iMac with External Hard Drive of Mac Pro?

[gazfocus]

Hi,
I am currently looking to replace my high spec Windoze box with a desktop Mac (I already have a MBP) but I feel it's time to get rid of Windoze altogether). I've been torn between a 24" iMac and a Mac Pro for about a week now (well since the new Mac Pro's came out). But things keep cropping up to make me sway more towards the Mac Pro (whcih I know is far more powerful than I need).

Basically, I do a little sound recording, a little video editing, and alot of photoshop and web design (in Dreamweaver).

My main concern with the iMac is the upgradeability (or lack of, to be more precise). I asked a question on here about upgrading the Hard Drive in an iMac and I have been told that you need to remove the glass from the iMac to get the the internals of the machine. So I'm therefore stuck with either the stock hard drive or paying Apple to upgrade it for me and lose the 320GB hard drive that I would have had as an extra.

I need a larger hard drive because although I don't do alot of sound recording and video editing, I do have Logic Studio (well as of today, when it arrives), and Final Cut Studio. Both of these packages require 85GB each for a full install, so that's 170GB for just 2 packages.

Obviously, with this kind of space required, I don't want to be cramming everything else into a little space (about 120GB would be remaining).

Anyway, my question is, what's the best option? Do I go with the Mac Pro or do I go with the iMac and buy an external hard drive?

If so, which interface is best? Are iMac's likely to get the addition of eSATA soon?

Would a network hard drive be slower than Firewire or eSATA (on a 54G Wireless Network)?

Thanks in advance

 

[Flynnstone]

For video you want another hard drive anyway. I just bought a 750 Gig for under $200 (USB & Firewire).
For me upgradability is not really an issue, except for drives. For upgrading now, I think you just replace the machine. I have friends (PC) that replace their computer after about a year because its about the same cost to "clean" it out as to buy a new one.
On my G5 Power Mac, I've only added memory and hard drives (internal and external).
You also want an extra hard drive for TimeMachine (backup).

If I was you, just my opinion, I'd buy the iMac and a couple external hard drives (Firewire800 preferred) and put them in hide away spot.

 

[gazfocus]

For video you want another hard drive anyway. I just bought a 750 Gig for under $200 (USB & Firewire).
For me upgradability is not really an issue, except for drives. For upgrading now, I think you just replace the machine. I have friends (PC) that replace their computer after about a year because its about the same cost to "clean" it out as to buy a new one.
On my G5 Power Mac, I've only added memory and hard drives (internal and external).
You also want an extra hard drive for TimeMachine (backup).

If I was you, just my opinion, I'd buy the iMac and a couple external hard drives (Firewire800 preferred) and put them in hide away spot.

Thanks Flynnstone (Love the picture by the way )

Yeah I know what you're saying...I just think with having 170GB being used right away by 2 packages (as listed in OP), I need something bigger than 320GB as my main drive, and I just think Apple charge way too much.

I've been toying with the idea of buying a G4 Power Mac and using it as a server (I am doing an IT degree at uni and learning about networks so itching to build a network hehe), but I understand that network storage solutions cannot be used with TimeMachine, so I think 2 large external hard drives would be a good idea.

Just don't really know what to do about the internal drive though. I would only generally upgrade RAM and Hard Drives. I know the RAM is easy to upgrade (although capacity is limited in the iMac) but it's just the hard drives that are bugging me

I built my own PC just over a year ago (I used to build PC's for a living, went to using laptops for some time but missed being able to mess inside PC's lol), and I've just replaced the 2 DVDRW's and bought a 500GB hard drive to replace 2 74GB Raptors. I think I will be keeping the PC but not sure what I'll do with it yet.