Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Purchasing guidance

H

historyteacher

macrumors member
Original poster
May 23, 2010
90
5
Hey all,

I know there are a ton of threads out there regarding purchasing assistance (I have read most of them). I was hoping to ask some specific questions to people that perhaps know more about the requirements of computing than I do.

I currently have a 2008 white Macbook. Awesome machine...still works great, just running out of HD space and I would like to have something that will run a little more speedy and would like to gain all of the great features that multitouch trackpads and Mountain Lion offer.

I think I will be moving to a desktop (iMac) due to the fact that we have an office in our new house and the laptop primarily sits on the couch. I do not need to have portability for work. (I am planning on keeping the Macbook after purchase of the iMac to have a wiped clean internet surfing laptop).

What I do on a computer:
-iTunes
-iMovie
-iPhoto
-would like to be able to run windows in boot camp (hope I got that terminology correct) for some programs I use at work and to troubleshoot for others
-program called Smart Notebook (some of you may know what that is)

Looking at getting the 21.5 in. model iMac.

Questions:

1. Not sure that I need the upgrade to 16GB ram, but I also understand that it is not user upgradeable at a later date.

2. Love the idea of a fusion drive if it makes programs and such open faster (somewhat impatient when it comes to that stuff, hence the upgrade from my current computer)

3. Would the base model be a sufficient processor?

Thanks for all your help! It is always appreciated.

Mike
 
talmy

talmy

macrumors 601
Oct 26, 2009
4,726
332
Oregon
historyteacher said:
1. Not sure that I need the upgrade to 16GB ram, but I also understand that it is not user upgradeable at a later date.
Click to expand...

Frankly, 4GB would be more than sufficient. 8GB will give plenty of breathing room. 16GB is overkill.

2. Love the idea of a fusion drive if it makes programs and such open faster (somewhat impatient when it comes to that stuff, hence the upgrade from my current computer)
Click to expand...

Yes it will. You can also keep apps open all the time and make use of sleep to minimize/eliminate the startup time.

3. Would the base model be a sufficient processor?
Click to expand...

Yes. It will be much faster than your current MacBook.

I also suggest you look at using a virtual machine (I use Parallels) instead of BootCamp. This way OS X is always running and it's easy to share data between Windows and OS X (you can even copy and paste between them). You will also get the advantage of the Fusion drive under Windows (you don't with BootCamp). Downside is more RAM usage, but 8GB is still plenty.
 
H

historyteacher

macrumors member
Original poster
May 23, 2010
90
5
Awesome. Thank you for the advice. That is what I needed. I am one of those people that knows just enough to get in trouble by thinking I need more than I do.
 
rkaufmann87

rkaufmann87

macrumors 68000
Dec 17, 2009
1,760
39
Folsom, CA
historyteacher said:
Awesome. Thank you for the advice. That is what I needed. I am one of those people that knows just enough to get in trouble by thinking I need more than I do.
Click to expand...

Totally disagree about the RAM on the 21.5" iMac. Your needs may change and the 21.5" cannot have the RAM upgraded, therefore it is extremely wise to buy 16GB for possible future needs.
 
haddy

haddy

macrumors 6502a
Nov 5, 2012
513
211
NZ
rkaufmann87;17153154 Your needs may change and the 21.5" cannot have the RAM upgraded said:
Totally agree with this ........ 16GB RAM is definitely not "overkill". Get it while you can.
I have 32GB RAM on my 27" dream machine.
Click to expand...
 
B

Bear

macrumors G3
Jul 23, 2002
8,088
5
Sol III - Terra
rkaufmann87 said:
Totally disagree about the RAM on the 21.5" iMac. Your needs may change and the 21.5" cannot have the RAM upgraded, therefore it is extremely wise to buy 16GB for possible future needs.
Click to expand...
I also agree with this. And if you do use windows in a virtual machine, this becomes a very good idea and not just future proofing.
 
talmy

talmy

macrumors 601
Oct 26, 2009
4,726
332
Oregon
OK. Everyone is jumping in saying 16GB is not overkill. I'll agree it's relatively cheap "insurance" but the OP would actually get by fine with 4GB of RAM so 8GB gives a 2X expansion as it is. I consider myself a heavy user and frequently will have open simultaneously 1. A Windows 7 virtual machine, 2. Keynote, 3. iShowU Pro (screen video capture), 4. Safari, 5. multiple preview windows, 6. DropBox, Hazel, CrashPlan, and who-knows-what-else running in the background, and 7. FinalCutPro X and I never go above 5 GB used on my 8GB iMac.

