Which pro Mac desktop: iMac and Mac Pro compared

09.02.2015
Apple's MacBook range of laptops has been hugely successful in recent years. From the svelte portability of the MacBook Air to the gorgeous displays on the Retina MacBook Pro, these devices have much to offer users who like to work on the go. If you're looking for more power, and a larger working area on the screen though, a Mac desktop is the way to go, and Apple has a few excellent options for the professional. In this feature we'll compare the various delights of the iMac and Mac Pro to see which is the one that's best for you.

Read our iMac reviews

Retina 5K iMac review

1.4GHz £899 Mac review

iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2014) with Fusion Drive review

iMac 21.5-inch and 27-inch (Late 2013) reviews

iMac vs Mac Pro: Things to consider

With every technology buying decision it's very important that you first establish your requirements and your budget. It's not exactly the best use of funds to buy something that's too expensive and does far more than you need. Conversely you wouldn't want to go through this whole process and end up with a cheaper machine that can't cope with your demands twelve months later. If you need a true powerhouse for running Pro level software such as Final Cut Pro X, Logic Pro X, or any number of other demanding applications, then the higher end models are the obvious place to look.

If you just want a capable desktop that will keep up with general computer duties such as web browsing, home video editing, Photoshop, and some gaming then a general iMac will no doubt fill the need. There's also the ability to upgrade certain machines later on, which is either something that appeals or doesn't, depending on whether you want to get out the screwdriver and delve into your Mac (read about How to get into a Mac with a Screwdriver).

The golden rule is to take your time, know what you want from the machine, and spend an amount you're comfortable with.

Read our Mac Pro reviews

Mac Pro Six-Core/3.5GHz (late 2013) review

Apple Mac Pro Quad-Core/3.7GHz (Late 2013) review

2013 Mac Pro review

Mac Pro 2015 preview

iMac vs Mac Pro: A few exceptions

There are in fact three types of desktop in the current Apple catalogue: the iMac, Mac Pro, and Mac mini. While the Mac Mini is a solid choice for general home-use, the current iteration isn't exactly a powerful device when compared to its bigger brothers. If you're already considering a Mac Pro, then the chances are you've already ruled out the mini, and wisely so. Another model to cross off your list is the entry-level iMac, which although attractively priced at £899 is internally actually pretty much the same machine as the Mac mini. The Mac mini used to be more of a contender when it came to the decision of which Mac desktop to buy, but the latest generation is not as good as the previous generation of this Mac, so, at least for now, we are not recommending it in this pro focused article. Read: Mac Mini 2014 v Mac Mini 2012

Read our Mac mini reviews

Apple Mac mini (Late 2014) 2.8GHz review

Mac mini (Late 2014) 1.4 GHz review

Apple Mac mini (Late 2012) review

iMac vs Mac Pro: The iMac Range

There are three main categories of iMac at the moment - 21-inch, 27-inch, and 27-inch with 5K Retina display. Ignoring the entry-level & Retina iMacs, there are common fittings across the remaining range. All the 21-inch and 27-inch models feature quad core, Intel Core i5 CPUs (2.7Ghz or 2.9GHz in the smaller machines, and 3.2GHz or 3.4GHz in the larger ones), 8GB of RAM, and 1TB hard drives.

The major differences are that as you move up in price you get more powerful graphical capabilities, with the 21-inch models going from Intel Iris Pro to an NVIDIA GeForce GT750M, and the 27-inch variants arriving with either an NVIDIA GeForce GT755M or NVIDIA GeForce GTX775. The 27-inch models also have the enviable feature of a panel at the back which gives you easy access to the RAM slots, so you can upgrade the memory yourself, and save money on Apple's own highly priced offerings.

The costs of these machines are £1049 (21-inch, 2.7GHz), £1199 (21-inch, 2.9GHz), £1449 (27-inch 3.2GHz), and £1599 (27-inch, 3.4GHz).

Alongside the off the shelf models you can also use Apple's build to order feature on the website. This gives you the opportunity to upgrade the 21-inch models to 16GB of RAM (£160) and replace the slower spinning hard drive with either a 1TB Fusion drive (mixture of flash-storage and normal hard drive) or 256GB flash-storage for £160, or 512GB flash-storage for £400. There's also the option to upgrade the CPU in the 2.9GHz i5 version to a 3.1GHz i7 for an additional £160.

These prices hold true for the 27-inch models, with the added choices of a 3TB Fusion drive (£280), 1TB flash-storage (£800), and upgrading the 3.4GHz i5 to a 3.5GHz i7 for £190.

At the high-end, the new 27-inch iMac with 5K Retina display sits on its gorgeously rendered throne. The standard model features that incredible screen, backed by a 3.5GHz quad-core, Intel i5 CPU, 8GB RAM, 1TB Fusion drive, and an AMD Radeon R9 M290X GPU for £1999.

Again there's the build-to-order option available, which follows the same pattern as other iMacs, but has the unique choices of replacing the 3.5GHz i5 with a 4.0GHz i7 (£200), and upgrading the GPU to an AMD Radeon R9 M295X for £200.

iMac vs Mac Pro: Mac Pro range

In our review, we said that '[the] stunning Mac Pro is a true workstation class computer'. Since it was unveiled in 2013 the diminutive, cylindrical Mac has been collecting plaudits for design and capability, and it's no wonder. Apple has managed to fit an incredible amount of power into a unit that is barely taller than an iPad. Now we are all waiting for Apple up update this Mac which is now more than a year old. Read: Mac Pro 2015 launch date and spec rumours

The Mac Pro currently comes in two standard configurations, the cheapest of which features a 3.7GHz quad-core, Intel Xeon E5 CPU, Dual AMD FirePro D300 GPUs, 12GB RAM, and 256GB flash-storage, costing £2,499. For a bit more you can move up to the 3.5GHz 6-core, Intel Xeon E5, with 16GB RAM, Dual AMD FirePro D500 GPUs, and 256GB flash-storage, which will set you back £3,299.

