Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Is it okay to buy an iMac Pro now?

S

Synna

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 17, 2020
94
23
Dear Community,

my current laptop has decided to completely stop working today and since I am out of the warranty period, I need to buy a new device. I have always planned to switch to an Apple device after my current laptop, but I had expected it to last a bit longer and with the whole "working from home" situation right now, I more or less need a new machine immediately.

Since I have not really used the "Laptop" features of my current machine (e.g. the portability) that much, I was thinking about getting an iMac instead. I know that an update for the "regular" iMac is imminent, but what about the iMac Pro? Since its specs suit my needs, I was thinking about getting one, but I am not sure whether the iMac Pro is due for an update in the next few weeks too.

So, whats the situation here? If I need a new machine right now, would it be okay to go for an iMac Pro or would it be best to wait until this rumored August refresh to see if the iMac Pro is included there too?

Thank you so much for your help!
 
  • Like
Reactions: sir grotius
There's always something new around the corner. Sometimes we're closer to that corner, sometimes farther away. When we can afford to wait, then we wait. If we can't... If the current model does what you need (and seems likely to be suited to the task for a reasonable number of years) and you can't afford to wait for the future to arrive, then why wait?

Of course, there are temporary stopgap measures - seeing if that current laptop can be repaired, renting, or buying a used unit with the expectation of replacing it soon... It's hard to know whether the extra investment in money, time, and effort will be worthwhile - migrating your data twice, for example.

I'd expect any iMac/iMac Pro released in the next couple of months to be no more than a "refresh" - a newer Intel processor, the new year's GPU, etc. Unless you're doing processor/GPU-intensive work the speed/performance bump may not be very meaninful.

The big changes to iMac are more likely to come with Apple Silicon - in product marketing nothing says "new on the inside" like "new on the outside." Apple Silicon will only begin arriving towards the later part of this year. It seems likely the initial Apple Silicon models will be entry-level or mid-level units, with the high-performance models coming later, so the wait for an iMac Pro with Apple Silicon could be substantial.

So my short answer is, if you need it now, buy it now and don't look back.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 0279317 and sir grotius
Synna said:
I know that an update for the "regular" iMac is imminent
Click to expand...
Keep in mind that no one knows this to be sure. For the official MR buyer's guide, this is a suggestion based off of the rumors and the time since last release.

It wasn't too long ago that a new Mac Mini release was imminent for a few years. The MR buyer's guide had it as "Don't Buy, Updates Soon" for about 2-3 years prior to the 2018 Mac Mini release.

For the MR members' posts, these are just educated guesses based off of the same info as the buyer's guide and maybe some "gut" feelings.

In reality, no one on MR knows for sure when Apple will release new models. It could be tomorrow, it could be never.

The best advice I can give you is if you need a new Mac now, get a new Mac now. If you can wait, then wait.

Synna said:
but what about the iMac Pro?
Click to expand...
I have long predicted that the iMac Pro may end up being a one-time release.

I think the iMac Pro may have been originally the long overdue redesigned iMac. But after the failure of the 2013 Mac Pro, and the growing popularity of the 2010/2012 Mac Pro, Apple decided to tweak the design of what would have been the new iMac, market it as the iMac Pro, just to appease the Pro consumer until the current Mac Pro could be released.

Now that there is a new Mac Pro, there may not be another release of the iMac Pro, at least how we know it now.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: ApfelKuchen
If you can put its power to work today, then get it.

If you can find it refurb/discounted, I still think it's a wonderful machine and good value. The screen is still tops, and if you need performance for sustained workloads and prefer the AIO form factor, iMac Pro still delivers.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 0279317
There's some nice discounts on iMac Pros in the US Refurb Store, including a base model for $4249:

www.apple.com

Refurbished Mac - iMac Pro

Save up to 15% on refurbished Mac notebooks and computers. Every refurbished Mac is tested and certified by Apple and includes a one-year warranty. Free delivery and returns.
www.apple.com
 
  • Like
Reactions: 0279317
Rule right now :

