Top end 2011 iMac with SSD fastest Mac MacWorld has ever tested

[legreve]

Considering what those things it's good at after putting in the SSD, the race is still won by the Mac Pro in my world.
Gaming, folder zipping, gaming and using random single applications is really not important... only thing that matters to me is how it would run rendering and encoding. And since they didn't put a ssd in the 6 core, then that would be even more on fire once one did that. iMac will always be a consumer / flashy computer, not a proper work horse.

 

[johnfkitchen]

I'm not defending Apple. I'm not even taking a legal position.

I'm defending morality. Stealing is stealing.

Ben, the disk you bought was to upgrade an existing OS X license that you have paid for, and for running on Apple hardware. But you are aware of the EULA already. And you didn't pay for the base license. It's stealing.

If you shop frequently at a supermarket, do you feel that justifies the occasional shoplifting?

Anyway, the key word is morality.

 

[iSayuSay]

I myself love iMac i7. But this comparison is a bit pale, or should I say childish. MacPro used in their comparison didn't use SSD !! I'm trying to be objective here. IF every Mac in their test using SSD, well iMac i7 would be the second fastest, which is normal and to be expected.

And that's what I call fair comparison. Yes yes I know, it's cool to have $2700 iMac which beat $4000-ish MacPro. But so do $1000 standard MacBook Air could beat standard $2000 iMac in term of boot up or even loading apps time.

Still, any MacBook Air processor today is suck-ish compared to i7 and they will fall, even compared with $1200 iMac when it comes to processor-intensive tasks.

I'd say the comparison is void !! Sorry

 

[sth]

iMac will always be a consumer / flashy computer, not a proper work horse.

A few years ago, I would have completely agreed with that statement. But today... not so much.

The Mac Pro is still a completely different beast (dual-socket, server-grade components, easy access to internal components etc.), and the iMac will never be able to score on these points. But not being a proper workhorse... I don't think so.

Let's say it this way: The moment the iMacs started using desktop CPUs, the number of applications that actually require a Mac Pro has gone down quite a bit. Today, I see not only people like designers use iMacs, but also folks like music producers (professionals, not hobbyists), programmers, 2D/3D artists, etc.. Folks that used to own PowerMacs back in the day. All these people use the iMacs as their main workhorse (the 27" model almost exclusively, though). After all, they now offer about the same power as most single-CPU Mac Pros, they can be expanded to 16gb of RAM on the cheap, they offer a higher screen resolution than most dual-monitor setups had back in the PowerMac days, they're silent and they're much cheaper than an equivalent Mac Pro.

Again, I'm not saying the iMac is equal to a Mac Pro as a work machine, but it's certainly not just a "consumer toy" anymore.

 

[karthi]

Now a day consumer needs pro level power

Just few years ago, editing 1080p HD movies, loading tens of thousands of photos and rendering with Raw photo's might have been only pro only requirements, but the advancement in digital sensor's has made such things a regular need.

I think apple realized the need for it, and who would not want a pro power in smaller package.

 

[Stan Mikulenka]

Hi,
the iMac's design factor automatically removes itself from "professional" monicker.
Not enough cooling, terrible access to internals, etc.
So - powerful 'consumer toy'...

 

[sth]

Not enough cooling

So far, even my MacBook Pros have been running hot, but not unstable. In fact, they could even take torture tests such as Prime95 (in CPU torture test mode) and FurMark (a test designed to uncover flaws in power-supply and cooling of GPUs, which even some brand-new desktop GPUs fail) without a hickup, as well as, of course, regular use with sometimes very demanding tasks.

terrible access to internals, etc.

True, that's one of the reasons why I said that an iMac does not play in the same league as a Mac Pro. But the same holds true for the MacBook Pros, which many professionals use as their mobile setups these days. And yet, people are using them for professional applications all the time.

Also, don't think that all professionals are hardware guys (as in replacing broken components by themselves). I used to think that most of them at least knew a thing or two about the machines they are using every day, but as I had to learn over the years, this couldn't be further from the truth.

Last but not least: The iMac may be an all-in-one, a class of computers which is usually associated with crappy low-cost living-room computers. However, I've opened a 27" iMac a few weeks ago and I was blown away by how sturdy and with how much attention to detail these things are constructed.

 

[Stan Mikulenka]

Hi,
so lets' see - a bunch of munchkins who managed to buy iMacs - deciding what is a 'professional Mac'...sounds reasonable...
(And don't forget to give me another "-".)

 

[sth]

Hi,
so lets' see - a bunch of munchkins who managed to buy iMacs - deciding what is a 'professional Mac'...sounds reasonable...
(And don't forget to give me another "-".)

Wow, we're down to personal insults now.
Congratulations for "winning" this discussion!


PS: I don't own an iMac.
PPS: -

 

[Psilocybin]

Hi,
so lets' see - a bunch of munchkins who managed to buy iMacs - deciding what is a 'professional Mac'...sounds reasonable...
(And don't forget to give me another "-".)

Wtf? That was way out of left field. What does anyone's age have to do with if imacs are considered professional or not? Munchkin?
Wow your a real winner


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[philipma1957]

Hi,
the iMac's design factor automatically removes itself from "professional" monicker.
Not enough cooling, terrible access to internals, etc.
So - powerful 'consumer toy'...

Stan I agree with all iMacs with the possible exception of the new 2011 model. All iMacs with the possible exception of the 2011 have an achilles heel that is not acceptable for a pro user that I would hire. The achilles heel is the inaccessible hdd that can not be quickly fixed in case of a full crash. So if I hire a pro and he has an iMac I am taking a time risk in case of an internal hdd crash. Now if the T-bolt pans out and external ssd raid0 osx drives are added like this. below hdd crashes can be removed thus bringing iMacs into a much more viable pro status.

This is why macbook pro has the name pro it has fast hdd/ssd replacement. (imo)

Macbook pro cooling is far easier then imac. I will get a link;

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834998685



So I would say t-bolt may just make you wrong. Of course as of today no t-bolt devices are available and I will not buy a new piece of apple gear until I know what T-bolt will do for me.

 

[mankymanning]

Stan I agree with all iMacs with the possible exception of the new 2011 model. All iMacs with the possible exception of the 2011 have an achilles heel that is not acceptable for a pro user that I would hire. The achilles heel is the inaccessible hdd that can not be quickly fixed in case of a full crash. So if I hire a pro and he has an iMac I am taking a time risk in case of an internal hdd crash. Now if the T-bolt pans out and external ssd raid0 osx drives are added like this. below hdd crashes can be removed thus bringing iMacs into a much more viable pro status.

This is why macbook pro has the name pro it has fast hdd/ssd replacement. (imo)

Macbook pro cooling is far easier then imac. I will get a link;

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834998685



So I would say t-bolt may just make you wrong. Of course as of today no t-bolt devices are available and I will not buy a new piece of apple gear until I know what T-bolt will do for me.

You wouldn't hire someone who had an iMac prior to 2011! Seriously?!

Ha ha. Perhaps I don't know what professional means in this context. A hard disk can go in any machine at any time. If I am hiring someone to do a piece of work I don't care what equipment they use, none of my business. I just want results delivered. They could produce it on an Asus Eee pc if they like as long as they deliver on time. You just need to have a spare machine such as a laptop sat around so you can carry on should your main machine fail.

 

[Stan Mikulenka]

Hi again,
as I said before, don't consider iMac a "pro" computer.
This forum is your own proof:
(...so many pages...)