iMac Pro vs Surface Studio: Which is Better?
With the recent announcement of the iMac Pro, there's no way to imagine how Apple's computer compares to Microsoft's premium PC launched late last year, Surface Studio. At the time, Surface was able to leave the competition behind, which forced Apple to whim on the new iMac. To learn more about both machines and which one is really the best, just check out our detailed list below!
1. Design
As you might expect from Apple, the design of the new iMac has changed almost nothing compared to models released in previous years. The biggest difference is the space gray color, which already existed on iPhones, iPads and Macbooks, but has now only reached the Apple computer.
Surface Studio, on the other hand, has some similarities to iMac Pro, but with a more modern look that allows the screen to tilt up to 20 degrees.
2. Screen
One of the most important aspects of both computers is the screen. In the iMac Pro, we have a 27 inch Retina display and a resolution of 5120 x 2880 pixels. There is no doubt that it is one of the best screens available today, but it is not yet touchscreen, as many expected it to be.
Surface has thinner edges, allowing it to have a 28-inch screen and a resolution of 4500 x 3000 pixels. Unlike its rival, this PC has a touch screen, which makes it perfect for those who work with illustrations and design.
3. Specifications
The iMac is 65 cm wide, 51.6 cm high and weighs about 9.7 pounds. Surface Studio is 63.7 cm wide, 43.9 cm high and weighs 9.5 kilos. You can tell they're not that different, with Surface being slightly more compact and lightweight even with a larger screen.
4. Processor
When it comes to processors, there's no denying that iMac Pro is much better than Surface Studio. The Apple computer has Intel Xeon and can be configured to have 8, 10 or even 18 cores.
The Microsoft PC, however, follows a powerful but much simpler pattern: It has the Intel Skylake i7 with only 4 cores. As good as the chip is, it can't compete with its competitor.
5. Graphic Power
The graphics power of iMac Pro also easily surpasses its rival. It features the AMD Radeon Vega 56 GPU, which has no less than 8 GB of HBM2 memory.
Surface features an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M card and 4 GB of GDDR5 memory. Considering that this is not even one of the latest NVIDIA cards, you can't compare much with AMD's.
6. Connectivity
It seems that Apple has learned a lot from the criticism given to the new Macbook, which has no USB 3.0 or SD card slots. Fortunately, the iMac Pro has it all, with 4 USB ports, 4 Thunderbolt ports, a headphone jack, an SD card slot and one even an Ethernet slot.
Surface Studio is not much different, it also has 4 USB ports, a headphone jack, an SD card slot and an Ethernet port.
7. RAM Memory
The iMac Pro also offers good options for those who want a lot of RAM, having 32 GB in base model. Still, it's possible to pay more for a model with up to 128 GB of RAM, a really impressive number.
Meanwhile, Surface Studio offer models with 8 GB, 16 GB and 32 GB of RAM. That should be enough for a lot of people, but there are consumers who complain that an 8 GB version of RAM exists, considering that the computer is so expensive.
8. Storage
For those who want plenty of storage and speed, iMac Pro offers something very interesting. It has a 1TB SSD and you can customize it to up to 4TB if you need to.
Surface Studio already has a hybrid disk, being a 128 GB SSD and a 2 TB HD. In this regard, we can say that both have interesting settings, depending more on the user's need at the time of choice.
9. Heat Management
To make sure the iMac Pro doesn't get hot all the time, Apple has completely redesigned the computer's ventilation system compared to previous models. In addition to two fans, the computer also has a new opening at the bottom, which releases heat easily.
Surface Studio works similarly to premium notebooks in heat management and can get a little hot from time to time. Still, as hardware is separated from the monitor, hardly any warming is noted.
10. Camera
For many, the camera of a computer does not matter so much, but of course it is worth mentioning. The iMac Pro has a 1080p resolution Full HD front camera, but no information on how many megapixels. Surface Studio has a 5 megapixel front camera, also being Full HD 1080p resolution.
11. Operating System
Not surprisingly, each computer has its own operating system. IMac Pro has macOS High Sierra (the latest version released by Apple) and Surface Studio comes with Windows 10 Pro installed.
This depends more on your personal taste, as both systems work very well and have a number of unique features.
12. Compatibility
As we mentioned the operating systems of each computer, it is worth mentioning that Windows still has more software and game compatibility than the Apple system.
Fortunately, macOS has been increasingly supported by developers and even has interesting alternatives to programs not yet available.
13. Availability
The iMac Pro will go on sale only in December this year, somewhat surprising if we consider the premature announcement by Apple. Most likely the company has already wanted to start attracting consumers with interesting on a new computer, especially if we take the exorbitant price into consideration.
Surface Studio, by comparison, was launched in December last year, which also explains its humbler competitor settings.
14. Price
Apple's new computer will sell for no less than $ 4, 999 for the cheapest model. This price only tends to rise if you want a model with more RAM or storage space, for example.
Surface Studio sells for $ 2, 999 (about $ 10, 000 today) on the cheapest model. With more powerful configurations, the price is up to $ 4, 199, which is still cheaper than its competitor.
What did you think about iMac Pro and Surface Studio?
Did you know more about both computers with our detailed list? Be sure to leave your comment telling us what you think of the new iMac Pro and Surface Studio.
