Radeon Pro 555 vs. Radeon Pro 560

[Hater]

In true fashion, my MBP's USB ports have both died and i'm continuing to get CPU related kernel panics... every 48 hours or so. I've been holding out for this new Mac Mini announcement, but I can't hold on much longer, it was fine with the kernel panics - but now i'm having to transfer images to SD card then using the SD card reader to transfer data off my cameras!

I'm looking to replace it with a desktop. I am a heavy FCP and Motion user.

I don't want a 27" machine, I already have a 34" monitor for editing, I don't w, so i'm in the market for a 21.5".

I plan to upgrade the CPU, RAM and HDD's myself (and disconnecting the iSight camera) - however for an extra $300, I can go the top end 4K iMac with Radeon Pro 560, or I can stick with the mid tier model and have a 555.

Is the upgrade worth it? Either machine will be getting an i7, so the bumped CPU in the top tier model is a moot point.

It's a pity the base model can only take 16GB of RAM and doesn't have TB3, all of my footage is 1080p and will be for the foreseeable future.

I guess I could run my 34" off an eGPU - Probably the smart thing to do anyway?

 

[fokmik]

You want to go from 2018 mbp to an imac?
[doublepost=1537344582][/doublepost]Nevertheless, you can’t wait one more month? New event or imacs can see the light
On October 1st intel release the cpus

 

[J.Gallardo]

I guess I could run my 34" off an eGPU - Probably the smart thing to do anyway?

I think it is, having a good monitor and good CPU. This way you can easily upgrade GPU in the future (AMD seems the way to go, though), or use the external case (useful 'cause PCI bays) with your next mac.
BUT you need a reliable USB-C port with Thunderbolt-3 protocol...

 

[Hater]

You want to go from 2018 mbp to an imac?
[doublepost=1537344582][/doublepost]Nevertheless, you can’t wait one more month? New event or imacs can see the light
On October 1st intel release the cpus

2012 MBP. If I had a 2018 and the USB port had failed, it'd be fixed under warranty.... And yeah I will go to a new desktop because the new MBP's are horrible, especially for the price. Can't even run a second HDD. I've been waiting for 6 months with the kernel panics, but now the USB ports have died too it's just running on a hope and a prayer...

BUT you need a reliable USB-C port with Thunderbolt-3 protocol...

Yeah, 2017 iMac

 

[J.Gallardo]

Yeah, 2017 iMac

...or refurbished previous gen. MBP... (or perhaps same option on iMac, due to RAM posibilities). If it's not going to be your definitive mac, you just need CPU, Thunderbolt3 & RAM.

 

[294307]

It's a pity the base model can only take 16GB of RAM and doesn't have TB3, all of my footage is 1080p and will be for the foreseeable future.

All 2017 iMacs have Thunderbolt 3, including the non-4K 21.5-inch iMac.

 

[RayZen926]

going down this route also...i'm using an rMBP m2012 15" plus an Asus 32" monitor.
Buying an eGPU won't do much justice for those damned Adobe programs as it needs more CPU and RAM fuel!
I dunno if a radeon 555 is sufficient then use the extra money to buy an eGPU instead (will still try it on my old MBP hahaa )

 

[JoSch]

I have the middle tier 4K iMac 2017. I can edit Full-HD videos in FCPX just fine.

 

[06tb06]

I have the middle tier 4K iMac 2017. I can edit Full-HD videos in FCPX just fine.

Same here, and 4K editing is just icing on the cake.

I dunno if a radeon 555 is sufficient then use the extra money to buy an eGPU instead (will still try it on my old MBP hahaa )

Internal discrete GPUs are almost always your best graphics option as they have a shorter path to the CPU. External GPUs are great for certain workloads but suffer due to bandwidth limitations and latency. Obviously if you go the Mac Mini route and need a more powerful graphics solution to do the heavy lifting, you have no choice but to buy an eGPU.