Used Mac Pro FA970LL or New Imac QC 27" i7

[shpritz]

Here is my question. I have the opportunity to pick up the following Mac Pro used for a very good price;
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FA970LL/A
The one I am looking at has 12 Gigs of Ram but everything is as listed in the above link. I would have to buy a monitor for it which in the end would cost me probably 350 bucks more than going with the new iMac Quad Core 27" i7 with 8 Gigs of Ram.

Which way should I go??? Helpful suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[smacman]

The Mac Pro has a much higher build quality and will be upgradeable in areas where the iMac simply is not. I am a bit biased though as I just took delivery of a new Mac Pro which replaced a 24" iMac...

 

[SmugMac]

iMac is consumer while Mac Pro is a professional level product.

I still prefer the iMac, it's all about space plus I don't like the look of the Mac Pro. But that's probably just me.

 

[miggity]

Here is my question. I have the opportunity to pick up the following Mac Pro used for a very good price;
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FA970LL/A
The one I am looking at has 12 Gigs of Ram but everything is as listed in the above link. I would have to buy a monitor for it which in the end would cost me probably a few 350 bucks more than going with the new iMac Quad Core 27" i7 with 8 Gigs of Ram.

Which way should I go??? Helpful suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

well...like all of these questions it depends on what you're really asking. since you have not mentioned what you're going to do on it i am going to assume you don't care whether or not the MP could be too much computer for what you're going to use it for. if you're asking if a 2009 8-core MP + monitor for $2500 is a good deal, then hell yeah it is.

HOWEVER.....is it a good deal for you depends on what you are going to do on it. You could very well do all the things you're planning to use it for with the 27" QC iMac and thus save a few hundred bucks.

 

[Cave Man]

If I recall correctly, the ATI HD 2600 does not support OpenCL. If you get the MacPro, you'd want to replace that video card pronto. Also, I think that is the pre-hyperthreading model of the MacPro. Another thing to consider.

 

[shpritz]

The Mac Pro would definitely be overkill for what I plan to use it for. Mostly photography, Digital radiography and then the usual surfing, word processing, etc... With 12 Gigs of Ram I can pick it up for 2000 CAD which is about 1875 USD. I would of course have to go out and get a monitor at the same level offered on the iMac 27 and would probably look at the 30" Samsung monitor.

Space isn't an issue so the larger footprint of the mac pro is not a factor. iMac does not allow for any upgrade ability whereas the Mac Pro does?

 

[miggity]

hmm...even tho it's overkill if i were you i'd probably get it anyway and pick up a monitor because wow...$1875 USD for a Nahelem 8-core is an insanely good deal...not to mention that it comes with 12GB of ram! and like you said you have expansion and upgrade options for the future whereas with the imac it's pretty much dead-end.

i'm in the market for a mac pro myself and have been debating over whether or not to wait til the 2010 MP's arrive or to pick up one right now. if i pick one up right now the QC imac is a better deal but if i came across the deal you've found, it's a no brainer.

 

[Genghis Khan]

Not a Nehalem...

Guys, he's looking at a Harpertown...

And here, I'd be tempted to say go for the Mac Pro here...the expandability will allow you to make it faster for your needs in the future...

 

[bozz2006]

If I were you I'd go with the imac. definitely.