Mac Pro or iMac

I'm defnitely going to a Mac, all I want is a machine that works which I don't have to reformat every 6 months!

I'm considering the iMac (either 20" or 24", mmmmm!) but am being swayed by the mac pro. I don't want to spend more than £1500 (GBP) if I can help it. I currently use a PC and my main tools are Photoshop and Dreamweaver.

I don't really care if it takes an extra 2 seconds to apply that Gaussian Blur filter, I just want a system that works.

I currently use a 19" Iiyama flat panel monitor (19"). I'm guessing that I could use this monitor (DVI out enabled) with a Mac Pro with no problems?

If I bought an iMac I would upgrade to 2GB RAM and 256MB Video. If I got the basic Mac Pro I would keep the 1GB RAM and it comes with a 256MB Video anyway.

Any opinions? Particularly on the monitor compatibility and the performance of the Pro with 1GB. As I say I don't mind waiting a little longer for tasks to complete, I just want stability and reliability. And I guess the Pro is upgradeable anyway.

Does it make sense to go for the pro if I already have a compatible monitor? (if indeed it is! This is the monitor at this link).

Welcome to Mac-Forums, John Picton!

The Mac Pro, I feel, is a machine that is very upgradable and that you can keep for many years.

That being said, the iMac is a machine that will keep you happy for 4 or maybe 5 years and, for the price, is hard to beat. The models you have in mind have a good graphics card and the 24" has a nice big screen that comes in handy with certain apps, specially those with lots of palettes.

When I say a computer that will keep you happy I mean by the speed it will run. I lose my happiness when I feel my Mac starts to lag. As an example, my iMac G4 became painful to use to me after 3 years: but that is just me, right? You can always regain some speed by adding RAM though. But since speed for you doesn't seem to be an issue, I think the iMac is indeed a good choice for you and will last you many years. In a few years time, if you want to, you can always buy the Mac Pro when you can get all sorts of extras for it.

I would recommend the iMac.

It has plenty of firepower for the job you want to do. You can upgrade it up to 3GB or RAM (when 2GB DIMMs become reasonably priced) and the processor is upgradeable with a little surgery. You won't have to buy a monitor either.

The MacPro is A LOT easier to upgrade. However, IMO, this is a professional level machine meant for video editing, 3D graphics creation, and any other function that requires heavy loads of processing. The iMac is using Core2Duo processors, but the MacPro is using XEON processors. It will last longer (from an obsolescence point of view), but IMO your needs do not justify the expense.

Good luck

mac pro has more room to be upgraded
it can take 4 hard drives for a 3TB disk space
also the graphics card is better
However it depends how much space you will use and what you use it for
Both machines are very quick, as you are only using it for dream weaver and photoshop i would persoanlly go for the imac as these applications dont use excessive amounts of processor power

hope this helps

Thanks!

Thanks Guys!

I have to admit you have surprised me! I honestly thought that I would be recommended the Mac Pro as it is much more upgradeable and I already have a monitor.

So is it the general consensus that even though a 24" iMac and the Mac Pro model (minus monitor) are pretty similar prices, and I have a monitor I could use with the Mac Pro that you would all still recommend the iMac?

Is this because the iMac machine I get for the money has double the RAM and equal processing power at the expense of upgradeability?

On a final note, for DW / Photoshop purposes should I save the money and get a 20" iMac and fill it with more RAM for a similar price to these other two options?

Imac 20" spec
-1GB memory
-250GB hard drive1
-8x DL SuperDrive
-ATI Radeon X1600 graphics

24" imac spec
1GB memory
250GB hard drive1
8x DL SuperDrive
NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT graphics

The processor speeds are the same... the only diference is the screen size and graphic cards.
Personally i would get the 24" as i play lots of games however if you will not use the graphics power to its full potential get the 20" and fill it with 2 - 3 GB of ram.

If you feel you will want to upgrade your mac a lot go for the mac pro.

I think mac specs will change quite substancially with the launch of leopard which is coming out this year, so it might be adviseable to wait and carry on using what ever machine you have atm until then

Hope this helps

You can never have too much RAM.

And the best option for Adobe products is when they are released in Universal Binary format, the CS3 version. I think they are supposed to release them this June or something. A lot of Intel-based Mac users have complained of CS 2's sluggishness running under Rosetta.

Thanks again for your reply. Lots to think about. One of my worries was compatibility of 3rd party monitors with the Pro - any experience of this?

wouldnt worry about it, macs are compatible with basically anything these days, even your tv
I use my mac occasionly on a 3rd party monitor and it works fine
any problems and there are a lot of support groups on the internet

Magic question: When is leopard coming out?

Then again, the number of times Apple upgrade OSX you can't keep waiting before you buy or I guess you never will buy!

There is an Apple Special Event scheduled for February 20th. Rumours are flying all over the place right now: some say Leopard will be released some say it's new Mac Pro models. Who to believe? Your guess is just as good as mine.

I say buy your Mac when you want to: if Leopard does come out in a relatively close time to when you bought your Mac you either get a special price or it is free. But the freebie upgrade like this implies that you bought the day the new OS was released or something pretty close to the release date i.e. not something like 6 months before!