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6 year computer: Late 2015 27" iMac 5k, 24GB RAM

mtbdudex

mtbdudex

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Aug 28, 2007
2,993
5,608
SE Michigan
Well;
I've gotten 6 years of near daily usage from my 2009 27" iMac, and now looking at the below.

Thoughts/comments?
Anyone else here have a similar machine , how do you like it?
I'm looking to get again 6 years from this machine ....
yep 2021!

27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display
  • 4.0GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 4.2GHz
  • 16GB 1867MHz DDR3 SDRAM - two 8GB
  • 3TB Fusion Drive
  • AMD Radeon R9 M395X with 4GB video memory
  • Magic Mouse 2 + Magic Trackpad 2
Click to expand...

For reference the 2009 27" iMac.
2009 iMac 27.jpg


[edit]
Ha, my bad it's iMac not imack, fat fingers
 
I would get 8GB and add a 16GB memory set from a 3rd party for a total of 24GB
Get a 500GB SSD for boot/OS/apps and minimum data. Data libraries would be on external drives...just like the one you need for Time Machine backups.
 
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Not a bad idea, but I like going to 32, as I did in my 2012 system. This makes Apple's first 32 only about $30 more than Crucial, et all.While that may seem like overkill, I've used it. I alway run 3 27" displays, which got me in the habit of always having a dozen plus apps running, and 30+ docs open... Because I can.... LOL




MCAsan said:
I would get 8GB and add a 16GB memory set from a 3rd party for a total of 24GB
Get a 500GB SSD for boot/OS/apps and minimum data. Data libraries would be on external drives...just like the one you need for Time Machine backups.
Click to expand...
 
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Think about where you will keep your data. Is 3TB large enough? Will it remain large enough over th life of the iMac?

With the info you've given no one here knows if your store option is the best for you.
 
ChrisA said:
Think about where you will keep your data. Is 3TB large enough? Will it remain large enough over th life of the iMac?

With the info you've given no one here knows if your store option is the best for you.
Click to expand...

Good point.

The 2009 iMac existing 2TB Hard drive is at 1.6TB used, it is back-up via Time Machine to a 2TB external drive.
I got a 12 TB NAS drive but not really using it ...

For simplicity I like to "live" off the internal hard drive, and have back-up off external hard drive.

If I do go with say 1 TB SDD can I also have a external HDD for my files (say a 3TB HD), then have both the internal and external drive back-up to Time Capsule via my 12TB NAS?
I have this one: http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=1180
wdfMyCloud_EX2.jpg

I just love using the interface of Time Capsule.
 
I have a 2007 iMac that's still kicking along just fine as the kids computer and an iTunes server. It's lost the "giddy up" to handle photo and video editing anymore. In my experience (vice any spec grumbling), iMacs have been solid computers. My one bit of advice is go big and go early on the HDD in an iMac. Every time you tear down the computer to swap in a new internal HDD or SSD you risk messing something up. I like the idea of an SSD on the inside and everything else on external storage.

And...yes you can have multiple drives backed up by Time Machine to multiple external drives you just have to have everything connected and powered up when TM is running.
 
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I would go full SSD for sure. Will be much snappier, along with reducing heat and vibration in the machine. For storage I would get a nice external drive, or setup a storage server.
 
I'm listening to the advice given - thx all, tweaked my order and new strategy is:
1) 512GB SSD
2) add 16GB via 3rd party module, 32GB should be sufficient thru 2021 , hopefully
3) External HD for storage, I'll get a new 4-5 TB HD for $125 , even with higher density camera sensors and 4k video clips this should suffice for a few years
4) My existing 12TB NAS will be the TimeMachine HD backup for this and my other 3 mac's, plus server for other "stuff"

Summary
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display
  • 4.0GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 4.2GHz
  • 16GB 1867MHz DDR3 SDRAM - two 8GB
  • 512GB Flash Storage
  • AMD Radeon R9 M395X with 4GB video memory
  • Magic Mouse 2 + Magic Trackpad 2
Click to expand...

I'll place the order vie education discount side, as my wife is elementary teacher
 
I have the exact same iMac (2009 i7) and am upgrading to almost the same model as you but upped the RAM to 32GB. I am looking forward to it's arrival. I think there will be a day or two when the two beasts will be sitting on my desk beside each other....I may have to take a picture ;)
 
I'm also using a 2009 iMac i7 with a 2 TB HD and just upgraded the RAM to 32 GB (it works even though it's not officially supported). I'm planning on keeping it until I can order an iMac with significantly more SSD capacity. Samsung recently announced a 16 TB SSD using 48-layer 3D TLC NAND, so it's only a matter of time until they are widely available. Even having a 4 TB SSD would be a great step up from what is available in a new iMac today. Fusion drives are a stopgap solution in my opinion...
 
