Why I just bought the aging base model 4 year old Mac Pro as my new Desktop Computer in 2017

Why I just bought the aging base model 4 year old Mac Pro as my new Desktop Computer in 2017

By Steve Huff

In 2013 when Apple announced their new Mac Pro with the option of 4-12 cores with a design that looked like it came from a crazy futuristic sci-fi-fi movie I was one of those who LOVED the concept and idea, for many reasons.

One, The size on my desk would be perfect. No huge monstrosity like the old Mac Pro, no loud fans like the old Mac Pro, and it would be fast, VERY fast according to Apple, just due to the way it was built and configured. Up to 64GB of Fast ECC ram, the ability to run three 5k displays or even six of Apple’s then Thunderbolt Display (R.I.P.) due to having six Thunderbolt 2 ports. No noise, no heat, pro server level Xeon processors, upgradable ram, and even user upgradeable CPU. Even the base level quad core had dual GPU’s. I loved everything about it except the price. $3000 for a quad core with 12 GB of Ram? Huh? A 256 PCIe flash storage…256 GB? Yep. Even with some of the wimpy specs when compared to a PC, I was hooked. Only issue was I had just bought a brand new iMac to replace my previous 3 1/2 year old iMac that had fried.

I have been an iMac guy for most of my work for many man years, going back to the bubble “snow” model. But I always wanted a more powerhouse Mac, even though I did own an old G4 pro back in the day.

But this new futuristic sleek Mac Pro has been calling my name for 4 years now. I even did a review video of one when it was launched with one that was loaned to me. I almost bought that one but just could not justify it after buying a new iMac! So now here I am, four years after my new iMac and it bit the dust just as all of the others before it did. This time the stand snapped while sitting on my desk and it only faces down but this was after my display started fading and looking off and odd with degradation, and my hard drive, the 3TB fusion drive has been acting funky as well. The thing was crashing, overheating and then I remembered…hey, all of my iMacs did this after 3-4 years, so every time I buy a new one I buy a close to maxed out version, and therefore those iMacs have cost me a fortune over the long haul. All the while I have been being iMacs, a friend of mine has been happily using his OLD Mac Pro that is lasting him much longer than my last 2 1/2 iMacs have, combined.

So this time, instead of going for the new 5K iMac, that is blazing fast and has a gorgeous display I decided to take a look at the old, aging Mac Pro that Apple has not updated, ever. By todays standards one would think I went mad to buy a new “old” Mac Pro. Now I do not need 12 cores or even 8 of them. My main use is Final Cut Pro which I use 3-4 X per week, and Photoshop. Those are my two most used pieces of software, and I use them  almost all day long during the week. Usually if I had a Final Cut Pro project longer than 15 minutes on my iMac I would get crash after crash, even losing two projects this year after editing for 4-6 hours. It’s an iMac thing. They get hot under load and stress, and for power users I feel the shortens their life. They may have “Pro” specs but they are not pro. They may be faster than the old Mac Pro but they are not designed to LAST. That was my dilemma yet again… spend $4k on a loaded iMac 5K and get ready to buy another in 3-4 years..or go with a slower  old base model Mac Pro, the four core that I could get for $2799 or so dollars. 

Yep, It’s slower than even my 4 year old iMac with a Geekbench test, but hey…I want something I can upgrade a little bit later and something that runs cool, is quiet and that I can attach my blazing fast Thunderbolt 2 10TB external drive to. If it takes me an hour longer to render a 45 minute movie, then so be it. What matters to me is performance while I am working, not while waiting.

But yea, my old iMac is slightly faster than my “NEW” Mac Pro Quad Core base. Crazy. See below…but also know numbers, just like with cameras, do not tell the whole story with real world use. 

SO I MADE THE DECISION. I bought a Mac Pro, BASE. Quad Core, 12 GB Ram (My iMac had 32GB) and with a measly 256 PCIe drive. When I hooked it all up to a LG Ultrawide flat display I said “WHAT HAVE I DONE”!!!??? I was 2nd guessing myself again…I mean, I paid out around $4k after buying a new magic keyboard and magic mouse and the display, then Apple Care. I could have had a smoking fast iMac with 5K for that.

