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Buying a New 27" iMac
- Thread starter The_Apothecary
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Sounds like we're buying the same, you going i5 or i7?
I ended up going with these specs:
- 3.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor
- 16GB
- 1TB Fusion Drive
- AMD Radeon R9 M390 with 2GB video memory
- Retina 5K
- Wired keyboard w/numeric pad
haha what the hell. i posted on here to get thoughts and feedback on what spec to buy.
RAM through Apple? More expensive yeah, but oh well. ease of access i guess.
1TB Fusion? I didn't see anywhere on the Apple Website that it said the 2TB Fusion's are Solid State or more powerful.
1TB = 24GB of Fast Flash and 2TB = 128 GB of Fast Flash, is this what you're getting at?
I would've gone with 8GB of RAM and 2TB Fusion Drive instead. RAM is easy to upgrade afterwards and it's much cheaper to do so. The 1TB Fusion Drive only has a 24GB SSD, which is better than a hard drive, but it won't give you the same true SSD feeling.
righto then, i'll think about ordering the: 3.3GHz i5, 2TB Fusion Drive, Radeon R9 M395 spec then.
*thumbs up*
*thumbs up*
Definitely opt for the 2TB fusion, if it fits your budget.
Reason being, as soon as the 24GB SSD space of the 1TB fusion is full, it will run just as slow as a normal spinning hard drive for loading files which are not on the SSD-part, from my understanding. Basically, add the OS and the 1TB model SSD is full already. The point of the Fusion is that your most used applications, files and other is stored on the SSD making it quick to access - so the 2TB is a much better choice.
RAM can always be upgraded afterwards. You simply pop open a latch in the back. No need to pay the ridiculous Apple prices for RAM.
Good choice ordering now.
Reason being, as soon as the 24GB SSD space of the 1TB fusion is full, it will run just as slow as a normal spinning hard drive for loading files which are not on the SSD-part, from my understanding. Basically, add the OS and the 1TB model SSD is full already. The point of the Fusion is that your most used applications, files and other is stored on the SSD making it quick to access - so the 2TB is a much better choice.
RAM can always be upgraded afterwards. You simply pop open a latch in the back. No need to pay the ridiculous Apple prices for RAM.
Good choice ordering now.
He said it in probably a much nicer way than I ever could've ;pDefinitely opt for the 2TB fusion, if it fits your budget.
Reason being, as soon as the 24GB SSD space of the 1TB fusion is full, it will run just as slow as a normal spinning hard drive for loading files which are not on the SSD-part, from my understanding. Basically, add the OS and the 1TB model SSD is full already. The point of the Fusion is that your most used applications, files and other is stored on the SSD making it quick to access - so the 2TB is a much better choice.
RAM can always be upgraded afterwards. You simply pop open a latch in the back. No need to pay the ridiculous Apple prices for RAM.
Good choice ordering now.
But it is exactly true. RAM can be upgraded at any time. You pop open the door in the back. Can put whatever RAM you want in.
I think you can buy the same RAM Apple uses and I know it ends up being much cheaper.
It seems you've fallen into the trap of "Oh, well it's pretty good, so I don't need better".
No.
Just because something seems good doesn't mean there isn't better. There is better, and better is always better than what you had before. No exceptions to that.
I originally had a 21" 1TB HDD iMac and added a 128GB blade to make a 1.1TB FD - I can't give you figures but I can say the performance was night and day.
I later upgraded to a 27" 1TB HDD iMac. This time I added a 240GB blade to make a 1.2TB FD. Again, there was a noticeable performance bump. In both cases they were 2012 models - processor was 2.9 i5 with 16GB RAM.
No way would I buy the ridiculous 1.02TB FD that Apple currently sell.
I later upgraded to a 27" 1TB HDD iMac. This time I added a 240GB blade to make a 1.2TB FD. Again, there was a noticeable performance bump. In both cases they were 2012 models - processor was 2.9 i5 with 16GB RAM.
No way would I buy the ridiculous 1.02TB FD that Apple currently sell.
