Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

iMac & MacPro

Hi,


Should I get an iMac, and upgrade to a newer one in around, say, 5-6 years? Or should I get a "more expensive" MacPro, and use it for the next 10 years?


Which one is a better choice?


Thanks.


Ed

MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion

Posted on Feb 8, 2013 10:22 PM

Reply
15 replies

Feb 9, 2013 3:16 AM in response to EDLIU

Really depends on what you want the machine for. Just a typical desktop? mende1 is right. Get an Imac, get apple care, and enjoy one of the sexist machines on the market right now. I faced a similar decision last week and went with a refurb 6core 3.33 mac pro but I had extenuating circumstances.


1) I already have a 27" IPS monitor (dell u2711 on my desk)

2) I have plenty of room under the desk for another tower

3) Have a 32gig i3770 centos machine under there now for engineering work (software doesn't run on mac)

4) Not a big computer gamer


Even with my circumstances, I almost went for the new iMac. I expect a new mac pro at the end of the year but that is just a guess. It really depends on Intel and their schedules but those have been slipping. Their current chips in the server class can't support thunderbolt and why do a new mac pro without it.


I would not buy a new iMac without apple care. Good luck.

Feb 9, 2013 2:37 PM in response to mende1

If you expect your Mac Pro to stay relevant for 10 years then definitely get an iMac. Mac Pros came out in 2004, they arent even 10 years old now and anyone here will tell you that Mac Pro 1,1 (the first ones) are no longer supported by Apple themselves as far as software (You need a hack to get Lion on one for example).


Apple would much prefer you get an iMac. It's better value for money if you don't need the expandability or workstation benefits too.

Feb 9, 2013 9:57 PM in response to EDLIU

The life cycle is ~4 years on style, ~1-1.5 year on chip changes (mini, iMac, macbook). The mac pro has moved very slow. Many assumed it was dead until Tim Cook made an off the cuff comment about something exciting later in 2013. No one here knows what that means. It could be a cube, two mini's fused together, or the same basic tower with all new hardware.


I think thunderbolt will be a must for the new machine which can't be done properly on even the sandy bridge chips. Maybe the server class ivy bridge chips will have the integrated hardware for thunderbolt or maybe some sort of dedicated chip will be used. I personally think thunderbolt is the hold up or we would have already seen chip updates to the pro line. I think apple only sells thunderbolt monitors now.


Mac pro's are such a small market for apple that it is anyone's guess.

Feb 21, 2013 9:54 AM in response to EDLIU

@EDLIU


In short, no, we will not get a 6 core iMac. iMacs use and have always used low power laptop versions of current hardware, as it makes it a lot easier to make them fit into such thin and sleek designs. 6 core processors won't be added to the iMac until Intel make a 6 core laptop chip, which I reckon is a very long time away. Maybe they will with Haswell, but I very much doubt it as there simply is no demand in the laptop market in general. Higher clocked 4/8 core/thread i7s still havent been reached in that space yet and in most cases they would be faster than low clocked 6/12 core/thread units.


And yes, a iMac in most cases is similar in performance to a 12 Core Mac Pro, and faster than a single processor unit. Single Processor Mac Pros are using CPUs two generations behind iMacs. The performance differenc is about 20% per Ghz, so a 3Ghz iMac would give you the performance of a 3.6Ghz Mac Pro if everything else was identical. Multi-Processor Mac Pro's are great in certain uses where predetermined things that need to be done can be split into threads and worked on as if each prcessor was an island, but the two processors are terrible at communicating with each other, so many things dont get that big a boost from Multi Processor setups.

Jun 10, 2013 1:05 PM in response to The hatter

Not related but I have a 17" 2010 macbook pro that I love. What I really love is the screen. I was wondering if it would be possible to upgrade the logicboard to one of the newer boards 2012 or 2013, so I could still keep my screen but have the functionality of the newer machines. I am interested in usb 3.0 and thunderbolt, but mostly usb 3.0. My main issue is that with my current machine, I am not able to boot from usb 3.0 flash drives connected via adapters. Perhaps there are other solutions...


Thanks.


okayson

iMac & MacPro

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple ID.