As you'd expect from a pro machine there are plenty of upgrades available on the built to order section of the Apple store. These include the CPU (3.0GHz 8-Core at £1600 or 2.7GHz 12-Core for £2400), RAM (16GB - £80, 32GB - £400, or 64GB - £1040), storage (512GB - £240, 1TB £640), and both of the models can upgrade their dual GPUs, with the cheaper version offering the AMD FirePro D500 for £320, and the higher-end model going up to the dual AMD FirePro D700s for a whopping £800.

Of course this is all without a screen, keyboard, mouse, or speakers, which you'll need to provide yourself.

iMac vs Mac Pro: How the Retina iMac compares to the quad-core Mac Pro

If you're in the market for a Mac Pro then it stands to reason that you're probably not interested in the lower end iMacs, as while they are excellent machines they can't get near the workstation Pros in terms of power. At the high-end though the iMac with 5K Retina display is a very capable machine and can certainly handle some heavy loads.

Obviously the standout feature on the iMac is that wonderful display, which has a resolution of 5120x2880 and also incorporates various new technologies that keep the colours vibrant, accurate, and consistent even at off-axis viewing angles. This is no mere trifle either, as we've used 5K displays that are more expensive than this iMac, and they don't have a thoroughbred computer inside them. Pushing all those pixels isn't easy, but in our tests the iMac was able to run graphically demanding games at high frame rates without issue, and 4K video had no refresh issues or visible smearing.

One advantage the Mac Pro has in this area though, which might seem odd as the device doesn't even have a monitor included, is that it can run three 4K displays at the same time, while the iMac can run a single, external 4K display alongside its own 5K one.

The 3.5GHz Core i5 in the iMac doesn't support Hyper Threading Technology, so it lags behind the Mac Pro in that regard, and this will show up in some applications that require deep computational power. In fact our lab tests actually put the iMac behind the 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro in terms of speed. That doesn't mean it's a slouch in any way though, and cost conscious photographers or videographers can be sure that there is much to love in the iMac with 5K Retina display.

The slim housing of the iMac gives it as small a footprint as possible for a device bearing a 27-inch screen, and in use the machine ran nearly silently even when being pushed to the limit. The Mac Pro is equally compact, bearing more resemblance to a pedal bin than a powerhouse computer.

That small, cylindrical frame does still manage to pack a copious amount of ports, which include 6x Thunderbolt 2, 4x USB 3.0, 2x Gigabit Ethernet, and a HDMI 1.4, plus 2x 3.5mm mini jack outputs, one of which is a combined stereo analogue line-out with Toslink digital audio output. The iMac sports a healthy, if slightly smaller, amount of options, with 4x USB 3.0, 2x Thunderbolt 2, 1x Gigabit ethernet, a 3.5mm headphone/speaker jack, and an SDXC card reader.

One major difference between the iMac and the Mac Pro is that whereas the only element of the iMac that can easily be upgraded is the RAM, the Mac Pro features a number of options that are surprisingly quick to access. Removing the outer shell is a simple operation involving pressing a button and then sliding it off. Once inside you can remove the RAM, which is on the outside of the chassis and held by a couple of clips, and the flash-storage is accessed by removing a solitary, standard phillips screw.

The GPUs and even the CPU itself can also be changed by the user, although you'd need a steady hand and steely nerve to venture into the heart of a machine this expensive. In a teardown on iFixit, the always excellent repair site, the Mac Pro scored 8 out of 10 for repairability, which is the highest score we've seen for an Apple product in a long time.

Contrast this with the 5 out of 10 that the iMac with 5K Retina display marked up, and you see how the modular nature of the Pro makes it a great choice for those who like to save money and upgrade machines themselves. This should also prolong the life of the device, as swapping out faulty parts in a few years time can be done by the user.

Both machines have been out for a little while now, and rumours are already spreading about updates coming this year. With Intel experiencing production delays in 2014, the expected Broadwell chips didn't arrive in time to make it into the iMac, but we would assume that this will be rectified in 2015 with a refresh. It's a similar story on the Mac Pro, with the new Xeon E5 V3 'Grantley' chips now available and sure to replace the V2 'Romley' versions currently fitted in the workstation machines.

iMac vs Mac Pro: Buying advice

If you're someone who works with highly demanding 3D graphics rendering software, or create and edit lots of effects-heavy video, then the Mac Pro is an obvious choice because of its raw power capabilities. It really is a very impressive machine, that looks fantastic, while coming equipped with enough grunt to take on advanced tasks without fear.

The fact that it's so easily upgraded by the user is also a huge benefit when considering your purchase. It's not cheap though, as you might expect, and when you cost in a display (or three) that's worthy of the device you're easily heading towards £3000 or £4000 pounds. This makes the Pro a very considered purchase, albeit an excellent one for the right user.

Those looking for a powerful, elegant, all-in-one solution could choose any of the iMac range, but we'd definitely push at least into the 27-inch territory if you're going to use it for professional level tasks. Upgrading the standard hard drives to a 1TB Fusion drive is also a necessity if you want to get the most out of these excellent computers.

Once you've encountered the iMac with 5K display, we're confident that it will prove very difficult to resist. The display is photographic in terms of quality, and we were impressed at how well the machine performed in the vast majority of our tests. It's not as powerful or expandable as the Mac Pro, so keep that very much in mind, but it still remains our favourite Mac of all.

(www.macworld.co.uk)

Martyn Casserly

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