What type of use warrants a Mac Pro?

As the title asks, what would be a deciding factor between going with a iMac and the Mac Pro?

Im getting a bit lazy I suppose and am tired of lugging the MBP home nightly from work and am contemplating options. If it would be an iMac it would have to be the 24 inch version as the screen on the 20 drives me nuts and I already have a great 23 ACD so the screen isnt really my driving force here.

It depends on how much money you have to spend really.
I don't have to muck with the glossy screen, external drives, or be stuck with a sub-par video card for the next few years, so the Mac Pro is worth it to me.
I got it in case I work on photos but I use it for web surfing and right it's main use is going to be for a entertainment center.
Like I said, it depends on how much you have to spend. If you have enough, get the Mac Pro. You won't be disappointed. If money is tight and you don't feel you'd make use of all of it's power, the iMac will suit you nicely.

The above makes a valid statement. But I'm not in 100% agreement with him. For me the Pro is overkill on almost everything the normal or pro user would ever do. Including video, photo and music editing etc. The imac with 2GB + ram des all of this just fine. Rather fast too in my opinion. And also you can go dual screen mode with the imac and the AMD if you ever want to.

The only reason I'd ever consider a Pro if I was a heavy gamer and I really needed the most cutting edge graphics card. Like above said for these people being stuck with one as in the imac is a draw back.

If it was me I'd go for the 24 inch with the extreme processor + more graphics memory and a bigger hard drive. And get the Ram third party later as always. But even the extreme processer is overkill to me too. The standard 24 inch one does the job just great. Heck my 2Ghz imac flies under all kinds of things and I really give it's processor a thrashing.

Well in a practical standpoint I'd have to go for the imac with a few modifications when you buy it. As I said above. But if you want the best of the best. And the ability to add parts to your machine as you see fit go for the Pro.

Yep. If you plan on running dual displays and the full feature set of Final Cut Studio for good measure, then Mac Pro it is. If you plan on running a recording studio with a powerful soundcard and need ample screen real estate + hard drive space, then it's the Mac Pro. Otherwise the iMac is just fine.

Remember, the Mac Pro comes with Quad core as the base configuration. You can expand it to have loads of memory, hard drive space, and graphics power. If you don't need that, then iMac it is.

What type of use warrants a Mac Pro?

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If you have to ask, then you probably don't need one.

Go with an iMac or a Mini if you need a desktop.

Thanks for all the input. I am leaning a bit toward a 24 2.4 iMac at this point but as superficial as it sounds I am a bit curious how it will look with the ACD right next to it. Looking at the extreme iMac its just as much as the pro, so if I were to go that route I would go with the pro since the monitor not really needed. The mini concerns me only in that it has no true video card at all and while I mostly work with music I don't want to be overly limited. Thanks for the input I might post and see if anyone has an iMac and ACD side by side since at the apple store they got them far apart.

D3v1L80Y said:

If you have to ask, then you probably don't need one.

Go with an iMac or a Mini if you need a desktop.

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you stole my answer!!!!!

The pro could not only be used for graphic renderings and cutting edge games it can also double as a car or at least i would assume so as that it nearly costs the same.

I got bored and maxed out the specs on a mac pro on the apple online store.

the total was...............................$14,117.00

that of course is without a moniter and no wireless mouse or keyboard or softwares.

yikes.

i think the only people who need pro are using it for thier PROfession whether its uber high def. video or what I dont know. lol

coach_z said:

you stole my answer!!!!!

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No offense but its totally useless answer. The genius at the apple store basically said go with the pro because money wasn't that big a concern, but couldn't really give me any solid reasons why it was the better choice, hence the reason I posted here. Anyway thanks for ppls info, and this is what I have surmised from comments and research. Please feel free to add or disagree as I would like to make this an educated decision.

From what I have read from other posts here and research I see the pro as:
-easily upgradeable
-fast processer(s)
-more ram expandable
leading me to think its for ppl that want to do gaming or intense video work, neither of which I do.

iMac:
-closed system
-fast processor
-solid but not spin your head fast performance
I surmise this computer is good all around and would suit fine for multitasking and working with CS3 graphics, music creation and editing, and surfing. Concern is will it support my ACD 23 in addition to its 24 w/o bogging down.

