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Description

For musicians who demand top-tier performance and seamless creativity, the Apple iMac Pro is your studio's powerhouse. This all-in-one marvel is engineered to elevate your music production, offering up to 18 cores of Intel Xeon W processing power that ensures even the most intricate compositions are rendered with precision. Whether you're mixing multi-layered tracks or experimenting with virtual instruments, the iMac Pro’s AMD Radeon Pro Vega graphics chip delivers stunning visuals, making it the perfect companion for musicians who double as visual artists.

Designed with a breathtaking 27-inch Retina 5K display, every detail in your digital audio workstation shines like never before, providing an immersive experience that enhances every note you create. With expansive memory options reaching up to 256GB and rapid 4TB flash storage, your workflow remains uninterrupted, and your creative ideas can flow freely without the hassle of loading times.

Connect all your essential gear effortlessly with four Thunderbolt 3 ports, and let the Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad and Magic Mouse 2 provide the intuitive control you need to keep your creative juices flowing. The iMac Pro also features an array of connectivity options, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, and a 10Gb Ethernet port, ensuring you stay connected with your bandmates or your online music community.

Key Features:

  • 27-inch Retina 5K display with 5120 x 2880 resolution
  • Intel Xeon W processor with up to 18 cores
  • AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 graphics with 8GB of HBM2 memory
  • Up to 256GB of memory and up to 4TB flash storage
  • Four Thunderbolt 3 ports, four USB-A ports, SDXC card slot, 10Gb Ethernet
  • Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad
  • Latest macOS version with advanced audio and visual capabilities
Snazzy Labs

Snazzy Labs

The Apple Store Genius Bar Broke My $5,000 iMac Pro

Video thumbnail for The Apple Store Genius Bar Broke My $5,000 iMac Pro by Snazzy Labs

The Apple Store Genius Bar Broke My $5,000 iMac Pro

Snazzy Labs

Snazzy Labs

Video thumbnail for 18-core iMac Pro Review: Not a Trap! by Marques Brownlee

18-core iMac Pro Review: Not a Trap!

Marques Brownlee

Marques Brownlee

Video thumbnail for Apple iMac Pro: Unboxing & Review by DetroitBORG

Apple iMac Pro: Unboxing & Review

DetroitBORG

DetroitBORG

Video thumbnail for Apple iMac Pro first look by CNET

Apple iMac Pro first look

CNET

CNET

Video thumbnail for iMac Pro — Power to the pro — Apple by Apple Singapore

iMac Pro — Power to the pro — Apple

Apple Singapore

Apple Singapore

Video thumbnail for iMac Pro — Power to the Pro — Apple by Apple Australia

iMac Pro — Power to the Pro — Apple

Apple Australia

Apple Australia

Reviews

Owner Insights

We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Apple iMac Pro.

Features and functionality

  • The iMac Pro's speakers are praised for their rich, full sound, outperforming the Apple Studio Display's audio quality.

    Source
  • The iMac Pro's 30-bit RGB display is highlighted as superior to the iMac M3, providing more vibrant color depth, particularly valuable for creative professionals.

    Source
  • The iMac Pro offers superior I/O with 4 Thunderbolt ports on 2 busses, compared to only 2 ports sharing a single bus on the 2019 iMac.

    Source

Build quality

  • The internal cooling system is described as "over the top," contributing to the machine's longevity.

    Source

Comparisons

  • Owners often prefer the iMac Pro's display for its sharpness and vibrant colors compared to the Apple Studio Display, potentially due to its dark metal bezel.

    Source
  • The Vega 64X GPU is perceived to outperform the M1, M2 Pro, and M3 Pro GPUs, making it a strong choice for tasks requiring significant graphical power.

    Source
  • The i5 2019 iMac, even with an easy RAM upgrade, struggles with slower performance compared to the iMac Pro's Xeon CPUs, especially for demanding tasks like video editing.

    Source

Use cases and applications

  • Owners continue to use the iMac Pro for tasks like Final Cut, Xcode, and gaming via Bootcamp, citing no need for Apple Silicon in a desktop setup.

    Source
  • The iMac Pro is seen as a viable platform for running both macOS and Windows, appealing to users needing dual-OS capabilities for specific workflows.

    Source

Software and compatibility

  • The iMac Pro can struggle with overheating during GPU-intensive tasks, especially noted during gaming in Bootcamp with Diablo 4.

    Source
  • OpenCore Legacy Patcher is mentioned as a potential solution for extending macOS updates on Intel Macs, though its long-term viability is uncertain.

    Source
  • The iMac Pro, despite being older, can still run the current macOS, but future Adobe updates might not be supported due to Intel phase-out.

    Source

User experience

  • Some users report the iMac Pro handles high workloads silently and stably, even with upgraded Xeon processors and 128GB RAM.

    Source
  • Despite being an older model, the iMac Pro's combination of RAM and GPU continues to deliver strong multi-core performance, rivaling newer M-series Macs for certain tasks.

    Source

Value and pricing

  • The iMac Pro's 256GB RAM alone is valued higher than the $950 purchase price, suggesting significant value for memory-intensive applications.

    Source
  • While the iMac Pro is praised for its performance, some suggest it should be priced a few hundred dollars cheaper to reflect its age and potential obsolescence.

