Help me clear my mind on this final decision

[zerostarr]

So, my 2011 MacBook pro died a few days ago while I was editing large .ai files on illustrator, i guess this heated the gpu too much and it doesn’t boot anymore, or when it does it will shut down as soon as the discrete gpu kicks in. Right now i’m doing my work on my new iPad air 3 (lightroom + affinity photo, designed a new flyer for a client entirely on affinity and i’m very happy with the result).

i was considering getting a new macbook pro, since i’m out of the house a lot (i’m a social media and marketing manager, so most of my work is uploading content on Buffer from the ipad and editing pictures and some graphic design on photoshop / affinity, I don’t use illustrator that much) but i also love the iMac and the awesome 27” screen. A huge italian store is selling the 2017 27” base imac at 1600€ (1tb,3.4 i5 , going up to 2000€ for the 2tb 3.8 ghz i5) so i was considering to not wait june hoping about a new mbp, save money and getting the base imac at 1600€, using my ipad when i’m not home (and buying a 3rd party Bluetooth keyboard)

What do you guys think about this move?

 

[Spudlicious]

I would be wary of the ‘fusion’ drive in base iMacs, it offends me that Apple are still in 2019 selling computers with electromechanical storage. Yet the company prices SSD storage outrageously, £630 for 1TB here in UK, so add in a decent keyboard and extra RAM and it’s an expensive proposition - that’s why I keep putting off replacing my 2014 computer! (I know these are tired old moans, just getting them off my chest.)

Apart from my price point quibbling above your plan looks sound to me, especially because you already know the Air 3 is an effective mobile solution for you, and that big screen has to be ideal in your line of business.

 

[zerostarr]

I would be wary of the ‘fusion’ drive in base iMacs, it offends me that Apple are still in 2019 selling computers with electromechanical storage. Yet the company prices SSD storage outrageously, £630 for 1TB here in UK, so add in a decent keyboard and extra RAM and it’s an expensive proposition - that’s why I keep putting off replacing my 2014 computer! (I know these are tired old moans, just getting them off my chest.)

Apart from my price point quibbling above your plan looks sound to me, especially because you already know the Air 3 is an effective mobile solution for you, and that big screen has to be ideal in your line of business.

that is what concerns me the most, the 1tb fusion drive. But i still think that for 1600€ is a steal, and i can add a TB3 external drive and possibly resell the computer in 1 year if something better comes out, without losing too much money

 

[Fishrrman]

Be aware that if the 2011 MPB GPU has failed due to RadeonGate, it's possible to DISABLE it (the discrete GPU), and then boot and run the MPB using the integrated graphics only.

There are threads on how to do that here at macrumors.
Granted, it's a workaround rather than a fix, but it may revive the MPB enough to keep using it when you need to.

Re the iMac, I'd prefer the smallest SSD (256gb) to any fusion drive.
You'll need more storage space, of course -- add it via USB3 (external hard drive or SSD).

 

[Benz63amg]

I would be wary of the ‘fusion’ drive in base iMacs, it offends me that Apple are still in 2019 selling computers with electromechanical storage. Yet the company prices SSD storage outrageously, £630 for 1TB here in UK, so add in a decent keyboard and extra RAM and it’s an expensive proposition - that’s why I keep putting off replacing my 2014 computer! (I know these are tired old moans, just getting them off my chest.)

Apart from my price point quibbling above your plan looks sound to me, especially because you already know the Air 3 is an effective mobile solution for you, and that big screen has to be ideal in your line of business.

So you think you know better than Apple and Apple’s engineers when it comes to what’s considered a proper storage technology to use in a modern day iMac? You speak so bluntly about Fusion Drives where millions of people out there purchase iMacs with Fusion Drives daily.

 

[zerostarr]

Be aware that if the 2011 MPB GPU has failed due to RadeonGate, it's possible to DISABLE it (the discrete GPU), and then boot and run the MPB using the integrated graphics only.

There are threads on how to do that here at macrumors.
Granted, it's a workaround rather than a fix, but it may revive the MPB enough to keep using it when you need to.

