Hello!
I'm hoping to get some honest opinions from the folks here about my plan to buy an iMac and sell my MBP. I have the mid-2012 Retina, Intel Core i7 2.3 GHz, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB flash HD (purchased from Best Buy shortly after the Retinas were first released, so no upgrades or customizations). I've been absolutely thrilled with it, and actually still am for the most part... just a few minor complaints. I'm a freelance designer that works at home, and although there was a time that I needed the portability of a laptop, now I'm thinking I'd like to have one of those massive iMac displays instead. But I'll need to sell my laptop to help pay for it.
The thing is, I'm afraid I won't be able to afford an iMac that works at least as well (or better) than my current laptop. I am accustomed to the speed of the flash hard drive - which I've nearly filled to capacity. (I do have a 2 TB external hard drive that I use for backups and storing files I'll probably never need again.) I looked at the 21.5" and the 27" at Best Buy last night, and I haven't even decided which size I like better, but I'm also thoroughly confused by the different processors offered. I think all of the 2013 iMacs have the Haswell processors, but what do "Core i5" and "Core i7" mean, and what about the different GHz options? I guess I'm asking... would any of the new iMac processor options be better/faster than the one I currently have, no matter which one I choose? Or is that not as important as the RAM and/or the Fusion drive? I'm already accustomed to 8 GB RAM, and as I mentioned before, I'm accustomed to a flash hard drive. I'm really spoiled on how fast the Creative Suite applications open. So... is it an absolute must for me to at least get the Fusion drive?
Basically, my question is what are the minimum specs I should be looking for in order to not feel like I've downgraded once I move from the laptop to a new iMac? I've accepted the loss of the Retina display already - mine has three of those glowing white spots (mura), plus it does that ghosting stuff that really gets on my nerves. I've also thought about just getting a Thunderbolt display and keeping the laptop, but that set up is just not what I really want.
Anyway, thanks for any advice!
I'm hoping to get some honest opinions from the folks here about my plan to buy an iMac and sell my MBP. I have the mid-2012 Retina, Intel Core i7 2.3 GHz, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB flash HD (purchased from Best Buy shortly after the Retinas were first released, so no upgrades or customizations). I've been absolutely thrilled with it, and actually still am for the most part... just a few minor complaints. I'm a freelance designer that works at home, and although there was a time that I needed the portability of a laptop, now I'm thinking I'd like to have one of those massive iMac displays instead. But I'll need to sell my laptop to help pay for it.
The thing is, I'm afraid I won't be able to afford an iMac that works at least as well (or better) than my current laptop. I am accustomed to the speed of the flash hard drive - which I've nearly filled to capacity. (I do have a 2 TB external hard drive that I use for backups and storing files I'll probably never need again.) I looked at the 21.5" and the 27" at Best Buy last night, and I haven't even decided which size I like better, but I'm also thoroughly confused by the different processors offered. I think all of the 2013 iMacs have the Haswell processors, but what do "Core i5" and "Core i7" mean, and what about the different GHz options? I guess I'm asking... would any of the new iMac processor options be better/faster than the one I currently have, no matter which one I choose? Or is that not as important as the RAM and/or the Fusion drive? I'm already accustomed to 8 GB RAM, and as I mentioned before, I'm accustomed to a flash hard drive. I'm really spoiled on how fast the Creative Suite applications open. So... is it an absolute must for me to at least get the Fusion drive?
Basically, my question is what are the minimum specs I should be looking for in order to not feel like I've downgraded once I move from the laptop to a new iMac? I've accepted the loss of the Retina display already - mine has three of those glowing white spots (mura), plus it does that ghosting stuff that really gets on my nerves. I've also thought about just getting a Thunderbolt display and keeping the laptop, but that set up is just not what I really want.
Anyway, thanks for any advice!