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Level 1

11 points

leaving windows forever! - switching to Apple/Mac purchasing new, heavy user, Mac Pro? iMac? Upgrade coming soon? Help!

I am looking to take the leap and purchase a new Mac Desktop and go totally Apple/Mac as I have migrated from an iPod touch 64 to iPhone 32 to iPad2 64 and have loved everything about them. While continualy upgrading windows desktops to more and more disapointments. I currently have a Dell XPS 8300 Intel i7 2600 3.4GHz 12G Ram 2T 7200 HD Radeon 1G 5700 HD running win7 64. and have had nothing but trouble with it - even worse than other lesser machines... I think my best bet for a machine to do what I want (I sometimes really push it - not always) would be a Mac Pro... although some other advice I have gotten was that an iMac would be better for me. I like the iMac but the only thing that worries me is I want to keep this machine a long time and it seems the iMac would be hard to upgrade whereas the Mac Pro looks like it would be rather simple. I have seen some pictures of the inside of the Mac Pro and it looks like a very functional work of art! Then there are the rumors that the Mac Pro and iMac are due to be upgraded very soon and I would be sick if I bought one today and a month from now new models come out... but I can't wait a long time I need a machine I can work with yesterday... if you know what I mean.. Any help would be greatly apprecieated and if I am on the wrong forum for this advise please let me know... Thanks 😕

Mac Pro

Posted on Mar 4, 2012 3:40 PM

Best reply

chinajon

Level 1

63 points

Posted on Mar 4, 2012 6:09 PM

The fact that you know the specs of your current machine leads me to the opinion that the Pro is your kind of Mac. I am a 'power user' but not a 'computer nerd' so I have an iMac. It just does what it does and I like it very much.

However, I wish I could upgrade the hard drive, and graphics board myself. I have delved into the guts of PCs over the years and it was interesting and easy, as well as replaced the HD in a Mac laptop. I guess if I had a better work area and a glass puller I could take the screen out and get at the guts of this iMac as well, but I don't. Oh well. The iMac is great. This is a 24 inch version and I have had the mother board replaced after the USB was fried. The USB is part of the the mother board, so the whole board had to be replaced. That causes the loss of the visible serial number and fan control. I doubt this would occur in a Pro.

If you like to customize or power up or modernize etc etc, then you have got to get the Pro. No choice. If you just want to use it and accept not upgrading the hardware, I recommend the iMac.

As to missing the next upgrade, you can never win that race. Just accept the fact that as soon as you buy a computer there will be one on sale with better specs within a week. But I say, get the best one you can afford and don't look at the greener grass next week!

Welcome to the world of Apple!

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24 replies

not1lost Author

Level 1

11 points

Mar 5, 2012 2:16 PM in response to BobHarris

Good point Bob! I guess one could still use it as a monitor. maybe by then the Mac Mini will have become a Mac Mighty! ( a little larger and stackable?) I do see possibilites with the little machine! Thanks! 🙂

not1lost Author

Level 1

11 points

Mar 5, 2012 2:18 PM in response to macjack

Yes! Thanks macjack! I could save a chunk of cash buying somewhere else! hadnt thought of that - Good idea 🙂

not1lost Author

Level 1

11 points

Mar 5, 2012 2:37 PM in response to etresoft

etresoft wrote:

If you have $50,000 of video equipment you want to connect, the Mac Pro is your best choice. If not, you should really consider the iMac. The current Mac Pro machines are upgradeable, but they are upgradeable to current technology. When you need to upgrade years later, you might not be able to find anything. The iMac supports Thunderbolt whereas the Mac Pro does not.

I don't.... and you make a good point etresoft. There is no telling what kind of options we may have with Thunderbolt in the next few years; which at this time the Mac Pro does not have... With all the great stuff most of you all are saying about the iMac I am leaning very strongly in that direction especially after your comment. If the iMac is that powerful it most likely will be all I need and at the cost when it does come time to upgrade there will no doubt be all kinds of new tech out and I could just buy another machine and use the iMac as a monitor as was suggested. I tempted to go back and click the "this answered my question" button.... I just want to get it right this time; I am so tired of trying to get a machine that will "Just work" You all have been so helpful and I thank you so much. I will be thinking all this over and looking to see if anyone has any more to add to the conversation before I make my decision... Thanks a bunch - Everyone! 🙂

Mar 6, 2012 3:52 AM in response to not1lost

Another thing is cost vs. performance. Take a look at

these Geekbench scores:

http://www.primatelabs.ca/geekbench/mac-benchmarks/#64bit

The current maxed out iMac is ~$2200 (add another $100 if you want

a 2gig video card). It takes an 8 core MacPro to outperform it, which

at a minimum will cost ~$3500. The tests are only a yardstick, but tend to

be good indicators in most situations.