Re the iMac, I'd prefer the smallest SSD (256gb) to any fusion drive.
You'll need more storage space, of course -- add it via USB3 (external hard drive or SSD).

I’m aware of the workaround, but basically working mostly with lightroom and photoshop having just the integrated gpu is probably not enough, the macbook was struggling on larger files and advanced tasks even with the discrete gpu working, so maybe i’ll do the workaround and keep it as a second computer for emails and browsing, but i guess I can’t keep it as my primary machine

 

[Spudlicious]

that is what concerns me the most, the 1tb fusion drive. But i still think that for 1600€ is a steal, and i can add a TB3 external drive and possibly resell the computer in 1 year if something better comes out, without losing too much money

Rather than be booting from external - which is sure enough a great desperate days facility - from day one, I think I would go for the cheapest SSD option and maybe use external for bulk storage. That will in fact be my likely course of action.
[doublepost=1557760175][/doublepost]

So you think you know better than Apple and Apple’s engineers when it comes to what’s considered a proper storage technology to use in a modern day iMac? You speak so bluntly about Fusion Drives where millions of people out there purchase iMacs with Fusion Drives daily.

Just giving my opinions, as I understand to be a main point of the forum. The HDD is an old technology that in my view should no more be part of a modern iMac than a FDD or a 56k modem, but you are free to disagree.

 

[Benz63amg]

Rather than be booting from external - which is sure enough a great desperate days facility - from day one, I think I would go for the cheapest SSD option and maybe use external for bulk storage. That will in fact be my likely course of action.
[doublepost=1557760175][/doublepost]

Just giving my opinions, as I understand to be a main point of the forum. The HDD is an old technology that in my view should no more be part of a modern iMac than a FDD or a 56k modem, but you are free to disagree.

The 2TB Fusion Drive has A built in 128gb of SSD Storage to accompany the rest of the drive which you of course fail to mention entirely to fit your narrative that Fusion drives are not good and you also keep spreading false information throughout the forum without stating the proper facts.

 

[Infinite Vortex]

I get that there's a 700€ difference to the iMac 5K 2019 with a 256GB SSD in Italy. What I'd be looking at is at which price does a TB3 SSD come at? There are SSDs and there are NVMe SSDs that goes at 3000MB/s. And looking more broadly, at which price do you value a 6-core processor vs the 4-core processor in the 2017 model.

Overall I typically think buying what you actually want straight out and finding a way to get a discount is usually the better way to go. Selling and then buying something else in a year usually isn't great value even though Apple computer do hold their price very well.

 

[zerostarr]

I get that there's a 700€ difference to the iMac 5K 2019 with a 256GB SSD in Italy. What I'd be looking at is at which price does a TB3 SSD come at? There are SSDs and there are NVMe SSDs that goes at 3000MB/s. And looking more broadly, at which price do you value a 6-core processor vs the 4-core processor in the 2017 model.

Overall I typically think buying what you actually want straight out and finding a way to get a discount is usually the better way to go. Selling and then buying something else in a year usually isn't great value even though Apple computer do hold their price very well.

an external 500gb ssd usb3.1 is 100 on amazon (samsung) while the nvme is 238€ (1tb sabrent rocket pro). Getting a crucial P1 (500gb) is 78 and 116 for the samsung , plus 37 for the adwits external case.

I’m still trying to clear my mind, today my options are: getting the 2017 imac at 1600, get the 2017 imac with 2tb fusion drive at 2000€, getting a refurbished macbook pro 13 for 2289 (2.7 i7 quad core, 16gb ram, 256 ssd) or wait june for the new macbook pro (maybe) and invest some good money into it having a brand new machine that is gonna last a few years like the 2011 mbp did
[doublepost=1557765036][/doublepost]or, last option, getting the refurbished macbook pro from amazon (because they have 30 days return policy vs apple 14 days, so i can decide to keep it or not according to what they will show in june)

 

[Benz63amg]

an external 500gb ssd usb3.1 is 100 on amazon (samsung) while the nvme is 238€ (1tb sabrent rocket pro). Getting a crucial P1 (500gb) is 78 and 116 for the samsung , plus 37 for the adwits external case.

