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leenak

macrumors 68020
Mar 10, 2011
2,416
52
I'm coming from a late 2008 MBP, so I'm used to noise! Can't wait to have a silent machine for once. Anybody else agonize over 3TB Fusion vs SSD?

No agony! Be proud of your SSD choice :)

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I thought long and hard about what configuration to choose, and in the end decided to max out what couldn't be updated in the future - without peeling off that rather expensive screen!!

4.0 GHz i7
16 GB RAM
1TB Flash Storage
Radeon M295X 4GB

I was going to go for 32GB RAM as well, but decided how things went with 16GB to start. I also thought Apple's price was less than ideal. If I want/need more in the future I'll simply buy some from a 3rd party.

I expect this thing to fly and I mostly will use it for Lightroom, Photoshop and Final Cut Pro. I can't wait to start working with that 5K screen!!!!!

Overall despite the high cost of extra (32GB) Ram and the 1TB SSD price, I think that with the 5K display this iMac offers remarkable value for money :)

I ordered it on the 20th, and it left Shanghai today :) Hoping to arrive by the 29th according to Apple, although UPS are saying 3rd November - we shall see . . . .

Same config I went with!
 

fisherman188

macrumors regular
Oct 21, 2014
100
134
I'm coming from a late 2008 MBP, so I'm used to noise! Can't wait to have a silent machine for once. Anybody else agonize over 3TB Fusion vs SSD?

Slightly but really it's a no brainer with the fast PCIE flash storage. When these days you can get a 1TB USB 3.0 platter drive for 50 bucks if you get the right deal. It willb e the same speed as the platter on a Fusion drive, plus you'll get 256GB of Flash storage instead of the 128GB in the fusion. I know you were looking at the 3TB fusion model. I ordered an extra 4TB USB3.0 drive for $130.00 for anything besides the OS and programs. Can read/write speeds abotu the same as the internal platter.

The flash storage will be faster though because its PCIE based. That's assuming the SSD part of the Fusion drive is attatched via SATA3 which I am not sure of.
 

leenak

macrumors 68020
Mar 10, 2011
2,416
52
The point of signatures here is really to state your setup so that when you make comments or ask for help, people can relate them to your gear. On some forums it is a requirement.


I never thought about it like that but I've never been on any hardware type forums either.
 

habeebhashim

macrumors member
Jun 16, 2009
60
0
Singapore
am i the only one thinking that its ridiculous spending so much money on a machine like this?

and the fact that some people post their order-screenshots and changing their signatures is ridiculous too. you are by fare the coolest peoples i know.

The govt. here have a tax break and productivity scheme for SME's.... I run a small company. So I get 100% tax break for this expense plus a cash bonus of 60% on whatever I spend on qualifying expenses. This expense qualifies...

So I get more money from the tax guys if I spend more. So thats why I maxed out everything... go figure :D

And I will write this asset off over 4 years and when I eBay it, it'll be an extraordinary gain. Crazy maths I know :D

EDIT: My personal rMBP is the base with 8GB and no CTO. This was the 1st gen rMBP from 2012. Still use it everyday and will probably continue using it more than the new 5K. But since it was my own money paying for it, I was conservative when I chose the specs
 

metanoiapi

macrumors member
Oct 16, 2014
50
0
am i the only one thinking that its ridiculous spending so much money on a machine like this?

and the fact that some people post their order-screenshots and changing their signatures is ridiculous too. you are by fare the coolest peoples i know.

No, your not the only one. lol. In fact, I'm having a bit of buyer's remorse. My iMac will be the first RMA in the history of Retina iMacs! yeah!

I'm eyeing a prebuilt PC w/ Nvidia graphics by CyberpowerPC. The reseller is even offering a discount on the monitor if you buy them together.

Not as nice as a Retina iMac but half the cost. And at what point in time will the applications and the content catch up to 4k/5k anyway?

But who knows..maybe by tommorrow I will change my mind again.
 

kendrickhphoto

macrumors member
Jan 20, 2011
97
0
My card finally got charged and went to Preparing for Shipment, I think it had something to do with getting the VESA iMac. Hopefully they can beat the estimate for 10/28-10/30 since I did pay the $30 for expedited shipping.
 

fisherman188

macrumors regular
Oct 21, 2014
100
134
Not as nice as a Retina iMac but half the cost. And at what point in time will the applications and the content catch up to 4k/5k anyway?

My resolution of the photos from my camera is 5760 × 3840 and most professional cameras have been above 14.7 mega pixels for years so screens are catching up with the photographic content that has been out for years. As it has been mentioned many times, this computer is a photographer/videographers dream machine. (with the exception of high bit color and being able to correctly color calibrate the display) If you don't think there's content for it you probably don't need it.

