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Is the Retina iMac worth it for the home user?

YummyIceCream

YummyIceCream

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 16, 2014
9
1
USA
I'm asking this not only for my sake of buying it, but also to those who also are like me.

I have been viewing the forums and I see that the many folks view the new iMac with Retina 5K Display mainly designed for photographers and video editors only. But is it worth it for the average home user to buy it, even if it's simply just for the retina (which has become standard for the home user with iOS devices)? Keep in mind the home user only use their desktops to browse the web, word processing, and using iLife, all of which I intend to use the iMac for. I have the money to afford the retina iMac, but I guess I'm just trying to convince myself whether or not the retina is worth the extra money.

tl;dr: Is the Retina 5K alone worth the extra money for the home/casual user?

Also, pardon me if this belongs in the wrong section. I'm new to the forums!
 
Well I guess that would really depend. I think the retina display is meant for all users whether pro's or not. I don't think you would find it to be 'too' much for home use. If you can afford one...by all means. Get the best :apple:
 
To me, a good screen is worth more than upgraded processor/ram/drive. And I can usually get it for less than the cost of all 3 combined. This is just a particularly exciting example. Go for it.
 
I don't have a bone of artistic ability anywhere inside of me. No graphic design, no photography, no nothing. I'm buying it. I'm a home user but also part time grad student and I've found for school, I need more screen real estate so I've been eyeing the iMacs for a couple months. I play games but I'm not the kind of person that wants super ultra mode on every game. I plan to read the reviews, try it out for a week and if it doesn't suit my needs, I can send it back.

Plus when I configured the iMac and the retina iMac, the price difference between what I wanted was $300 for a better screen, better video card and a higher speed processor.

edited to add: now that the store is back online, I tried to do a price comparison of the build I'd want and a refurbished iMac of last years model, the price difference is $700. $700 isn't that much in terms of paying for a computer so I figured if my biggest savings is $700 might as well get the Retina. Plus I have a rMBP and I can tell the difference on other monitors I use.
 
Last edited:
mattg3 said:
Will we see the smaller Imac with retina display soon?
Click to expand...

next year 21.5" 4k imac

and on topic, yes it is worth, especially for casual user because the main and the only disadvantage is if you are not a casual gamer and you are hardcore one...
if you are not, by all means go get it. I was blown away by the UI of Yosemite +5K display, the final cut pro is perfect.
 
Serban said:
next year 21.5" 4k imac
I was blown away by the UI of Yosemite +5K display, the final cut pro is perfect.
Click to expand...

Have you seen Final Cut Pro running on the 5K? Can you please give more details? Impressions, spec of the iMac running it? Anything really.
 
YummyIceCream said:
I'm asking this not only for my sake of buying it, but also to those who also are like me.

I have been viewing the forums and I see that the many folks view the new iMac with Retina 5K Display mainly designed for photographers and video editors only. But is it worth it for the average home user to buy it, even if it's simply just for the retina (which has become standard for the home user with iOS devices)? Keep in mind the home user only use their desktops to browse the web, word processing, and using iLife, all of which I intend to use the iMac for. I have the money to afford the retina iMac, but I guess I'm just trying to convince myself whether or not the retina is worth the extra money.

tl;dr: Is the Retina 5K alone worth the extra money for the home/casual user?

Also, pardon me if this belongs in the wrong section. I'm new to the forums!
Click to expand...

If you can afford it why do you care? Go for it. It's the best iMac.
 
Only you can decide if it's worth your money.

Personally as an amateur video editor I would LOVE a Retina iMac. But at 2500$ it is a bit over the top for the work that I do with it. It will definitely be an interesting choice for me once the price of the panels come down.
 
YummyIceCream said:
Sure, I can afford it, but I need to see if it's worth my money. And to the looks of the replies on this thread, I guess it is.
Click to expand...

thats like asking if the V8 is worth the extra money over the V6. some will tell you its worth it while others tell you its not. only you can decide on something subjective. if you're not sure, go to a store when its available and check it out in person.
 
Better resale, better processor, better gpu. Eventually you will be able to watch 4k stuff.

You will also be able to see a difference in the quality of the text rendering. As a grad student I'm sure you spend long periods of time staring at text. The resolution your text is rendered at makes a huge difference in eye fatigue.

There you go. It's justified go for it.
 
mojolicious said:
l think it's actually intended for the home user.
Click to expand...

its definitely intended for the high end consumer or semi-pro who doesn't want to pay mac pro prices. I remember watching the keynote for the rmbp and thinking similar things about how ****** expensive it was, but the standalone gpu + screen for the price I got it for made it a no brainer.

On the retail side, this is only 300 more for the absolutely insane screen, so if you already were capable of spending $2k for the 27" base imac this is an easy choice. The price is high enough that its worth seeing what discounts pop up but the obvious ones (edu and online tax free) are probably the only ones we'll see for at least the first few months.

