Hello, I am a Photographer that is starting out. I need a desktop and I cant decide whether to get an iMac or a Mac Pro. I need to be able to run Photoshop and edit up to at least 12 Photos at a time. I want at least a 24" screen for sure and dont know whether to get a iMac or a Mac Pro and get a 24" Dell display. Any advice?
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Which Computer should I get: Apple Mac Pro or High end iMac
- Thread starter studioffice101
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RAM Requirements...
Editing up to 12 photos at a time is pretty RAM intensive, so consider the max RAM that you can load into either machine. You get 4 GB max in the iMac, much, much more in a Mac Pro. Also, consider the expandability of a Mac pro.
Editing up to 12 photos at a time is pretty RAM intensive, so consider the max RAM that you can load into either machine. You get 4 GB max in the iMac, much, much more in a Mac Pro. Also, consider the expandability of a Mac pro.
If your budget allows $5, 899 + the cost to upgrade... buy the 2.93GHz 8-core. That's the best/simple response to your question.
You can also refer to the following:
Which pro for me?
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/715959/
Buying a MAC PRO - Please help me decide on specs!
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/708950/
Mac Pro - Previous Gen (Harpertown) VS Nehalem???
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/721332/
24" iMac vs. Baseline Nehalem Quad
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/726860/
And... there are more, but you can simply do a search and find more if needed.
It's actually 8GB in the 09 iMac's.
But for 2,000 to 3,000 USD an iMac is more in your budget. A good entry level Mac Pro like the 2.93Ghz Quad Core starts at 2,999.00 USD. Another option if you don't mind going the refurb route is to look at the 08 model Mac Pro's.
Jeez, I hate to make a monitor sound important (I feel like a skipping disc) but whatever route you go you do need to invest in a quality monitor (even getting a new iMac as, correct me if I am wrong, they have a Mini-DVI port). Personally, I would go with an NEC for work on a professional level - on your budget you could probably get away with an HP LP2475 ($530 from Provantage), but also take into account you should get a colour-calibrator as well; its all about colour-accuracy (mainly don't want to over-saturate images).
Does your budget include $$ for programs, or did you allocate it separately?
Does your budget include $$ for programs, or did you allocate it separately?
Going the Mac Pro way you have more RAM, at least 4 internal hard drives (good for backing up your data/photo library; also good for RAID0 for better performance in Photoshop, Lightroom etc - scratch disk), you can swap a graphic card in the future and you can choose the monitor...