So no, this machine isn't built to play games or watch Netflix (which you can only stream UHD to select 4k TVs at the moment.) It is built to edit photos and 4k/5k video; if you do either of those you will understand it is more than capable and worth the money.
 
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kendrickhphoto

macrumors member
Jan 20, 2011
97
0
My resolution of the photos from my camera is 5760 × 3840 and most professional cameras have been above 14.7 mega pixels for years so screens are catching up with the photographic content that has been out for years. As it has been mentioned many times, this computer is a photographer/videographers dream machine. (with the exception of high bit color and being able to correctly color calibrate the display) If you don't think there's content for it you probably don't need it.

Exactly! My photos from my D800 are 7360x4912 which is 36.3 mega pixels it'll be very nice to be editing at a close to 50% zoom.
 

sleepyking

macrumors 6502
Oct 5, 2012
468
63
am i the only one thinking that its ridiculous spending so much money on a machine like this?

and the fact that some people post their order-screenshots and changing their signatures is ridiculous too. you are by fare the coolest peoples i know.

No you're not. I'm debating one as well. I haven't had a desktop for over 10 years, and a laptop for probably 8.
I just got a MBA two days ago but thinking if I should invest in this so that both my gf and I can use.

For all of you who bought - are you mostly in photo or video editing? I'm interested in the demographics making this purchase
 

petvas

macrumors 603
Jul 20, 2006
5,479
1,808
Munich, Germany
No you're not. I'm debating one as well. I haven't had a desktop for over 10 years, and a laptop for probably 8.
I just got a MBA two days ago but thinking if I should invest in this so that both my gf and I can use.

For all of you who bought - are you mostly in photo or video editing? I'm interested in the demographics making this purchase

I am an IT Pro and my hobby is computers. I enjoy having a glorious desktop system, that is used as the central multimedia hub of my home. I am not into video editing or graphics.
I could use my existing late 2013 27" iMac, but I want the Retina display. It makes all the difference and I will enjoy it a lot, even for reading lots of text.
 

leenak

macrumors 68020
Mar 10, 2011
2,416
52
No you're not. I'm debating one as well. I haven't had a desktop for over 10 years, and a laptop for probably 8.
I just got a MBA two days ago but thinking if I should invest in this so that both my gf and I can use.

For all of you who bought - are you mostly in photo or video editing? I'm interested in the demographics making this purchase


I think a few people put what they did in the first post. I don't do photos/videos, I just like nice screens... I'm a part time grad student, full time geek, like to play some games in my spare time and needed a bigger screen than my 15" rMBP offers. So my choice was buy a nice monitor, hold out a bit for a new computer or just bite the bullet. I also figure that I have 14 days to try it out and see if I think it is worth it.

I'm also not into having a tower and this will be my first desktop in 12 years or so.

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No, your not the only one. lol. In fact, I'm having a bit of buyer's remorse. My iMac will be the first RMA in the history of Retina iMacs! yeah!

I'm eyeing a prebuilt PC w/ Nvidia graphics by CyberpowerPC. The reseller is even offering a discount on the monitor if you buy them together.

Not as nice as a Retina iMac but half the cost. And at what point in time will the applications and the content catch up to 4k/5k anyway?

But who knows..maybe by tommorrow I will change my mind again.

I say get the machine that suits your needs. If you don't mind having a tower, and don't have a strong affinity for OS X, then it sounds like a perfect solution for you.
 

Mac, M.D.

macrumors newbie
Oct 23, 2014
13
0
Slightly but really it's a no brainer with the fast PCIE flash storage. When these days you can get a 1TB USB 3.0 platter drive for 50 bucks if you get the right deal. It willb e the same speed as the platter on a Fusion drive, plus you'll get 256GB of Flash storage instead of the 128GB in the fusion. I know you were looking at the 3TB fusion model. I ordered an extra 4TB USB3.0 drive for $130.00 for anything besides the OS and programs. Can read/write speeds abotu the same as the internal platter.

The flash storage will be faster though because its PCIE based. That's assuming the SSD part of the Fusion drive is attatched via SATA3 which I am not sure of.

