Stuck in a dilemma

[sn1p3r845]

So, I need a Mac ASAP. I've left a job where I had a nMP where I had a G-Speed and a bunch of other Thunderbolt accessories for. Now, here's the hard part. I don't exactly want to go out spending a ton of money on buying a nMP from Apple since it's extremely outdated and there's a new machine coming out soon (hopefully). I'd rather have a temporary solution now to get a proper system later. The nMP's are scarce on the local used market (Craigslist. Kijiji). They're going for around $3000.

I've been thinking about grabbing a refurbished iMac Pro from Apple for a few reasons. They come with a display (one less thing to buy), and since they're relatively new I don't think I'd have a problem flipping it when I want to upgrade again. They're a bit more (looking like $5500).

I have a gaming machine at home with a good monitor, so I can hook it up to that for now until I get a new office. I don't really have space for an iMac Pro at home, but I can obviously make it work.

What to do?

 

[MarkC426]

I wouldn’t count on a new MP arriving before December.
I suppose it all depends if you need this machine to do ‘work’ on.

As you say you have a PC to use, for whatever you need.
It comes down to how much you want to pay and how soon you really need it.

 

[Alex Sanders74]

I'd say if you're just concerned about Thunderbolt, to grab a new Mac Mini since you're planning on replacing it with something later. Good price, power and the latest Thunderbolt connection.... No idea what your software requirements are, but I think it could likely meet most needs unless you need many cores....

I'd push a MacPro, but the nMP's are overpriced IMHO and a cMP has no thunderbolt to fit your needs.

 

[sn1p3r845]

As you say you have a PC to use, for whatever you need.
It comes down to how much you want to pay and how soon you really need it.

I need something fairly powerful, I edit/work on 8k shots regularly, lots of editing, compositing and motion graphics/3D.


The PC is my gaming station, and I don't plan on being at home for very long. When I find the right office I'll be moving my workstation into there. All my drives and what not are formatted for OS X as well as all my software licenses.

Apple has some refurbished Mac Pro's avail (3.5ghz 6 core, 256gb ssd, 16gb ram, D500 for $2969) but that's a tough bullet to bite.

 

[MarkC426]

Sounds like your doing some decent work, surely an imac pro would pay for itself over 12 months.
Or is this just hobby work?

 

[sn1p3r845]

Sounds like your doing some decent work, surely an imac pro would pay for itself over 12 months.
Or is this just hobby work?

Eh yeah it's professional work so it'll pay itself off very fast.

I decided on going with a Mac Pro after doing a lot more looking around. There's a 512gb D500 12-core on Craigslist for $4500 CDN, as well as a 1TB D700 12-core on eBay for $5500. I really want one with D700's but they're apparently fairly uncommon on the used/refurb market.

 

[bsbeamer]

Native or proxy 8K editing? RED or another format?

If you can load up a Mini it would get you through a few months, but I cannot see that being a longterm solution. It's on my disaster plan list for the next 6-12 months if current hardware 100% fails. I've looked at the iMac Pro, but not more than semi-seriously. It's not the right machine for me and was trying to "make it work" in my mind to stick with the macOS platform.

The Mac software and plugin licenses are part of the largest holdup (expense) preventing my switch back to Windows. Some software has both Win & Mac versions included, but a good chunk of what I use would need to be repurchased or migrated, which would stop the Mac version from working for many of them. Especially true for video plugins.

 

[MarkC426]

Eh yeah it's professional work so it'll pay itself off very fast.

I decided on going with a Mac Pro after doing a lot more looking around. There's a 512gb D500 12-core on Craigslist for $4500 CDN, as well as a 1TB D700 12-core on eBay for $5500. I really want one with D700's but they're apparently fairly uncommon on the used/refurb market.

Personally I wouldn’t fork out that sort of cash on ebay or cl (with no kind of guarantee).
I would opt for an Apple refurb instead if you need to keep price down.

 

[sn1p3r845]

Native or proxy 8K editing? RED or another format?

I would be generating proxies from RED, but re-linking in the end. I do my comps/mographs/edits in 4k.

Personally I wouldn’t fork out that sort of cash on ebay or cl (with no kind of guarantee).
I would opt for an Apple refurb instead if you need to keep price down.

Apple refurb's right now in Canada don't have D700's. I'm not exactly sure how much of a difference the D500 and D700's make for my workflow which is the tough part. I seriously doubt After Effects utilizes the cards full potential, but I also don't want to be wrong and downgrade.

I've been seriously looking at this.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-Mac-Pro-2-7-Ghz-12-Core-64GB-RAM-1TB-FLASH-AMD-FirePro-D700-Used-MD878LL-A/253849196323?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2763.l2649

I'm always weary of used third party sales (craigslist, ebay, etc) because I've been burned before. I bought a 13" Macbook Pro that didn't even last me a couple months - random crashes/shut downs. One day it happened, threw my laptop across the room and got a brand new one directly from Apple. Reliability is king.

You've actually convinced me to get a refurb from Apple, even though it won't be as high of a spec for the price.

 

[deconstruct60]

I
I've been seriously looking at this.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-Mac-Pro-2-7-Ghz-12-Core-64GB-RAM-1TB-FLASH-AMD-FirePro-D700-Used-MD878LL-A/253849196323?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2763.l2649

I'm always weary of used third party sales (craigslist, ebay, etc) because I've been burned before.

Not D700s but OWC has a warranty on the used stuff they sell (even if you configure with parts).

https://eshop.macsales.com/configure-my-mac/UAGA1NS4IXXXZXA

You've actually convinced me to get a refurb from Apple, even though it won't be as high of a spec for the price.

If Apple releases a new Mac Pro late in 2019 then MP 2013 resale price back into the used market will probably be higher than the other Mac options that are lower at this point ( the used iMac Pro will depend if Apple does something with the iMac Pro also. ) . The difference between what pay now and would get later would be the "rental cost" for that time period. If the system is earning a steady revenue stream that rental cost can be sustainable.

 

[XNorth]

Eh yeah it's professional work so it'll pay itself off very fast.

I decided on going with a Mac Pro after doing a lot more looking around. There's a 512gb D500 12-core on Craigslist for $4500 CDN, as well as a 1TB D700 12-core on eBay for $5500. I really want one with D700's but they're apparently fairly uncommon on the used/refurb market.

With this amount of cash, and you working with 8K video, you will be better off with an iMac Pro. Refurb iMac Pros are good buy, IMO. The nMP is feeble and a slouch.

I love my Mac Pro 5,1, but it ain't gonna cut 8K.

 

[sn1p3r845]

Thanks guys. I ended up buying an Apple Refurb 8 core with 256gb ssd, 16gb ram and the D700's. I ordered a 64gb ram kit and a 480gb ssd to swap in immediately.

 

[AidenShaw]

Thanks guys. I ended up buying an Apple Refurb 8 core with 256gb ssd, 16gb ram and the D700's. I ordered a 64gb ram kit and a 480gb ssd to swap in immediately.

Will 8GiB of RAM and 60 GB of disk be enough?