    Source

Critic Reviews

iMac Pro review: the most powerful Mac yet | TechRadar

techradar.com

The iMac Pro stands as a powerhouse all-in-one computer, delivering exceptional performance and an elegant design that caters perfectly to professionals. Its impressive specs and cool operation make it ideal for demanding tasks. However, the steep price and non-upgradable nature may deter casual users. Additionally, the Magic Mouse 2's charging design remains a frustrating oversight. If you're deep into the Apple ecosystem and need a robust workstation, the iMac Pro is a worthy investment—just be prepared for its premium cost.

positive

Apple iMac Pro Review | PCMag

pcmag.com

The Apple iMac Pro showcases a blend of stunning design and formidable performance, making it a top choice for creative professionals. While its Intel Xeon CPU and AMD Radeon Vega graphics deliver exceptional power, the hefty price tag and inadequate keyboard comfort raise eyebrows. The lack of significant design changes and some missing features compared to competitors may leave some users questioning its value. If you're in need of serious computing prowess for demanding tasks, it's hard to beat, but if your workflow doesn't require that level of performance, a standard iMac or Windows alternative may be a smarter investment.

positive

iMac Pro review: Working as intended - Ars Technica

arstechnica.com

The iMac Pro delivers remarkable performance for professionals, boasting a powerful CPU and GPU, along with excellent thermal management. However, its high price tag and limited upgradeability may deter some users, particularly those needing intensive 3D modeling capabilities. While the T2 chip enhances security and integration, the reliance on external GPUs for scalability remains uncertain. The familiar design won’t win over everyone, and the Magic Mouse still leaves much to be desired. Ultimately, it’s a strong contender for creative professionals, but not without its drawbacks.

Apple iMac Pro review on tomsguide.com

tomsguide.com

Apple iMac Pro review on

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5.0 out of 5

Based on 2 Reviews and 8 Ratings

5 star
4 star
3 star
2 star
1 star
elyot

Fast

With Ableton Live Suite 11, people are complaining that it's lagging or using too much CPU. I have the base model of the iMac Pro and are not having any problems with Live

vegaschips

Have the 10 core!

This thing is super fast and reliable! no issues at all. And the 5k screen looks amazing! Pricey, but you get what you pay for.

Artist usage

Add artist
See how Kygo uses Apple iMac Pro

Kygo

Keyboardist, Music Producer

...
Verified via YouTube

In the video above, you can see a iMac Pro, and you can clearly see a darker color then with the well-known lighter iMacs. The Space Grey color shows that this is an iMac Pro. Te specs aren't known.

See how Simon Franglen uses Apple iMac Pro

Simon Franglen

Keyboardist, Composer

...
Verified via OWC RADiO

Mentioned in this October 26, 2020 OWC Radio interview.

Simon, you’re in Hollywood. Can you do me a favor? Can you kind of look around the studio you’re in and tell our audience what kind of gear you’re using and a little bit about your process. I know you have a current project you can’t talk about. You can’t talk about the one you’re working on now. But perhaps we can use the example of the 2019 release of The Birth of Skies and Earth because that was a huge project, and perhaps we can talk about how you managed that one?

Well, if I look around from where I am, I’m looking at a 55-inch OLED main monitor, which I moved to use touchscreens, and I’d like backlighting, so they don’t sort of blast your eyes out, especially late at night. And then that’s feeding into a 28-core Mac Pro 2019 with 384GB of RAM and 32TB of OWC RAID internally.

Oh, that’s awesome. So you’re using the OWC SSDs inside the Mac Pro?

Yeah. The NVMe writes,

Aha, you know, they just came out with a new case for those. You can actually carry some of those projects with you and use them on your laptop. If you’re thinking about work, you can actually hook the Envoy Pro to the back of your laptop with the NVMe in it. It’s wonderful.

I have external 4M2. I have the 4M2s externals as well as the 4M2s internals. I have two boxes with 8TB in each, which I used to carry stuff around as well.

So you have a studio in London, and you’re currently in a studio in LA. Is that your second place, or are you just traveling?

Yes, it is.

Okay, you have a full setup. You’re looking at your 55-inch OLED. What manufacturer do you use for your monitor?

I’ve used the Sony, but it’s the same panel as the LG. It’s basically the same thing, but I like the Sony. It was the one that came out that had the sort of angled stand on it and made it look a bit like an artist’s easel, and it works perfectly. I have it set up on my keyboard workstation. I have a Yamaha 88-Note Keyboard in front of it. And then a load of little side panels used to control different things like iPads and androids of various sorts that go with different remote controls. Then to my right is an iMac Pro, which is a, I want to say a 12-core. And that’s got 128GB in RAM in there. And then I’ve got two Mac Pro 2013, they both have 128GB in as well.

See how Justin Hurwitz uses Apple iMac Pro

Justin Hurwitz

Keyboardist, Composer

...
Verified via YouTube

He can be seen using an imac during his interview

Album Usage

The Apple iMac Pro has been featured on the following albums:

Genre Usage

Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.

Used With

Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Apple iMac Pro, it is most commonly used with the following gear.

Community setups

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bassic

bassic

Gear IQ 221

bassic

bassic

Gear IQ 221

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