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Gizmotoy

macrumors 65816
Nov 6, 2003
1,108
164
I'm having sticker shock on the i7 upgrade on the 27". From what I can tell on NewEgg and elsewhere, the price difference between these two chips is $70-$80 at retail.

$2450 for a 27" with the i7 and a fusion drive. Sigh. :(
 

joe-h2o

macrumors 6502a
Jun 24, 2012
997
445
It'll stop when Apple releases a normal desktop where people can install any HD, SSD or RAM. While PC owners have thousands of options, Mac users have half a dozen and they all are severely overpriced.

Apple is not for you.

There are plenty of other options that will suit your needs.
 

MattSepeta

macrumors 65816
Jul 9, 2009
1,255
0
375th St. Y
The added time & effort you'll need to upgrade later, in addition to all the problems you'll have with the substitute memory, it's well worth the added cost now. Trust me, I've been there, done that.

I have maxed out the RAM beyond the apple recommended "max" on 3 iMacss and 3 Macbook pros, all with 3rd party RAM, and have never had one issue.

The "Time" and "effort" required to buy the extra RAM is well worth the $500 you will save by DIY.
 

Switchback666

macrumors 68000
Nov 16, 2012
1,600
67
SXM
Honestly guys i dont get how some people are shocked with RAM prices and storage, just get the 27inch model and upgrade yourself.
 

Dimwhit

macrumors 68020
Apr 10, 2007
2,068
297
Well, I'll be getting the previous gen iMac. Can't get larger than a 1TB drive in the 21.5", only 5400rpm drives...no thanks.
 

leman

macrumors Core
Oct 14, 2008
19,152
18,917
I hoped the Fusion drive would be a bit cheaper... but I am very pleasantly surprised with such a small 680MX premium.
 

StumanRH

macrumors newbie
Feb 13, 2011
22
17
I'm updating from my 2007 MacBook Pro with a broken optical drive! I've been saving for this too! Getting the 27" with topped out specs...whoop! Sooo ready for an update!
 
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JHankwitz

macrumors 68000
Oct 31, 2005
1,911
58
Wisconsin
Thinness is cool. Lighter weight is better! Ever have to carry a 27" iMac to the Apple Store for repair? OMG!

I'm happy to say that I've never had to carry any of my 27" iMacs other than to set them up. They just keep running, trouble free.

One trick I've done is to build a shallow box under my computer desk with a quiet fan on it. I then drilled several 1/4 or 3/8" holes in my desktop into the box right below any warm equipment on the desktop. Heat is the devil on any and all electrical equipment. Keeping it cool and ventilated is cheep and the best insurance you can get.
 

JHankwitz

macrumors 68000
Oct 31, 2005
1,911
58
Wisconsin
I have maxed out the RAM beyond the apple recommended "max" on 3 iMacss and 3 Macbook pros, all with 3rd party RAM, and have never had one issue.

The "Time" and "effort" required to buy the extra RAM is well worth the $500 you will save by DIY.

The time and effort I've had ins not with purchase or installation, but with product failure. After doing it 2 times with multiple failures, I'll never do it again. I guess it's just luck of the draw.
 

JayJayAbels

macrumors 6502
May 15, 2012
303
3
This computer is TOP OF THE LINE awesome! Yes... thin IS in.

If you REALLY need power for scientific calculations and/or graphic animation... wait for the Mac Pro.

This is a CONSUMER desktop. This is what consumers want. And many of you "professionals" don't even NEED a Mac Pro for the things you need to get done.

If that's the case... this is for you. A quad core i7 option and a GTX 680mx GPU is ALL the power you'll need for the next 5 years. The GTX 680m is the most powerful mobile GPU on the market right now... and still some of you whine like little... meh.

The pricing actually came below what I had expected as I'll be purchasing a maxed out 27" iMac w/ 1TB Fusion Drive along with Apple Airplay, Apple TV and a new printer.

This is awesome and I personally can't wait.
 

waloshin

macrumors 68040
Oct 9, 2008
3,339
173
Get with the times. IPS 27" monitors are very cheap nowadays. For example, AOC I2757FH costs just $270 at Best Buy. It probably uses the same IPS panel as the iMacs (they all use the same LG panel). It's probably not as good as iMac's display but then iMac's display is not the best either. It's probably good enough for most people (not everyone edits photos for money).

GTX 680 ($450) + i5 ($180) + SSD ($300) + HDD (free) = about $950.

