Forthcoming iMac Pro versus In Development MacPro

[Anto38x]

Hi there....

I'm a seasoned MacPro user... never actually had an iMac before as I just really felt it didn't suit my needs, not powerful or upgradeable enough for my needs.... but the world has changed and so has the limits of my uses for a computer. I'm an old school graphic designer from the prehistoric print days... so I use Quark Xpress 2017, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Lightroom, Parallels, Suitcase Fusion as my Core apps for my day to day... then for my hobby activities and free time I use Final Cut Pro X, Adobe Premiere and Adobe After Effects only for editing home video essentially in 1080p... maybe possibly the new iPhone X 4K @ 60fps footage.... but that would be it really. I'm not a video editing expert and never really will be. I do a lot of brochure design work, annual reports and a lot of signage, large format... but my MacPro 2010 12 Core with 64GB is pretty much able to handle anything I throw at it... actually when I visit my signage suppliers they even struggle to open and process my file sizes as their standard iMacs all have about 8-16GB Ram and just aren't fully spec'd up like my MacPro... but.... the imminent arrival of the new iMac pro changes all that... I had been anxiously waiting for the new MacPro... and the announcement that it would be 2018 was amazing.... but then this new iMac Pro got sneak previewed and I said to myself... this machine actually delivers on all my needs and more.

I would love to wait for the new MacPro... but I will need a new 5K screen with that... my last MacPro cost €9,000 Euros for the box only... 512GB SSD and I used Crucial Memory to top up over the years to a new current 64GB. The new MacPro I reckon is going to cost me a hell of a lot more than that... I always go for the maxed out specs... just the way I have always been and my machines have lasted me and my family a long time (still using a MacPro Dual Core). I reckon new MacPro could be in the €13,000 Euros range.

Starting at $4,999... not sure of the equivalent in Euros... I reckon a spec'd out iMac could be all I need.

What would you suggest.... I recently purchased a new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, full spec.. as far as I could push it and I love all the modern features and the modern connectivity I/O..... not sure if I can wait until the end of 2018 or start of 2019 for a new MacPro.... do you think for my needs the new iMac Pro can more than deliver ? I love the idea of a super computer and 5K screen all in one... with 128GB Ram... possibly 18 cores... depending on price.

I'm 50 years old next year and I would hope this next purchase would last me another 7 - 10 years just like my last MacPro 12 Core so loyaly has.

is the new MacPro going to be really targeted at the hardcore 4K content creator or VR or AR creator using insane 3D computing power, stuff I will never be involved with or have expertise in.

Any comments suggestions most welcome.

 

[joema2]

...I'm a seasoned MacPro user...old school graphic designer...I use Quark Xpress 2017, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Lightroom, Parallels, Suitcase Fusion as my Core apps for my day to day... then for my hobby activities and free time I use Final Cut Pro X, Adobe Premiere and Adobe After Effects only for editing home video essentially in 1080p... maybe possibly the new iPhone X 4K @ 60fps footage.... but that would be it really....my MacPro 2010 12 Core with 64GB is pretty much able to handle anything I throw at it...

I've extensively tested FCPX on a top-spec 12-core D700 "new" Mac Pro vs a 2017 top-spec iMac 27. In general the iMac is faster at most things. For common tasks like transcoding H264 to proxy or optimized ProRes, it is about 2x faster. For people doing ProRes acquisition and a completely ProRes workflow, the trash can Mac Pro is still pretty good although it's severely in need of updating.

We don't know the performance and price numbers on the iMac Pro models yet. It seems possible the 10-core Vega 64 version might be 1.8x faster than the top-spec 2017 iMac on both CPU and GPU but we don't know for sure. Those are possible synthetic benchmark numbers -- real-world app performance could vary widely depending on how they are written. One rumor says it may have a customized Xeon with Quick Sync hardware acceleration, which no other Xeon over four cores has ever had.

While we know little about the iMac Pro, we know virtually nothing about the upcoming "modular" Mac Pro except it will somehow be upgradable. That could mean anything -- Apple-branded Thunderbolt 3 expansion chassis, or PCIe slots, or a hatch allowing an updated Apple-proprietary GPU and memory or maybe an external bolt-on modular design like RED cinema cameras. Since the upcoming iMac Pro scales to 18 cores, it seems possible the modular Mac Pro would include multi-socket CPU support. It will probably be expensive.

