iMac vs Mac Pro

[SHNXX]

Hi everyone

I created a similar thread on iMac forum and it seems that most people think Mac Pro is overkill for everyone except media content creator types.

But I wanted to hear what this subforum people think too to get a balanced set of opinions on the matter.

If you were buying a desktop in near future which would you buy- a Mac Pro or iMac?
And why?



As for me, I am a bit of a gear head and have an older Mac Pro so I wanted to get a Mac Pro.
However the sleek design of the iMac makes it quite a value proposition.
I use a desktop for light programming, some light photo editing and virtualization for windows.
I realize this is not typical Mac Pro usage but the cost differential is honestly not really an issue since I already have monitors to hook up a Mac Pro with.

 

[flat five]

if you want a macpro and you have the money for it then buy it.

people waste a helluva lot more money on much stupider crap.. if you're wasting money on this thing, at the very least you have a super sweet computer to show for it.

for the people buying to suit their needs.. they generally know what their needs actually are and will buy accordingly.

or, somewhere in between..

 

[phrehdd]

Apple has gone more and more with building "solutions" that require external devices. Skipping over the "power" of each (CPU/GPU), you are left with one that has a screen and one that does not.

Since money seems not to be an option and you have monitors you want to use, either would be a decent choice (iMac's monitor would get you into a multi-monitor set up).

Flip a coin because both should meet your work/use needs. For me, I would happily get a Mac (mini) Pro but it might be a bit too rich for my wallet. I'll wait and get the next Mac Mini if they have the Intel Iris GPU ( hopefully ).

I have owned iMacs, Mac Minis and early Mac Pros. The Mac Pro was great for the internal upgrades and of course "power." For my present needs, the Mac Mini (SSD internal) with my NEC PA241W and some external devices, serves me very well for what I do which includes some photo restoration and retouch. It turns out that the 24" screen is ideal for me in terms of work, field of view and general non-work use. Having had a 30" Apple Cinema, this monitor is by far preferred for day to day use.

 

[Celedral]

I would go with the Mac Pro if I were in your shoes. It offers much more if you like to tinker with it. The new iMac is nice and will probably match the base model mac pro in terms of everyday performance, but seems to be future proof. I have a 27" iMac at work and home, both using the 4850 GFX chip. At the time of purchase it felt extremely fast and more than sufficient, but now it's definitely showing it's age with no high speed interface i.e., thunderbolt/USB3.

 

[propower]

From your uses stated - either will handle your needs very well. I push things way harger than you (from what you said) and I see usage on my imac never over 25% CPU) - regardless.... nMP will be great - get one if it pleases you! If I could have walked out of the Apple store this past Oct with either I might very well have bought the nMP quad!

If going for the nMP - get the hex with upgraded video cards 16G ram and 1 TB of internal storage. You can rest easy that if there is anything that a nMP would be better at THIS machine will be a lot better at than a top of the line imac.