Mac Pro 5,1 vs Late 2013 iMac?

Macintosh software/hardware discussion and troubleshooting

Moderator: James Steele

Post Reply
User avatar
chlorinedream
Posts: 59
Joined: Sat Oct 07, 2006 11:25 pm
Primary DAW OS: MacOS
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Mac Pro 5,1 vs Late 2013 iMac?

Post by chlorinedream »

I'm currently running DP on a Mac Pro 5,1 3.2 GHz 4-core with 24 gigs ram. I may have an opportunity to get an late 2013 iMac with a 3.5GHz i7 and 32 gig ram for very little or no cost.

According to Geekbench the iMac should be close to 2x the performance. But it's HD is a Fusion 1 gig. I've heard there are issues with this drive and audio.

So my question is, does anyone have any opinions on which Mac would be better suited for recording?

I have an SSD in the Mac Pro which I could put in a external box and use with the iMac. I wonder if it would make sense to use the external SSD drive as the boot drive.

Any opinions? Thanks
__________________________________________________________________________________
iMac 27" (20,1 2020), 3.6 GHz Core i9, 64GB Ram, OS 12.6.1, MOTU 828es, 2TB SSD, DP v11.21+92248
User avatar
HCMarkus
Posts: 9712
Joined: Tue Jan 10, 2006 9:01 am
Primary DAW OS: MacOS
Location: Rancho Bohemia, California
Contact:

Re: Mac Pro 5,1 vs Late 2013 iMac?

Post by HCMarkus »

iMac will probably be faster, but you could also upgrade the CPU in your Mac Pro to a W3680 or 90 or X5680 or 90 (Hex Xeon) for $100-150 and gain some additional performance with DP there.

If you get the iMac, consider using the fusion drive as boot drive and the external SSD for audio. And back up with Time Machine to an external spinner. VIs might work OK on the fusion drive. Try it and see!
User avatar
bayswater
Posts: 11923
Joined: Fri Feb 16, 2007 9:06 pm
Primary DAW OS: MacOS
Location: Vancouver

Re: Mac Pro 5,1 vs Late 2013 iMac?

Post by bayswater »

Why wouldn't you get the iMac anyway if it free or close to free, and still do the update on the Pro? You have the option of using both Macs with one acting as a slave. I have friends who got the earlier fusion drives and had no issues, at least no more than others have had with hard drives.
2018 Mini i7 32G 10.14.6, DP 11.3, Mixbus 9, Logic 10.5, Scarlett 18i8
User avatar
mikehalloran
Posts: 15134
Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 5:08 pm
Primary DAW OS: MacOS
Location: Sillie Con Valley

Re: Mac Pro 5,1 vs Late 2013 iMac?

Post by mikehalloran »

The fusion drive is easily replaced with an SSD. It's a little tricky and requires a hair drier but not difficult. Besides an SSD, you'll need a new heat sensor and an adapter bracket. 1T will run around $310 for everything; 2T about $650 including all parts.

Local places charge around $100 for the labor. I know how to do these but, because of my handicap, I draw the line at 2012 when it comes to opening one up.
DP 11.31; 828mkII FW, micro lite, M4, MTP/AV USB Firmware 2.0.1
2023 Mac Studio M2 8TB, 192GB RAM, OS Sonoma 14.4, USB4 8TB external, M-Audio AIR 192|14, Mackie ProFxv3 6/10/12; 2012 MBPs Catalina, Mojave
IK-NI-Izotope-PSP-Garritan-Antares, LogicPro X, Finale 27.4, Dorico 5.2, Notion 6, Overture 5, TwistedWave, DSP-Q 5, SmartScore64 Pro, Toast 20 Pro
Post Reply