Hey all.
So I'm going to be looking for a new computer rig soon for heavy video editing/VFX/Motion Graphics etc and I've narrowed it down towards the iMac and Mac Pro (Don't worry windows fans, I love either OS just as much as each other, it's just a preference for my line of work).
I've been looking and I know I'll need processing power and quite a bit of ram, is there any difference between the same specs in the mac pro vs the imac? What specs do you recommend?
Thanks a bunch.

Right now there is a big disparity between the two. The iMacs use the latest Intel architecture (Sandy Bridge) where the Mac Pros not only use the older Nehalem/Westmere architecture but also 18 month old specifications as Apple don't update during a system's life-cycle, unlike Intel who do offer better clock-rates over time.

In terms of value for performance the iMacs are much better. This is in part because of the newer components and part because it is priced for consumers and competes against competitor's consumer systems where the Mac Pro is priced for business/professional use. As far as raw performance, unless you are getting a 6 or 12 core Mac Pro the iMac has better CPU performance.

If you can wait then new Mac Pros should be available in November or January and will be better performers than the current iMacs. If you really need something now I'd look at an official Apple refurbished model or a used model (you should still be able to get Applecare on a used model as they only came out a year ago). If you are comfortable swapping processors then you can get a 6-core 3.33GHz CPU now for $600 if you want a lot of processing power.

Bottom line: if you aren't looking at spending $4,000+ on a Mac Pro go with an iMac.

Minimum System Requirements

Processor: Intel / AMD compatible at 2500 MHz or higher
RAM: 1 GB or higher
Sound: Windows compatible sound card
Display: 32-bit color depth
CD recorder: for importing from CD
DVD recorder: for importing from DVD and creating Video DVD
Video capture device: required for capturing
Windows Media Player 11 or higher for WMV video playback
DirectX: Microsoft DirectX 9.0c or later
Administrative permissions for program installation and activation
Internet connection to activate