Mac Pro vs iMac

[tobymadden]

Whilst I am sure this is frequently posed question some help over a choice between the Mac Pro and iMac for someone who edits short films (often needing a quick turnaround) on FCP and is starting to use a lot of Motion.
I don't have an unlimited budget but don't want to think about changing my desktop for a good few years after this so want to make the correct choice ..

Help/advice much appreciated

 

[fhall1]

Do a "Search this Forum" for mac pro vs imac...there's a thread with the same exact title as yours with the last post from 6 days ago....don't reinvent the wheel when you don't have to.

 

[maflynn]

Mac Pro:Xeon i5/i7 processors, tons of expansion capabilities including the GPU.
iMac i5/i7 has the display built in. Both nehalem processors (MP & iMac) are generation behind what's out in the market as it is.

If you're wanting the a Mac Pro, hopefully it will get updated within a month or two to a more current chipset.

If you have the budget, and you're looking to keep the puppy more then a few years, then the Mac Pro makes economic sense. The downside is you may need to purchase a monitor of you don't have one.

Overall the i5 iMac looks to be a great machine, but you are limited in expandability, including hard drives, ram, and GPU. If the current crop fits your needs now and the near future, its not a bad deal.

 

[RebootD]

yes listen to them, do not buy a Mac Pro until they are updated. (They are over a year old and now very over-priced)

 

[Icaras]

Overall the i5 iMac looks to be a great machine, but you are limited in expandability, including hard drives, ram, and GPU. If the current crop fits your needs now and the near future, its not a bad deal.

I wouldn't say RAM in that list. 16GB is more than enough for many folks. That's the only user serviceable component in the iMac really.

However, hard drives and GPU, yea, not upgradeable.

 

[MSM Hobbes]

Hard drive expansion, and replacement, and more/multiple ports, especially FW are the two biggest keys for why I'm switching from looking at the new 27" iMac to MP, once they are updated. Main focus is digital photography, and w/ the new iMac's only having one FW, that is a deal killer to me.

 

[Icaras]

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Hard drive expansion, and replacement, and more/multiple ports, especially FW are the two biggest keys for why I'm switching from looking at the new 27" iMac to MP, once they are updated. Main focus is digital photography, and w/ the new iMac's only having one FW, that is a deal killer to me.

Why don't you daisy chain?

 

[robrobin10]

maflynn made it clear with his answer. I would go for iMac though it has limitations on its expandability, including hard drives, RAM, and GPU.

It still has a great use to me since I only do a few stuff with my desktop. What I love about it is fast compared to other desktop units. I store minimum files that's why I would stay for this type of desktop rather than other.

 

[strausd]

I wouldn't make any decisions until the MP is updated. There is a chance that Apple will have a low end Mac Pro with one quad core which will bring the starting price down a bit. If they do this I would suggest it because of the upgrades.

 

[Icaras]

I wouldn't make any decisions until the MP is updated. There is a chance that Apple will have a low end Mac Pro with one quad core which will bring the starting price down a bit. If they do this I would suggest it because of the upgrades.

Well, many folks seem to have next Tuesday as the prime target, so here we go again.