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The_Apothecary

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 26, 2016
15
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Hi

I am buying a new 27" iMac

Im seeing ALOT of mixed comments on the "Skylake" Processor situation / update.

Should I purchase one now? Or wait a few months for an update?

Any comments much appreciated.
 
Yeah that's what im thinking, but I can't find anything official from Apple Confirming this.

Anyone got a link?
 
Hi

I am buying a new 27" iMac

Im seeing ALOT of mixed comments on the "Skylake" Processor situation / update.

Should I purchase one now? Or wait a few months for an update?

Any comments much appreciated.

There should be a significant video card update this fall, I'd highly recommend updating then (and during back-to school).
 
"should be" ? where did you hear this? (not being rude).

I'd be buying the one with:
  • AMD Radeon R9 M390 with 2GB video memory
Pretty sure this would be fine.
I'm not doing Video Editing or anything.
And probably minimal gaming.
 
Appreciate any reassurance.

Using it most of the Creative Cloud Adobe suite, (except Video Editing)
Maybe some Blizzard games.
 
"should be" ? where did you hear this? (not being rude).

I'd be buying the one with:
  • AMD Radeon R9 M390 with 2GB video memory
Pretty sure this would be fine.
I'm not doing Video Editing or anything.
And probably minimal gaming.

NVIDIA and AMD are both releasing new GPUs in the next couple of months, and this is the biggest update for years as they move from 28nm to 14/16nm. Preview of GTX 1080 performance is available here.

However, an update isn't expected anytime soon. Apple will likely wait until Intel's Kaby Lake CPUs ship later this year, so an update is expected in the fall. I wouldn't start playing the waiting game now because you may very well end up waiting 4-6 months for an update that practically doesn't do anything for you given your relatively light usage.
 
Totally depends on what functions/features are important to you. I am likely moving from rMBP to iMac as my main machine later this year. I definitely want an iMac that has the Alpine Ridge chipset with USB-C, USB 3.1 high speed, TB3, and DDR-4. Of those DDR-4 would likely one feature that I could not tell from DDR-3 in practice. Still when I make the leap, I want a platform that should be good to go for many years.

Once we hear about when new iMacs are coming and what will change, such as Alpine Ridge chipset and maybe new GPUs, then I can look at the prices from the new machines and any bargains on late 2015 machines. For example there is at least one model of early 2015 iMac you can get for around $900 off. Lets all hope all the news at WWDC will be nice surprizes.

http://prices.appleinsider.com/#Current_Generation
 
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yeah, think I'm going to go ahead, at the end of the day, Apple will always be 'updating' their hardware and products.
so waiting is pointless.

I think if you can hold out a few more months, it'll be worth the wait for 2 reasons:

1.) The iMac's design is long overdue for an update. The current case design is pushing 4 years old, and aside from the thinner back, the front-face of it has gone unchanged since 2009!

2.) The shift away from legacy USB 2.0/3.0 and Thunderbolt 1&2 ports (based on the miniDisplayPort connector) is happening this year. USB-C is taking over along with Thunderbolt 3 equipped USB-C ports.

The combination of these two factors makes it very likely Apple will introduce a brand new iMac design later this fall that will incorporate USB-C and Thunderbolt 3. That machine would be worth the wait both aesthetically and functionally given that USB-C is the future for desktop computing peripherals.
 
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Hmm those 2 features / potential upgrades, personally, aren't worth my wait.
1.) the design is fine, and won't make any overall impact. they don't have to update the design.
2.) USB ports, interesting. But once again a small upgrade.

Really appreciate your input though, cheers.
 
2.) The shift away from legacy USB 2.0/3.0 and Thunderbolt 1&2 ports (based on the miniDisplayPort connector) is happening this year. USB-C is taking over along with Thunderbolt 3 equipped USB-C ports.

And knowing Apple they will do something like pull the current dual thunderbolt 2 and quad USB3 ports and replace it with a single USB-C port with the justification that it supports daisy changing devices, and if you need those other ports you can just buy a hub (that won't be supported as it's 3rd party hardware).
 
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On the Apple Website...

Is there anyway to figure the "Middle Option iMac" with the 4GB Raedon Video Card??

It seems only the Highest Spec iMac has the option to upgrade with the 4GB Raedon??

But I really don't need the 2TB Fusion Drive, 1TB is plenty as i have externals HD's too.
And the Processors are basically the same in comparison (Middle Option to Highest Option)
 
Nope, I just checked. Only available on the higher end model...