The AOC I2757FH is only 1920x1080 the iMac is 2560 x 1440.
 

leman

macrumors Core
Oct 14, 2008
19,152
18,917
Well, I'll be getting the previous gen iMac. Can't get larger than a 1TB drive in the 21.5", only 5400rpm drives...no thanks.

The 2011 iMac uses WD Blue drives, the 2012 will use either Green or Red (unlikely, but that would be an interesting option) which have variable spin speeds ranging from 5400 to 7200 on demand. The actual performance difference between all these drives is very small. Now, a WD Black would be faster, but I guess you will see them in the 27" model.
 

turtlez

macrumors 6502a
Jun 17, 2012
977
0
This computer is TOP OF THE LINE awesome! Yes... thin IS in.

If you REALLY need power for scientific calculations and/or graphic animation... wait for the Mac Pro.

This is a CONSUMER desktop. This is what consumers want. And many of you "professionals" don't even NEED a Mac Pro for the things you need to get done.

If that's the case... this is for you. A quad core i7 option and a GTX 680mx GPU is ALL the power you'll need for the next 5 years. The GTX 680m is the most powerful mobile GPU on the market right now... and still some of you whine like little... meh.

The pricing actually came below what I had expected as I'll be purchasing a maxed out 27" iMac w/ 1TB Fusion Drive along with Apple Airplay, Apple TV and a new printer.

This is awesome and I personally can't wait.

$2600 with base ram (not sure how much 3rd party to 32GB will cost) + Apple care + Taxes = probably more than you were expecting :p
 

JayJayAbels

macrumors 6502
May 15, 2012
303
3
Call me old fashioned (I'm only 36), but I don't understand the need for a thinner, non-user upgradeable desktop system. Aside from the RAM, there is no way to upgrade the graphics, add PCIe cards, internal HDD/SSD's, etc. I realize general users may not need such requirements, however the advent of digital media has created a need for larger hard drives (hence the SSD boot and HDD combo's).

Additionally, I've been able to upgrade my 12-Core Mac Pro with USB 3, graphics cards, and other such upgrades thereby "future proofing" it to some extent. Businesses are realizing iMac's aren't the smartest decision; should it need repairs nothing can be done onsite - no replacing internal parts that a tower would allow. When AppleCare runs out after 3 years, you're SOL. At least a tower allows on-site IT repairs and upgrades.

Unless the iMac becomes more user/business friendly, this is a win for Apple; locking people into 3 year product cycles and Genius bar appointments for simple repairs. I know many claim this is a post-PC era, it may be a more mobile era as the mobile market increases however the desktop and power market has increased as well. If Apple abandons the Mac Pro, I could not do my work on an iMac.

You're old fashioned.
 

swimatm

macrumors newbie
Oct 8, 2012
12
10
It'll stop when Apple releases a normal desktop where people can install any HD, SSD or RAM. While PC owners have thousands of options, Mac users have half a dozen and they all are severely overpriced.

Sounds like a hackintosh is right up your alley.
 

The Phazer

macrumors 68030
Oct 31, 2007
2,997
929
London, UK
No option for fusion on the base 21.5 inch?

Hahaha. What a joke of a machine.

A Fusion drive on the 27 inch machine is more expensive than I'd hoped. A lot more.
 

Nagel

macrumors newbie
Aug 11, 2012
2
0
I have MBP, MBA and an iPad. I was going to switch from windows to Mac on my desktop with this one. But there's absolutely no way I'm paying $ 1300 for an SSD. Total dealbreaker. It seems Apple is trying to push high-end users into the Fusion drives, considering that they don't offer a medium sized SSD upgrade. Well, I'm sure quite a few high-end users will not be pushed and will pick something entirely different.
 

turtlez

macrumors 6502a
Jun 17, 2012
977
0
haha. only thing i'm missing is the GPU card..but the quad core i7 + 16GB ram + fusion drive handles PS, Lightroom, and Aperture well enough for me. :D

that's actually pretty decent, i shouldn't make claims before updating my outdated knowledge of the mini.

Given these iMac prices I am thinking about going down the mini + external route now. It will be nice to upgrade just the computer and keep the screen. Thanks mate
 

CrAkD

macrumors 68040
Feb 15, 2010
3,180
255
Boston, MA
im waiting for the mac pro. if the pricing is just as ludicrous as this then ill build a new hackintosh with tunderbolt and just buy 2 TBD's.
 
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