1. If you have a working computer : wait.
2. If you don't have a working computer : Try to find one from a friend, borrow, lease to a friend, whatever.
3. If option 2 isn't possible, retry option 2.
4. If you are desperate, buy an iMac Pro refurbished. Never pay full price for 3-4 years old tech.
5. If you have a ton of money to spend for absolutely nothing of 3-4 years old tech, buy a new iMac Pro.
6. If you don't have the money for iMac Pro, iMac is still there it's its 2017 technology and overpriced.

iMac 2020 is imminent with likely a 10th gen Intel 10 cores, T2 chip, all SSD storage and RDNA1.0. Worth waiting for.
 
  • Like
Reactions: fathergll
So if they spec bump the iMac Pro with a new CPU, does it affect your workflow? Or is it plenty fast already?
 
vertical smile said:
[snip]
I have long predicted that the iMac Pro may end up being a one-time release.

I think the iMac Pro may have been originally the long overdue redesigned iMac. But after the failure of the 2013 Mac Pro, and the growing popularity of the 2010/2012 Mac Pro, Apple decided to tweak the design of what would have been the new iMac, market it as the iMac Pro, just to appease the Pro consumer until the current Mac Pro could be released.

Now that there is a new Mac Pro, there may not be another release of the iMac Pro, at least how we know it now.
Click to expand...
You may be completely right, but then again...

In terms of price point and performance, iMac Pro fills a distinctive niche between garden-variety iMac/top-end MacBook Pro and the current Mac Pro. There are plenty of users who need something less than the new Mac Pro but something more than the rest of the product line.

We don't know whether iMac Pro sells at, below, or above Apple's expectations. As long as it sells well despite the existence of Mac Pro, I can't think of a reason to kill it. It's not likely to cannibalize Mac Pro sales, and it's still a substantial up-sell from lesser models.

My own belief is that iMac Pro was not a stopgap until the new "modular" Mac Pro could be released. It was certainly positioned that way for marketing purposes, but from an evolutionary/capability standpoint it's more like an all-in-one version of the Trashcan (without the emotional baggage). All-in-ones are very popular in corporate deployment - simple installation, minimal footprint.

However, I agree that there may not be another iMac Pro "at least how we know it now." No Intel refreshes; save the next power all-in-one for Apple Silicon, which undoubtedly will come with more changes than a new chipset. I also wouldn't be surprised at all by a rebranding affecting every Apple Silicon-equipped product, just as we saw with the switches to PowerPC and Intel. So, goodbye "iMac Pro," hello "iMac AS Pro."

Both Mac Pro and iMac Pro will be special cases for Apple Silicon, as they currently use Xeons. However, there's no particular reason for Apple to duplicate every capability of Xeons in Apple Silicon unless Apple is interested in pursuing the server market. They don't necessarily need a separate chip family to support ECC RAM, higher amounts of addressable RAM, and higher core counts. And if Apple is going to engineer a chip for Mac Pro, why not include it in a somewhat down-market iMac as well?
 
  • Like
Reactions: the future
You're in the same boat as me, except I have a more functional sounding baseline at this time. I'm holding out for the rumored refresh in August, as I would love a newer chip and maybe graphics options. I don't need a full redesign, and in fact, find the iMac Pro gorgeous in its space grey! It bothers me that it'd read 2017 iMac Pro on the system specs, I suppose, however, I'm a little skeptical of jumping right into the ARM technology if that's coming in the next couple years for the machine.

Whenever I spec out a Mac Pro it goes out of control quickly, whereas the iMac Pro is still super swank, but not stratospheric for a prosumer. ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 0279317
If there is another iMac Pro, I don't see it being Intel-based. This may be important to you if the ARM refresh is not ideal for your work. August iMac updates may end up being a small spec bump and nothing more, so I'm doubtful there will be any attention given to the Pro model.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sir grotius
Interesting point above. Is there a specific date or week where these rumored bumps are supposed to hit? Am I right in feeling that the Xeon chip in the iMac Pro is a bit antiquated or is that too harsh?
 
sir grotius said:
Interesting point above. Is there a specific date or week where these rumored bumps are supposed to hit? Am I right in feeling that the Xeon chip in the iMac Pro is a bit antiquated or is that too harsh?
Click to expand...

