iMac 3.06 or Mac Pro ?

[fredsarran]

Hi everybody,

I just sold my iMac 2.8 in order to buy the iMac 3.06. But then I realized I will probably sell the 3.06 to buy again the next updated iMac, that could be in the next 6 month (based on rumors of course).

Anyway, I am soon going to be in a situation where I will not be able to sell to buy each time a new updated iMac comes out.

I use very heavy applications (Adobe CS3, Apple Pro apps, etc...) and would love to play games at full settings. How would the iMac 3.06 cope ?

I have been considering a Mac Pro with the highest processor (cannot be manually updated) and keep everything else to the minimum to cut down the cost (but it is still very expensive). Is it worth it because of the high price ? Will it soon be updated ? I reckon, an investment in the Mac Pro, should last at least 10 years.

Please recommend me the best option. I love the iMac and never had a Mac Pro, but like the idea of upgrading when I want.

Cheers

 

[nick9191]

I wouldn't have sold the 2.8, the speed difference is negligible to the 3.06, and the ATI 2600 Pro graphics card is far superior for Pro Apps over the 8800GS. However the 8800GS is better for games obviously, but still wont play anything like Crysis on anywhere near full settings.

It's too late now though, I suggest you get the Mac Pro, and buy the new ATI HD 3870 XT thats out for Mac, its much better than both the 8800GS and 2600 Pro for Gaming and Pro apps, and its better than the 8800GT for pro apps, and nearly as good as the 8800GT for gaming, if that makes sense.

I have been considering a Mac Pro with the highest processor (cannot be manually updated)

Yes they can.

 

[alam]

get the mac pro

 

[fredsarran]

Apple said...

Hi Nick,

Thanks for your reply.

I did have a chat with Apple and the guy told me that I would not be able to upgrade the processors in a Mac Pro, later on. So I should get the ones I want now and stick to them. But the other components are upgradable.

iMac seems a better choice because of the price, but Mac Pro seems way better for the upgrading (but way more expensive). Also to take in count that I would need to get the screen separately.

I know I can buy Apple Computers at Apple Online and Amazon UK, but is there anywhere else, besides eBay, where I can buy a iMac or Mac Pro at a lower price, in UK ? Eventually Ireland because I am going to move there next month.

Cheers.

 

[Father Jack]

Definitely the Mac Pro ..

 

[fredsarran]

Good deal ?

Does anyone knows where to get a good deal on a Mac Pro (with a Apple Cinema Display of 30 inch) in UK or Ireland ?

I have a budget of £2000 - I know it is not a lot.

Thanks.

 

[Father Jack]

I think even refurb will cost more. £2000 will get a nice refurb Mac pro but I think the 30"ACD is out. Perhaps buy something good but cheaper and a little smaller in the meantime. The Dell 24" gets great reviews.

 

[eXan]

Don't get the fastest processor, get the 2.8 octo and Radeon 3870. It won't last you 10 years, judging by your post, 1-2 years max if you want to play games at high settings. Don't believe me? Take the fastest personal computer from 1998 and see how it runs by today's standards, if its still working, that is.

3.0 and 3.2 GHz upgrades show 4-10 % improvement over 2.8, but you need to max out 2.8 first to see the speed up, and those upgrades cost a lot more than what they're worth.

 

[fredsarran]

Ok

Thanks for your advice.

It seems that I will need to go for a iMac 3.06. And hopefully Apple will not update it any time soon.

 

[eXan]

It seems that I will need to go for a iMac 3.06. And hopefully Apple will not update it any time soon.

They will not, but why do you hope they won't update it?

 

[alam]

Thanks for your advice.

It seems that I will need to go for a iMac 3.06. And hopefully Apple will not update it any time soon.

but i heard that it's gonna update in the early 2009, it's only six months, it's the end of the world...

maybe the new imacs are gonna be differently redesigned and transform in a deferent way

dont rush on buy it now believe me it's worth to wait

 

[Genghis Khan]

mac pro will last as a decent computer for 5 years tops

unless you're using it's high processing power now, it's cheaper to buy an iMac every 2 years

 

[fredsarran]

iMac Update

Hi,

One of the things that makes me think Apple will update the iMac soon, it is simply the fact that they updated the 2.8 to 3.06 - Why did they do that if there is no big difference in performances ? Also I read that the Nvidia graphic card is not that great after all.

