Anyone picking up a new iMac Pro?

[Chaotic42]

https://9to5mac.com/2017/12/12/imac...l-mac-will-be-available-to-order-december-14/

It seems pretty solid, though if I were in the market, I'd have preferred an Nvidia GPU. I've always wanted to seriously use a modern Mac, but I've never been able to justify it - I either need a PC for games or would be better served by Linux/Windows for work type things. I've known some folks who do web development on Macbooks and NASA allowed users to choose Macs for their work. I needed special software so was unable to use one.

I'm curious what you'd be using your iMac Pro to do, especially one of the 18-core beasts.

 

[UsandThem]

Of course, we will have much more about the iMac Pro in the coming days and weeks, including price details, which have still yet to be revealed outside of the $4999 baseline 8-core version.

I just asked the wife. She said nope.

 

[Commodus]

I suspect most us will say no, unless there's a couple of absolute ballers who can justify buying a $5,000 desktop for personal use. Maybe if you rationalize it as buying a good Mac and a good Windows PC, since that Vega is probably a solid gaming card.

The iMac Pro really is for the pros. Specifically, it's great for movie and photo editors who want a powerful desktop on the set for rough cuts or image processing. And from what I've seen this week, it's potentially an ideal YouTuber machine... crunch that 8K video quickly, and look good doing it.

 

[ZGR]

Too bad you can't upgrade the RAM, but it isn't a problem for those who are looking to drop $5k on one anyways.

 

[manly]

Too bad you can't upgrade the RAM, but it isn't a problem for those who are looking to drop $5k on one anyways.

Typical Mac nonsense, which is partly why I dumped the platform after a 12 year run.

Max RAM on a workstation isn’t exactly cost-effective at the beginning of a product cycle. I get that most parts on a Mac portable no longer need to be user-serviceable. But lack of RAM upgradeability on a high end desktop is a stupid money grab.

 

[Fir]

Want to see what they do with the Mac Pro. Don't like the all in one approach especially at workstation prices.

 

[quikah]

I am surprised they didn't update the screen to get rid of the ugly bezels. Looks dated.

 

[Commodus]

Typical Mac nonsense, which is partly why I dumped the platform after a 12 year run.

Max RAM on a workstation isn’t exactly cost-effective at the beginning of a product cycle. I get that most parts on a Mac portable no longer need to be user-serviceable. But lack of RAM upgradeability on a high end desktop is a stupid money grab.

Well, it is and it isn't. Apple's clearly goading you to pay for a RAM upgrade up front knowing you can't get more after the fact. But at the same time... many creative pros already know their apps will gobble as much RAM as possible right now, let alone a few years from now. I suspect Apple's going to sell a lot of 128GB systems that will offer an immediate benefit.

 

[imported_bman]

Pretty slick system but the lack of a real 10-bit display and the soon to be outdated Thunderbolt controller really hurts at the price point. Intel's upcoming Titan Ridge Thunderbolt would have had a lot of utility in this system in the long term for users that are looking to upgrade the GPU down the road. With the ability to drive the 5k display via an eGPU I would have considered one these machines for work and home use. I am guessing the 2018 iMac will have what I want, a 6 or 8 core CPU and the Z390 platform that will have Titan Ridge.

 

[Oyeve]

AHAHAHAHAHA!

 

[Commodus]

AHAHAHAHAHA!

Hey, there are some people who'll absolutely thrive on them. They're stopgaps until the Mac Pro redesign arrives, but they're also very useful for people who may need a fast desktop on the set for a movie or photo shoot.

 

[Chaotic42]

The iMac Pro really is for the pros. Specifically, it's great for movie and photo editors who want a powerful desktop on the set for rough cuts or image processing. And from what I've seen this week, it's potentially an ideal YouTuber machine... crunch that 8K video quickly, and look good doing it.

Has OpenCL caught up to CUDA performance-wise? The last time I looked, it lagged way behind and Nvidia cards seem to be solid winners in OpenCL at present anyway: https://browser.geekbench.com/opencl-benchmarks

It feels like somewhat of a stop-gap measure until the Mac Pros come out. I don't know, I'd like to play around with one and see what it can do.

 

[manly]

According to Ars Technica, the RAM is socketed so a trained tech can get in there and swap DIMMs. That’s mildly good news for future-proofing if 32 (or 64) GB is enough for a couple years.

 

[Commodus]

Has OpenCL caught up to CUDA performance-wise? The last time I looked, it lagged way behind and Nvidia cards seem to be solid winners in OpenCL at present anyway: https://browser.geekbench.com/opencl-benchmarks

It feels like somewhat of a stop-gap measure until the Mac Pros come out. I don't know, I'd like to play around with one and see what it can do.

It's definitely a stopgap machine in some ways, and I don't believe OpenCL is up to CUDA's level right now. However, from early tests it seems to be very useful for media editors, particularly those that need a desktop that's easy to move if necessary. Shooting a movie in 8K? You won't have to wait a couple of hours just to export a rough cut of a scene while you're on the set.

