Buying advice for 21.5” iMac configurations for CAD and iMovie/FCPX

[Young Kai]

While there will be users who will recommend spending extra money for the 27" iMac, I find that it is too large for my limited desk space alongside my 24" monitor. So far I'm deciding between the mid and top tier configurations, but I do not know what which configurations will be suitable given that I haven't done many projects yet. I have the following questions for experienced users:

1. Max RAM and SSD on the 21.5" is a definite because I know it cannot be upgraded later. However, based on a combination of price and longterm ownership of the iMac should I go with 16GB or 32GB of RAM? At the current time I am considering the 256GB SSD option.
   
   
2. Should I get the i5 or i7 version for SolidWorks and iMovie/FCPX? Radeon Pro 555 vs Radeon Pro 560? The level of video editing I expect to be able to do is travel montages commonly seen on YouTube.

My budget isn’t exactly set in stone, but I want to know what I should prioritize compared to just dropping this much money without much thought. I appreciate any help in this.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Do get an ssd and a retina screen, other than that it doesn’t sound like you need that much performance, all your apps make use of hyperthreading so the i7 is a boost but I doubt it will matter much to you from the admittedly limited description of your usage.

It sounds like 16gb will be absolutely fine for you as well.

Graphics cards is where gains are currently being made so the 560 is probably worth the money for the long run.

Personally I would get the 27inch and get rid of the second screen, but that’s personal preference.

 

[Richdmoore]

While there will be users who will recommend spending extra money for the 27" iMac, I find that it is too large for my limited desk space alongside my 24" monitor. So far I'm deciding between the mid and top tier configurations, but I do not know what which configurations will be suitable given that I haven't done many projects yet. I have the following questions for experienced users:

1. Max RAM and SSD on the 21.5" is a definite because I know it cannot be upgraded later. However, based on a combination of price and longterm ownership of the iMac should I go with 16GB or 32GB of RAM? At the current time I am considering the 256GB SSD option.
   
   
2. Should I get the i5 or i7 version for SolidWorks and iMovie/FCPX? Radeon Pro 555 vs Radeon Pro 560? The level of video editing I expect to be able to do is travel montages commonly seen on YouTube.

My budget isn’t exactly set in stone, but I want to know what I should prioritize compared to just dropping this much money without much thought. I appreciate any help in this.

FYI, the 21.5 iMac ram is not listed as can't be expanded by apple, rather, it is listed as having to be upgraded by apple authorized service provider. (Oddly, apple retail stores can't do it, unless it is defective memory.)

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201191

*Memory is not removable by users on iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012), iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2013), iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2014), iMac (21.5-inch, 2017), and iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2017). If the memory in one of these computers needs repair service, contact an Apple Retail Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider. If you’d like to upgrade the memory in one of these models, an Apple Authorized Service Provider can help. Before you schedule an appointment, confirm that the specific Apple Authorized Service Provider offers memory upgrade services.

I haven't actually heard about anyone who has gone to a service provider to upgrade the ram however.

 

[Young Kai]

Do get an ssd and a retina screen, other than that it doesn’t sound like you need that much performance, all your apps make use of hyperthreading so the i7 is a boost but I doubt it will matter much to you from the admittedly limited description of your usage.

It sounds like 16gb will be absolutely fine for you as well.

Graphics cards is where gains are currently being made so the 560 is probably worth the money for the long run.

Personally I would get the 27inch and get rid of the second screen, but that’s personal preference.

Thanks! I was determined to buy an iMac that I know will last me a long time, and with your suggestion I am now considering getting a 27” with the i7 and just upgrade memory as price goes down. That would leave me with either the mid or top tier 27” configurations. I’ve never had a computer with more than 128GB hard drive space so I don’t know if 256GB nowadays is considered too little for uses that I described.

 

[kschendel]

Both CAD and video work can take up a fair amount of storage. You can probably make 256 Gb work by moving inactive projects off to an external drive, but I think if it were me, I'd get at least 512 Gb storage for a new machine.