I believe there is only one generation newer of that Xeon even available, so it’s really not that old.

This is probably the closest replacement CPU, but of course Apple would use a custom version. Assuming they used Intel and didn’t go straight to ARM.

Intel® Xeon® W-2245 Processor (16.5M Cache, 3.90 GHz) - Product Specifications | Intel

Intel® Xeon® W-2245 Processor (16.5M Cache, 3.90 GHz) quick reference with specifications, features, and technologies.
ark.intel.com ark.intel.com
 
  • Like
Reactions: 0279317
Apple upgrades are typically incremental. I would just look for a good deal because I think if you bought an iMac Pro today at a good price you wouldn't care if the new one came out tomorrow...
 
  • Like
Reactions: 0279317
So, with the new regular iMac being announced, this question has become interesting. I am currently torn between

iMac 27"
3,6 GHz 10‑Core Intel Core i9
32GB RAM
Radeon Pro 5700 XT (16GB)
1TB SSD

and

iMac Pro
3,0 GHz 10-Core Intel Xeon W
32GB RAM
Radeon Pro Vega 56 (8GB)
1TB SSD

which amounts to roughly the same price in my region. Plus, I now somehow read more and more posts about it being better to just wait for an AS iMac, as these two might drop support quite soon, but if I am paying that much money for an iMac, I want to be able to use it around 5-7 years. Is that realistic/possible?
 
  • Like
Reactions: sir grotius
memo90061 said:
I just bought the iMac pro for so much money. :(
Click to expand...

If you are still within 14 days of purchase, you can probably just return it and rebuy the current model starting with the 10-Core Xeon, right?
 
Un
Synna said:
So, with the new regular iMac being announced, this question has become interesting. I am currently torn between

iMac 27"
3,6 GHz 10‑Core Intel Core i9
32GB RAM
Radeon Pro 5700 XT (16GB)
1TB SSD

and

iMac Pro
3,0 GHz 10-Core Intel Xeon W
32GB RAM
Radeon Pro Vega 56 (8GB)
1TB SSD

which amounts to roughly the same price in my region. Plus, I now somehow read more and more posts about it being better to just wait for an AS iMac, as these two might drop support quite soon, but if I am paying that much money for an iMac, I want to be able to use it around 5-7 years. Is that realistic/possible?
Click to expand...

Unless you need ECC memory or double the TB3 ports, go for the iMac. It should hold up better over time. The graphics card is newer and more capable for most things, and you can easily add memory to it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: pldelisle
pldelisle said:
Rule right now :

1. If you have a working computer : wait.
2. If you don't have a working computer : Try to find one from a friend, borrow, lease to a friend, whatever.
3. If option 2 isn't possible, retry option 2.
4. If you are desperate, buy an iMac Pro refurbished. Never pay full price for 3-4 years old tech.
5. If you have a ton of money to spend for absolutely nothing of 3-4 years old tech, buy a new iMac Pro.
6. If you don't have the money for iMac Pro, iMac is still there it's its 2017 technology and overpriced.

iMac 2020 is imminent with likely a 10th gen Intel 10 cores, T2 chip, all SSD storage and RDNA1.0. Worth waiting for.
Click to expand...


haha spot on advice
 
  • Like
Reactions: pldelisle
Fishrrman said:
OP wrote:
"...which amounts to roughly the same price in my region."

In that case, the answer is easy.
Get the iMac Pro ...! :)
Click to expand...


Just out of curiosity, what is your reasoning behind this recommendation? The superior cooling solution?
 
Interesting - I was on the fence a few days ago, and went with the iMac all spec'd out. The process + GPU did it for me, as well as the nano glass and T2 chips were interesting additions.

TBH, I vacillated quite a bit, because I do prefer the likely better airflow and cooler aesthetics of the Pro! I leaned toward the newer internals.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back