You could probably get a top-spec 2017 iMac 27 today and it would be faster at many things than your 2010 Mac Pro. The retina screen is very nice. However if your 2010 Mac Pro can handle current needs there's no reason to rush. You have plenty of time to wait for the iMac Pro release in December and extensive 3rd-party testing. That will reveal the true picture. You may have a problem smoothly editing 4k h264 or H265 video on your Mac Pro, but you described that as a future issue.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

As above, to be honest the current iMacs top spec will blow your 2010 away in most usage cases. The imac pro will be complete overkill but hey it will give you longevity if its way past what you need. A non upgradeable all in one will probably see you good for 7-8 years and the savings you will make over the mac pro would probably give you the option to buy 2 in 10 years for the same sort of money and 3 or 4 normal imacs which will do your use case no trouble at all.

 

[Anto38x]

I've extensively tested FCPX on a top-spec 12-core D700 "new" Mac Pro vs a 2017 top-spec iMac 27. In general the iMac is faster at most things. For common tasks like transcoding H264 to proxy or optimized ProRes, it is about 2x faster. For people doing ProRes acquisition and a completely ProRes workflow, the trash can Mac Pro is still pretty good although it's severely in need of updating.

We don't know the performance and price numbers on the iMac Pro models yet. It seems possible the 10-core Vega 64 version might be 1.8x faster than the top-spec 2017 iMac on both CPU and GPU but we don't know for sure. Those are possible synthetic benchmark numbers -- real-world app performance could vary widely depending on how they are written. One rumor says it may have a customized Xeon with Quick Sync hardware acceleration, which no other Xeon over four cores has ever had.

While we know little about the iMac Pro, we know virtually nothing about the upcoming "modular" Mac Pro except it will somehow be upgradable. That could mean anything -- Apple-branded Thunderbolt 3 expansion chassis, or PCIe slots, or a hatch allowing an updated Apple-proprietary GPU and memory or maybe an external bolt-on modular design like RED cinema cameras. Since the upcoming iMac Pro scales to 18 cores, it seems possible the modular Mac Pro would include multi-socket CPU support. It will probably be expensive.

You could probably get a top-spec 2017 iMac 27 today and it would be faster at many things than your 2010 Mac Pro. The retina screen is very nice. However if your 2010 Mac Pro can handle current needs there's no reason to rush. You have plenty of time to wait for the iMac Pro release in December and extensive 3rd-party testing. That will reveal the true picture. You may have a problem smoothly editing 4k h264 or H265 video on your Mac Pro, but you described that as a future issue.

Thank you so so much for your informed reply Joema2.... you make total sense... and you are 100% right.... my current machine is still a beast and doing a great job... but it is a little behind on things like Continuity and USB C transfer rates etc.... and I would just love a new computer... as my only 2 year old Apple 27" Cinema Display (LED not Thunderbolt) is acting up going blank intermittently and that's really starting to get annoying. I feel in my gut that the iMac Pro really will deliver on all my needs... it will be really a matter of what configuration I go for...knowing me and my past history... it will be the maxed out version... I always do that... just what I do!! Waiting to see the new MacPro in late 2018, possibly 2019 is possibly going to be a waste of time for me... the world had moved on and before the MacPro was the go to machine for high end desktop graphics and standard video editing... now it's all about 4K and multiple 4K monitors and YouTube Creators.... Red 8K cameras.... the new MacPro is going to be amazing.... I just know it... but it is being built for a difference audience now... that need ultra high computer power for VR and AR all things I'm not involved with. I'm graphic design, photoshop editing, large format signage with a little DIY video editing.... nothing crazy... iMac Pro will take me to the next level for sure and I would be confident I would get another 7-8 years out of it for sure.

Thanks again for your excellent advice and comments. Very much appreciated.
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As above, to be honest the current iMacs top spec will blow your 2010 away in most usage cases. The imac pro will be complete overkill but hey it will give you longevity if its way past what you need. A non upgradeable all in one will probably see you good for 7-8 years and the savings you will make over the mac pro would probably give you the option to buy 2 in 10 years for the same sort of money and 3 or 4 normal imacs which will do your use case no trouble at all.

I hear you Samuelsan2001.... but I have my current MacPro now going on 8 years... so if I jump I always try and go for the very very latest I can buy with the hope the new tech will last me as long as possible and deliver a buffer of future speed as the machine ages. My budget would be about €10,000 as that's pretty much how much my last MacPro cost... so I will try and buy a new iMac Pro to that budget and get as good a spec'd up machine as I can. I currently have 64GB and I know I could do with more... so I'm thinking 128GB RAM for sure... and then it will be a toss up between the 10 Core and 18 Core options... all down to price.

Thank you again for your insightful comments. Very much appreciated.