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Need Help Deciding (iMac or MacPro)

K

Kurri

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 6, 2009
401
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So my desktop is gone. 7 wonderful years. Going to buy something new. The iMac Pro is a bit too much for me, but I was looking at this (which is the better option, I technically do not need the monitor since I have a 4K monitor at home - ALSO I have a Thunderbolt RAID Drive so space is not an issue - looking for better speed / performance when video editing):

Customize your 27‑inch iMac with Retina 5K display.
  • 4.2GHz quad-core 7th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.5GHz
  • 32GB 2400MHz DDR4
  • 2TB Fusion Drive
  • Radeon Pro 580 with 8GB video memory
  • Magic Mouse 2
  • Magic Keyboard - US English

OR

Mac Pro
  • 3.5GHz 6-core with 12MB of L3 cache
  • 32GB (4x8GB) of 1866MHz DDR3 ECC
  • 256GB PCIe-based SSD
  • Dual AMD FirePro D500 GPUs with 3GB of GDDR5 VRAM each
  • User's Guide (English)

Thank you for any help! Not really technical when it comes to buying a computer, but I’m good at using them :) Which would you buy...or would you just wait? I could wait a few months if we think something new is coming soon, but i do need a desktop pretty soon.
 
go with the imac. The mac pro is a slower machine all around.

(with the exception of the fusion drive)
 
Last edited:
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I'd buy a 13" MBP for the time being and wait for the updated MacPro - or at least, updated iMacs in the fall.

And don't buy a Fusion Drive. It's ridiculous to spend all that money and not go SSD-only.
If all your data is on an external drive, just buy a smaller SSD instead. Just don't pair it with a HDD.
 
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MRrainer said:
I'd buy a 13" MBP for the time being and wait for the updated MacPro - or at least, updated iMacs in the fall.

And don't buy a Fusion Drive. It's ridiculous to spend all that money and not go SSD-only.
If all your data is on an external drive, just buy a smaller SSD instead. Just don't pair it with a HDD.
Click to expand...
I second this, don't spend that much for a computer with a fusion drive. Get a SSD.

Also, don't upgrade the RAM when ordering it. You can easily upgrade it with 3rd party RAM once you have it and you will save money.

As for the Mac Pro, it's old and expensive. Either get the iMac or wait for the new Mac Pro Apple said they would deliver "after 2017". Hopefully it will be announced at WWDC in June.
 
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Maybe a dumb question, but if you purchase ram separately does it void apple care?
 
Kurri said:
Maybe a dumb question, but if you purchase ram separately does it void apple care?
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Not at all :) Obviously Apple Care won't cover the 3rd party RAM itself but that's it. There's no need to open the iMac, there's a door in the back made for users to add RAM.
 
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so since you all have been so helpful. where do you buy your ram to save $$$
 
The other relevant thing to think about is that if/when the Mac Pro comes out, you might be tempted by it. The iMac will have a good resale value. The cylindrical Mac Pro will not.
 
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