Haswell iMac v New Mac Pro?

[jabmac]

I know this has probably been covered 1000x times by now. However i came up with no real conclusion searching around the past few days. Im a Video editor and own a small time production company. Everything we push out is 1080pHD. I previously owned an 8 Core Mac pro, then the 12 Core. Then a year ago swapped to PC as the Mac Pro looked to be Dropped permanently and id out grown the machine i was using. Now im wanting to get back into working on a Mac, however for what im doing im unsure if i could just go with a loaded out 27inch IMac or should i wait for the new Mac Pro. Do i really need the Mac Pro?

My Work Flow Break Down would be
30% Adobe CS6 Premier (1080p Edits working with DSLR and RED Files, Also Multicam At Times)
30% Adobe CS6 After Effects (1080p Composites / Graphic/Animation Design)
20% Cinema 4D / Mudbox (Animation,3D Modeling,Texturing,Realistic Renders)
15% Photoshop (Touch up Raw DSLR Files and AE Files)
5% BluRay/DVD Authoring


I Know the 27" IMac Could handle the Blu Ray Authoring / Photoshop with ease. However im scared the Multicam 1080 Edits and 3D Rendering would be bottle necking with the IMac. At the same time with as far as technology has come an IMac may be able to handle all this. The IMac is also financially looking pretty to me. Around $3200 Loaded out and Screen is included. The Mac Pro im at 3-4k For Base Line and thats with no Monitor

Guess my question is could the new IMac handle my daily tasks with ease. Or do i really need the "Mac Pro" power ? Also i dont plan on editing 4K anytime soon. We have a camera Capable, however due to the lack of clients owning or even knowing what a 4K TV is there's not any reason to edit in it. It would be nice to know i could edit 4k in the future tho as the technology makes it more accessible.

 

[costabunny]

Does your current PC do all this ok? if so what spec is it and how does it compare to the iMac and the nMP?

also if its doing this workload, how stressed is it when working (I mean is your workload maxing the CPU, Fans and GFX cards?) - with all this info you should be able to fathom if iMac or nMP is the right way to go.

 

[jabmac]

My Current Machine (Windows) is an i7 3930k, 32gb ram and GTX680 Graphics card. It swallows pretty much everything i throw at it. However my partners are on macs and i frankly hate the Windows Interface. I find myself trying to use my MBP (even tho its Slower) for everything just because i enjoy working on it more. I also feel as if my windows machine has (and always has had) hicups that slow my productivity. I can say under 1hr Multi cam Edits with color correction even this windows has trouble and locks up from time to time. Regardless on what happens i will be turning my current windows machine into a server for a seperate company so i will be into a Mac very soon. I just didnt want to blow 5k+ on the Mac Pro + monitors if the new 27in IMac would handle my tasks. Ive read up on users dropping old Mac Pros for the New IMacs and saying they are faster than the Old Mac pro ever was. However these users usually arent pushing the computer to the Extent that i am. Anyone using a new IMac and putting under these kind of Loads? Does it bottle neck your work flow? The More i Read into it the more i think i may need to be in Mac Pro territory

 

[costabunny]

well if that system struggles on those multicam edits then perhaps a nMP is the way to go (6-core or more). The latest imac has a slightly faster top CPU, but the 780 graphics aren't going to give you much of a boost.

If it were me, knowing what you have said - I'd be looking at a 6 or 8 core nMP with a nice TB2 array hooked up and perhaps a pair of 27" screens (I wouldn't go for the apple ones purely on price). < that of course is what I would look to.

for example my old iMac 27 i7 was a beast, but the older, but new to me, 6-Core Mac Pro beats it for heavy video work (and as it has a roomier case it doesn't have to ramp its fans to the max, plus the CPU does not get quite as hot as the iMac did). Also I am a fan of having my drives internally.