Then I calmed down and reminded myself than all of my old iMacs burnt out due to my heavy editing use..getting hot..and the displays degraded and looked shoddy. Ok, all was good.

It took me a day or two to get it all set up, and finally last night I tested the latest newest version of Final Cut Pro (10.3.2) (which is the best version I have ever used) and I have been using it since its inception. I imported a 10 minute clip in only 1080P (no 4k Video for me just yet), threw on 12 filters, added titles and there was virtually no lag, no slowdown..even with my 12MB of ECC ram! My iMac would get sloppy and slow down, jitter and stutter with 2-3 filters using 32GB of ram. Hmmm.

Using Final Cut on this display was amazing even though it is not a 4K display. The width of it was just so much nicer for FCP to me. BTW, this is my display.  It has a Thunderbolt port which makes it easy for the Mac Pro to connect, and with the Thunderbolt displays disappearing I figured I would snag one up at least to test (I have 15 days to return if I do not like the ultra wide or want 4K). Any recommendations? What displays do YOU like today?

While I love the wide screen of FCP it is not the best for normal day to day use, and I have also seen better displays for color that cost less (BenQ), so I am not 100% sure I am keeping this one just yet but so far, so good.

Anyway, in FCP my project was running smooth as silk, and I had no slowdown, and I was not even using the Mac Pro drive, it was all being done on my External Thunderbolt drive which is truly blazing fast when hooked to this Mac Pro.

Internal SSD drive

Disk Speed test om my 4 year old Thunderbolt 10TB External…

So I was happy. Then I went to export the file, to a simple 1080P and even a 720P H264 encoded file, something I could upload to YouTube. THIS was taking 3-4X longer than what my iMac was doing but that has to do with advancements in processor tech since this Mac Pro, and the Xeon processors can not use this. So this is the one weakness here for FCP users. Export to an H264 video file and you will WAIT much longer than even on a 4 year old iMac.

But this I am ok with as when I am done with a long project, I can let it export/render and I can go to bed with no fear of my Mac Pro overheating or causing havoc or having the fans go into high gear (the Mac Pro stays silent, always).

So overall, how do I feel after spending $4,000 on a four year old computer? I feel OK. I mean, I wish Apple would have updated this 2 years ago with more of everything. The base should not be the 4 core but the 6 core. It should also have at least a 512GB drive inside and at least 16 GB of ram (I mean what is up with this 12 GB thing)?

But even so, it is running quiet, smooth, and fast where it matters the most. No stutter, no issues (I even had FCP issues with my iMac when it was new, with stuttering slow down and the beach ball of death) and I plan on upgrading my RAM to 64GB within a few weeks, which will cost me much less than buying it from apple up front. IN a perfect world I’d love a 6 core, 1TB drive, 64GB of ram and the D700 video cards but I am not doing anything insane, so I feel this one will be perfect for me. Now…I just hope it lasts me more than 4 years. I am hoping for at least 6 which if it can, then it would have already saved me money over an iMac.

So buying four year old tech is not always a bad idea. It is not always about the flash and balls of a new system but as I mature I realize it is more about the longevity and performance where you need it the most. For me, this old aging 4 year old Mac Pro design fit that bill as for me, Windows and PC will never be an option. Been down that road a few times, always with disaster. While I am aware I could have purchased a KILLER PC for half the cost it is just not gonna happen. I am stuck with FCP, and the Mac ecosystem, by choice. ; ) Besides, I am not looking for all out POWER, instead I want stability, I want silence, I want no heat and I want something that will not burn out in 3-4 years from use (like the iMacs do). Kind of like using a Leica. You can get much more powerful cameras that are faster and with higher spec for much less, but a Leica offers you a different experience, and for many a much more enjoyable and beautiful one. To me, having a computer that you do not have to keep updating with drivers, or rebooting from crashes or dealing with viruses (yes I am aware Mac has viruses but in 20 years I have never had one on any Mac I own, ever)  and having one that is silent as a mouse and runs as cool as can be while letting you do your job smoothly and efficiently, well thats all I ask for and thats what I got right here in the stock bare bones Mac Pro 😉

