iMac 5K loaded vs Mac Pro NEC 4K? Opinions wanted

[TGM123]

I have decided to get a new Mac with a 4K/5K monitor and would like some opinions. For $3899 I can get the following 5K retina iMac which, according to geek bench, is faster than the entry level Mac Pro for $3000.

4.0GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 4.4GHz
32GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 4x8GB
512GB Flash Storage
AMD Radeon R9 M295X 4GB GDDR5

I am struggling with deciding between the iMac and a second option - getting a more color faithful/accurate 4K monitor with a Mac Pro to run it. The two monitors that I am looking at are the NEC 31” (PA322UHD-BK-SV) or the Eizo 31” (CG318-4K), both 4K. Those monitors cost $3249 (with SpectraView II) for the NEC and likely $4000 for the Eizo.  So if I get the entry level Mac Pro plus one of these monitors it will be $6249 minimum.

The issue I am struggling with is the $2300 difference between the two systems. I realize that the colors will be more faithful/accurate on the NEC/Ezio but $2300 worth of more faithful on a calibrated iMac 5K? I also realize that I would be able to keep the NEX/Eizo through the next few upgrades of my system and the iMac can’t do that (can’t be used as an external monitor) which is an advantage.

I know this comes down to one’s personal opinion but that is what I am looking for from the photographers/color gurus’ on this forum – what that would do in this situation and why?

Thanks,

Tom

[digitaldog]

I know this comes down to one’s personal opinion but that is what I am looking for from the photographers/color gurus’ on this forum – what that would do in this situation and why?

Nothing special about that Apple display other than rez. IF color is on your mind, get something like a SpectraView or Eizo.

[Czornyj]

NEC PA322UHD is waaaay bigger than the iMac, so in practice you can get better use of higher res - you can pack more apps and tabs and still have readable UI elements. On iMac you'll end up using HiDPI modes simulating lower resolutions, so the image will be just sharper, there will be more detail on images, but it won't give you better work efficiency than a standard res 27".

Quality wise PA322UHD is the best, most impressive LCD I've ever saw - very uniform, with superb color stability, widest gamut, excellent linearity, calibration and managing software (SpectraView II and MultiProfiler) and all imaginable features for color critical applications.

It's also very robust so it can handle many years of intensive work (even 24/7) - virtually all iMacs sooner or later suffered panel delimitation issues - putting a computer and a display into a thin, aluminium can is not the smartest idea.



30" vs 32"

[TGM123]

Thank you, you bring up some good points.

Can anyone speak to the lifespan of a monitor like the PA322UHD for an amateur photographer?

[Ken Bennett]

Perhaps you could consider the 27 inch NEC Monitor? It's less than $1500, which gets the costs more in line. Then you are comparing screens of similar size.

Of course the 27 is lower res than the UHD screen you are considering. But I'm happy with my NEC 27 inch for photo editing.