Ticket Options
Question Profile
| DATE | Sep 15, 2006 |
| TICKET | #28296 |
| STATUS | Closed |
| SUBJECT | mac pro or imac |
| CAT | Computers, Operating Systems, Applications or Connected Devices |
| TYPE | Computer Hardware (RAM, Drives, Video Cards, Motherbaord, CPU, etc) |
| DESC | CPU |
| DESC | |
| PLATFORM | Apple Macintosh (PowerPC G3,G4,G5) |
| MODEL | ibook g4 |
| PROC | 1.83 |
| RAM | 512 |
| DRIVE | 40 |
| NAME | lili |
| USERNAME | mattabeast |
| TECHNICAL | Little Experience |
| ISSUE | Need Advice |
Question Details
TICKET ARCHIVE -> mac pro or imac
mattabeast - Sep 15, 2006 - 5:33 pm
I'm basically a mac newbie. Bought an ibook to get my feet wet. Love the experience so now looking to buy a "real" mac. Due to apps i will run via bootcamp, autocad and photoshop and a semi media "pc" I want to know if an imac will be sufficient or do I have to to get a mac pro. The imac price is more attractive to me but will purchase a mac pro if I must.
- Sep 16, 2006 - 3:11 am
Hello mattabeast, the iMac will be just fine for you. The only reason you would want to move to a MacPro in your case is to get more upgrade options down the road. If you get the 20 or 24 inch iMac I believe you will be very happy. As you know the larger the screen the more specs inside the machine. It sounds like you are doing some very graphic intense work, if this is the case I would suggest adding 1GB of RAM, or go straight to 3GB's total if funds permit. Otherwise the iMac will handle all your graphic needs at a very nice cost.
Thanks,
Paul
P.S. Let me know if you have other questions... Also, I would suggest you swing by an Apple Store (retail). They have Mac Specialists who could walk you through in person, and show you the differences between the computers. But I believe an iMac will work just fine for what you would like to do with it.
Thanks,
Paul
P.S. Let me know if you have other questions... Also, I would suggest you swing by an Apple Store (retail). They have Mac Specialists who could walk you through in person, and show you the differences between the computers. But I believe an iMac will work just fine for what you would like to do with it.
kellhound1 - Sep 17, 2006 - 9:45 pm
Hello,
I agree with Paul's recommendation to choose the iMac over a Mac Pro. I'll give you a brief comparison of the two so that you can make up your own mind:
With an iMac you're basically purchasing a middle to low-high-end comparible PC. Although it only comes with a single Core 2 Duo processor with a max of 2.33ghz, that should be more than enough to take care of the applications you're considering using. Remember, RAM is a very big player when opperating an application. One gig is definately a minimum requirement for almost any high-end, intensive application.
The Mac Pro is an excellent machine for very intensive operations. More specifically, if one is into 3D archecture or professional or semi-professional video editing, the Mac Pro is a must-have. The kinds of number crunching involved with intensive applications such as Maya or Lightwave 3D, and After Effects 7 or Final Cut Pro isn't recommended with iMac's. These applications run well on the new MacBook Pro's but with a noticable difference when compared to the low-end, basic Mac Pro.
Now, I suggest you seriously think about the screen size as well. Getting an affordable iMac is a nice idea but if you settle for a 17" and several months down the line regret the decision, it'll be too late. The more screen space you have the easier you can manage your work flow. And, unfortunately, there's no way you can connect a separate monitor to the machine since it lacks both a DVI and VGA port. A 20" screen is a fairly good size, but also another three hundred dollars.
Of course, if you opt for a low-end Mac Pro, you'll definately need to find a monitor, which can run you anywhere from $200 to $1000, depending on make and size. The other side of the coin is that you'll at least have a very good processor with an upgradable configuration.
If we do a price and feature comparison, this is what it breaks down to:
A standard 2.16ghz, 1gig 20" iMac will run you about $1500.00, plus tax. There will be very few upgrade options (you're limited to RAM and possibly video card, but you're capped at 3gigs and 256MB, respectively). Obviously, as I said before, this configuration should be sufficient for the type of work you plan to do. You can always upgrade the RAM later from cheaper 3rd party sources like Ramjet.com.