But with that I do hope Apple upgrades this soon, and it is probably guaranteed now than I bought this one. Always happens. But if they upgraded this with the latest hardware and kept the prices the same, it would be a crazy system, at least IMO. But for my use, and the fact that I am tired of replacing iMacs every 3-4 years..and I needed an upgrade NOW, this was my best choice within the MAC family. I also toyed with the idea of a maxed out $4k MacBook Pro but I go through those every three years as well so no go. But damn, Mac’s are expensive when you want power. $4k MacBook Pro, $4k iMacs… and a $3k desktop with four year old tech. Crazy.

The Mac Pro can be found in almost ANY configuration at B&H Photo HERE. They even have one close to $10k, maxed out. Ouch! 

As for anyone out there using a Mac Pro, do you still like it and what would be a display recommendation for today, 2017? Leave a comment below! Thank you all!

 

49 Comments

  1. I’m with you on older computers- I use Panasonic Toughbooks for embedded systems. Getting DOS to run on one was “non-trivial”… Getting FAT-32 on a 512GByte drive, “took some work”. I keep a Pentium Pro running, 20 years old now. Required to run software from my first DSLR…which also keeps running.

    Watching PharLap extended DOSfrom 1994 run on 4GBytes RAM, running through DNG files from the M Monochrom and M9- that was fun. 2.25GHz I2 runs running PharLap DOS- runs rings around my quad-I7 running WinDoze.

    The last CF-52 I bought was $18.50. It is going to outlast this Quad-I7 by a decade. New computers just are not made as well.

    Use the computer that you can bond with, and that you enjoy using. The same goes for using a camera. I like to think that a rangefinder camera with the minimum of automatic controls is like writing your own device drivers using assembly language,

  2. Well Steve, first of all congratulations!!

    Its a great thing and a professional machine perfect for Final Cut Pro X, Lightroom and Capture One. I love the Pro but I don’t own one as I have a 2015 Top of the Line MacBookPro.

    But I think you will kick yourself when by summertime MK II will be (I think it will be WWDC) out.

    B

  3. Hi Steve,

    Totally get where you’re coming from. I was somewhat disappointed by the new 2016 MacBook Pro and decided to buy the old 13″ model fully loaded from the factory. Purchased it on apple’s refurbished online store and couldn’t be happier. I needed all those ports and the sd card slot for my work flow. Sometimes new isn’t necessarily better! Love your site, keep up the good work!

  4. All of these Mac Pros listed at B&H are markt ‘late 2013’. Does this mean they have an enormous stock they are dumping on the market? In what conditions were they stored? What does this mean for warranty issues? Are parts still available? Does warranty even apply after 4 years? Too many uncertainties if you ask me!

  5. You are a wistle blower in this article… for professional users, an iMac only works for about 3 to for years. Many Apple users I know are selectively blind to the shortcomings of whatever Apple product they own. To their best friends, they ‘d tell it’s the best, most reliable ‘whatever’ they ever had and we should buy one too. But, on unguarded moments, it turns out they are plagued by all kinds of issues and extremely expensive repair nightmares…

    I can easily built a very powerful, robust, reliable, easily upgradable photo and video editing station running on Unbuntu Studio, which is free, for a fraction of the price you spent. Of course, you won’t be distracted by the sexy Apple design, but that will allow you to focus even more on the job you’re doing.

    • As I said, of course a more powerful “PC” can be built for less. But….it will be huge, loud, and run..WINDOWS which I despise. I could not use the editing tool I have used since inception and is now pretty amazing with its latest release, and that is the only reason I bought this, to use FCP. Not to use Adobe premier or some other editing software. It’s blazing fast enough for me with FCP as this machine is optimized for it. So why on earth would I spend even half on a machine that is huge, loud, ugly and runs an OS I despise that can not even use the software I use every single day? THAT would be a HUGE waste of money and the dumbest decision I could have made.

  6. I’m one of those people with a 10 (!) year old Pro that’s still chugging. Installed new drives and DVD. Memory is maxed out at 16GB. But the thing just runs and runs driving 2 big Cine Displays. Of course, won’t run the new OS or FCP. But just fine for my needs.