Mini
-very closed system
-no graphics card
-basically a laptop put into a very small footprint
Good for surfing, and light music use, but getting pushed hard doing graphics work or large/intense music creation and editing.

If money is not a concern then go for the pro.

People are still using them from 8 years ago as their main machines for all sorts.

The iMac is great but any upgrades will be external and can end up being messy.

go pro;D

Michael415 said:

No offense but its totally useless answer. The genius at the apple store basically said go with the pro because money wasn't that big a concern, but couldn't really give me any solid reasons why it was the better choice, hence the reason I posted here. Anyway thanks for ppls info, and this is what I have surmised from comments and research. Please feel free to add or disagree as I would like to make this an educated decision.

From what I have read from other posts here and research I see the pro as:
-easily upgradeable
-fast processer(s)
-more ram expandable
leading me to think its for ppl that want to do gaming or intense video work, neither of which I do.

iMac:
-closed system
-fast processor
-solid but not spin your head fast performance
I surmise this computer is good all around and would suit fine for multitasking and working with CS3 graphics, music creation and editing, and surfing. Concern is will it support my ACD 23 in addition to its 24 w/o bogging down.

Mini
-very closed system
-no graphics card
-basically a laptop put into a very small footprint
Good for surfing, and light music use, but getting pushed hard doing graphics work or large/intense music creation and editing.

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I would say, go to the Apple store and tell them to let you test a 23" ACD hooked up to the 14" iMac you're interested in. If they want your business, it should be no problem. From there, you can test the iMac and see how well it performs. Last time I played with the iMacs at the Apple Store, they had Photoshop installed on them so you should be able to test a few things you do on it.
I assume it would work just fine with a 23" ACD but go there and make them hook it all up for you.

Michael415 said:

No offense but its totally useless answer. The genius at the apple store basically said go with the pro because money wasn't that big a concern, but couldn't really give me any solid reasons why it was the better choice, hence the reason I posted here. Anyway thanks for ppls info, and this is what I have surmised from comments and research. Please feel free to add or disagree as I would like to make this an educated decision.

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Well this is my opinion but I tend to disagree with your research a little. on the whole it's correct but I've learnt these few things.

Pro: I agree. But most hardcore gamers would rather go a custom PC. Most of the Pixar and other such companies would invest in the pros. Cause for them time is money but us average people can wait those few extra seconds for a job to finish and need TBs of space for all the video and other files they are playing with

Imac: I agree again but I think the imacs are very fast. They can do everything even quite a bit of video editing rather zippily. Just make sure you get the best video card with max video memory and 2+ GB cpu memory if you want to dual screen and everything should be fine. (But a test with the standard video cards would be nice too at the store)

Mini: With the 2 GB memory upgrade I believe this thing this thing (the recent models) could do everything bar video editing just great. Personally I'm not a fan of them cause of they are not an all in one system but if you already have the required accessories then it's a nice little machine for most work.

I totally agree with the above, about bringing in the AMD for a test run with an imac at an apple store. But I'd ring up prehand to make sure it can be done. I'm sure it can but they might want to have a certain staff member present or something while this is happening so getting a suitable time to do this there first would be a good idea.

I got the Pro because I wanted the 30" screen and be able to upgrade in the future, not having to buy a new machine for many years to come and since I did not like the look of the old iMac. And of course, because I could afford it.....

My rationalization for a Mac Pro stops at email. Too bad my reality is a gumdrop iMac.

I got my Mac Pro because I am a tinkerer. I love adding new drives to the machine, swapping out video cards, etc.

And use of life is incredible. My wife has an old G3 tower that is still running like a champ, have never had to do anything to it maintenance wise!!! Even her old iMac can't say that.

Michael415 said:

As the title asks, what would be a deciding factor between going with a iMac and the Mac Pro?

Im getting a bit lazy I suppose and am tired of lugging the MBP home nightly from work and am contemplating options. If it would be an iMac it would have to be the 24 inch version as the screen on the 20 drives me nuts and I already have a great 23 ACD so the screen isnt really my driving force here.

