Give it to me straight -- Can the new Quad Core iMac run Maya well?

Hey all, I've been hunting around the interwebs for reviews of the new 27 inch quad core machine and I'm having a heck of a time tracking down specifics regarding iMacs and their ability to run Maya, After Effects, other adobe programs, etc.
I'm a student right now, going on four years. I own a small graphic design/animation business and I'm afraid my poor little Macbook Pro is going to keel over on me any day now. I've noticed a drop in performance in the last six months, especially with Maya and After Effects. So I've been evaluating options, and I know it has to run OSX. Windows has only given me headaches in regards to Maya work. In short, it's gonna be a Mac.
I've priced out a Mac Pro, and I'd rather not spend 3 grand on a machine that doesn't have a monitor, and may have properties that I'm paying for that I don't necessarily need: monstrous expandability, server capabilities, a big-stinking CPU footprint. But the mantra I always hear is "Only pro models can run Maya". So I reluctantly began putting away money for a new Mac Pro, uncertain if I'd be able to afford the software to go with it. Then I read this article:
http://gizmodo.com/5411073/why-its-gotten-straight-stupid-to-buy-a-mac-pro
In my mind, this article couldn't be more perfect for my position. It's telling me, "These high end iMacs are almost as powerful as the Mac Pro you can't afford. You can save a thousand bucks off the base computer. It comes with a monitor that you don't have to pay for. " But unfortunately the one question I need answered, that I'm having a heckuva time tracking down is "Can the stinking thing run Maya or can't it?" And if it can, will it be crippled?
So, please, anyone out there, can the new monster iMac run Maya, and if it can, does it suck at it?

No, there's no way to talk to Apple technical support via email, and they probably could not or would not be able to answer any questions about performance with third-party products. I doubt that more than a handful of Apple employees, sales rep or tech, would have access to any benchmark data on Maya with any model of Mac, and those Apple people would probably be those working with the Pro VAR channel or directly with large production companies.
I just got off the phone with an Apple sales associate who emphatically confirmed that the i7 iMac can run "all that Adobe stuff", but she'd never heard of Maya.... fun....
Not terribly surprising; Maya is pretty specialized and the Apple Store phone reps are generalists working mostly with consumers. Most people running Maya would be working with an Apple VAR or would otherwise have access to specialists. You might try talking to an Apple Pro Video/Film VAR - there are a number around the country though none in Salt Lake, apparently - or asking in the Autodesk forums:
http://area.autodesk.com/forum/autodesk-maya/
If you search for "iMac", you'll find some comments, though none I can find yet regarding performance with the new iMac models. But if you post asking if anyone has experience with Maya on the i7, you might get useful responses.
Regards.
P.S.
And on top of that I can't buy a 27 inch display separately
Well, you can, and they're not terribly expensive; under $400.00. But that might be more than your budget could accept, which may be what you meant. I'd elect a smaller primary monitor and go with two displays in any case, even with an iMac. I find it much better for workflow to have a monitor for the primary canvas and a separate one for tool palettes, etc.
Message was edited by: Dave Sawyer

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