    Given your usage, I think you’ve made a very wise decision. It’s certainly the way I’m going to go in a year or two.

  7. I’ve been on the fence for one of these for ages. I’m nursing a 2008 Mac Pro which is still snappy in Lightroom, etc, but 4 or 5 times a week suddenly blacks out and ramps up its fans to full speed. I believe it is a issue with the video card. But anyway, it’s the “2008” bit that is key for me. Honestly, show me a 2008 PC that is anywhere near usable today and I’ll be surprised. So that “iSheep” Apple Tax stuff that all the immature little boys here love repeating? I reckon after 9 years of nonstop use I’ve written it off.

    Certainly Apple does not have anything today in its lineup that excites me, but I’m pretty sure that a Mac Pro bought today will last me well into the next decade. And that’s the killer feature.

    • As a matter of fact, I have a 2005 PC running Windows XP, never reinstalled, never had any major issues. I use it for the internet, now running dual boot with Linux Mint. If you know how to set up your machine, it will work and work and work…

      • Using ANY machine for the internet will NEVER give you issues, at least I hope not! If so that would be one awful machine. I stress mine out with intensive tasks at times. I used to own many PC’s…always an issue, always. Wether it is crashing, virus, updates daily, having to always install new things to make it work, loud fan noise (when working on intensive tasks), huge boxes (when you want power) and the heat!! I have been there and done that. If I just browsed the internet and did not need to work with a computer I would just own a Samsung Tablet for internet.

        • I wasn’t clear enough, I used this PC for design and graphic work from 2005 to 2010. I remember doing a billboard design with 256 MB RAM, but since then Adobe apps got more and more unoptimised and hardware demanding. What I was trying to say is that I used this PC on XP for 5 years with no trouble at all, and it still works today flawlessly. I did, however, buy a workstation with Intel i7/ 64 GB DDR4 RAM/ 480GB PCI-E SSD/ nVIDIA GTX1070 and a Benq 27” IPS monitor for something like $1800. More bang for the buck, considering how iMacs die out after 2 years. The casing is Silencio by CoolerMaster so no noise at all-I mean, completely silent. There’s a 64bit linux mint/win 7 dual boot, strictly because Gimp works better in a native linux environment.
          Of course, to each his own, and it would be time-consuming for you to switch to winxx environment and workflow, as it would be for me viceversa.b That’s why I continue to use Nikon after these 15 years-I only recently parted ways with my trusty D300 and bought the mighty D500. But differences are what spices up life, and I always try to look on them with positive attitude so I can lern something new.

  8. I agree that heavy use of any device (database, bicycle parts, camera, or computer) is a whole different ballgame than typical hobbiest or enthusiast use. I understand your decision and appreciate your sharing it. I hope your new industrial strength computer works well for you.

  9. Hey Steve, you’re happy with what you got and that’s what matters. There will always be a faster machine and for each of us there are differing points of diminishing return. We just bought a bunch of even older machines – 5.1 towers! because they were configured to max out OUR needs with OUR budget. Hex-core is really all Photoshop uses, decent amount of RAM, but most importantly an SSD to suit OUR needs. For a school where students don’t store anything on the computers, we went for a smaller drive and mounted it on a PCIe card that doubles it I/O speeds. Of course the external drives need to be true USB3 9with a card in the box, Thunderbolt, or Firewire.
    Let the flames begin.

  10. I have had my same 6-core Mac Pro since early 2011. It’s still humming along fine, though I am running out of room on my 12 TB RAID1 and the fastest ports are E-SATA and FIREWIRE hahaha. I may upgrade to the next MacPro down the road, if Apple ever refreshes the line (they have said that they would, but we’ll see, as they seem to be getting out of the pro business)…..for what I do, I see no reason to upgrade, as long as I can find space on hard drives or in the cloud for my images. My dual high gamut displays (essentially 4K, or close to it) continue to work perfectly for my needs 🙂

  11. Hi Steve, I recently left the Mac Pro bandwagon to get the portability of a MacBook Pro, however, I still love my monitor. After hours of research, I settled on this BenQ, it’s the best bang for the buck you can get with regards to color accuracy to the AdobeRGB color space.

    http://www.bestbuy.com/site/benq-27-ips-led-hd-monitor-black/5091002.p?skuId=5091002

    One of my favorite features is the ability to quickly switch between different color spaces. With a press of a button I can switch to sRGB for photos that are getting uploaded to social media or sent off to printing services that use that color space. Additionally, you can switch to monochrome with a push of a button for a quick preview of how an image would look in B&W. It even has the DCI-P3 color space that Apple has been pushing lately.