Nice that's the model I have and to be honest, I love it. Its been a great computer. Good luck
having an SSD would cover 90% of what you want. The processor takes care of the rest. Between the current model and the newer model, I don't think you'll see any difference. Also, you can upgrade to a SSD like I did with my current 2007 iMac and 2011 macbook pro. Having enough memory to avoid caching will help too...around 8GB currently works fine.
Oh the pressure. It is nice that people offer opinions and such, but being rude and demanding someone to do what YOU want, with their money, is wrong.
Regardless, some of the tips presented here are rather informative...
Regardless, some of the tips presented here are rather informative...
yeah i understand that the 2TB is obviously a better option than the 1TB.
But for what I'm doing (Indesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Muse etc) the 1TB should be fine with 16GB of Ram
It's not for commercial use either. Just personal stuff.
But for what I'm doing (Indesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Muse etc) the 1TB should be fine with 16GB of Ram
It's not for commercial use either. Just personal stuff.
I am worried by some of the above posts.
I do believe that they have prejudiced ideas based upon their own preconceived ideas of what other people want.
I really do think that some of the advice given above is causing others to unnecessary spend more than they wanted.
I don't often post, but there's been too much misadvice given about the 1tb Fusion Drive. It really is enough for average (ie normal) needs.
I do believe that they have prejudiced ideas based upon their own preconceived ideas of what other people want.
I really do think that some of the advice given above is causing others to unnecessary spend more than they wanted.
I don't often post, but there's been too much misadvice given about the 1tb Fusion Drive. It really is enough for average (ie normal) needs.
That's certainly your opinion, but I do think that 24GB of flash storage is inadequate and many tasks will be noticeably slower. There's a lot less fast flash storage compared to the 2TB (and beyond) Fusion drive, that it just cannot hold that much.
When spending 2,000+ for a new computer, I think its a mistake to cut corners on a product that will make the computer feel slower then it actually is. Sure many people are happy with the 1TB Fusion drive, but that doesn't change the fact that people will get better results on 2TB Fusion drive, as more information will be on the SSD portion of the Fusion drive thus giving better performance.
I don't want to labour the point - absolutely spend your money on what you want. As long as you understand just why the 2TB FD is better than 1TB FD - ie the SSD portion is 5 X the size of the 1TB! Your whole user experience will be better, not just an extra TB of storage..
Hi guys! I have been doing a lot of HD video work with my 2011 27" iMac and editing (FCPX) has been mostly pleasant (no big lagging issues etc.). Now that I've shot 4K for some time the need to update my system has grown a lot. It seems that for 4K video work I would need: i7 processor, at least 4 GB of GPU and preferably a true SSD drive. Any opinions on this? What am I missing if I choose to go with i5 processor? I get from this thread that I definitely should wait for the upcoming 27" iMac models since the rumored significant upgrades on graphics performances.
You do need that 2tb option the 1tb only has a paltry 24gb of SSD space and is nowhere near as good as the 128gb SSD found in the 2tb fusion for keeping your system fast.
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Well the i7 is hyperthreaded and the i5 isn't so it will be significantly faster for rendering etc in photoshop or FCPX, the GPU is not as important except for specific uses and gaming but will help. An SSD is a good choice though for large files being accessed.
As for graphics upgrades it depends wether you are better waiting for 4 months or so or being able to do what you need with your PC for those 4 months only you can make that call.
Thanks for your reply Samuelsan2001!
Anyone got any ideas on what to expect from the cheapest model of the upcoming imac 27" compared to this configuration: (I'm considering to buy this for under 2000$)
- iMac (27-inch, Late 2013)
- 3.5GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz
- 256GB Flash Storage
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M 4GB GDDR5
Especially do you think it is likely that the cheapest of the new models will compete or be better than the 3.5GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7?
Which one would you pick if the price was the same for the cheapest Late 2016 27" and the top of the line Late 2013 27" ?
Anyone got any ideas on what to expect from the cheapest model of the upcoming imac 27" compared to this configuration: (I'm considering to buy this for under 2000$)
- iMac (27-inch, Late 2013)
- 3.5GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz
- 256GB Flash Storage
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M 4GB GDDR5
Especially do you think it is likely that the cheapest of the new models will compete or be better than the 3.5GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7?
Which one would you pick if the price was the same for the cheapest Late 2016 27" and the top of the line Late 2013 27" ?