After taking the plunge on a DSLR and moving to Aperture, I am demanding a machine with more power to edit my images and perform system intensive tasks such as editing video and audio content. I have a few gripes about my current setup, firstly, the RAM restriction. I can only install up to 2GB of RAM in my iMac (currently at 1.5GB). The screen is also far too limiting now I am using Aperture, 17″ just doesn’t cut it anymore, I want to move to a 1920×1200+ resolution display.
So today I decided it was time to start saving for my next workstation. I originally priced up a 24″ iMac on the NZ educational store, then I realized I could pick up a Mac Pro for a similar price. The only downside to the Mac Pro is I will need to further splash on an Apple Cinema Display, most probably the 23″ version.
The iMac with the following specs runs in at $4,236 NZD.
- 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
- 2GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM – 2×1GB
- 500GB Serial ATA Drive
- NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT 256MB SDRAM
- Apple Keyboard & Mighty Mouse + Mac OS X
- 24-inch widescreen LCD
- AirPort Extreme
- Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
The Mac Pro with the following specs runs in at $4,251 NZD.
- Two 2GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
- 1GB 667 DDR2 FB DIMM ECC – 2×512
- 500GB Serial ATA 3GB/s drive – 7200rpm
- NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 256MB SDRAM
- 1 x SuperDrive
- Airport Extreme & Bluetooth 2.0+ERD
- Apple Keyboard & Mighty Mouse
The plusses I can see on the iMac system is not having to buy an external display, therefore saving money, and having more RAM to start with. But with the Mac Pro the advantage list is much longer. A more powerful Mac, expandability beyond my dreams, it will power up to 7 displays, and will last me much longer.
The only problem is the Mac Pro will run me in with another $1699 charge, the 23″ Apple Cinema Display. Would that be worth it for the expandability of the machine and the super long life it would last?
I wont be making the purchase until at least WWDC 07, but I like to set goals. What do you think, iMac or Mac Pro?