooting, editing, and producing cinematic films you must be shooting your video with a gopro. Lol.

Lets keep the thread on topic. Thanks.
Click to expand...

There is no difference between producing cinematic films on Mac and PC besides software choices, and all of the important ones are cross-platform. There are production houses using Windows PCs with Avid hardware and software, and I doubt they're using GoPros.

On topic, if you like the 27-inch display and will be keeping the iMac for less than three years, then I'd recommend the iMac. You can always add more storage via Thunderbolt, if needed. However, if you are looking at a five-year machine and want to have display options, the Mac Pro will be better because you can always add a new video card and processor when needed, and you can replace the display if you have problem. After AppleCare expires on the Mac Pro, it is affordable and easy to buy replacement parts and swap them out yourself, while the iMac will be difficult and expensive to repair after AppleCare expires.
 
If you are considering the iMac, you must be in the market for a screen. One option to consider might be get a Mac Mini as a stop-gap measure with a 27-inch thunderbolt display, and then sell the Mini for a new MacPro when they get upgraded. The late 2012 MacMini's are surprisingly fast and might serve you well as a stop-gap.

With Mac migration assistant and the strong second-hand Mac market, this option might not suck down too much time, and would produce the best of both worlds - a move to Mac right now, with the best screen and Mac Pro that Apple has to offer in the future.
 
I work with hd bideo 24/7 and i have used both. I am getting an imac because it will be for personal uses. I will still do video editing 3d motion graphics. Etc. But if it was for work, definitely a mac pro. Even a quadcore with lower clock can stay up and rendering capturing stuff for over a week and you can be sure the computer will be fine. An imac... I dont think so. Imacs might be faster cheaper but not as reliable as mac pros. On the graphic side a mac pro can host professional level cards. You can add a ton of cheap ssds or hdd so not having thunderbolt isnt an issue at all. Plus you can add stuff to it over a period of time. You also have a monitor already i guess.
 
Baytriple said:
I'm very confused by your post. Without meaning to come across rude. Do you know the difference between a Mac Book Pro and a Mac Pro. The Mac Pro is the outdated desktop machine. The Mac Book Pro is the laptop.
Click to expand...

I thought i said Mac Book Pro. I have it, so yes i know the difference. However i obviously misread the starting thread. That being said, geesh mac pro is way out dated right now.
 
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