If it isn't enough and does swap, if the OP gets the Fusion Drive, that will minimize the effect. We have a MacBook Air with 2GB running Mountain Lion that runs just fine with all of the iLife and iWork apps and Safari. It doesn't have any "heavy" software installed.
 
B

Bear

macrumors G3
Jul 23, 2002
8,088
5
Sol III - Terra
talmy said:
OK. Everyone is jumping in saying 16GB is not overkill. I'll agree it's relatively cheap "insurance" but the OP would actually get by fine with 4GB of RAM so 8GB gives a 2X expansion as it is.
...
Click to expand...
I;m not sure 4GB will fall under gets by fine with iMovie in the mix. Also if they do go with Windows in a virtual machine, 4GB is nowhere near enough for a smooth operation since you need to give windows 7 a decent chunk of memory. Also software tends to use more memory with new versions since the machines have the memory available.

Also fortunately 8GB is the minimum an iMac comes with now so someone won't get stuck with a 4GB iMac with issues in a couple of years.
 
Acorn

Acorn

macrumors 68030
Jan 2, 2009
2,642
349
macrumors
just using 8 gb on my imac was causing page outs using windows virtual machine. yes it runs but it does page out which clearly shows its not enough ram. I bumped it up to 32gb. if he can afford 16 gb of ram i think he should.
 
talmy

talmy

macrumors 601
Oct 26, 2009
4,726
332
Oregon
The amount of memory for the VM is, of course, adjustable. If you are only running the VM for a specific application (the OP sites the use of several Windows-only applications) then the VM memory can be sized appropriately.

For instance, I only run a few Electrical Engineering CAD programs, the largest of which recommends 1GB of RAM. I set the size to 1.5 GB. It was tight running on my old white MacBook with 4GB, but swapping was not a problem. With the standard 8GB on the iMacs, RAM is not an issue at all. My server system (Mac Mini with Snow Leopard Server) has 4GB of RAM and runs (24/7) Parallels to run Quicken (VM size set to 1GB), iTunes, Plex Server, CrashPlan, SuperDuper!, and about a dozen server functions.
 
crjackson2134

crjackson2134

macrumors 601
Mar 6, 2013
4,823
1,948
Charlotte, NC
Historyteacher,

I've been at this game for roughly 30 years, my roots go back to the Univac 90/40 Main Frame and up. I'm new to Mac's but not Nix. One thing has always been true through the years. Get as much RAM as you can afford and you won't regret it. Seriously, we can all get by on less, but listen to what MOST of the responders are telling you. This IS a case where more is better.
 
J

jg321

macrumors 6502
Aug 29, 2012
313
10
UK
crjackson2134 said:
Get as much RAM as you can afford and you won't regret it. Seriously, we can all get by on less, but listen to what MOST of the responders are telling you. This IS a case where more is better.
Click to expand...

This. If it were user upgradable then yeah sure I'd say see how you get on, but it's not, and you're likely to have this machine for many years. I'd say max it. 4GB is soon going to feel like very little RAM.
 
H

historyteacher

macrumors member
Original poster
May 23, 2010
90
5
Thanks to everybody who has responded. You all are a huge help! I totally prefer this forum for guidance over an apple store blue shirt wonder.

Talmy, I get what your saying, but if $180 is going to guarantee my performance for as long as possible I will probably go that route and get the 16 GB as many have stated.

Follow up if I may, how come the 21.5 doesn't have user upgradeable memory? Would make life so much easier!


Thanks!
 
crjackson2134

crjackson2134

macrumors 601
Mar 6, 2013
4,823
1,948
Charlotte, NC
historyteacher said:
Thanks to everybody who has responded. You all are a huge help! I totally prefer this forum for guidance over an apple store blue shirt wonder.

Talmy, I get what your saying, but if $180 is going to guarantee my performance for as long as possible I will probably go that route and get the 16 GB as many have stated.

Follow up if I may, how come the 21.5 doesn't have user upgradeable memory? Would make life so much easier!


Thanks!
Click to expand...

That's a question for Apple :)
 
Macsonic

Macsonic

macrumors 68000
Sep 6, 2009
1,706
97
historyteacher said:
Follow up if I may, how come the 21.5 doesn't have user upgradeable memory? Would make life so much easier!

Thanks!
Click to expand...

The 21.5" iMac's ram being not upgradeable as far as I know is because of smaller space limitations so Apple decided to have the ram permanently adhered to the logicboard. If you anticipate your task demands will increase later on, might as well get the 27" so you can upgrade the ram.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom