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Do I need the 5K iMac?

B

boombox15

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 17, 2013
272
22
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Hi everyone

I am currently using a Late 2013 27 inch iMac that is about 6 months old. It works great, and I customized it with a 512GB SSD. My question is if I truly need the new 5K iMac, or if I should keep my current one. I do have a 13 inch Retina MacBook Pro that I also use and the screen on that computer is awesome. I will not be doing any professional tasks, however, I do some photo editing in Aperture (and soon Apple's Photos App for the Mac) but it's just a hobby.

I only have enough for the standard $2499 model, once I sell my iMac. With either a 1TB Fusion Drive or a 256GB SSD.

Thanks for your help!
 
No.

Slightly more useful answer: If you have a high-spec late-2013 iMac then all you're really getting is the 5K screen. You almost certainly won't see any significant performance improvements in the applications you use because the 5K iMac isn't much more powerful, and the extra power it does have goes primarily into driving the 5K screen. Does that make it worth it to you? You tell us. It wouldn't for me.
 
If u dont plan to buy a 4k tv, and u plan to use ur imac for movies, i would say buy it.
 
I have only recently (last couple of weeks) bought a new iMac and I am not at all disappointed and do not feel that I should have waited.

I am sat 2 feet away from my 27" screen and I cannot see individual pixels.

I can't imagine how a 5K screen would look. Up close with a magnifying glass, yes I can see you'd notice it but at this distance what would anyone gain?

Retina on the iPhone was different. That did make a huge improvement.

Surely if you have a 5K monitor you would want it 40" at least. I could see the point of that.
 
boombox15 said:
Hi everyone

I am currently using a Late 2013 27 inch iMac that is about 6 months old. It works great, and I customized it with a 512GB SSD. My question is if I truly need the new 5K iMac, or if I should keep my current one. I do have a 13 inch Retina MacBook Pro that I also use and the screen on that computer is awesome. I will not be doing any professional tasks, however, I do some photo editing in Aperture (and soon Apple's Photos App for the Mac) but it's just a hobby.

I only have enough for the standard $2499 model, once I sell my iMac. With either a 1TB Fusion Drive or a 256GB SSD.

Thanks for your help!
Click to expand...

Oh, heck no.
 
No I am using the same machine maxed out its running great, given technology always changes i would wait. The retina machine has nearly the same specs and besides the Nvidia card in our machines is better.
 
yes, you definitely need it. it will make your facebook and twitter posts look 5k better than with your current mac.
 
You absolutely need it, as it will make your life so much better :)

Same as the retina display did on the iphone, ipad, and MBP. Once you have those you can't go back.

My current main display is a Dell 30". It was wonderful (particularly five years ago when I got it), and easily better than the 27" iMac. But ever since the retina MBP I have been spoilt. I've been waiting for a 5k display since the middle of 2012, and here it is. I didn't think it was coming (imagining that 4k would be the best we'd get). I was fairly close to buying a nMP with a good 30-32" 4k monitor, if only someone had made one that worked reliably over MST. But they still haven't quite got there, and now I don't have to compromise on a genuine retina version of what was previously considered a high-resolution monitor.

Rarely in the computer industry do things double like this -- the norm for a high quality monitor was 2560 pixels across until last week...
 
In your position, I would say NO.

You would be losing a lot of money selling your currently fine iMac to get the Retina. More than $500 loss selling the iMac and then you will be downgrading your hardware specs to upgrade to the Retina (since you stated you could only afford the base model). The only upgrade will be the 5K display.

Also, ask yourself what point of the 5K display is for you. Is it so that the display is more pretty to look at and fonts are more sharp? Do you edit 4k video or work with very large resolution photos? If you say no to the latter two and yes to the first, then I say you're just wasting your hard earned money.

Plus, it's too early to be an adopter. We haven't seen real world usages of the Retina iMac from real customers. I would at least wait a month or two to see if everything is positive, then would I actually consider the Retina.
 
I don't think anyone needs the 5k iMac. There isn't enough 4k content out there to justify it.
 
Just a little update

I sold my 13 inch Retina MacBook Pro, and I have a friend who is buying my iMac in late November. However, before I agree upon that sale, there are a couple of things that I'm trying to make up my mind about. I know that I do want for sure a 15 inch Retina MacBook Pro, but I can't decide either to just a get a 15 inch pro and forget about the iMac or get both.

Heres my options

1. Get a 15 inch refurbished pro late 2013 8/256 and Retina iMac 8/256/3.5
2. Get a brand new 15 inch pro with 16/512GB and forget about iMac but keep my current iMac (This would make me spend almost all money on my Apple Budget)
3. Sell current iMac and buy 15 inch MacBook Pro Retina 16/512 and no longer have a desktop
4. Try to find a brand new 8/512GB 15 inch Retina MacBook Pro and buy a 5K iMac with 8/512. (Finding one, seems to be hard, anyone know any suggestions)

Thanks!
 
boombox15 said:
Just a little update

I sold my 13 inch Retina MacBook Pro, and I have a friend who is buying my iMac in late November. However, before I agree upon that sale, there are a couple of things that I'm trying to make up my mind about. I know that I do want for sure a 15 inch Retina MacBook Pro, but I can't decide either to just a get a 15 inch pro and forget about the iMac or get both.

Heres my options

1. Get a 15 inch refurbished pro late 2013 8/256 and Retina iMac 8/256/3.5
2. Get a brand new 15 inch pro with 16/512GB and forget about iMac but keep my current iMac (This would make me spend almost all money on my Apple Budget)
3. Sell current iMac and buy 15 inch MacBook Pro Retina 16/512 and no longer have a desktop
4. Try to find a brand new 8/512GB 15 inch Retina MacBook Pro and buy a 5K iMac with 8/512. (Finding one, seems to be hard, anyone know any suggestions)

Thanks!
Click to expand...

If insist on changing then go Option 3.

Though to be honest sounds more like a change for change sake.
 
hyune83 said:
I don't think anyone needs the 5k iMac. There isn't enough 4k content out there to justify it.
Click to expand...

I couldn't care less if there is or isn't enough 4k content out there. If I watch movies on my iMac full screen I will not sit close enough to be able to appreciate
the resolution. 4k content is for the big screens.

But you are right. No one needs the 5k iMac. But it does make life a little bit easier for some of us.
 
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