2019 i5 iMac 5k or M1 Mac Mini

[MilesMurray]

Hi all,

I am faced with a dilemma. I potentially have the opportunity to purchase my previous employers iMac that I used while there - a 2019 27" 5k i5 3.1 with 40GB ram - just awaiting confirmation of price, but anticipating c.£800 OR, do I splash out a little more (this would be more of a stretch financially, but could probably just about do it) and go for a M1 Mac Mini with 16GB Ram for £1099?

Additional info;
Already have 4k screen, keyboard etc if going Mac Mini
I have a Razer Core X w/ Radeon RX580 8GB I could use with the iMac - current understanding is that eGPU's are not supported on M1. I could sell this to help equalise the purchase cost difference.
I mainly work in Adobe CC InD/Ill/Photoshop (large format images).

So, 2019 iMac @ £800 v 2021 M1 Mac Mini @ £1099...

 

[mdgm]

Does the iMac have a HDD, a Fusion Drive or a SSD boot drive?

Adobe just released Native M1 versions of InDesign and Illustrator: https://www.macrumors.com/2021/06/08/adobe-creative-cloud-native-m1-apps/

Photoshop has been running on Apple Silicon since March, but with some known limitations: https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/photoshop-for-apple-silicon.html

I think the M1 would probably be the more future proof option. However if you can get a good deal on the old machine and if Native M1 apps have limitations that would seriously impact your workflow the iMac could be a good option. If you have to run the CC apps in Rosetta for your workflow that would greatly diminish or perhaps even eliminate any advantages for going with Apple Silicon.

eGPUs are not supported on the M1.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Hi all,

I am faced with a dilemma. I potentially have the opportunity to purchase my previous employers iMac that I used while there - a 2019 27" 5k i5 3.1 with 40GB ram - just awaiting confirmation of price, but anticipating c.£800 OR, do I splash out a little more (this would be more of a stretch financially, but could probably just about do it) and go for a M1 Mac Mini with 16GB Ram for £1099?

Additional info;
Already have 4k screen, keyboard etc if going Mac Mini
I have a Razer Core X w/ Radeon RX580 8GB I could use with the iMac - current understanding is that eGPU's are not supported on M1. I could sell this to help equalise the purchase cost difference.
I mainly work in Adobe CC InD/Ill/Photoshop (large format images).

So, 2019 iMac @ £800 v 2021 M1 Mac Mini @ £1099...

Pricewise, this is a no brainer issue, isn't it?

I would definitely go for the iMac.

Then sell it for better money and buy the Mac Mini.....(LOL).

Or not.

Where I live, the iMac 2019 i5 is offered for roughly £1000.

 

[MilesMurray]

@mdgm @Nguyen Duc Hieu
Thank you both very much for your responses. Buying then selling on the iMac is certainly an interesting option, as I would get it at a good price now - but I am still waiting for confirmation on how much it would be - and not going to hang around forever.

Interesting the Adobe apps were updated for M1's - certainly brings the Mac Mini into play a lot more. From the reviews I have seen, the performance is far superior to the Intel models full stop.

I guess it begs the question whether the 16GB RAM and GPU would be sufficient - but have seen that this shouldnt be an issue driving a 27" 4K display smoothly and the Adobe Suite of apps.

I guess I am just apprehensive about jumping on the 1st gen of anything new, but havent seen any horror stories at all! Fun times!