I believe they made this update to attract customers and to sell out the stock of iMacs in order to start new with an updated one. That also say that if they aiming to sell out, maybe they going to bring out a new updated and redesigned iMac.

Who knows ?

Also I need a Mac pretty soon because I use it for everything daily.

 

[eXan]

Hi,

One of the things that makes me think Apple will update the iMac soon, it is simply the fact that they updated the 2.8 to 3.06 - Why did they do that if there is no big difference in performances ? Also I read that the Nvidia graphic card is not that great after all.

I believe they made this update to attract customers and to sell out the stock of iMacs in order to start new with an updated one. That also say that if they aiming to sell out, maybe they going to bring out a new updated and redesigned iMac.

Who knows ?

Also I need a Mac pretty soon because I use it for everything daily.

?? They updated the iMac line like 9 months after the previous update. Took them longer that average to do so.

2.8 -> 3.0 being insignificant? Thats the nature of updates - they are rather insignificant revision to revision, but after 2 or 3 revisions the difference is quite noticeable. And they didn't just update the CPU clock speed - iMacs have faster FSB, faster RAM, more RAM standard (on most models), GeForce 8800 in the high-end model. A rather impressive revision.

They won't redesign the iMac anytime soon. They have just redesigned it last august. The new redesign is at least 3-4 generations ahead.

 

[nick9191]

What is more important, the games or the pro apps,

This should help you to decide whether to get the 2600 Pro or the 8800GS. As I said the 2600 Pro is better for the Pro apps. You can take the mid range iMac 24" and bump up to the 3.06.

 

[eXan]

What is more important, the games or the pro apps,

This should help you to decide whether to get the 2600 Pro or the 8800GS. As I said the 2600 Pro is better for the Pro apps.

Or buy Radeon 3870 that is the fastest card for Core Image and is almost as fast as GeForce in games.

 

[ihabime]

I'm not sure why people think they have some special insight into when new Macs are released, it's really pretty simple. Every 6-8 months a new model will be released, it will be 10-15% faster, it will probably include a new video card and every couple of years they will redesign the case.

This is the case with the current 3.06 and it will be the case with the next update. Really it's that simple.

The only big bump coming to the iMacs will be late next year when they get nehalem processors, they may, and I stress may, get quad cores in the top model. But the sad fact is 6-8 months later a newer faster one with a better video card will come out.

The Mac Pro does insulate you from that somewhat. You can replace the video card and the CPUs (although that's a much bigger chore and Apple won't give you much help). Replacing the graphics cards and CPUs will cost you several hundred dollars a year and even then there are things like PCI Express 3.0 and changing CPU sockets that will eventually leave you stuck.

Of course all that speed is really only necessary for gamers or people that do hardcore 24/7 3D work. Photoshop, Aperture, most of Apples pro apps will run fine on the 3.06 for at least the next few years.

So maybe your best return on investment is to Buy an iMac, keep it till the applecare runs out then sell it.

Hope that helped

 

[fredsarran]

Thanks

Thanks for your replies. I will probably go for a iMac. Unless I find a great deal for the Mac Pro.

Cheers.

 

[BamaDMD]

What is more important, the games or the pro apps,

This should help you to decide whether to get the 2600 Pro or the 8800GS. As I said the 2600 Pro is better for the Pro apps. You can take the mid range iMac 24" and bump up to the 3.06.

Well actually from what I've read, the 2600 pro and the 8800gs are about the same since 10.5.3 has come out. This may get even better as the driver becomes more mature and then you'll see the 8800gs surpass the 2600 pro.

 

[fredsarran]

Where to buy ?

Does anybody knows where I could get a very good deal on a Mac Pro + Screen ? In the UK ? or Ireland ?