  12. Ummmm, for video editing the more cores the faster you get the job done (Same for Adobe software) so those 8 and 10 core options would be greatly beneficial.

    Personally I’d of built a faster Windows machine and then hackintosh’d it. Beyond me why people spend so much on iSheep products.

    • Yes but as I said, that only effects the export time, which I could care less about. For editing in general what I have is plenty fast, faster than I am so no issues. When I export, I can work on other things while it does that or go do other things I need to get done. I do not need 8 or 12 cores for what I do 😉 No Windows for me, ever again, ever. No mackintosh, no BS..I want something small, sleek, quiet, cool (temp) and something that just works for what I do, and this is fitting the bill perfectly for me. So far.

  13. good article Steve, you are right all my MacBook pros and iMacs are dead during warranty and just after, gets expensive the pro might be the answer for me too. i just had my 15 inch MacBook pro fixed 1.5 years old screen was no good but they said everything inside was replaced as it was totally worn out.

  14. We use MacBookPros, iMacs, MacMinis and Towers. No beer kegs yet. No one here cares.
    Shooters, editors and digital artists. And they just power on through. Been with Apple since we bought a pair of the first Leaf digital backs in 1993. $36K each. Four(!) megapixels.

    You did exactly the right thing.

    And we never upgrade to the “latest” OS until long after the “next” one appears. Too buggy for actual careers.

    Thanks for sharing.

  15. I recently phoned Apple to find out if their displays show all the RGB color space that I need as a part of my printing workflow. The answer was no. So, the iMac display was discarded. I think I will keep using some of the EIZO displays that can show 100% of the RGB color space.

  16. I got my mac pro in 2015 as a refurb… I waited patiently and kept looking at their refurb site until a 6 core, 32gb, 1tb drive came available and then pounced on it… at the time the mac pros were going quick on the refurb site. Seems like there are a lot on there now. Anyway, my mac is still going strong… only issue I’ve had is intermittent bluetooth issues but I’ve read that this has more to do with interference from USB3 than anything… could also be my logitech MX Master is crapping out after a few years of use. Since the intermittent connectivity isn’t something I can easily reproduce I’ve never taken it in to Apple… Doesn’t happen much so I just live with it.

    Anyway, the monitor I ended up going with is a LG 34UC87C. It’s a slightly curved monitor and I chose it for this reason and because it’s black and has a built in VESA mount and thunderbolt port. I love the monitor and couldn’t see myself using anything else unless of course Apple comes out with a new 5k monitor of their own but from what I understand the 2013 Mac Pro may not be able to drive a 5k monitor. In any case, from what I can see the monitor I have is similar to the one you got only with the slight curve on the screen. Some people don’t like the curve but on this monitor I really like it since the monitor is so wide the slight curve helps a little bit in not making the monitor feel so wide… My current monitor setup is an Apple Thunderbolt display and my LG display, both mounted to an AmazonBasics Dual Side-by-Side Monitor Display Mounting Arm. That mount is AWESOME, if you’re looking for anything like that. Been a great setup for me so far!

  17. I bought my mac pro in 2011 6 core with 12 virtual core loaded with 48 GB RAM and installed softraid on all 4 drive ports. I get 550 MBps on read and 350 MBps on write. I am still happy in 2017. I am planning to keep it till it dies.

    Before this i would upgrade my desktop every 2 years.

  18. Have a good friend, a professional photographer, who was very upset with the NEW Mac Pro he paid almost $10,000 for as he found it too slow. Now this is once he saw my Windows 10 box (which I had built) and ran rings around it for less than $3,000.

