Buying new iMac.

[06tb06]

I'm buying a new iMac soon to replace my previous laptop + desktop setup. I mailed off my MacBook Pro today through Apple's trade-in program for Apple Store credit towards my new Mac.

I bought my 13" Retina MBP in February 2016, it was my first Mac after being a Windows wrangler for about 10+ years. Ever since I've been hooked on OS X (simplicity, ease of use, stable and reliable, etc.)

I plan on buying the 21.5" 4K iMac ($1499) with 8GB to 16GB memory upgrade. I'm a college student so I'll primarily use it for research papers and such, but I also use FCPX regularly as a hobby. I also plan on using it long-term.

Final price tag is around $1.7K, but my student discount and store credit brings this number down significantly.

I wanted to ask the community for thoughts or suggestions. I figure the performance will be much better; CPU performance roughly 2x increase, Iris Graphics 6100 to Radeon Pro 560, etc. Probably the best price/performance ratio you can get from a Mac today.

 

[CaptRB]

I gotta say...why not go for the 27"???

It's SO much nicer in every way and you can upgrade the memory to 24GB yourself for 150 bucks. The 21.5 is a pretty poor value. It's ONLY real value is the size, assuming you can't find space for the 27" which I've yet to see a desk that couldn't fit the 27.


R.

 

[CE3]

I agree that you should upgrade the RAM yourself.

It sounds like you're looking at the i7 256SSD configuration with the 560 graphics. I think that's a good choice. You're right, performance should be much better for your FCPX projects.

The 27" models are nice, but if you're living in a dorm setup and/or have limited space the smaller footprint of the 21.5 is the better choice. It's still a beautiful display and a lot more screen real estate compared to your previous 13" MacBook.