I’m still trying to clear my mind, today my options are: getting the 2017 imac at 1600, get the 2017 imac with 2tb fusion drive at 2000€, getting a refurbished macbook pro 13 for 2289 (2.7 i7 quad core, 16gb ram, 256 ssd) or wait june for the new macbook pro (maybe) and invest some good money into it having a brand new machine that is gonna last a few years like the 2011 mbp did
[doublepost=1557765036][/doublepost]or, last option, getting the refurbished macbook pro from amazon (because they have 30 days return policy vs apple 14 days, so i can decide to keep it or not according to what they will show in june)

Comparing an iMac to a MacBook is like comparing apples to oranges to be honest.

 

[zerostarr]

Comparing an iMac to a MacBook is like comparing apples to oranges to be honest.

I know, this is the point of the whole tread, that’s why i’m asking for help on a mac forum

 

[Benz63amg]

I know, this is the point of the whole tread, that’s why i’m asking for help on a mac forum

The base iMac is a great choice, you can also wait for the new MacBooks to be unveiled next month but if it’s portability you truly need then the MacBook would be the better choice. I personally upgraded to the 2299$ 27 inch 2019 iMac, excellent computer and I highly recommend it. It has the 2TB Fusion Drive with plenty of storage and a built in 128gb SSD.

 

[mikehalloran]

I know, this is the point of the whole tread, that’s why i’m asking for help on a mac forum

Unfortunately, you've given us no useful information which to help you out.

if you can work outside the home with an iPad, you don't need a MacBook.

For many, a fusion drive is adequate but, for many of us doing work on our iMacs, a FD is unacceptable. We aren't you. You need to research the tasks you do, applications you use and file sizes you work with to know if an FD will work out.

This nonsense may be correct but without context. it doesn't mean a thing. For what I do, an FD would get in the way.

The 2TB Fusion Drive has A built in 128gb of SSD Storage to accompany the rest of the drive which you of course fail to mention entirely to fit your narrative that Fusion drives are not good and you also keep spreading false information throughout the forum without stating the proper facts.

Speaking of improper facts — this is pure, made up nonsense.

... where millions of people out there purchase iMacs with Fusion Drives daily.

No they don't. Apple doesn't even sell millions of iPhones a day.

 

[Benz63amg]

Unfortunately, you've given us no useful information which to help you out.

if you can work outside the home with an iPad, you don't need a MacBook.

For many, a fusion drive is adequate but, for many of us doing work on our iMacs, a FD is unacceptable. We aren't you. You need to research the tasks you do, applications you use and file sizes you work with to know if an FD will work out.

This nonsense may be correct but without context. it doesn't mean a thing. For what I do, an FD would get in the way.

Speaking of improper facts — this is pure, made up nonsense.

No they don't. Apple doesn't even sell millions of iPhones a day.

I got into this discussion with you in another thread and you turned quite disrespectful for no rightful reason after i proved you wrong about misinforming another fellow forum member. You’re the one that also claimed that the 2Tb Fusion Drive came with a 32Gb SSD Portion which is nothing short of false information (it comes with a 128GB SSD). You seem to bash the Fusion drive time and time again throughout the forum and if that’s what you want to continue claiming that’s just fine.

 

[zerostarr]

I got into this discussion with you in another thread and you turned quite disrespectful for no rightful reason after i proved you wrong about misinforming another fellow forum member. You’re the one that also claimed that the 2Tb Fusion Drive came with a 32Gb SSD Portion which is nothing short of false information (it comes with a 128GB SSD). You seem to bash the Fusion drive time and time again throughout the forum and if that’s what you want to continue claiming that’s just fine.

I think that the 2tb FD is a good option, but in case i’m going for the new 2019 imac with a 512 ssd + external drives. I basically edit raw photos in lightroom, design large files on photoshop (up to 4 meters wide, not on a daily basis) so basically i don’t need a monster computer. I also make electronic music as a side (using ableton live). So probably an i5 six core 3 ghz would be more than enough for me. If i’ll go for the macbook, i will definitely add a 4K external display for when i’m home.

