iMac 24" or Mac Pro

[lapiera]

I am not sure if I should buy a 24" iMac or wait for the next Mac Pro update. I have for some time now own a dual 1ghtz G4 w/ maxed out ram, 2 drives, a 17" monitor, and 10.3.9. I work in a way in which quite a few apps are running at the same time. Typically I burn CD's while working in Office and/or switch between various music apps such as Finale, ProTools, SmartMusic, all the while doing the usual internet searches and email. I also have a Roku Soundbridge accessing my iTunes via a wireless network. Through the years I keep seeing more and more of the spinning ball. I have waited thru this whole Intel switch as well as for at least some of the music apps to be reconfigured for the Intel processor. Now I want to upgrade my system, improve the speed of the music software programs, burn CDs and DVDs faster, acquire a larger screen to see more of the music score and some of my other open apps all at the same time. I am just not sure if I need a consumer, prosumer or pro machine. The price point and the bigger screen of the iMac along with the processing power seems to be great compared to my current set up. Is the iMac enough power for my needs? Thank you.

 

[FFTT]

Mac Pro 2.66 GHz.

One of the guys over at Gearslutz.com tested his with only the Stock 1 GB RAM
and was able to run 175 SSL channels with Wave plugins showing only 3/4 processor use.

His Dual 1.8 GHz G5 could only handle 32 channels.

These are truly droolworthy machines.

 

[generik]

Mac Pro too, I personally won't pay so much for an unupgradeable AIO machine, it is just too ridiculous.

 

[lapiera]

Upgradeable Issue, Processor, and Display

Yeah, that AIO thing has me bugged and of course you had to mention it right away . I won't be buying again for quite a while and I enjoy slowly moving towards maxing out my computer. Heck I might not buy again until Apple shifts to AMD. I was hoping to 'get away with' not spending money on a display. When is it likely that the Mac Pro will move to the latest Core 2 Duo? And, for my needs is it relevant to wait? Also, I have read the rumours regarding newer displays. What do you think about these rumors?
Thanks for the help!

 

[FFTT]

Your choice really depends on how many tracks you plan to work with at any given time.

A well equipped iMac could easily handle the needs of a home project studio, but if
you're planning on recording an entire band, you're going to want the Mac Pro
and a whole bunch of other nifty gear.

 

[dmw007]

When is it likely that the Mac Pro will move to the latest Core 2 Duo? And, for my needs is it relevant to wait? Also, I have read the rumours regarding newer displays. What do you think about these rumors?
Thanks for the help!

The chip that the Mac Pro uses is more advanced than the Core 2 Duo (although they are both based off of the same Core architecture). The chip inside the Mac Pro, the Xeon, has a faster front side bus than any existing Core Duo or Core 2 Duo chip.


And for your needs, either the 24"iMac or Mac Pro would be a good deal faster than your current machine. So either way you go, you will be quite happy with the performance.

 

[JayRx1981]

I'm having to make the same choice. My previous system(s) are a G4 Mac Mini and a self-built WinXP box (athlon64 3000, x1600 pro, 1GB ram) from a couple years back.

On the one hand, the iMac is nice as a simple AIO unit with a 24" screen (mmmm...screen real estate) and should be a decent machine for the next year at least (and probably longer). However, I could also go with the standard mac pro and I'm sortof leaning towards that even if it means a drop to a 1680x1050 rez monitor due to monetary constraints since it's a bit more "future-proof" in that I can fully upgrade almost everything (except the mobo) over the next several years. And being the geek that I am, upgradeability is kindof important. I'm just not sure if it's worth the ~$500 difference I'll be paying.

For details sake, these are the two machines I'm choosing between:

24" iMac (w/ edu pricing):
2.13GHz C2D, 256MB 7600GT upgrade, 250GB HD, 2GB RAM for $2170 (not counting tax)

vs

2.66GHz Mac Pro standard config w/ 20" Acer 1680x1050 widescreen monitor from newegg for $2564.

The Mac Pro also would come with a free iPod (well, after mail-in rebate but still) which I can sell, while the new iMac doesn't.

My current leaning is towards the Mac Pro, but wow, the 24" iMac is pretty Thoughts?