I suppose it comes down to how much is your time worth, and can the budget stretch to the more powerful nMP? the 6 or 8 core nMP will be quite a bit faster at multi-threaded tasks. Can't say what the GPU's will do, but I would imaging they will easily shame an iMac.

 

[riggles]

Yeah, if that 6-core Windows machine sometimes hiccups for you, the new iMac won't fair much better. I just sold my 2012 maxed-out 27" iMac and went the used 12-core Mac Pro route, simply because 75% of my work is 3D rendering and none of my application utilize the OpenCL features of the nMP AMD GPUs, so the value wasn't there. But if the majority of your work is video editing/compositing, the nMP would seem to be a better fit (although, I don't recall how much OpenCL support is in CS6). Either way, the absolute best case iMac scenario would be parity with your current Windows setup, IMO.

 

[Sun Baked]

You are in Mac Pro territory with the amount you are spending on the iMac.

You may "want" to spend a lot more on the Mac Pro for all new stuff, but you already have drives, keyboard, displays, etc. on a machine that is soon to become a server.

The main gift of the Mac Pro in you workflow is likely the dual GPUs and any application that'll use OpenCL now or very soon.

Even if you only spend 3k on a base Mac Pro, the dual GPUs and OpenCL may make it worth a shot.

So wait for the benchmarks, they should be out soon.

 

[deconstruct60]

My Current Machine (Windows) is an i7 3930k, 32gb ram and GTX680 Graphics card. It swallows pretty much everything i throw at it. ..... I can say under 1hr Multi cam Edits with color correction even this windows has trouble and locks up from time to time.

Is that because all the money is locked up in CPU / RAM and GPU and the IO is struggling or is it because just overwhelmed the computational resources ?

You can end up with the same problem iMac or new Mac Pro if either can't stream from multiple sources or have a single source which are move multiple streams without hiccups.

Measurement of resource utilization during a hiccup can better lock down what the root cause is.

Anyone using a new IMac and putting under these kind of Loads? Does it bottle neck your work flow? The More i Read into it the more i think i may need to be in Mac Pro territory

Mac Pro would likely give you more long term headroom. if looking to buy and hold for 3-4 years then the new Mac Pro is probably a better fit.

 

[jabmac]

Thanks for the Replys Guys!
Like i said I'm making the swap because i like the work flow on a Mac better than a PC. Will my PC handle all tasks at hand? yes! However christmass is coming and i figured id spoil myself and get back to what i learned On! Looks like il be waiting on the nMP benchmarks and final pricing upgrade costs!

Thanks Again

 

[handsome pete]

Thanks for the Replys Guys!
Like i said I'm making the swap because i like the work flow on a Mac better than a PC. Will my PC handle all tasks at hand? yes! However christmass is coming and i figured id spoil myself and get back to what i learned On! Looks like il be waiting on the nMP benchmarks and final pricing upgrade costs!

Thanks Again

I never really understood the workflow claim. What are you guys doing in the OS that you really see a vast difference? I work in the same programs you are and once the software is open and running, the OS is pretty much an afterthought.

 

[flat five]

I never really understood the workflow claim. What are you guys doing in the OS that you really see a vast difference? I work in the same programs you are and once the software is open and running, the OS is pretty much an afterthought.

versions and now tags.. the autosave is good too once the devs tap into it.. works better than any individual app's autosave that i've come across..
(not that these are necessarily major selling points.. just a couple of good things for people with an unorganized slant)


but yeah, i have no doubt i'd do just fine in windows.. i'd probably even be better off with windows rhino as it's much more mature than rhino for mac..

at some point, it just comes down to a person making a choice.. (well, in my case, when i started computing-- all the people i knew had macs so i got one too.. you know, free software and all ..but i basically just stuck with it because it's what i know now and i see/have no real reason to consider a different OS.. it's the individual programs that count)

i guess the one i don't really understand is people choosing to switch OS then switching back etc.. (not counting the people who have to use things at work which aren't their preference)