IMac and rMB for new business?

[marmiteturkey]

I've started a consulting business from home and as such, my tech requirements are changing.

I currently have a 2014 rMBP 13in and a 13in IPad Pro. I will be spending much more time in my home office and so want a decent desktop with a Retina display.

Eyeing up the mid range 27in iMac; with the 1tb fusion drive. I do need a laptop as well, as a secondary machine for working in client offices, out and about etc - so am thinking about the mid-range iMac (3.2 i5, 1tb fusion, 8gb which I will upgrade myself), plus the mid range rMB (512gb 1.2); and then eBay the rMBP while it still has much of its value.

Does that feel like a decent combo - will I regret the fusion drive, or not going for the i7, in a couple of years? Better to go for the 2tb fusion drive?

Context - I will be working from home, coffee shops and client offices. I'm registered for a tax scheme in the UK which means that if I spend £2000 in one go, I can claim back 20% (VAT); it all has to be on the same transaction/invoice. I do some photography and music recording as a hobby; no games though.

 

[boast]

Have you considered just buying a nice big screen for your current rMBP?

 

[marmiteturkey]

Have you considered just buying a nice big screen for your current rMBP?

Thanks for the reply. I did consider that - I have the 24in Apple LED display, but it's not retina, of course. I'd be selling that and the rMBP to partially fund the new setup.

As far as I can see, the 13in can't drive a 5k display, only the 15in. Are there comparable quality screens to the iMac 5K that I should be looking at that can be driven by the 13in Pro? Or would I be limited to 4K? That being the case, the iMac would probably make me happier.

I have a one-off opportunity to invest in a setup that keeps me happy for the next few years. What do you think?

 

[boast]

I have a one-off opportunity to invest in a setup that keeps me happy for the next few years. What do you think?

Yeah, I got that idea from your post you just want some new toys and to take advantage of an opportunity

I had 5k iMac but sold it because it was too much power for my needs. Although I had the i7, I think the i5 would be plenty of CPU. I had gone for the 256GB flash drive and used an external USB enclosure because I liked the flexibility of hooking it up to either my iMac or rMBP if needed as well as easily switching in disks. So I don't have any experience with the fusion drives.

I've had the 5k iMac and a 15" rMBP, and I have found the rMB to be a great portable device with adequate power.

So overall I think your purchase sounds good.

 

[pjfan]

Yeah, I got that idea from your post you just want some new toys and to take advantage of an opportunity

I had 5k iMac but sold it because it was too much power for my needs. Although I had the i7, I think the i5 would be plenty of CPU. I had gone for the 256GB flash drive and used an external USB enclosure because I liked the flexibility of hooking it up to either my iMac or rMBP if needed as well as easily switching in disks. So I don't have any experience with the fusion drives.

I've had the 5k iMac and a 15" rMBP, and I have found the rMB to be a great portable device with adequate power.

So overall I think your purchase sounds good.

What you propose would be a great setup. I would go with the 2 or 3 TB Fusion however, as the Drive will perform faster as there is a larger SSD drive under the hood, and great performance.

What type of consulting are you doing? The i7 may not factor in at all, but we would have to know more about what you're doing. For my business, mobility was the most important -- after buying the rMB, I found myself starting to use Adobe CC a lot, but the Macbook has shocked me with how great it has performed. For taxes in 2016, an iMac is likely, but I'm unsure what my investment will be in. My 2015 purchase of rMacbook was perfect for me thus far!

Consider other expenses - such as a color Laser Printer. If you're going to be providing proposals to executives, you'll want a nice printer. If I already had a rMBP, I would buy an iMac 27" w/ 2TB+ from the Refurb Store and printer from Apple.com, and I doubt you'll have any money left from the $2000. Maybe next year you can replace your rMBP with rMB or whatever your heart desires... but that's just my opinion.

 

[marmiteturkey]

What you propose would be a great setup. I would go with the 2 or 3 TB Fusion however, as the Drive will perform faster as there is a larger SSD drive under the hood, and great performance.

What type of consulting are you doing? The i7 may not factor in at all, but we would have to know more about what you're doing. For my business, mobility was the most important -- after buying the rMB, I found myself starting to use Adobe CC a lot, but the Macbook has shocked me with how great it has performed. For taxes in 2016, an iMac is likely, but I'm unsure what my investment will be in. My 2015 purchase of rMacbook was perfect for me thus far!

Consider other expenses - such as a color Laser Printer. If you're going to be providing proposals to executives, you'll want a nice printer. If I already had a rMBP, I would buy an iMac 27" w/ 2TB+ from the Refurb Store and printer from Apple.com, and I doubt you'll have any money left from the $2000. Maybe next year you can replace your rMBP with rMB or whatever your heart desires... but that's just my opinion.

That's a good call, and the 2tb fusion iMac plus a laser printer would take me just over the threshold. My consulting is in change management, org culture etc - so a fast computer would be helpful but I'm not going to be doing much video encoding etc. I might see whether April brings a refreshed rMB, and let that drive my decision. There's a small element of allowing myself a 'treat' in this too
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Yeah, I got that idea from your post you just want some new toys and to take advantage of an opportunity

I had 5k iMac but sold it because it was too much power for my needs. Although I had the i7, I think the i5 would be plenty of CPU. I had gone for the 256GB flash drive and used an external USB enclosure because I liked the flexibility of hooking it up to either my iMac or rMBP if needed as well as easily switching in disks. So I don't have any experience with the fusion drives.

I've had the 5k iMac and a 15" rMBP, and I have found the rMB to be a great portable device with adequate power.

So overall I think your purchase sounds good.

Thank you - appreciate that, it's very helpful.

 

[pjfan]

The rMB has been a treat, so I hear ya. I won't be buying another system without this type of keyboard... I've even stopped using my mehanical keyboard due to how much I like the rMB's feel.

Let us know your choice and how you feel about it afterwards!