    Now, if you are a Mac person, you MUST pay the Mac-Tax to get what you want. However, realize that if you spend your time in Lightroom and Photoshop it makes little to no difference. If you use plug-ins, there are a lot more for the PC.

    Rather than buy 4 year-old tech, take a look at a Windows 10 system as it could save you A LOT of money and run MUCH better.

    • I paid $3k and it’s blazing fast for what I do, I am thrilled with it already after editing a large project this morning. Could not have asked for better. So yea, I am happy as a clam.

  19. I have the 2013 mac pro 6-core, 1tb ssd, 64 of OWC brand memory and dual D700s. Runs FCPX like a dream and everything you says is true – smooth, silent, amazing. With the Thunderbolt Raids holding the data, i plan to create content with this setup for years to come. I’ve had iMacs run hot just playing youtube videos. Let’s agree, with the exception of their 3.5″hard drives, iMac innards are the same spec as MacBook pros. With the Mac Pro, it’s apples and oranges for creatives who just need their computer to crunch through data without fuss. You made the right decision with the Mac Pro for the work you do.

  20. HI… I love my base New MacPro. No noise…. no heat… no stress. Works great. I use PhotoShop CC and Lightroom CC. I keep all my data on CalDigit T3/T4 External Thunderbolt drives. CalDigits are the best external drives on the market and fast fast fast. made for video throughput. I do however think you might be incorrect about 5K. I have been told that my New MacPro will not power an LG to 5K… Only to 4K. But for me 5K is overkill. The new iMacs sre good but they don’t last long because they run hot. I have 2 of the huge MacPros sitting on the floor as well. Use them mostly for storage. Check out CalDigit drives and docks…. wonderful equipment. Running them at work for 8 years 24/7 and never had a failure.
    http://www.caldigit.com

  21. IMO, this Apple fanboyism should stop. Like you said a real PC would cost half as much, and would shit all over the MP.

    Idiot for not going PC.

    • Do you not read? Lol. I could care less about specs, or “a PC that is twice as fast”. I just want something quiet, reliable, cool (temp), small and something that works for my needs. ALL I do is FCP and Photoshop. I do not game, at all. So this works perfect for me. I would never ever buy one of those huge windows tower PC’s that sound like a jet engine about to take off. They get hot, are ugly as hell and are loud as well. Also, windows issues are non stop. Driver updates, constant software updates, security updates, etc etc etc. Been there, done that. As I said, I’d still have my 2008 iMac if it did not die on me 😉 This one will last for many years and it will always do what I need it to do for what I use (Video and Photo). That’s all. It’s like using a Leica vs DSLR. I get much more enjoyment and use from my Leica even though a DSLR will be faster and cheaper. I also enjoy it more.

      • Steve, having windows on a pc doesn’t make hot, ugly or loud. Components are pretty much the same and case you choose whichever you like. I respect you as a photographer but right now you seem very close minded about this topic. Mac might be your personal preference but you shouldn’t dismiss windows the way you did, especially for the wrong reasons, i.e. saying windows is loud. Software cannot be loud.

        • I would say you are close minded. I have owned MANY PC’s, many! I used to only use PC’s and while I have been using Mac’s at home for 20 years (with no problems or hassles I might add), every Windows PC I have owned from $600 to $4500 has given me issues. Crash after crash, updates, having to swap this or that, driver issues, fans blazing when they get hot, etc. So I have vast experience with PC. I also have a dislike for the Windows OS, and I own a Surface Pro 4 and have for a year now. I use it but dislike the OS. When I use my Macs they work, and work well. When I use iMacs for jobs that they are not meant to handle for three years (and they are not meant to handle daily FCP renders for hours as they will overheat), well that was my mistake by trying to do what I do with a machine that was not built for that. But I can not run my software of choice on Windows. Premiere is much slower and chinkier than FCP and I have tried other editing solutions as well because I have a VERY open mind. How many Macs have you owned? Probably none or one. I have owned multiple of each over 20 years and these days I go with what works and works well. I have no time to fiddle or open up my machine every week nor do I have time to build some “hackintosh” without any warranty to save a little cash. The post is, it is my money, my time, my work and I have tried it all, unlike those who like to try to dictate what others should do with their money. Kind of odd.

