MP 7,1 iMac 18-core or Mac Pro 16-core

[yellow_lupine]

Hello everybody,

I'd like to buy a desktop Mac computer for music production but I can't choose, can you help me?

I will mainly use Cubase and Vienna Ensemble Pro with a lot of virtual instruments for building orchestral music and I think I will need many CPU cores and a lot of RAM.
My two choices are iMac Pro with 18-cores or Mac Pro with 16-cores, what do you think about that?
Does someone have any experience with those Mac?
In some of the reviews I have read it seems they are quite similar in performance, at least in the configurations I have listed, is that true?
Can you give me any suggestions?

Thanks in advance

 

[codehead1]

Geekbench has the MP 16 ahead of the iMP 18 on single and multicore performance. The iMac Pro is cheaper, especially because it comes with a monitor. That's where it ends for me. You really need to pick a memory configuration you'll be happy with for a long time, and the next choices are 64 GB and 128 GB. If you pick 128 GB, you've wiped out any savings on going iMac, versus upgrading the Mac Pro with 3rd party memory. For instance, the minimal MP-16 with 32 GB and 3rd party upgrade to 96 GB is more than $1k cheaper than the iMac 128 GB. Even if you bump the SSD to match, it's still $700. The frustrating thing about the iMac Pro is 64 GB may be more than enough for now, but you're gambling it will stay that way, without having to take it into a shop to upgrade memory, or taking apart the iMac housing to do it yourself. And your next option is spending $2k to get to 128 GB.

The same deal with video card. Better buy all you'll ever want the first time on the iMac Pro, you won't want to move up later. Video card still seem to be changing faster than CPU capability, an video card upgrade in two years might make for a whole new computer.

Next, I'm sure the iMac Pro is very quiet, but I'd rather have my quiet fans on the floor, in a big and highly-ventilated package, than in front of me for music system.

Then, with all that money spent, the Mac Pro is just more likely to have a longer life due to the flexibility of upgrading.

 

[lukethemore]

my two cents ...

$ 7.949 iMac Pro (18 core - 32 Gb RAM - Vega 64 - 1 Tb SSD)

$ 8.999 Mac Pro (16 core - 32 Gb RAM - W5700X - 1 Tb SSD)

Let's assume you'll have to increase the RAM quantity for Vienna (ex. 96 Gb or more) ...

Would I spend $ 1.000 more for Mac Pro ? YES

If I was you, I would buy a 21:9 display (or 32:9) for less than $ 1.000 to have more horizontal space for the Cubase timeline ... but ... the most important thing ... you'll avoid an "all in one".

A friend of mine have serious "ghosting" problems on his iMac 27" 5K but he is "scared" to pickup up his machine and bring it to the Apple Store for assistance.

Can you risk to "stay still" in your work ? Don't buy an all-in-one

 

[SayCheese]

My use is photography not music but I looked at both the iMac Pro and the Mac Pro. I went for the Mac Pro because the flexibility in the long is what I wanted. I didn't fancy spending that sort of money to be unable to upgrade easily at a later date.

 

[codehead1]

$ 7.949 iMac Pro (18 core - 32 Gb RAM - Vega 64 - 1 Tb SSD)

$ 8.999 Mac Pro (16 core - 32 Gb RAM - W5700X - 1 Tb SSD)

Let's assume you'll have to increase the RAM quantity for Vienna (ex. 96 Gb or more) ...

Would I spend $ 1.000 more for Mac Pro ? YES

Agree with all that, but the clincher is when you factor in memory. Need 96 GB, as you suggest? Now it's $9949 versus $9999, a $50 premium (less memory, but the minimums available to fit the needs). But upgrade memory yourself on the Mac Pro? Then the Mac Pro is nearly $700 cheaper.

You still have to buy a monitor, but the point is the more you choose to load up the iMac Pro at purchase time—to future proof against the fact it's not easily upgradable—the farther the Mac Pro pulls ahead.

I almost hit the buy button on iMac Pro a couple of years ago, suffering with my ancient 2009 Mac Pro 8-core, but couldn't reconcile the lack of upgradability at that price point. Waited for the new Mac Pro, then waited out the W5700X and bought that day. Now just waiting on delivery. (Multi-major uses, but DAW is one.)