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refurbished 2013 27" Imac 3.2 vs new 2015 13"Retina MacBook Pro

Z

Zmmin3

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 20, 2009
127
0
My current computers are:
Computer #1
2008 24" Imac 2.8 Core 2 Duo, ATI 2600 video card
I can still do lightroom 3 on it but any type of video editing is impossible.

Computer #2
mid 2011 13" MacAir.
It has a damaged screen in bottom right hand corner but is still usable. I hate for people to view photos on it.
It can do some video editing or a lil online gaming but the fans kick on high after a few minutes.

Now for $1,499 I could get a
refurbished 2013 27" iMac 3.2 quad, 1TB hard drive, Nvidia 755

Or a brand new 2015 13" retina macbook with the new 2.7 and the newer 256GB flash storage

Now even though the 2013 iMac is two years old,,, is the iMac still faster than the 2015 rMBP? Or does the new processor combined with the new SSD negate that?

1500 is really my upper limit I can afford. Just trying to figure out which is the better way to go. Hate to spend that on two year old technology when there is newer there.
 
Last edited:
Z

Zmmin3

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 20, 2009
127
0
When I was at the Apple store yesterday to get a quote on my screen repair, I asked the genius what his opinion on this would be. He said if portability at all was a concern that to go with the new rMBP. If I could live with the damaged screen on my air (which he said wasnt that bad), that I should go with the 2013 Imac because it has a dedicated graphics card. That even two years old, having a graphics card would be better than the integrated graphics of the rMBP. To repair the screen on my Air would be about $400.
 
S

Samuelsan2001

macrumors 604
Oct 24, 2013
7,729
2,153
I'd go with iMac

Zmmin3 said:
My current computers are:
Computer #1
2008 24" Imac 2.8 Core 2 Duo, ATI 2600 video card
I can still do lightroom 3 on it but any type of video editing is impossible.

Computer #2
mid 2011 13" MacAir.
It has a damaged screen in bottom right hand corner but is still usable. I hate for people to view photos on it.
It can do some video editing or a lil online gaming but the fans kick on high after a few minutes.

Now for $1,499 I could get a
refurbished 2013 27" iMac 3.2 quad, 1TB hard drive, Nvidia 755

Or a brand new 2015 13" retina macbook with the new 2.7 and the newer 256GB flash storage

Now even though the 2013 iMac is two years old,,, is the iMac still faster than the 2015 rMBP? Or does the new processor combined with the new SSD negate that?

1500 is really my upper limit I can afford. Just trying to figure out which is the better way to go. Hate to spend that on two year old technology when there is newer there.
Click to expand...

But try and get it with a fusion drive.... For fats boot up and app loading times.
 
Airboy1466

Airboy1466

macrumors 6502
Feb 23, 2015
326
31
Zmmin3 said:
My current computers are:
Computer #1
2008 24" Imac 2.8 Core 2 Duo, ATI 2600 video card
I can still do lightroom 3 on it but any type of video editing is impossible.

Computer #2
mid 2011 13" MacAir.
It has a damaged screen in bottom right hand corner but is still usable. I hate for people to view photos on it.
It can do some video editing or a lil online gaming but the fans kick on high after a few minutes.

Now for $1,499 I could get a
refurbished 2013 27" iMac 3.2 quad, 1TB hard drive, Nvidia 755

Or a brand new 2015 13" retina macbook with the new 2.7 and the newer 256GB flash storage

Now even though the 2013 iMac is two years old,,, is the iMac still faster than the 2015 rMBP? Or does the new processor combined with the new SSD negate that?

1500 is really my upper limit I can afford. Just trying to figure out which is the better way to go. Hate to spend that on two year old technology when there is newer there.
Click to expand...

As far as raw power goes the iMac blows the rMbp out of the water 8 cores clocked at 3.2 to the rMbp 4 cores clocked at 2.7 but if your comparing speed macbook wins all day whythe SSD so it comes down to do you need the power or speed if your used to the snappness of the air then go with the rMbp but if you honestly feel like your going to need all the extra power go with iMac
 
Velin

Velin

macrumors 68000
Jul 23, 2008
1,988
1,863
Hearst Castle
First, if you go with the iMac, you must replace that platter with an SSD, and unless you have skills and tools, you'll need to pay someone to do it.

That 1TB drive will be a real bottleneck to that iMac. I know firsthand because we have 2013 iMacs with both platters and full SSDs -- I refuse to work on the spinners. Especially if you are doing real work (compiling, data analysis, video editing), SSD is pretty mandatory.

If you need portability, then the Macboook. If you don't, a 2013 iMac with an SSD will be way more powerful.
 
T

troy14

macrumors 6502a
Mar 25, 2008
773
130
Las Vegas (Summerlin), NV
Zmmin3 said:
My current computers are:
Computer #1
2008 24" Imac 2.8 Core 2 Duo, ATI 2600 video card
I can still do lightroom 3 on it but any type of video editing is impossible.

Computer #2
mid 2011 13" MacAir.
It has a damaged screen in bottom right hand corner but is still usable. I hate for people to view photos on it.
It can do some video editing or a lil online gaming but the fans kick on high after a few minutes.