Well said! Since I will be keeping this computer for a few years, I decided in the end it was best to max out what I could not simply add on later, such as an external HD. I actually already have a 4 TB LaCie USB 3.0 to store my files. Glad I was able to change my order in time! Can't wait to fire up the SSD and lose myself in the gorgeous display ;)
 

xgman

macrumors 603
Aug 6, 2007
5,675
1,388
I honestly think that with things like this in general, it is usually better to spend a bit more than you can afford now, to save upgrade or early upgrade expenses later. It will also help resale value when the time comes. That said, it is always better with Apple to get min ram and buy it at a big discount elsewhere.
 

metanoiapi

macrumors member
Oct 16, 2014
50
0
My resolution of the photos from my camera is 5760 × 3840 and most professional cameras have been above 14.7 mega pixels for years so screens are catching up with the photographic content that has been out for years. ... dream machine. ... It is built to edit photos and 4k/5k video; if you do either of those you will understand it is more than capable and worth the money.

You've made some valid points. However, Dell will soon be coming out with a 5k display (UP2715K) of there own and Photoshop isn't exclusive to OS X.

No one needs an iMac for photoshop work; although, they may want one. Saying that they need one or that it's a "dream machine" is jut falling for marketing hype in my opinion.

Trust me, I wouldn't use a Retina iMac to watch Netflix lol

Anyway, enjoy it. All we can do is make (what we think are) wise decisons based on our needs, right? :D

----------
 

fisherman188

macrumors regular
Oct 21, 2014
100
134
Sorry, I am simply trying to educate all the people that are saying "why would you even want 5k? Your eyes can't tell the difference and there is no content for it."

They are obviously listening to media rather than doing actual work where screen resolution and real estate is at a premium.
 

metanoiapi

macrumors member
Oct 16, 2014
50
0
I think a few people put what they did in the first post. I don't do photos/videos, I just like nice screens... I'm a part time grad student, full time geek, like to play some games in my spare time and needed a bigger screen than my 15" rMBP offers. So my choice was buy a nice monitor, hold out a bit for a new computer or just bite the bullet. I also figure that I have 14 days to try it out and see if I think it is worth it.

I'm also not into having a tower and this will be my first desktop in 12 years or so.

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I say get the machine that suits your needs. If you don't mind having a tower, and don't have a strong affinity for OS X, then it sounds like a perfect solution for you.
Thanks for that. I will miss some of the nice features, like Reader in Safari and the cleaner YouTube extension. I also will miss AirPlay and iTunes. I'm sure I will be able to find replacements for those.

I also see GooglePlay offers a higher bit rate then iTunes; and music is very important to me.

Enjoy your iMac. I wonder if you will still feel the same way about in 2 weeks

----------

Sorry, I am simply trying to educate all the people that are saying "why would you even want 5k? Your eyes can't tell the difference and there is no content for it."

They are obviously listening to media rather than doing actual work where screen resolution and real estate is at a premium.

And, don't forget about the bandwidth that will involved in order to download the content in the first place.

I think we're in a time where we are seeing software/content catching up to hardware. Usually it's the other way 'round.
 

niklasios

macrumors newbie
Oct 23, 2014
17
5

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sleepyking

macrumors 6502
Oct 5, 2012
468
63
Thanks for the responses. I was just trying to see if you guys or gals had any hesitation making a large purchase. It is well priced I think for what it is, but nonetheless its a quarter of $10k!
 

niklasios

macrumors newbie
Oct 23, 2014
17
5
Thanks for the responses. I was just trying to see if you guys or gals had any hesitation making a large purchase. It is well priced I think for what it is, but nonetheless its a quarter of $10k!

$4.600 after tax in my case, maxed out.
 

niklasios

macrumors newbie
Oct 23, 2014
17
5
Ouch. I am going to assume that you are financially sound and $4600 is not breaking your bank

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I would get the base and it would be a little over $2500 after tax due to family military pricing


It will pay for itself as its my primary tool for work.

With the base version you'll get really nice performance and whats most important here, the georgeous display. It's truly amazing!!
 

xgman

macrumors 603
Aug 6, 2007
5,675
1,388
Thanks for the responses. I was just trying to see if you guys or gals had any hesitation making a large purchase. It is well priced I think for what it is, but nonetheless its a quarter of $10k!

And an iphone plus is really almost $900 off contract. All Apple stuff is expensive relative to the actual hardware, nothing new there.
 

leenak

macrumors 68020
Mar 10, 2011
2,416
52
Thanks for the responses. I was just trying to see if you guys or gals had any hesitation making a large purchase. It is well priced I think for what it is, but nonetheless its a quarter of $10k!

It really depends on your priorities and what you deem fun (if this isn't work related). I was going to get a regular iMac, but my husband said that I should get the retina so that stopped all hesitation for me :) And the price difference once you go beyond base becomes fairly small in comparison to a regular iMac.
 
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