  22. I can understand you want want you’re used to, but this is crazy. In 4 years, you’ll have 8 year old hardware. I literally just moved from my mac pro to a spec’d out PC. Do i hate it? Yes. But it is so much more quicker in every aspect. I’ll eventually get used to it. Let’s face it. Apple don’t care about the pro line. If by chance they do release a new mac pro this year, it won’t be ‘pro’ and won’t be upgradeable. Love mac, but the pro just isn’t keeping up with what I need to do.

    • Doesn’t matter. I use my Mac for TWO things. Final Cut and Photoshop, that’s it. It will keep working as it is now, it’s all I need. Id have my iMac from three versions ago if it did not die. So I keep them until they die or fail. I could care less about specs, just want something that works.

  23. I bought the Mac Pro cylinder when it came out. 6 cores. I upgraded the 256GB blade inside to a 1TB one. I still love it. I can replace the monitor and external drives when needed and the Mac Pro just keeps on going – fast. Good decision.

  24. I had this decision a year ago when the 5k came out and went with the 5k due to the display. It is so nice. I’ve had no problems with heavy use.
    That being said I needed an elegant solution as it is in my kitchen. If it were in an office I would consider a Mac Pro as it just works.

  25. The loaded 5k iMac is really nice, you can attach a second display as well. Final Cut is designed to work on it perfectly. Maybe you should rethink this one. I would send the computer back and go with a loaded i7 5k iMac. Your getting a 5k display attached to an awesome computer!!!! Sorry 🙁

    • Yes it is indeed really nice, but the iMac’s in general are not meant for heavy FCP editing – 10-15 minute videos every day? Sure, but edit a 45-90 minute feature with effects, title and it just hoses and crashes. Not just me, but many have these issues as the iMac’s heat up too much and start to have issues when under intense load (the 2nd time I lost a project on my iMac that I worked on for 6, 7 or hours was enough). So I thought and rethought it many times, and after three iMac’s that all burnt out within 3-4 years, I am done spending $4k on them for that much use. I know guys with the old old tower Mac pro’s still happy as can be and chugging along with FCP and Photoshop, while I upgraded 2-3 times over the time they have had the old old pro. A loaded iMac would be $4400, more than I spent here and would not last as long. That’s a fact as I have learned that over 10 years now.

      • I know you don’t want to go here, but until last year I worked for one of the largest premedia companies in the US and all we ran were 27-inch iMacs. Our group had 12 of them, and mine was on pretty much 24/7 from 2005 until they closed the office in 2016 — mostly doing CGI rendering, which is pretty intensive. During that time we lost two DVD drives and one hard drive, that’s all. You can say FCP is harder on a machine, but I suspect your Florida climate may have had more to do with it. Still, glad you like your cylinder!

        • I’m in AZ and my house stays a col 78 all year long 😉 But my last three iMacs have lasted on average 3 years each, and they were all pretty much maxed out when I bought them.

      • I hope You are aware of issues with radeon GPUs in this machine, when hours of rendering are wasted because of some strange artifacts. I had Mac Pro for 3 months, and returned it because this computer is unfinshed beta. Jonathan Ive must have fired all the engineers while designing it, any CPU with 8+ cores is thermaly throttling under heavy load. I like when form follows function not oposite. In the end I went with custom build PC. In the future all software will be Web/Cloud based so it will be indifferent what OS You are running.

        • Well, just edited a 42 minute project and it went beautifully, no issues and much smoother than my iMac. Also, I have the four core, not eight core. If I notice any issues within my return period, I will return it but if it keeps up like this, I will be as happy as can be. Those artifacts BTW? They were in the very 1st machines made, and apple fixed the issue for anyone who had it for free. This is well documented and not an issue. So far, it’s been the smoothest, fastest and best computer I have ever owned, so far.

        • I respectfully disagree. Cloud computing does not deprecate the OS. But I will say this: when I got my first computer, the OS could easily fit into one DD floppy disk. I miss those days.

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