Now for $1,499 I could get a
refurbished 2013 27" iMac 3.2 quad, 1TB hard drive, Nvidia 755

Or a brand new 2015 13" retina macbook with the new 2.7 and the newer 256GB flash storage

Now even though the 2013 iMac is two years old,,, is the iMac still faster than the 2015 rMBP? Or does the new processor combined with the new SSD negate that?

1500 is really my upper limit I can afford. Just trying to figure out which is the better way to go. Hate to spend that on two year old technology when there is newer there.
Click to expand...



You already have the choices picked out. We can't help you decide if you want portability vs the convenience of having a desktop (I say convenience because of not plugging in power, bigger screen, etc.). Personally if I was doing business without anyone and they pulled out a laptop with a cracked screen to show me "professional" then I would most likely find someone else.
 
Z

Zmmin3

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 20, 2009
127
0
Theres been some good input here, thank you

Velin said:
First, if you go with the iMac, you must replace that platter with an SSD, and unless you have skills and tools, you'll need to pay someone to do it.

That 1TB drive will be a real bottleneck to that iMac. I know firsthand because we have 2013 iMacs with both platters and full SSDs -- I refuse to work on the spinners. Especially if you are doing real work (compiling, data analysis, video editing), SSD is pretty mandatory.

If you need portability, then the Macboook. If you don't, a 2013 iMac with an SSD will be way more powerful.
Click to expand...

Yeah I would love to have an SSD in the Imac but as option with Apple its crazy expensive even on refurbs.
I changed out the hard drive on my current 2008 mac with no problem so I think I could also probably do it on a 2013. Thing is, I just would not want to because I would want to keep warranty in place. My current mac is a refurbished and it had many probs the first couple of months. So I would want to keep the warranty in case of same. Once warranty was up I prob would install an SSD. As poster below posted I could use an external drive in mean time. I have read some threads here on that.

cheezeit said:
I was in the same boat and opted for the iMac and use my ssd in a TB enclosure.
Click to expand...

Are you running the OS on the external hard drive? What set up are you using?

troy14 said:
You already have the choices picked out. We can't help you decide if you want portability vs the convenience of having a desktop (I say convenience because of not plugging in power, bigger screen, etc.). Personally if I was doing business without anyone and they pulled out a laptop with a cracked screen to show me "professional" then I would most likely find someone else.
Click to expand...

Yes thats one of the reasons that steers me towards a laptop. Though I also have an Ipad Air with the retina, capable of displaying work.

So right now I am leaning toward the Imac. I know it wouldnt be as snappy as the rMBP but I know it would handle all the HD video and photo editing I would throw at it.
 
S

Samuelsan2001

macrumors 604
Oct 24, 2013
7,729
2,153
If you can wait....

Zmmin3 said:
Theres been some good input here, thank you



Yeah I would love to have an SSD in the Imac but as option with Apple its crazy expensive even on refurbs.
I changed out the hard drive on my current 2008 mac with no problem so I think I could also probably do it on a 2013. Thing is, I just would not want to because I would want to keep warranty in place. My current mac is a refurbished and it had many probs the first couple of months. So I would want to keep the warranty in case of same. Once warranty was up I prob would install an SSD. As poster below posted I could use an external drive in mean time. I have read some threads here on that.



Are you running the OS on the external hard drive? What set up are you using?



Yes thats one of the reasons that steers me towards a laptop. Though I also have an Ipad Air with the retina, capable of displaying work.

So right now I am leaning toward the Imac. I know it wouldnt be as snappy as the rMBP but I know it would handle all the HD video and photo editing I would throw at it.
Click to expand...

and save another $400, then this would be a better bet for you. Fusion and the 2gb 775 graphics, all you'll need for years...

http://store.apple.com/us/product/G0PG1LL/A/refurbished-27-inch-imac-34ghz-quad-core-Intel-Core-i5
 
L

LittleLuth

macrumors member
Oct 27, 2014
35
2
No spinners...

It has gotten where I cannot even do relatively basic data analysis with a machine equipped with a spinning hard drive - feels so slow... Also, in my painful experience the flash drives are way more reliable. That's just anecdotal but that's my experience and I am sitting in front of 3 Macs and 3 Windows machines working through some drive issues as I type this...
 
gnasher729

gnasher729

Suspended
Nov 25, 2005
17,980
5,565
If you _need_ an easily portable computer, you need the MBP. No choice. If you merely need a computer that can be transported and moved to another place, if you keep the box then it is five minutes to pack and five minutes to unpack.

I have the impression that what counts for you is raw CPU power. And the iMac has tons more of that, having a quad core processor at higher speed. And if you want to do any video work, 256 GB SSD is a bit tight. The other big plus is having a 27" monitor; that is a _huge_ advantage for photo and video work.

Some people have their mantra "must be SSD, must be SSD", but they didn't actually look at what you are doing. You need big screen, lots of CPU power, lots of storage, and that's what you get with the iMac.
 
C

CeratixD

macrumors member
Feb 17, 2013
32
0
The SSD is really important? I only use my computer for media, like video, music, browse, maybe some games (minecraft, sc 2, diablo 3). Once in a while I cut the size of some of my videos for more storage. For example when a video size is 2GB and I want to copy/paste to my table for watch it on the road.
 
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