The low-end, basic Mac Pro with 2 Intel Core Duo 2.0ghz processors, 1gig RAM and 256MB video memory will run you just about $2200.00. That's quite a difference from the iMac, for sure. But you're also paying for the future upgrade potential of the machine, as well as its four processors, compared to the iMac's two. If you buy a relatively nice flat screen display online or a computer store, you could get a steal for about $250.00. Your purchase, with monitor and taxes, would be no less than $2600.00.
Having said all that, you should consider which system best suits you. I have a 2.66ghz Mac Pro with 2gigs RAM and two 256MB Nvidia video cards, and I'm very pleased with the performance and upgrade options available to me. Video and photo editing using Final Cut Pro and Aperture, as well as Windows-based 3D design using Lightwave 3D (since there's not UB version of Lightwave at the moment) is a lot faster. Video and music render much faster than my dual G5 used to.
On the other hand, I've also done a little bit of video editing on the new iMac's and haven't been disappointed.
Sincerely,
Vishad
macosx.com
I agree with Paul's recommendation to choose the iMac over a Mac Pro. I'll give you a brief comparison of the two so that you can make up your own mind:
With an iMac you're basically purchasing a middle to low-high-end comparible PC. Although it only comes with a single Core 2 Duo processor with a max of 2.33ghz, that should be more than enough to take care of the applications you're considering using. Remember, RAM is a very big player when opperating an application. One gig is definately a minimum requirement for almost any high-end, intensive application.
The Mac Pro is an excellent machine for very intensive operations. More specifically, if one is into 3D archecture or professional or semi-professional video editing, the Mac Pro is a must-have. The kinds of number crunching involved with intensive applications such as Maya or Lightwave 3D, and After Effects 7 or Final Cut Pro isn't recommended with iMac's. These applications run well on the new MacBook Pro's but with a noticable difference when compared to the low-end, basic Mac Pro.
Now, I suggest you seriously think about the screen size as well. Getting an affordable iMac is a nice idea but if you settle for a 17" and several months down the line regret the decision, it'll be too late. The more screen space you have the easier you can manage your work flow. And, unfortunately, there's no way you can connect a separate monitor to the machine since it lacks both a DVI and VGA port. A 20" screen is a fairly good size, but also another three hundred dollars.
Of course, if you opt for a low-end Mac Pro, you'll definately need to find a monitor, which can run you anywhere from $200 to $1000, depending on make and size. The other side of the coin is that you'll at least have a very good processor with an upgradable configuration.
If we do a price and feature comparison, this is what it breaks down to:
A standard 2.16ghz, 1gig 20" iMac will run you about $1500.00, plus tax. There will be very few upgrade options (you're limited to RAM and possibly video card, but you're capped at 3gigs and 256MB, respectively). Obviously, as I said before, this configuration should be sufficient for the type of work you plan to do. You can always upgrade the RAM later from cheaper 3rd party sources like Ramjet.com.
The low-end, basic Mac Pro with 2 Intel Core Duo 2.0ghz processors, 1gig RAM and 256MB video memory will run you just about $2200.00. That's quite a difference from the iMac, for sure. But you're also paying for the future upgrade potential of the machine, as well as its four processors, compared to the iMac's two. If you buy a relatively nice flat screen display online or a computer store, you could get a steal for about $250.00. Your purchase, with monitor and taxes, would be no less than $2600.00.
Having said all that, you should consider which system best suits you. I have a 2.66ghz Mac Pro with 2gigs RAM and two 256MB Nvidia video cards, and I'm very pleased with the performance and upgrade options available to me. Video and photo editing using Final Cut Pro and Aperture, as well as Windows-based 3D design using Lightwave 3D (since there's not UB version of Lightwave at the moment) is a lot faster. Video and music render much faster than my dual G5 used to.
On the other hand, I've also done a little bit of video editing on the new iMac's and haven't been disappointed.
Sincerely,
Vishad
macosx.com
IF THIS IS YOUR QUESTION AND YOU WISH TO RESPOND, LOGIN HERE FIRST.