 

[fredsarran]

iMac versus Mac Pro

Hi,

How do they compare in performance ? : Latest iMac 3.06 versus Mac Pro (One 2.8GHZ Quad-Core Intel Xeon - 2GB (2x1GB) - 500GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s - NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT 512MB).

Is the Mac Pro winning ? less memory and slower clock speed but same graphic card ?

Because every part of the Mac Pro are upgradable, does that also includes the processors ? I called Apple and they said NO. If thats true then it is a bit stupid the whole idea of expandability !

Cheers.

 

[Elven]

I had this myself, and it's a tough choice and one I doubt I will make my mind up on until I have the money in the bank.

On one hand I know the 2x2.8ghz Xeon with 4GB ram and the 320GB HD and a 8800GT or a 3870 will be awesome I know the 3.06ghz iMac with 4GB 500GB and 8800GS will be awesome and will cost less, take up less space and probably be easier to sell.

Tough choice.

 

[D4F]

Hi,

How do they compare in performance ? : Latest iMac 3.06 versus Mac Pro (One 2.8GHZ Quad-Core Intel Xeon - 2GB (2x1GB) - 500GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s - NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT 512MB).

Is the Mac Pro winning ? less memory and slower clock speed but same graphic card ?

Because every part of the Mac Pro are upgradable, does that also includes the processors ? I called Apple and they said NO. If thats true then it is a bit stupid the whole idea of expandability !

Cheers.

Depends on what.
iMac 3.06 scores better in Photoshop CS3 than the Eight core Mac Pro.
But once you hit rendering territory your iMac will be around 70% slower.

Think what you use your system for and then decide.
Apple will not let you officially upgrade the chips but you can do it yourself.


Also anybody stating that the 2600 is far superior than the 8800 must be sitting under a rock as 10.5.3 made them pretty similar in this field. Add superior performance in OpenGL and you have a pretty clear idea that the 8800 is a WAY better option no matter which way you go.

8800GT is not 8800GS.
Also 8800GS is apparently not a GS

Keep in mind the screen. 24" iMac uses screen that will run you around $750-900 if you want to purchase something similar in terms of quality for your Pro.
Good luck with using a regular 24" TFT with a MAC PRO. It's like having a Hayabusa with the cheapes tire you get. You can but you loose a lot.

Do some research. You'll know better than from reading replies like the one about 2600 above.

 

[fredsarran]

Depends on what.
iMac 3.06 scores better in Photoshop CS3 than the Eight core Mac Pro.
But once you hit rendering territory your iMac will be around 70% slower.

Think what you use your system for and then decide.
Apple will not let you officially upgrade the chips but you can do it yourself.


Also anybody stating that the 2600 is far superior than the 8800 must be sitting under a rock as 10.5.3 made them pretty similar in this field. Add superior performance in OpenGL and you have a pretty clear idea that the 8800 is a WAY better option no matter which way you go.

8800GT is not 8800GS.
Also 8800GS is apparently not a GS

Keep in mind the screen. 24" iMac uses screen that will run you around $750-900 if you want to purchase something similar in terms of quality for your Pro.
Good luck with using a regular 24" TFT with a MAC PRO. It's like having a Hayabusa with the cheapes tire you get. You can but you loose a lot.

Do some research. You'll know better than from reading replies like the one about 2600 above.

If I buy the Mac Pro with only one quad processor, do you think that I could add another later in addition ? If not, does that mean the motherboard is restricted to one processor ?

Just to finish, what are the best alternative to the Apple Cinema Display ? I am searching for 23 inch or more.

Thanks.

 

[D4F]

If I buy the Mac Pro with only one quad processor, do you think that I could add another later in addition ? If not, does that mean the motherboard is restricted to one processor ?

Just to finish, what are the best alternative to the Apple Cinema Display ? I am searching for 23 inch or more.

Thanks.

You need to buy the missing heat sink and then add a matching CPU which migh not be easy and cheap.

Alternative to ACD? Any I-SPS panel screen. $700+ if not more. I looked for something satisfing for over 2 weeks and gave up. I've seen so many screens you wouldn't believe.

If you want something good look at Lacie, NEC and brands like that but like I've said before, prepare to shoot a lot of $$ to get a good screen.