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Mac Pro or Imac?

I've been a fan of the iMacs for the past few computers I've had. (Original bondi blue, indigo, and finally the Aluminum.) I can't complain about the computers. They last a long time, look great, and don't really need much expansion anyway. You can change the hard drive as technology improves and larger sizes are needed. RAM can easily be added but I doubt we will need 4 GB for at least a couple years but it can of course be added for very cheap by the time that comes around. (Cheap now too in some cases).

I'll be honest. I would love a Mac Pro as I love computers and fixing them up, but I don't really need the extra power and cost of it and unless you do it won't help you. The price difference between a good mid level iMac like the 20" 2.4 GHz model $1525 ($26 for 1 GB crucial RAM to make it 2 GB) not including any discounts for education and the low end Mac Pro ($2299 and add 50 if you need wireless) could be invested in a high yield online savings account for at least 5% APY and easily pay for itself on another far better iMac in a few years. You have to factor in the screen you would need and you should really get an LCD and not use an old CRT screen. I'd say hold off on that until cinema displays are updated and perhaps they will be cheaper and have the isight built in.
 
Personally I'm happy I bought my 2,8 ghz iMac back in August. I still have a 10+ year old big and ugly TV, and when the iMac gets too slow for my computing needs in 3 or whatever years I'll hook it up to an eyetv and use it as a TV/media center/music player in my living room. And I'm pretty sure it's going to last me 10 or more years for that, as long as it doesn't break, since I'm not very demanding when it comes to television.

That was my original plan when I bought the iMac, and although the new base mac pro looks tempting, I still think it's a good idea.
 
Just had an e-mail from the outbound acount manager in Ireland the Store is apparently going down again for 15 minutes very soon.

He only told me this because he is supposed to call me about a MacPro purchase. The iMac may be getting a little update.
 
docprego said:
Having bought a 24" 2.4GHz iMac 3 months ago and seeing the new Mac Pro today, I went through a bit of a mental battle today. I kept debating, should I sell the iMac and get the lowest end Pro? In the end I decided that my Imac is (at least) $1000 less than the Mac Pro/Cinema Display combo and I have not even approached the limits of its abilities. In addition a tower would require a lot more wires to be run and the large size of the tower is an inconvenience. Therefore I decided with certainty and not a bit of hesitation to keep the iMac.

Not at all saying the Mac Pro is anything less than stellar, I am just saying in my case the iMac is a perfect fit.
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Yeah, I do like the iMac's all in one, space saving nature. It can do that because it's a grounded 20-24" MacBook Pro.

If space wasn't a concern the MP seems much better. You're not obligated to buy a new Cinema Display (though they do have aesthetic value, and also only ONE spider cable for display , power and hubs) and you're getting a more powerful, more future proof, more expandable machine.
 
chaosbunny said:
Personally I'm happy I bought my 2,8 ghz iMac back in August. I still have a 10+ year old big and ugly TV, and when the iMac gets too slow for my computing needs in 3 or whatever years I'll hook it up to an eyetv and use it as a TV/media center/music player in my living room. And I'm pretty sure it's going to last me 10 or more years for that, as long as it doesn't break, since I'm not very demanding when it comes to television.

That was my original plan when I bought the iMac, and although the new base mac pro looks tempting, I still think it's a good idea.
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Comparing a 10 year old TV to a 10 year old Computer is not even in the same ballpark, it's not even in the same sport. Depending on the application, computers barely last 5. Anything with high requirements will last a couple at most. And nothing is going to be sufficient in 10 years.
 
overcast said:
Comparing a 10 year old TV to a 10 year old Computer is not even in the same ballpark, it's not even in the same sport. Depending on the application, computers barely last 5. Anything with high requirements will last a couple at most. And nothing is going to be sufficient in 10 years.
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Why not? It won't need to run the latest OS and software. All it will have to do is play music and video content. If the hd format war is over I'm going to get an external whatever drive and hook it up to the iMac. Right now I have my 7 years old 450 mhz G4 Cube as my living room media center. It plays music and records TV content (obviously not hd) via an usb eyetv from my TV. And I have not problems now with that setup. Like I said I'm not demanding when it comes to television. Not everyone needs to have the latest and greatest everywhere you know. ;)
 
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