iMac Pro to Macbook Pro

[MomoAnn]

Hello!

I have my trusty Imac Pro (2017 base model), and I want to swap it for a Macbook Pro (and gain some space and mobility at home). I have a hard time comparing the Intel specs with the new silicon chips offered. I LOVE my ImacPro 😭 but... with WFH, I need a bit more space.

What would be an equivalent to the Imac Pro (2017) base model 8-Core, Vega 56 8GB and 32GB ram? I'm an artist and use Photoshop heavily + some Zbrush on the side + Cintiq 4K + need a high connection/network.


Thank you!!

 

[coffeemilktea]

Wouldn't connecting a 5K Apple Display to a MacBook Pro give you a similar experience as using the iMac Pro? You might need to a order a MacBook Pro with more RAM and maybe get some kind of dongle or hub to mimic the iMac Pro's impressive collection of ports.

In any case, you'd get better performance with the M3 Pro (or better) chip than what the iMac Pro could provide.

 

[MomoAnn]

Wouldn't connecting a 5K Apple Display to a MacBook Pro give you a similar experience as using the iMac Pro? You might need to a order a MacBook Pro with more RAM and maybe get some kind of dongle or hub to mimic the iMac Pro's impressive collection of ports.

In any case, you'd get better performance with the M3 Pro (or better) chip than what the iMac Pro could provide.

Thanks for your answer
So, a M3 would be more powerful than my IMac Pro? What about the amount of Ram? I guess the more the better …
My large Cintiq and the laptop screen would be enough for my personal work. I already have a big setup with a PC tower on the side for my day job. I prefer my Mac for personal work and the PC is provided by my employer.

 

[MomoAnn]

Thanks for your answer
So, a M3 would be more powerful than my IMac Pro? What about the amount of Ram? I guess the more the better …
My large Cintiq and the laptop screen would be enough for my personal work. I already have a big setup with a PC tower on the side for my day job. I prefer my Mac for personal work and the PC is provided by my employer.

I don’t do any rendering FYI. ;-)

 

[coffeemilktea]

Thanks for your answer
So, a M3 would be more powerful than my IMac Pro? What about the amount of Ram? I guess the more the better …
My large Cintiq and the laptop screen would be enough for my personal work. I already have a big setup with a PC tower on the side for my day job. I prefer my Mac for personal work and the PC is provided by my employer.

The M3 Pro or M3 Max on any new MacBook Pro should be much faster than the processor on an iMac Pro, though you can always check sites like GeekBench to see the actual numbers regarding performance.

As for RAM, I'd say get at least 32 GB, partly since that's what you're already used to, and also because you can't upgrade later on -- the RAM on Apple Silicon is soldered onto the chip, unlike the swappable memory the iMac Pro had.

 

[MomoAnn]

The M3 Pro or M3 Max on any new MacBook Pro should be much faster than the processor on an iMac Pro, though you can always check sites like GeekBench to see the actual numbers regarding performance.

As for RAM, I'd say get at least 32 GB, partly since that's what you're already used to, and also because you can't upgrade later on -- the RAM on Apple Silicon is soldered onto the chip, unlike the swappable memory the iMac Pro had.

Should I take the base video ram or upgrade that also? I guess it’s also better than what I had ?
I really appreciate your infos

 

[coffeemilktea]

Should I take the base video ram or upgrade that also? I guess it’s also better than what I had ?
I really appreciate your infos

The GPU on the MacBook Pro (as well as all Apple Silicon Macs these days) is integrated, so there's no separate VRAM, it's just shared with the rest of system RAM. I don't think it'll be an issue with your workflow, but if you think it's not enough memory, you can always just spring for 64 GB just to "future proof" your system.

 

[picpicmac]

I'm an artist and use Photoshop heavily

Adobe and their memory-hog applications...

You did not specify what screen size you need, or if you'll be attaching the MBP to an external screen regularly.

ArtisRight has done many Mac laptop comparisons. Here is one of his summary videos but he has many more. He uses Photoshop and various photo tools a lot:

 

[MomoAnn]

Adobe and their memory-hog applications...

You did not specify what screen size you need, or if you'll be attaching the MBP to an external screen regularly.

ArtisRight has done many Mac laptop comparisons. Here is one of his summary videos but he has many more. He uses Photoshop and various photo tools a lot:

I’ll prefer the larger 16 MacBook Pro and I’m attaching a 4K Cintiq screen to it.
I’m not editing Photos, I don’t use Lightroom or rendering videos. I’m more into A LOT of layers with large PSD files (game UI artist here). Figma, Blender, Zbrush…

 

[MomoAnn]

Adobe and their memory-hog applications...

You did not specify what screen size you need, or if you'll be attaching the MBP to an external screen regularly.

ArtisRight has done many Mac laptop comparisons. Here is one of his summary videos but he has many more. He uses Photoshop and various photo tools a lot:

i

Adobe and their memory-hog applications...

You did not specify what screen size you need, or if you'll be attaching the MBP to an external screen regularly.

ArtisRight has done many Mac laptop comparisons. Here is one of his summary videos but he has many more. He uses Photoshop and various photo tools a lot:

I’ll check your references ! Looks promising