Two macs. Which one for CS5 & Logic

[Qwerty11]

I am looking at these two computers.

1: New i7 Imac (Base Config)

2: Used Mac Pro with the following specs
-Dual Intel Xeon E5345 SLAEJ Quad Core Processors
-7GB Ram
-3.25TB of HD Space
-Gforce GT 7300 256mb Vid Card

Which would be better for processing my photography and running logic?

Thanks!

 

[Hellhammer]

iMac since it uses newer processor architecture. I of course assumed that you are fine with external storage as you can't add HDs into iMac. Only reason to get Mac Pro is because of its expandability. If you need that feature, then it's your only option

 

[Megadooomer]

?

Are you running plug-ins/VSTs? (Reaktor, Amplitude, etc.)
How big are your photos?

The newer i7 architecture will (I think) be faster for non-optimized programs such as plug-ins, etc.
However, the increased RAM and HDD Capacity/Speed (15000RPM or, potentially, RAID configuration) of the Mac Pro would make it much better for dealing with very large projects, such as high-megapixel RAW, extensive audio sample caching/playback, etc.


I think either way it is a quad-processor (i7 is quad-core, no?), so how big (sample and mega-pixel wise,) are your projects and do you want to use your own 2 screens?

Personally, I've run into no major issues doing DAW work in Ableton with fairly extensive plugins on my C2Duo Macbook Pro /2GB/5400RPM, so I would think either would be fine. Using Apple's high-glare screen such as the iMac has for extended visual work is quite annoying, however (imo). I would get the Pro with 2 nice S-ips or IPS displays.

 

[vistadude]

It's hard to say. There's is no i7 iMac in a base configuration, so which one are you looking at? How much RAM and what kind of hard disk?

I think the Mac Pro will probably be much faster. It's got dual quad core Xeon's, eight cores if they all work plus a heck of a lot more ram. It's probably faster RAM and a faster hard drive too. The only thing i would recommend is a better graphics card for general performance, although I don't think it'll matter so much for photography since the processor is so high end.

I am looking at these two computers.

1: New i7 Imac (Base Config)

2: Used Mac Pro with the following specs
-Dual Intel Xeon E5345 SLAEJ Quad Core Processors
-7GB Ram
-3.25TB of HD Space
-Gforce GT 7300 256mb Vid Card

Which would be better for processing my photography and running logic?

Thanks!

 

[spacedcadet]

long in the tooth

That graphics card and processor suggests it's a Mac Pro 1,1

You should be able to get a much better/more recent Mac Pro for the same money as an iMac i7.