I want to buy a new 27 inch iMac. I will do normal things email internet and games. I know i wont need all this powerful computer<but i want to future proof it.....What can be uppgraded later? I was going to upgrade to an I7, 16gb Ram, graphics card, and 1Tb fusion drive....Are all of these worth upgrading to, and what can be upgraded later?
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27 inch upgrade help what to upgrade
- Thread starter Tbdbuckeyeitl
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Quick/Short reply:
1) The fusion drive is definitely worth the money. Anyone who has used a SSD in their computer before will verify this. It's a HUGE speed improvement. (Priority 10)
2) RAM is the single most affordable way to upgrade your computer. I'd suggest getting 8GB from Apple (bare bones) then upgrading it with your own RAM through Crucial.com. You can get your RAM for a FRACTION of the price of Apple this way, and it only takes a few minutes to install. (Priority 9)
3) Processor... not nearly as important. The only time you're likely to recognize the difference between processors is when you're exporting video, or doing heavy graphics work. (Priority 6)
4) Graphics card... again, not nearly as important. The only time you're likely to recognize teh difference between graphics cards is when you're playing graphics-intensive video games or doing heavy graphics work. (Priority 4)
Ram is the only thing that is easy to upgrade after purchase everything else u will need to take off the screen for
Don't upgrade the RAM until you are using the computer and start doing stuff that actually needs more RAM. That might not be for a year or two, and RAM will probably be cheaper then.
Fusion drive should be added to any system, unless absolute lowest price is top priority.
The other upgrades are "nice to have", but mostly matter for more demanding tasks than you described as your typical use.
I would only advise to upgrade the GFX since that is the only thing that can't be upgraded afterwards and the CPU is not so important.
The RAM can be upgraded afterwards.
You don't need Fusion Drive, you can just get an external TB SSD which will be as fast as the Fusion Drive but with more SSD-storage than the Fusion Drive.
People keep saying "Oh Fusion Drive is thousand times better than HDD", of course it is. But so is SSD.
The RAM can be upgraded afterwards.
You don't need Fusion Drive, you can just get an external TB SSD which will be as fast as the Fusion Drive but with more SSD-storage than the Fusion Drive.
People keep saying "Oh Fusion Drive is thousand times better than HDD", of course it is. But so is SSD.
More info please
Great replies to the original poster. I'm buying a new IMAC 27" as well. I'm done with windows and want to go completely Apple in the house and connect everything i have wirelessly in a 3 story house. Have two iPhones, a macbook pro. Looking to get my wife a macbook pro. Want to wirelessly connect all of my music and play it to my receiver and send anything to my TV. Need advice on how to setup the place.
I'm going to follow the suggestions listed above. i'm going to order the Fusion drive and the choices are 1 or 3 TB. I'm also not a gamer or doing anything big graphically. I DO have lots of photos and videos. I'm assuming 3 TB will be sufficient.
Also, my N wireless router is old and not strong. I was considering getting the airport extreme and saw reasonable reviews on range but getting the signal from my middle to top floor is a concern. I need the speed. I was considering getting an ASUS RT - N66U with a N66R repeater. Is it easy to hook up two wireless routers? On the third floor is my main tv room where i was looking to do the Apple TV, so do i hook up a wireless router up there to receive a signal from the airport extreme from the second floor?
Lastly, If i have a 3 TB fusion drive, then a time capsule would be worthless, ist that correct? It has the airport extreme which i need a wireless router and then the 3 TB of backup storage. I want a backup. So what is a good recommendation then?
Right now leaning toward IMAC 27", 3TB fusion, 8 GB, 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM (will upgrade that later via the suggestion above), 2.9 GHz processor boosted to 3.6. Looking at the ASUS wireless router with a repeater since the ASUS is brand spanking new with directional wifi antennas rates highly. Also an Apple TV.
Now is the 3 year apple protection plan recommended?
I'm going to do the ONE TO ONE in store one year plan, which they will convert all of my files from my current PC to the IMAC. I need that help and setup along with my wife. Not a techie in any way.
Any suggestions are appreciated.
Great replies to the original poster. I'm buying a new IMAC 27" as well. I'm done with windows and want to go completely Apple in the house and connect everything i have wirelessly in a 3 story house. Have two iPhones, a macbook pro. Looking to get my wife a macbook pro. Want to wirelessly connect all of my music and play it to my receiver and send anything to my TV. Need advice on how to setup the place.
I'm going to follow the suggestions listed above. i'm going to order the Fusion drive and the choices are 1 or 3 TB. I'm also not a gamer or doing anything big graphically. I DO have lots of photos and videos. I'm assuming 3 TB will be sufficient.
Also, my N wireless router is old and not strong. I was considering getting the airport extreme and saw reasonable reviews on range but getting the signal from my middle to top floor is a concern. I need the speed. I was considering getting an ASUS RT - N66U with a N66R repeater. Is it easy to hook up two wireless routers? On the third floor is my main tv room where i was looking to do the Apple TV, so do i hook up a wireless router up there to receive a signal from the airport extreme from the second floor?
Lastly, If i have a 3 TB fusion drive, then a time capsule would be worthless, ist that correct? It has the airport extreme which i need a wireless router and then the 3 TB of backup storage. I want a backup. So what is a good recommendation then?
Right now leaning toward IMAC 27", 3TB fusion, 8 GB, 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM (will upgrade that later via the suggestion above), 2.9 GHz processor boosted to 3.6. Looking at the ASUS wireless router with a repeater since the ASUS is brand spanking new with directional wifi antennas rates highly. Also an Apple TV.
Now is the 3 year apple protection plan recommended?
I'm going to do the ONE TO ONE in store one year plan, which they will convert all of my files from my current PC to the IMAC. I need that help and setup along with my wife. Not a techie in any way.
Any suggestions are appreciated.
Well that's the question i'm asking? If i have a 3 TB fusion drive that is storing my data, why would i need a 3 TB time capsule? isn't 3 TB enough storage for a normal user that has tons of videos and photos, who isn't a professional photographer? Isn't the extra 3 tB from the time capsule overkill? Unless i don't understand the fusion drive, but isn't that 3 TB of storage? If the extra 3 TB is overkill, then instead of a time capsule, then an airport extreme would be more like what i need to upgrade my current wireless router.
What do people use as a backup drive?
The 3TB Time Capsule can act as your Time Machine backup drive. If you're not familiar with Time Machine, it's an automated backup system that comes with OS X. By using an external Time Machine drive you are protected in case, God forbid, your internal 3TB should take a dive.
Thanks. I'm going to get the Time Capsule 3 TB as my backup and see how well the wifi router is as well. Hopefully it has a strong enough signal to my top floor and then i can use my airport express to send out the signal on that floor.