The mini I never thought to be a good idea, considering how cheap you can get macbook air at nowadays (and still no dgpu?!). You can leave it plugged into your monitor/tv and just take it with you when you need it.
 
leenak said:
I don't have a bone of artistic ability anywhere inside of me. No graphic design, no photography, no nothing. I'm buying it. I'm a home user but also part time grad student and I've found for school, I need more screen real estate so I've been eyeing the iMacs for a couple months. I play games but I'm not the kind of person that wants super ultra mode on every game. I plan to read the reviews, try it out for a week and if it doesn't suit my needs, I can send it back.

Plus when I configured the iMac and the retina iMac, the price difference between what I wanted was $300 for a better screen, better video card and a higher speed processor.

edited to add: now that the store is back online, I tried to do a price comparison of the build I'd want and a refurbished iMac of last years model, the price difference is $700. $700 isn't that much in terms of paying for a computer so I figured if my biggest savings is $700 might as well get the Retina. Plus I have a rMBP and I can tell the difference on other monitors I use.
Click to expand...

The screen real estate on iMac 27" is more than enough - if you don't do any of the things you mentioned you're not doing :) you can have 2x browser to surf 2 website at the same time.. thats more than enough.
 
YummyIceCream said:
I'm asking this not only for my sake of buying it, but also to those who also are like me.

I have been viewing the forums and I see that the many folks view the new iMac with Retina 5K Display mainly designed for photographers and video editors only. But is it worth it for the average home user to buy it, even if it's simply just for the retina (which has become standard for the home user with iOS devices)? Keep in mind the home user only use their desktops to browse the web, word processing, and using iLife, all of which I intend to use the iMac for. I have the money to afford the retina iMac, but I guess I'm just trying to convince myself whether or not the retina is worth the extra money.

tl;dr: Is the Retina 5K alone worth the extra money for the home/casual user?

Also, pardon me if this belongs in the wrong section. I'm new to the forums!
Click to expand...

Once you've gone Retina, it's very painful to go back. I've had a rMBP for 2 years and while I mainly use an external monitor, every time I see that screen and go back to the external one, I feel like crying. Mind you, I've always been a sucker for very high resolutions.

So yeah, if you can afford it, the Retina itself is worth it (for me). Not that you *need* it by any stretch of the imagination, but I can assure you that if you like good screens and do a lot of reading / writing, then your first thought will be "where has this been all my life".

So even if you could live happily ever after with a non-retina iMac, and even if you won't take advantage of the processor or GPU or memory, yes, it's worth it if you enjoy being on your computer. Let's put it this way : the Retina technology is absolutely worth the price hike (a few $100's only) compared to the non-retina iMac.

But then, hey, we're all different :)
 
I ordered mine today. I consider myself a home user, but I am increasing how much i do photography with a child on the way and better equipment. I view this purchase as an investment. I had a custom mac before sold it for cheap to a friend, since they take up so much room in my apartment. Currently using a 2012 rMBP and I am afraid that going with anything less than retina Ill notice from the chair. Starting to notice pixels now even on the television.

My BTO is the following:
Hardware
4.0GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 4.4GHz
16GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x8GB
512GB Flash Storage
AMD Radeon R9 M295X 4GB GDDR5
Apple Mouse (already have magic mouse)
Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad (English) & User's Guide (already have bluetooth apple keyboard)
Accessory Kit

This will give me the opportunity to set up a raid system with the dual thunderbolt later, if I can find one that's neat not taking up too much space, and if i start shooting photos raw with my dslr.
 
YummyIceCream said:
I'm asking this not only for my sake of buying it, but also to those who also are like me.

I have been viewing the forums and I see that the many folks view the new iMac with Retina 5K Display mainly designed for photographers and video editors only. But is it worth it for the average home user to buy it, even if it's simply just for the retina (which has become standard for the home user with iOS devices)? Keep in mind the home user only use their desktops to browse the web, word processing, and using iLife, all of which I intend to use the iMac for. I have the money to afford the retina iMac, but I guess I'm just trying to convince myself whether or not the retina is worth the extra money.

tl;dr: Is the Retina 5K alone worth the extra money for the home/casual user?

Also, pardon me if this belongs in the wrong section. I'm new to the forums!
Click to expand...


I would say no, it isn't. And even though you have the money, it sounds like you have the good sense to consider value, instead of simply buying "the best."

Is your mind made up on a desktop? If if is just web surfing, word processing, the occasional photo, FaceTime, iLife, spreadsheets, etc......any computer Apple makes will suffice. A mac mini pair with a nice IPS display will more than suffice. If you are seduced by the iMac's physical build, and you think it would look nice in your home, then any model will do. The only way to determine it the display is worth it to you is to look at one. I find the retina display has much less eye fatigue, better color saturation, contrast, and of course, resolution. To me, as an amateur photographer, that is more than worth. But there are many people out there who can't tell, or don't really care.
 
I bought the Retina, but I've been waiting 2 years for a replacement for my early 2009 Imac. Apple products don't reduce in value over their life like most products, so it's best to buy right when they come out in terms of ROI. If there was a non-retina that came out with updated specs, I'd probably have grabbed that. But since this was the only new Imac, and I've been waiting, I'm all in.

The condescending tone from a lot of people against those buying a retina Imac scream nerd rage.
 
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