On the Apple Website...

Is there anyway to figure the "Middle Option iMac" with the 4GB Raedon Video Card??

It seems only the Highest Spec iMac has the option to upgrade with the 4GB Raedon??

But I really don't need the 2TB Fusion Drive, 1TB is plenty as i have externals HD's too.
And the Processors are basically the same in comparison (Middle Option to Highest Option)
 
anyone know the reason for this^ ?

Looks like I'm just going ahead with the AMD Radeon R9 M390 with 2GB video memory
 
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anyone know the reason for this^ ?

Looks like I'm just going ahead with the AMD Radeon R9 M390 with 2GB video memory

A lot of Apple's attempt to keep a larger profit margins is by building a limited amount of parts. The mid model uses the M390 while top uses the 395 or 395X, which has different VRAM configurations. You can justify this by your level of graphics processing demand and graphics texture use demand. If you want to compare them, you can reference this link:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html
There is a learning curve to go with how this is used, but unless you're running really large graphics loading games, the 390 will do ok.

If you really want a high end graphics card, I would wait this cycle due to the die shrink and the control of the temp in regards to the voltage increase on the new nVidia and ATI cards. In real world, I think we could get up to 1.5x the performance of the equivalent cards due to this upgrade, but both companies are claiming closer to 2x. Again, this is only if you are a gamer, if not, the current models are excellent.
 
Thanks yeah, i don't think i really need the 395 4GB Raedon Card.

I'm also just opting for the
  • 3.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
Which i think should be fine for Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Muse and Lightroom.
And the odd Blizzard Game.
 
Thanks yeah, i don't think i really need the 395 4GB Raedon Card.

I'm also just opting for the
  • 3.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
Which i think should be fine for Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Muse and Lightroom.
And the odd Blizzard Game.
I don't know what you do on photoshop, but my past requirements on large panoramic stitching was a high amount of ram...you don't need to buy that from apple...and high cpu power while processing. The i7 might help, but it might not. The lower end video card is more than enough to handle your demand, so I would recommend this year's model. It's up to you to justify the cost of an upgraded CPU, and we're only talking a little bit of time cost (maybe a couple of hours across the life of the machine). In your shoes, i5 would be enough. If you did video encoding, I'd definitely go with an i7 at the least.

Now if you want to save money, I'd start looking into the refurbished models as they are scrutinized more than the originals. Buy with a credit card (american express preferably) and get the apple care. Credit cards gives you and extra year on top of what it has. Apple's credit system does not cover that :(

Any way you go from here, I think you have what you need. Enjoy!
 
A lot of Apple's attempt to keep a larger profit margins is by building a limited amount of parts. The mid model uses the M390 while top uses the 395 or 395X, which has different VRAM configurations. You can justify this by your level of graphics processing demand and graphics texture use demand. If you want to compare them, you can reference this link:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html
There is a learning curve to go with how this is used, but unless you're running really large graphics loading games, the 390 will do ok.

If you really want a high end graphics card, I would wait this cycle due to the die shrink and the control of the temp in regards to the voltage increase on the new nVidia and ATI cards. In real world, I think we could get up to 1.5x the performance of the equivalent cards due to this upgrade, but both companies are claiming closer to 2x. Again, this is only if you are a gamer, if not, the current models are excellent.

I use my computer for e-mail, surfing the net and very light photo editing. I like things to happen as soon as I click on something. Sometimes sooner. I'm currently using a Mac Mini which works find but I want to move up to a 5K iMac. Realistically, would I notice a different between a current mid-level iMac (M390 with the i5 or i7 processor) and what we might see later this year? The current iMac will probably be a noticeable difference over what I'm currently using.
 
1T has small ssd vs 2T
You should wait like others said. Gpu even with the 2gb vram will be very important upgrade with over 60% boost in performance. The price will be probably better for ssd and gpu. Usb-c with tb3 is the future. Ddr4etc but hey if you keep your imac just for 1 or 2 years you are ok
Also the speakers should be improved this year as well
 
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I am buying a new 27" iMac
Any comments much appreciated.
Me too! About to purchase the same model as you, except I'm upgrading to 16GB of Ram.

Purchasing:
iMac 27 5k, 390, 16GB, 1T, wired keyboard w/ numeric pad

Tech is evolving so fast, I try not to fall vicim to the 'wait for the perfect equipment' paralysis.
The only way I'd wait, is if something very specific I needed was absolutely coming out next week.
 
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