upgrade MP 8 core to new i7 iMac?

Dublove · 26 Mar 2013 at 20:09

hi all,

looking for some real world use opinions not just benchmarks

I have a 2010 MP 8 core 2.4ghz.
24gb ram
256gb ssd for os & apps
3x 1TB hard drives internal
ATI 5870
2x Dell 24" Ultrasharps

I bought it for reliability and it has been very reliable - I believe a lot of that reliability is due to the ECC ram.

Back when I bought it I was into 3D rendering but now not so much. I now use it more for CAD. Solidworks I run through parallels, Rhino too - rarely going into bootcamp to do so. Heavy photoshop, illustrator, indesign & lightroom still though.

So;
I would look at the highest spec i7 27" iMac possible (but upgrade myself to 32gb.)
1TB Fusion (os + apps only)
Trackpad as I have two mighty mice...

I'd benefit from a brand new larger 27" screen, Probably keep the two dells and hook them up too.
I would also need to switch to some kind of desktop external storage. I'd keep all my files off the built in drive) Thunderbolt sounds like the way forward but which one & how much?

Do you think this change worth it for what I do now?

thx, Jay

Spit · 28 Mar 2013 at 15:46

I really think you would enjoy the move. My Dad just got the same spec you talked about and after having a good play on it yesterday it really is a fast computer.

Get the 3.4GHz i7, 2Gb 680MX and 1Tb Fusion from Apple then put in the 32Gb yourself and you will have a monster spec.

The key to your usage is RAM and now that the new iMac supports 32Gb its a no brainer.

The CPU will probably perform at a similar level to your 8core and maybe be a bit slower in certain tasks but to have all that power in a neat desktop will be fantastic.

Dublove · 28 Mar 2013 at 21:24

mmmmmn yes i've been reading about it still. Problem with my MP is that all the cores are great for rendering BUT when not rendering i.e. most else things! the slower clock speed shows.

I'm still looking for a decent external drive setup. I had hoped I could but a thunderbolt enclosure and throw my existing 3.5" drives in but seems this is just not possible right now

Trying to decide about temp usb3 storage or weather to suck it up and get 4tb of thunderbolt.

theheyes · 28 Mar 2013 at 21:27

Personally, I don't know why on earth you would consider swapping a professional workstation for a consumer desktop.

You say the Mac Pro has been reliable and capable of doing your heavy lifting so I'm not sensing a desperate need to upgrade.

The only benefit of the iMac is more RAM (do you need it?) which is not ECC and the 27" screen which you could buy separately anyway.

theheyes · 28 Mar 2013 at 21:29

Ok you posted in the meantime about the clock speed. I still think its more of a sideways step than an upgrade.

bloodiedathame · 28 Mar 2013 at 21:47

I wouldn't bother.

AbsenceJam · 28 Mar 2013 at 21:58

Looking at benchmarks the iMac outperforms that Mac Pro, and these don't factor in the GPU improvement.

Faster, quieter, less power, display, USB 3.0 + Thunderbolt. And, you'll get a load for the Mac Pro if you sell it.

Feek · 29 Mar 2013 at 09:20

That's pretty much what I did in late 2011 except my MP was a 2008 model so a couple of years older than yours. I had no choice because the MP was destroyed and I wasn't prepared to wait for a new model (a good plan in the end as there hasn't been a new model).

I specced the top of the range i7 iMac with SSD and 2Tb HDD and it easily outperforms the older Mac Pro. My only worry is the fact that I can't load it up with drives like I did the MP but I'm doing fine with the internal drives.

You should get a decent price for the Mac Pro, I think it's a good move.

Dublove · 29 Mar 2013 at 10:48

Interesting comments

A new MP would be nice but no one is sure there will be one yet, plus I can no longer justify the outlay for one. A used 12 core is way more £££ than the imac if you can find one and I'd still be with my 5870...

Think I will pop down to the Apple store in Bristol this weekend and see if they will let me play for 30minutes or so.

Just found out about the 3tb fusion not working with bootcamp. Think I'll have to hook another external drive, probably an ssd in a usb3 enclosure.

Spit · 29 Mar 2013 at 13:49

Its a great move. With selling your MP why don't you get another Apple 27" Thunderbolt display for all the work you are doing.

theheyes · 29 Mar 2013 at 14:21

AbsenceJam said:
Looking at benchmarks the iMac outperforms that Mac Pro, and these don't factor in the GPU improvement.

I'm not saying you're wrong, but which benchmarks? A quick look at Geekbench and the Mac Pro comes out on top. There isn't a lot in it, but you would have to say they are at least roughly comparable.

You lose your ECC RAM.

You will have to ship out your storage drives to an external bus and buy an enclosure.

You're having to accommodate for the fact that the 3TB fusion drive does not support bootcamp.

What do you estimate your net spend is going to be after you've finished buying accessories?

lamboman · 29 Mar 2013 at 17:07

For some the iMac will be more powerful, for others, the MP. However, on balance, probably about the same.

All things considered, it's not really worth the move. You'd be moving from a system that is no more powerful and in itself significantly more expensive than a new monitor, and you'd be moving from internal storage to external storage, so any space savings would end up with more clutter (and a requirement for more power plugs).

Best bet would be to get a new 27" display instead.

AbsenceJam · 31 Mar 2013 at 00:02

theheyes said:
I'm not saying you're wrong, but which benchmarks? A quick look at Geekbench and the Mac Pro comes out on top. There isn't a lot in it, but you would have to say they are at least roughly comparable.

You lose your ECC RAM.

You will have to ship out your storage drives to an external bus and buy an enclosure.

You're having to accommodate for the fact that the 3TB fusion drive does not support bootcamp.

What do you estimate your net spend is going to be after you've finished buying accessories?

I just Googled some up. But even looking at those you mention I see little difference, and Geekbench doesn't test the GPU either.

http://browser.primatelabs.com/geek...r:"Intel Core i7-3770" frequency:3400 bits:32
http://browser.primatelabs.com/geek...sor:"Intel Xeon E5620" frequency:2400 bits:32

http://browser.primatelabs.com/geek...sor:"Intel Xeon E5620" frequency:2400 bits:64
http://browser.primatelabs.com/geek...r:"Intel Core i7-3770" frequency:3400 bits:64

kitkat9933 · 31 Mar 2013 at 00:20

theheyes said:
I'm not saying you're wrong, but which benchmarks? A quick look at Geekbench and the Mac Pro comes out on top. There isn't a lot in it, but you would have to say they are at least roughly comparable.

You lose your ECC RAM.

You will have to ship out your storage drives to an external bus and buy an enclosure.

You're having to accommodate for the fact that the 3TB fusion drive does not support bootcamp.

What do you estimate your net spend is going to be after you've finished buying accessories?

They fixed the issues with the 3TB drives and bootcamp like 2 weeks ago (roughly from memory).

theheyes · 31 Mar 2013 at 11:20

kitkat9933 said:
They fixed the issues with the 3TB drives and bootcamp like 2 weeks ago (roughly from memory).

If that's true then good (I'm only going off what was stated in this thread)

AbsenceJam said:
I just Googled some up. But even looking at those you mention I see little difference, and Geekbench doesn't test the GPU either.

But that was exactly what I said - there is little difference. That was the point.

The GPU will undoubtedly be more powerful, but dropping £2,000+ to basically upgrade the graphics card when the OP doesn't even mention it in their opening posts (so we can only assume it's not a priority) is just madness in my opinion.

I would at least wait to see what the supposed Mac Pro updates bring to the table later this year, if they deliver.