 

[Spudlicious]

The 2TB Fusion Drive has A built in 128gb of SSD Storage to accompany the rest of the drive which you of course fail to mention entirely to fit your narrative that Fusion drives are not good and you also keep spreading false information throughout the forum without stating the proper facts.

I and most folks here enjoy a friendly discussion with often informative exchange of opinions, but you seem to be looking for arguments: I won't engage on that pointlessly hateful level or respond to any more of your posts.

 

[Benz63amg]

I and most folks here enjoy a friendly discussion with often informative exchange of opinions, but you seem to be looking for arguments: I won't engage on that pointlessly hateful level or respond to any more of your posts.

You’re the one that is spreading false information throughout the forum regarding Fusion drives so you not engaging with any of my posts is perfectly fine by me. Have a nice day.

 

[zerostarr]

I’m sorry for the little argument over here but I’m still looking for some help, lol

 

[codernova]

My thoughts (all of this is "IMO"): You are able to use you iPad for you work remotely, it is cheaper to replace if the worst happens. It is also more portable, so less crap to drag around and worry about. When home it'd be nice to have a big monitor and powerful machine you can abuse without worry of failure.

Now on the SSD vs Fusion debate... Space can always be added later as needed, but the internal drive should be modestly sized and as quiet/fast/reliable as possible. I went through this debate myself for DAYS before deciding on a 512SSD. It will work for a little while but I will have to upgrade with some external storage soon. In the end the SSD felt the least risky, and hence my choice.

Hope my thoughts help.

 

[r3drokz]

Rather than be booting from external - which is sure enough a great desperate days facility - from day one, I think I would go for the cheapest SSD option and maybe use external for bulk storage. That will in fact be my likely course of action.
[doublepost=1557760175][/doublepost]

Just giving my opinions, as I understand to be a main point of the forum. The HDD is an old technology that in my view should no more be part of a modern iMac than a FDD or a 56k modem, but you are free to disagree.

Hi, just read your post, do you have any suggestions for an external drive for storage?

I have new iMac 2019, just starting out with video editing, no deadlines, not a clue which external drive would work for me just to store finished product and all the pieces which went into the project.

Discussions like "SSD vs HD", how many TBs, USB 3.0 vs Thunderbolt 3, RAID vs just one storage drive - all just add to the exhaustion I feel when trying to just buy a drive for storing my finished work.

Can you help?

 

[codernova]

Hi, just read your post, do you have any suggestions for an external drive for storage?

I have new iMac 2019, just starting out with video editing, no deadlines, not a clue which external drive would work for me just to store finished product and all the pieces which went into the project.

Discussions like "SSD vs HD", how many TBs, USB 3.0 vs Thunderbolt 3, RAID vs just one storage drive - all just add to the exhaustion I feel when trying to just buy a drive for storing my finished work.

Can you help?

For storage of your finished work, this tells me an HDD using USB 3 will be just fine. Make sure you get two so you can keep a backup. Use your internal SSD for your in-progress work, and the external HDDs for storage/backup.

If your in-progress work is pretty huge (to me meaning 50+ GB per project) I'd look into the more complicated options, but otherwise just keep it inexpensive and simple.

 

[r3drokz]

Much thanks!

Any suggestions on brand, model, size?
Some of the ones I've looked at just look like a motherboard, no box/shell around it!

I don't need portable necessarily, and I'd prefer not to have to do anything to set it up like format it - an easy plug-n-play would suit my purposes. I shop amazon, if that helps...

 

[codernova]

My personal recommendation is to get a pair of these, unless someone has a super specialized need for storage/backup, these will cover a vast majority of use cases:

https://www.amazon.com/Elements-Portable-External-Drive-WDBU6Y0040BBK-WESN/dp/B0713WPGLL/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2OASD6LC4D4NL&keywords=4tb+external+hard+drive&qid=1558394750&s=gateway&sprefix=4tb,aps,208&sr=8-5

edit: These are formatted for PC, but many of us here could help you reformat them for macOS when you get them.

 

[r3drokz]

Very much appreciate your time! I'll check it out!