 

[TheStu]

According to Ars Technica, the RAM is socketed so a trained tech can get in there and swap DIMMs. That’s mildly good news for future-proofing if 32 (or 64) GB is enough for a couple years.

I'm looking forward to the iFixit teardown on it as well. I wonder if the CPU is socketed along with the RAM and SSD(s?) And based on Apple's own promo images, the GPU looks like an MXM card (which has been used in past iMacs as well).

I've seen people that have upgraded their 24/27" iMacs with newer GPUs (and some elbow grease) since they're MXM parts.

 

[Commodus]

I'm looking forward to the iFixit teardown on it as well. I wonder if the CPU is socketed along with the RAM and SSD(s?) And based on Apple's own promo images, the GPU looks like an MXM card (which has been used in past iMacs as well).

I've seen people that have upgraded their 24/27" iMacs with newer GPUs (and some elbow grease) since they're MXM parts.

Funny thing is that it probably has to be MXM (or something similarly modular) if Apple wants to live up to its logistical requirements. It's a lot easier to swap in a GPU card than directly attach a new chip or produce a second set of mainboards.

 

[newrigel]

Typical Mac nonsense, which is partly why I dumped the platform after a 12 year run.

Max RAM on a workstation isn’t exactly cost-effective at the beginning of a product cycle. I get that most parts on a Mac portable no longer need to be user-serviceable. But lack of RAM upgradeability on a high end desktop is a stupid money grab.

Even if you wanted to up the ram is going to cost you PC OR Mac.


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Daveybrat
AT Moderator

 

[TheStu]

Typical Mac nonsense, which is partly why I dumped the platform after a 12 year run.

Max RAM on a workstation isn’t exactly cost-effective at the beginning of a product cycle. I get that most parts on a Mac portable no longer need to be user-serviceable. But lack of RAM upgradeability on a high end desktop is a stupid money grab.

As it stands RIGHT NOW, the step from 32gb to 64gb looks like it's actually cost-effective. On Newegg, the cheapest DDR4-2666 ECC 16GB stick is $225. 4 of those is $900. It's $800 to go from 32gb to 64gb. The next step, up to 128GB, it would be cheaper to do it aftermarket, even with a service fee.

 

[manly]

As it stands RIGHT NOW, the step from 32gb to 64gb looks like it's actually cost-effective. On Newegg, the cheapest DDR4-2666 ECC 16GB stick is $225. 4 of those is $900. It's $800 to go from 32gb to 64gb. The next step, up to 128GB, it would be cheaper to do it aftermarket, even with a service fee.

Seems reasonable.

The point is that if RAM prices (which I've heard are currently extremely high) gradually decrease over the next 2-3 years as normally expected, a typical workstation buyer doesn't have to max out the RAM immediately if they don't need it soon. But with Apple consumer products, and now nominally a "pro" product, you're forced to. But at least in this case, the RAM is accessible for a service professional. Ars reported that the CPU is not socketed btw.

 

[TheStu]

Seems reasonable.

The point is that if RAM prices (which I've heard are currently extremely high) gradually decrease over the next 2-3 years as normally expected, a typical workstation buyer doesn't have to max out the RAM immediately if they don't need it soon. But with Apple consumer products, and now nominally a "pro" product, you're forced to. But at least in this case, the RAM is accessible for a service professional. Ars reported that the CPU is not socketed btw.

Ironically, the iMac (non)Pro has user-accessible/replaceable RAM. But it's using SO-DIMMs, whereas the iMac Pro is using full DIMMs.

 

[slugg]

I’m buying a few of them. One for my office, one for my bedroom, another for my bathroom, another for my Tesla, one for my elevator, another by my helipad, the guest house, my garage, by the pool, and a few more for stocking stuffers.

 

[Kaido]

I'm curious what you'd be using your iMac Pro to do, especially one of the 18-core beasts.

Video editing is the main one. Although we've had 40-core Hackintoshes for years now, so the 18-core iMac Pro is really only appealing if you want a sleek-looking computer on your desk, want official support, & have a large budget available (base price is $5k & fully maxed-out is just a hair over $13k).

I mean, I wouldn't say no to one...

 

[Chaotic42]

Video editing is the main one. Although we've had 40-core Hackintoshes for years now, so the 18-core iMac Pro is really only appealing if you want a sleek-looking computer on your desk, want official support, & have a large budget available (base price is $5k & fully maxed-out is just a hair over $13k).

I mean, I wouldn't say no to one...

I've never done any serious video editing, is Final Cut Pro or whatever that superior to the Windows solutions? The big draw for me would be having a Unix environment with MS Office. They'd have to have nVidia cards before I bite though.

 

[manly]

I'm looking forward to the iFixit teardown on it as well. I wonder if the CPU is socketed along with the RAM and SSD(s?) And based on Apple's own promo images, the GPU looks like an MXM card (which has been used in past iMacs as well).

I've seen people that have upgraded their 24/27" iMacs with newer GPUs (and some elbow grease) since they're MXM parts.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/201...veals-what-you-can-upgrade-and-what-you-cant/

 

[Yakk]

Seriously tempted...