thanks for all the great advice! No doubt that the Mac Pro is worth the money, but I'm just still a little unsure whether it is more than i need.
tucker44,
I'm willing to bet that you have already made up your mind on which computer you are going to purchase (sounds like the iMac to me).
I will throw some more thoughts at you, just in case you haven't made a final decision:
- What happens if your wedding photo business grows dramatically, and you need to turn these wedding photo jobs around more quickly?
- What happens if software programs in the near future have higher hardware requirements...that "may" be more than the iMac can handle?
- What if you only need better/faster video hardware (can't upgrade an iMac)?
- What if you want to run more than 2 monitors (can't do it with an iMac)?
Also remember that iMac's are basically laptop computers on "steroids"!!
Laptop computers have come a long long way in terms of performance compared to desktops from years ago...but desktops still hold a performance advantage...and definitely an upgradability advantage!
AND like laptops...iMac's still have the LIABILITY of limited upgradability...WITHOUT the advantages of the portability & being able to run "off the grid" (batteries) like laptops.
So with iMac's you get the liabilities of a laptop (limited upgradability)...without the advantages of laptops (portability). Of course the advantage of iMac's is lower cost.
If your budget absolutely-positively eliminated the possibility of purchasing a Mac Pro...then I would say go for the iMac.
But it sounds like your budget can handle a Mac Pro..and COME ON!!!...your a photography professional!!! Your actually going to use the power & performance of a Mac Pro to earn money...unlike a lot of Mac Pro owners who just want a fast computer or just want to run GAMES faster (put me in this category)!!! ;D
Here's one more thought for you...why not purchase a used Mac Pro??
I bought my Mac Pro used...2.66ghz quad core processor, 2.5 gig of ram (upgraded to 5 gigs), and a mid-level performance X-1900 video card...all for $1050! This is admittedly a very good price, but you should be able to get one similar to mine on your local Craig's List or E-Bay for about $1400-$1500.
The current iMac's (last years models as well), are VERY good & capable computers...and if you decide on an iMac you should be fine.
I'm primarily looking towards the future, when an iMac (just like a laptop computer)...will start to show it's "age" a lot sooner than a desktop of the same "vintage" (actually my Mac Pro is 3 years old, and still out performs many of the currently offered iMacs)!!!
Good luck with your purchase decision,
- Nick
p.s. One additional thought to consider. It's rumored that the next OS update (Mac OS 10.6) will be written to take full advantage of Intel Processors and take better advantage of processors with multiple "cores". So like I mentioned previously...what's going to be faster...an iMac with 2 "cores", or a Mac Pro with 4 or 8 "cores"!
Even if the rumors around Mac OS 10.6 are not completely true...you can almost bet that Mac OS 10.7 will include these improvements!