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OP wrote:
"If I do go with say 1 TB SDD..."

If you have the money to burn by paying Apple the upgrade cost of a 1tb SSD, go for it.

I wouldn't...
 
500GB SDD gives you plenty of room for boot/OS/apps/caches..etc. Put your library of files (document, movies, photos, music) on cheap large external drives. Be sure to plan the backup of the entire file system.
 
OP, don't forget that the fusion drive does exactly what MCAsan is advising - Apps, OS & caches on SSD & the rest goes on the HDD, but it does it for you! - I have a 2012 iMac with 3tb Fusion which is used for Photo & video editing & a Macbook Pro with a pure 512gb SSD - I've never noticed a speed drop by using the Fusion drive - IT JUST WORKS & is very convenient!

Personally I would recommend a 3tb Fusion for system & your general user files, & an external RAID Thunderbolt drive for your images & important stuff.
 
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coldsweat said:
OP, don't forget that the fusion drive does exactly what MCAsan is advising - Apps, OS & caches on SSD & the rest goes on the HDD, but it does it for you! - I have a 2012 iMac with 3tb Fusion which is used for Photo & video editing & a Macbook Pro with a pure 512gb SSD - I've never noticed a speed drop by using the Fusion drive - IT JUST WORKS & is very convenient!

Personally I would recommend a 3tb Fusion for system & your general user files, & an external RAID Thunderbolt drive for your images & important stuff.
Click to expand...
I also have the Fusion drive on a 2012 iMac. Never noticed an issue with slowness.
 
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Did anyone pick up a M395 or 395x?

I pre-ordered an i7, 512 SSD, M295X but I'm thinking about canceling and going with the 395 instead and saving 250 bucks.

No sure if 2GB more of Vram is really that important. The performance in games according to benchmark doe snot show reason to spend the extra money
 
ChrisA said:
Think about where you will keep your data. Is 3TB large enough? Will it remain large enough over th life of the iMac?

With the info you've given no one here knows if your store option is the best for you.
Click to expand...

1TB to 3TB internal is large enough, but I would buy a Plugable (or another brand) docking station, and a couple of SATA 2TB or larger internal hard drives (internal drives without enclosures) to "plug" into the UAB station. The idea is to keep the cluster out of the iMac's internal hard drive. SATA drives are relatively cheap nowadays, somewhere around $89.00 for 3TB.
 
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I went to the Apple Store yesterday by where I work in Novi, Michigan. To pick the brains of the Apple salespeople there. I told them exactly this discussion here, SSD vs Fusion drive. That to make a purchase decision, while its nice and good to have subjective reviews of experiences, as an engineer I desire some objective fact based side-side comparison tables to show me the true speed benefit of SSD over Fusion drive.
Told them to close the sale on my purchase, right then and there, if they could show it to me I'd buy either way. He could not. Another guy was right with me wanting exactly same answer.
So, since Apple did not have that objective data anyone aware of it elsewhere?

Great thread right here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ssd-vs-fusion-drive-imac.1846485/
 
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Also, is the HDMI of these fully HDMI 2.0 and hdcp 2.2 compliant? That's key for 4K / UHD video output.
 
I should explain the logic of my earlier post a bit more... my issue with Fusion drives isn't about speed as much as it is about capacity and reliability. In 2009, Apple's 27" iMac offered 2 TB hard drives, which were the highest-capacity hard drive available to consumers at the time. 3 TB drives were on the market by 2010. Now, the greatest drive capacity commercially available to consumers is 8 TB, and yet Apple is still only offering 3 TB as the highest drive capacity in their highest-end iMac. From a capacity standpoint, it is five years out of date right out of the box. In addition to the capacity issue, there is reliability to consider. If either the SSD or HD part of the Fusion drive breaks, the drive contents are in jeopardy. I would prefer to avoid that scenario. From a performance and reliability standpoint I would prefer to avoid a traditional hard drive, so by process of elimination that leaves SSD as the sole option I’d like to consider. Being that 2 TB SSDs are on the market now, it is only a matter of time until 4 TB SSDs are available. Once that option is available to purchase as a single drive, I will likely upgrade to a new computer.
 
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