Mac Studio vs iMac vs iMac Pro

[rossyea]

I'm a graphic designer that does branding and uses tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, inDesign, XD and some After Effects to do some light animations of logos and other bits and bobs.

Currently I'm on a 2016 MacBook Pro and it's really sluggish. I thought I was waiting for the new iMac 27" to replace this, as I now want a machine in the studio that just sits there for when I'm at work, instead of lugging around this laptop.

I'm now looking at the Mac Studio Max, with perhaps 64gb RAM and 1TB hard drive but as this is a new machine in the lineup I'm not really sure how it measures up against my expectations. Cost wise this would sort of be my maximum and more than I imagined I'd be paying if it was an upgraded iMac 27".

How would this machine fair vs my imagined new iMac 27" or again my imagined most entry level iMac Pro? Is this machine built for designers like me? Mac Pro seems too hardcore for my use.

Just a bit confused really, thoughts welcome.

 

[illitrate23]

Agreed, Mac Pro and Studio Ultra are going to be far more processing power than you would require.
If they were to bring out a 27" iMac with Apple Silicon, but at a price point lower than the Studio Max, then I would expect it would only have the M1 Pro chip in it. Otherwise it would cannibalise the Mac Studio sales. If there was an all-in-one iMac Pro replacement (the iMac Max??) then it's price would need to be the same or more as the Mac Studio + Studio Display. OR it doesn't arrive for another 3 years so they can be sure they get sales of the Studio.

That said, the performance on the M1 chips is exponential compares to what is inside your 2016 MBP. So you may not really need the 64gb memory, because the new unified memory is more efficient and you could save by only having 512gb internal and changing your workflow so your storage is on external drives (especially if you do not require it to be portable)?

 

[shuto]

or just as another thought you could get new 14" MacBook Pro with studio display for a desktop when you want, but also a laptop when you want setup.

cheapest I'd get for your needs Apple M1 Pro 10 core CPU, 1 TB SSD, 32 GB RAM, £2700 + studio display £1500 = £4200

cheapest Mac studio with screen setup Apple M1 Max 10 core CPU, 1 TB SSD, 32 GB RAM, £2200 + studio display £1500 = £3700


but then thats paying an extra £500 for that setup, so maybe my idea isn't helpful!

Oh and add on mouse and keyboard cost too 😭


Yes, the Mac Studio M1 Max is made for your needs, and it would perform well as your imagined iMac 27" I think. I think your imagined iMac Pro would be the M1 Ultra version, but for your needs I don't think you would massively see the difference using this.

 

[now i see it]

The 32 GB Max version with the storage amount you want will be an excellent choice.

 

[Sirmausalot]

I'm a graphic designer that does branding and uses tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, inDesign, XD and some After Effects to do some light animations of logos and other bits and bobs.

Currently I'm on a 2016 MacBook Pro and it's really sluggish. I thought I was waiting for the new iMac 27" to replace this, as I now want a machine in the studio that just sits there for when I'm at work, instead of lugging around this laptop.

I'm now looking at the Mac Studio Max, with perhaps 64gb RAM and 1TB hard drive but as this is a new machine in the lineup I'm not really sure how it measures up against my expectations. Cost wise this would sort of be my maximum and more than I imagined I'd be paying if it was an upgraded iMac 27".

How would this machine fair vs my imagined new iMac 27" or again my imagined most entry level iMac Pro? Is this machine built for designers like me? Mac Pro seems too hardcore for my use.

Just a bit confused really, thoughts welcome.

Well, you will be fine with a 4k display and save $1000 right there. A 1tb system drive sounds right, but 64GB RAM may not make a difference from 32. This is better than an iMac because there is more flexibility with your ultimate configuration.

 

[badlydrawnboy]

I'm in a similar boat. I currently have a 2017 iMac Pro. I recently bought a 14" M1 Pro MBP, and it "feels" faster than my iMac Pro. This has me thinking about upgrading to the Mac Studio (base model with 2 TB of storage and 32 GB RAM), but I'm wondering if I'll really see a performance difference?

Two things I like about my iMac Pro: it's dead silent, and it has a pretty good webcam. Both of these seem to be not true for the Mac Studio.

I should mention that I mostly do regular office stuff plus photography—no video work.

 

[Sirmausalot]

I'm in a similar boat. I currently have a 2017 iMac Pro. I recently bought a 14" M1 Pro MBP, and it "feels" faster than my iMac Pro. This has me thinking about upgrading to the Mac Studio (base model with 2 TB of storage and 32 GB RAM), but I'm wondering if I'll really see a performance difference?

Two things I like about my iMac Pro: it's dead silent, and it has a pretty good webcam. Both of these seem to be not true for the Mac Studio.

I should mention that I mostly do regular office stuff plus photography—no video work.

You could go try one in the store. Perhaps it might feel a bit 'snappier' in certain situations but ultimately not any faster than the M1 Pro for the work you do. If you're not doing any graphics intensive work, save your money. Maybe get an external monitor for your MacBook Pro as well.

 

[badlydrawnboy]

You could go try one in the store. Perhaps it might feel a bit 'snappier' in certain situations but ultimately not any faster than the M1 Pro for the work you do. If you're not doing any graphics intensive work, save your money. Maybe get an external monitor for your MacBook Pro as well.

How would it compare to my iMac Pro in terms of speed?

 

[powerslave65]

I'm in a similar boat. I currently have a 2017 iMac Pro. I recently bought a 14" M1 Pro MBP, and it "feels" faster than my iMac Pro. This has me thinking about upgrading to the Mac Studio (base model with 2 TB of storage and 32 GB RAM), but I'm wondering if I'll really see a performance difference?

Two things I like about my iMac Pro: it's dead silent, and it has a pretty good webcam. Both of these seem to be not true for the Mac Studio.

I should mention that I mostly do regular office stuff plus photography—no video work.

I had the same 2017 iMac Pro and the Mac Studio is on another level in terms of speed. If you have peripherals already it’s a great deal. Noise wise they are the same but the iMac generated what little fan noise it produced out of the back of the machine with a giant screen between you and the noise so it felt quieter by a little. I measured 28 db out the front of the MS Ultra. It may be overkill for what you are doing though.

 

[badlydrawnboy]

I like overkill. 😆 I’d get the Max rather than the Ultra though. I usually get a new desktop every 5 years so I’m due.

 

[powerslave65]

I like overkill. 😆 I’d get the Max rather than the Ultra though. I usually get a new desktop every 5 years so I’m due.

If I didn't have trade in cash on hand when I got the Ultra, the Max would have been in my sights for sure.

 

[badlydrawnboy]

If I didn't have trade in cash on hand when I got the Ultra, the Max would have been in my sights for sure.

So I imagine I'd still see a pretty big performance difference between my iMac Pro and the Studio Max?

 

[Sirmausalot]

So I imagine I'd still see a pretty big performance difference between my iMac Pro and the Studio Max?

It should feel nearly identical to your M1 Pro MacBook. Most of the applications you mention pretty much only use one core and need only basic graphics. So the extra cores, GPUs and video encoders will pretty much be idle most of the time. Maybe just get a studio display to go with your notebook. They will fix the webcam with a software update and trade in your iMac pro. The ultra may seem cool, but won't make a difference.