When apple launched the iMac Pro in 2017 it was a slight deviation from the iMacs built before and was released as the black sheep in the iMac family as to this day it is still the only Space Grey iMac ever built. It was advertised and sold as the most powerful iMac to date, almost too powerful as I will get to later. A statement that was reflected in the price, reaching an eye-watering £7,399 retail price if specced to the max. So, the question is: with the recent reveal of the new 14-Inch MacBook Pro with the all new M5 chip, will your 8-year-old investment hold it’s own when the M5 chip inevitably comes to the iMac?

First, we will have to note the numbers. Below are both the single-core and multi-core scores for both the iMac Pro and the M5 chip, which we will assume will not go under any changes before it’s implementation to the iMac family.

• iMac Pro Benchmark Test Score:
  Single-Core: 1,241
  Multi-Core: 8,044
• M5 Chip Benchmark Test Score:
  Single-Core: 4,263
  Multi-Core: 17,862

When looking directly at the numbers, it seems like a total washout, almost quadruple the single-core performance and more than double the multi-core. But it is not just core count that makes or breaks a system, the giant RAM capacity of up to 12GB can handle heavy, professional workloads and being built from the ground up for 3D rendering and 5K video editing which can be seen in full detail thanks to it’s 5K retina display paired with an AMD Radeon Pro Vega working under the hood.

Furthermore, the iMac pro can edge out what will be the future M5 iMac as soon as you open the box, first seen by its more serious space grey finish on it’s 27″ aluminium chassis, giving it a large presence for any workplace, complimented by the previously mentioned 5K retina display also making it look the part.

In contrast, Apple’s most recent 24″ iMacs aren’t as serious looking as the previous slimline models, offering a range of colours to liven up an office but it can’t help but look like a knock off. It starts with the front panel: the LCD and glass coming together is something we have now grown accustom to, but the plastic looking bezel around the entire LCD and on the chin only acts to make it look juvenile and cheap. This is without mention it’s greatest sin: the lack of apple logo on the front casing, only making it seem cheaper as they keep the aluminium stand and back case, where the Apple logo is present, only to not be seen while you are working – leaving you to be left gazing into it’s bland bezel.

Anyway, enough about it’s looks, the main difference between the iMac Pro and the iMacs of today is seen when you first turn the system on to find the iMac Pro no longer supports the most recent MacOS, being Tahoe. This can signify the end of life for the iMac Pro as it’ll be stuck in time, forever capped on MacOS Sequoia. So, is it really worth buying an 8-year-old system that no loner has the most recent OS.

Our opinion?
Yes

On the used market the iMac pro is an exceptional deal, often selling for around £500 with up to 12GB of ram and a 2TB SSD. To compare: even if you were to spec up a new M4 iMac to only 24GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD it would cost £1899. This is without the inevitable price hike the M5 model would have where I would estimate it to be closer, if not over the £2000 mark.

So, bottom line, the iMac Pro is currently a heavily capable machine that still stacks up to most tasks today. It may lack the power to do heavy, AI driven tasks, but it boasts a large screen, more elegant build and RAM that can actually be upgraded by the end user if you dare to remove the glass yourself all for 4 times less than the current iMacs being built. As I alluded to earlier it seems Apple peaked too early with the iMac pro, especially with MacOS support only being discontinued this year. If I were to put my tinfoil hat on then I would guess they knew this themselves, hence why it was made for 4 years until 2021 with no revisions. This makes it one of the best value for money Apple devices helping the consumer avoid upgrading too soon and contributing to e-waste, seems oddly pro-consumer for Apple – but we aren’t complaining.