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You don't seem to give many details on what the system will end up doing. Will you be using it for your work? What will that be doing?

Personally, I have the 2.8 iMac. Its a really great machine. Depending on what you use it for however, you will very possibly have to upgrade the memory. This will ring true more so if you use design applications like Photopshop, Illustrator etc.

I am currently a final year design student myself, and have found that Photoshop (CS3) is quite the memory hog, much more so than any other application I run, taking up a whole gig by itself at times, so the 4GB upgrade should be considered in your thought process.

The fact that the iMac is a closed system is defiantly a down point, as you cannot upgrade the graphics card. This is something I dearly miss and would be the biggest, if only downside to the iMac. This is where the Pro would come in. With totally crazy prices however, you really would have to have the need for one of these machines, to properly justify buying it. Either that or you have the extra cash to spare, and you would like to treat yourself.

So it all comes down to what you are using the machine for. I would naturally recommend the iMac, as I cannot see you needing the performace of the Pro. I really think it will match your needs, and fit into your lifestyle better.

Hope this helps.

since I'm a film student and want to be an editor when I get out of school, the only choice for me was the mac pro. since mostly everyone is starting to make the switch to high def, my PBG4 couldn't cut it anymore. plus working in motion, illustrator, photoshop, color, final cut, with firefox, yahoo messenger, ichat, and entourage open is kind of tough.

i think some people have really pushed the mac pro on a really tall pedestal by saying its only needed by REAL professionals. expandability is what makes a system worth more money and that's what the mac pro offers. wait for memory prices to drop and cram it with 32gb of memory and you will have a system that will be blazing for the next 7 or 8 years. 4gigs of memory will be outdated pretty soon (in comparison to 32gb).

the way i see it is would you rather make one big investment of about $5000 that will last for 8-10yrs or drop $1800 every 2-3 yrs?

dj_hype said:

the way i see it is would you rather make one big investment of about $5000 that will last for 8-10yrs or drop $1800 every 2-3 yrs?

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I like to keep my cars for 8~10 years, but I would personally take a new computer every 3 years. Technology is still improving too fast to remain stuck with the same machine for 10 years.

when it comes to a mac pro, i'm not exactly sure if "stuck" is the appropriate term. two quad core processors, up to 32gb of ram, and pcie2.0 leave a pretty good amount of room for expansion. storage is the only thing, 4tb really isn't that much once you start dealing with high-def video but there are tons of external solutions to help solve that.

yeah i couldn't see myself with the same computer for 8-10years but, just because i can't doesn't mean someone else wouldn't.

dj_hype said:

since I'm a film student and want to be an editor when I get out of school, the only choice for me was the mac pro. since mostly everyone is starting to make the switch to high def, my PBG4 couldn't cut it anymore. plus working in motion, illustrator, photoshop, color, final cut, with firefox, yahoo messenger, ichat, and entourage open is kind of tough.

i think some people have really pushed the mac pro on a really tall pedestal by saying its only needed by REAL professionals. expandability is what makes a system worth more money and that's what the mac pro offers. wait for memory prices to drop and cram it with 32gb of memory and you will have a system that will be blazing for the next 7 or 8 years. 4gigs of memory will be outdated pretty soon (in comparison to 32gb).

the way i see it is would you rather make one big investment of about $5000 that will last for 8-10yrs or drop $1800 every 2-3 yrs?

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Hmmm, I understand what you are saying but I dont totally agree with you.

You say the only choice for you was a Mac Pro....well I'm in a very similar education to yourself and I use an iMac...I also use RAM intensive stuff like CS3 etc, and with the 4GB upgrade it handles it just fine.

You do have it with expandability though...thats where the iMac falls back a bit I admit.

I honestly believe 99% of the time it will come down to money. I mean Id love a Mac Pro, who wouldn't? They are hands down a more superior machine PERFORMANCE wise there is no arguing with that fact, but the price is just a bit mad, and my iMac has been faithfull so far

As good as the Pro is however, I would not like to stay with ANY computer of any kind for more than 3 years...technology just moves too fast no matter how good a starting platform you may have.