Forums | MacLife
You are not logged in.
#1 2008-06-20 9:24 am
Tower or iMac ?
Hi all!
I am about to upgrade my current Mac system and am trying to decide the benefits of a new Mac tower unit over a 24" iMac. I work professionally all day long in Photoshop and i am concerned about color critical work on the iMac. I currently use a Sony Artisan with the built in color calibrator.
The bigger question is what are the advantages of the tower over an iMac. They seem pretty powerful. I have always owned towers, but the iMac seems worth considering.
I do some occasional 3D work in Modo 3D and Cinema 4D so I don't want to underbuy.
Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Offline
#2 2008-06-20 9:40 am
- user
- Your plastic pal who's fun to be with

- From: I'm not getting you down, am I
- Registered: 2001-10-15
- Posts: 14730
Re: Tower or iMac ?
Hell, if you've got an Artisan, get the tower!
Aw, he's no fun, he fell right over.
Unless you become as little children, there's no way you will believe this crap.
Offline
#3 2008-06-20 9:45 am
- mrreet2001
- Member

- From: NW Ohio
- Registered: 2005-05-25
- Posts: 2752
Re: Tower or iMac ?
2.2Ghz BlackMB---15" 2.4Ghz MBP(work)---Dual 2.3Ghz G5 (4G Ram, 2x 250G HD)---1.5GHz Powerbook---1.6Ghz G5 iMac ---500Mhz iMac DV
2.4GHz PC --- 1.2Ghz PC laptop
Offline
#5 2008-06-20 11:29 am
Re: Tower or iMac ?
If I were a pro who does even just occasional #D work I would be concerned about the iMacs 4gig ram limit and it's anemic graphics.
Since you already own an awesome monitor why pay the iMac premium? Get a tower and have better performance and options as your needs for ram or rendering power grow.
I’m not ready to make nice-I’m not ready to back down-I’m still mad as hell and
I don’t have time to go round and round and round-It’s too late to make it right
I probably wouldn’t if I could-‘Cause I’m mad as hell-Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I should
Offline
#6 2008-06-20 1:15 pm
- mrreet2001
- Member

- From: NW Ohio
- Registered: 2005-05-25
- Posts: 2752
Re: Tower or iMac ?
Pariah wrote:
why pay the iMac premium?
What imac premium....
MacPro:
one 2.8GHz quad zeon
2GB Mem
320GB hard drive
ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT 256MB
One 16x SuperDrive
No Display
Airport
$2349USD
24inch iMac:
3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB Mem
320GB hard drive
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS w/512MB GDDR3
$2149USD
Looks to me like you lose 2 cores and save $200
2.2Ghz BlackMB---15" 2.4Ghz MBP(work)---Dual 2.3Ghz G5 (4G Ram, 2x 250G HD)---1.5GHz Powerbook---1.6Ghz G5 iMac ---500Mhz iMac DV
2.4GHz PC --- 1.2Ghz PC laptop
Offline
#7 2008-06-20 5:19 pm
Re: Tower or iMac ?
I think its simple enough to say that any professional color-critical work should avoid being tied to a built-in monitor, regardless of any other performance requirement (and I don't think the 24" imac is lacking at all). Although you could still use the built-in monitor as the control center and a secondary monitor for your working view.
...having nothing in them of the feelings or principles of '76, now look to a single and splendid government of an aristocracy, founded on banking institutions and moneyed incorporations under the guise and cloak of their favored branches of manufactures, commerce and navigation, riding and ruling over the plundered ploughman and beggared yeomanry. -- TJ
Offline
#8 2008-06-20 5:59 pm
- Graphic Autist
- Scumdog of the Universe

- From: Antarctica
- Registered: 2003-06-08
- Posts: 721
- Website
Re: Tower or iMac ?
I'm voting Mac Pro all the way.
Mac Pro 2.66 ghz (Quad) - 9 GB RAM - Mac OS X 10.5.6
MacBook Pro 2.4 ghz Intel Core 2 Duo - 2 GB RAM - Mac OS X 10.5.6
G4 PowerBook 12" 867 mhz - 640 MB RAM - Mac OS X 10.4.11
G3 B&W upgraded to G4 500 mhz - 1 GB Ram - Mac OS X 10.4.11
Offline
#9 2008-06-20 8:00 pm
- Antonio
- Now with more cowbell!

- From: San Francisco, CA
- Registered: 2007-01-16
- Posts: 520
Re: Tower or iMac ?
Ther is much to be said for the ability to expand and upgrade, especially for work that's as space and power hungry as 3D work.
“The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents.”
--HP Lovecraft, The Call Of Cthulhu
Offline
#10 2008-06-20 8:41 pm
- user
- Your plastic pal who's fun to be with

- From: I'm not getting you down, am I
- Registered: 2001-10-15
- Posts: 14730
Re: Tower or iMac ?
Get the godamn tower.
Aw, he's no fun, he fell right over.
Unless you become as little children, there's no way you will believe this crap.
Offline