The extra $1300 in your pocket if you get an iMac can buy some

additional "toys".

PS. The biggest learning curve will be unlearning Windows habits.

radio50

Level 1

74 points

Mar 6, 2012 10:34 AM in response to not1lost

I made the switch about four years ago, from a Windows tower to an iMac with 4GB RAM. It still is a very potent machine, and with Mac I no longer fret about maintenance, upgrading hardware, viruses and all that. I like having everything all together in one package -- CPU board, monitor, etc. I can't remember the last crash I had -- it just keeps running 24/7.

That said, going cold turkey from Win to Mac had me lost for a few days. The thing that finally really helped was a book by David Pogue -- the Missing Manual. I believe there's a Lion edition available. For me, at the start, even moving files around was pretty confusing. The book cleared it all up -- recommended. Good luck with your switch.

John Galt

Level 10

141,264 points

Mar 6, 2012 1:16 PM in response to radio50

The thing that finally really helped was a book by David Pogue -- the Missing Manual. I believe there's a Lion edition available. For me, at the start, even moving files around was pretty confusing. The book cleared it all up -- recommended. Good luck with your switch.

Pogue's books are excellent, definitely recommended for someone unaccustomed to Macs, and a valuable reference even for long time users.

www.amazon.com/Mac-OS-Lion-Missing-Manual/dp/1449397492/

macjack

Level 10

111,168 points

Mar 7, 2012 7:21 AM in response to not1lost

Also suggest you take a look at Mac 101 and Switch 101. If it hasn't been mentioned already.

Mar 7, 2012 7:56 AM in response to not1lost

not1lost wrote:

I am not a graphics designer or do highly complex work that takes 24 hours to render. I use photo shop, website building software, research for my writing and blogs with an onboard library with a powerful search engine that searches through my library (over 2000+ book at this time in my library and still adding) in seconds that would take days or even weeks flipping pages... doing all kinds of searches from word to phrase to media, to other types in various languages. I will have many of these programs open at the same time. I have never had a machine that could keep up.

Get an iMac. Although you're right, they are both due for a refresh very soon.

A Mac Pro is overkill unless you need a lot of horsepower or the need to add PCI cards. And TBH, even an i5 iMac has more grunt than most people will throw at it. If you max out the RAM (16GB!), then an iMac should easily handle most of what you do.

Additional storage is handled by USB, Firewire or Thunderbolt drives. The GPU is already good and you are unlikely to need to need anything more.

not1lost Author

Level 1

11 points

Apr 20, 2012 12:27 PM in response to woodmeister50

I'm still out here thinking and waiting... I've read over all the comments here seveal times... It's taking me as long to make up my mind as it is for Apple to anounce anything new. We're getting so close to an upgrade (It seems) I am getting more and more hesitant to buy now? This is the scenerio I have been looking at lately woodmeister50; it does make a lot of common sense. I think it would handle anything I throw at it as I would order it with a SSD combo I guess they put the OS and programs/apps on the SSD? One thing worries me though, I have read a lot about heat issues with the iMac??? and one Apple tech on another forum said he gets more iMacs in to repair two to one over any other machine? Says He wouldn't own one? He may not even be who he says he is and just trying to slam the iMac I dont know... Although He did speak well of other Apple products. Then As far as waiting there are some who say that the upgrade to Ivy Bridge is not going to be that great really just better in GPU power and the average user wouldnt even notice it? Then again it may come with a new design? which would make me sick, well, unless they remove the disc drive... Then again the ones that are out now should be reduced in price soon if all this is true? Any input on all this would be helpful. Thanks 🙂

leaving windows forever! - switching to Apple/Mac purchasing new, heavy user, Mac Pro? iMac? Upgrade coming soon? Help!