When Apple’s new iMac Pro initially arrives at the stores there was one crazy detail that jumped out at a lot of people, if you choose to include all the optional upgrades, the computer will cost a staggering $13,199. Here’s a closer look at how you get to that price.
Base Price: $4,999
First off, the base configuration of the iMac Pro already costs $4,999. By comparison, the lowest-end Mac Pro you can purchase costs $2,999.
What you get for $4,999 is a 3.2GHz 8-core Intel Xeon W processor, 32GB of 2666MHz DDR4 ECC RAM, a 1TB SSD, and Radeon Pro Vega 56 graphics with 8GB of HBM2 memory.
Add $2,400 to Max Out the Processor: $7,399
Instead of a measly 3.2GHz 8-core Intel Xeon W processor, you can upgrade to a 2.3GHz 18-core one.
“Up to 18 cores in an iMac,” Apple says. “No, that’s not a typo, You can render images, edit up to 8K video, manipulate photos, create real-time audio effects, or compile your next five-star app, all at lightning speed.”
Add another $2,400 to Max Out the Memory: $9,799
Why settle for 32GB of 2666MHz DDR4 ECC memory when you can have 128GB of RAM? You know, for if you’d like to keep your entire photo shoot open in separate tabs in Photoshop
Add $2,800 to Max Out the Storage: $12,599 Instead of a 1 terabyte SSD, you can quadruple the storage by upgrading to a 4TB one.
“iMac Pro storage is not user accessible,” Apple warns. “If you think you may need more storage capacity in the future, consider upgrading at the time of purchase.”
Add $600 to Max Out the Graphics: $13,199
You can go from a Radeon Pro Vega 56 graphics card with 8GB of HBM2 memory to a 16GB Vega 64 for an extra $600.
Final Price: $13,199
Select all the max upgrades above, and your computer will have a ginormous price tag of $13,199.
The Apple Imac pro is designed and configured with the professionals in mind. Not those who edit a few pictures or full HD videos, but for those who do even higher jobs of editing and designing which require a lot of memory, processing power and graphics support. In the current days, high quality cinema cameras are already delivering 8K output which needs to be tamed before they can be edited. The processing power of the new iMac pro is comes from the Intel’s Xeon family which is known to be used for high end video editing and graphics designing, visuals and animation. All the components have been carefully chosen so that the hardware supports the software seamlessly and that at no point of time, the user would feel a lag in performance. Not to mention its ridiculous pricing which makes it not a toy for your daily play. On the other hand professionals who deal with a lot of heavy image/video/graphics files will find the ultimate [pleasure when they render.