iMac or Mac Pro?

[fearoftigers]

Hi guys,

I'm in the market for a new desktop computer (I run a Macbook for Dj-ing).

I'll be running Logic 9, Ableton plus a load of plugings like Omnisphere, Kontact, Mini-Moog etc.

My Budget is around £2000 but could at a push stretch to £3000 but it slightly but this would mean saving for another month or so.

So should I get an iMac or a Mac Pro?

At the moment I'm looking at the 27inch iMac with 4 core I7 processor and 8 gig of ram. This comes in at about £2000

or should I go for a Mac Pro with four or eight cores (or wait for the new Mac Pro model?)

I've heard that although Logic makes good use for multi-core processors, a lot of the plugins do not. All my stuff is heavily soft synth based as I have very little out board equipment. So I'd like a machine that can run as many heavy duty soft synths and effects without crashing.

Is it better getting a faster 4 core than a slower 8 core?

Help!

 

[Digital Skunk]

Others will chim in about how you should have searched the forums first, so be warned.

Personally it call comes down to PCI expansion, and from what I've learned in the industry, music production artists don't need it as much as others unless they are looking for other I/O options for storage, capture, etc.

The iMac would serve your needs well, especially since Logic is a RAM heavy app, and yes, it's better to have a faster quad core than a slower 8 core unless you are doing virtualization.

At this point, if you need to get work done, just grab the current iMac or the higher spec'd quad core Mac Pros. If you ARE going to go for the Mac Pro then wait for the new release. If you are going for the iMac, get it now.

 

[fearoftigers]

Others will chim in about how you should have searched the forums first, so be warned.

Personally it call comes down to PCI expansion, and from what I've learned in the industry, music production artists don't need it as much as others unless they are looking for other I/O options for storage, capture, etc.

The iMac would serve your needs well, especially since Logic is a RAM heavy app, and yes, it's better to have a faster quad core than a slower 8 core unless you are doing virtualization.

At this point, if you need to get work done, just grab the current iMac or the higher spec'd quad core Mac Pros. If you ARE going to go for the Mac Pro then wait for the new release. If you are going for the iMac, get it now.

Thanks man.

In the UK there is about a £1000 difference between an iMac with 8 gig ram and 16 gig.

Do you think it's worth paying a £3000 for what would basicaly be the highest speced iMac possible?

 

[Hellhammer]

Do you already have display(s) for Mac Pro? AFAIK, many DJs and people who work with Logic use multiple displays so that's also important. With iMac you can only have one external monitor but with Mac Pro you can have almost as many as you want. If I was you, I'd wait for the Mac Pro update and then decide. The new six core Gulftowns are up to 60% faster than their predecessors. Mac Pro uses full sized DIMMs so upgrading RAM will be cheaper and it can support more that iMac can.

Wait for the update to occur and then decide what to get

 

[fearoftigers]

Do you already have display(s) for Mac Pro? AFAIK, many DJs and people who work with Logic use multiple displays so that's also important. With iMac you can only have one external monitor but with Mac Pro you can have almost as many as you want. If I was you, I'd wait for the Mac Pro update and then decide. The new six core Gulftowns are up to 60% faster than their predecessors. Mac Pro uses full sized DIMMs so upgrading RAM will be cheaper and it can support more that iMac can.

Wait for the update to occur and then decide what to get

Well yes good question. I do have a display a bog standard 17" monitor.

My g/f wants to get a 30" monitor for her PC so I could always take her old one so I'd run two 17" monitors.

But yes I'd much prefer one big on.

 

[Igantius]

Hi guys,
….At the moment I'm looking at the 27inch iMac with 4 core I7 processor and 8 gig of ram. This comes in at about £2000…
Help!

Like Hellhammer said, wait for the MP update before deciding. Not sure about your last question, sorry!

However, with memory it normally pays to get third-party and install yourself. With that RAM configuration you mentioned (4x2GB) Apple charges £163. That iMac comes with 2x2GB sticks and to buy another two 2GB modules from Crucial in the UK is £94 – that’s just an example, rather being the cheapest!