Is $1599 a good price for a 2020 27" iMac 5k 10th Gen i5?

[4sallypat]

Will prices drop more on the 2020 iMac 5k between now and the start of AS ?

Tiger Direct has $200 off a new 2020 iMac with free shipping.

I was thinking of getting one to replace my 2013 iMac with Education pricing, but it was $100 off ($1699) and offered Apple Card financing + 3% Apple Cash.....

But this one at $200 off - is it a better deal ????

 

[pldelisle]

If the (very) low storage capacity is okay with you and do not require high performance GPU and CPU, it's fine. It's a office purpose iMac (MS office/iWork, spreadsheets, light photo editing, things like that). Upgrade RAM with 16 GB or 32 GB Crucial RAM and you are good to go for a while.

AS iMac isn't there at least until next fall.

 

[kazmac]

Prices may drop at third party sellers once AS Macs are released, especially if AS Macs are better in performance and build quality and the third party sellers have a lot of inventory to sell.

There will certainly be more sales too.

As mentioned above, can you live with 256gb internal storage?

If so, what about Tiger Direct’s return policy in case you need to return?

 

[4sallypat]

This is good to know - yes storage is fine with me as I use an external 1TB SSD.

As for RAM, it's cheaper to upgrade yourself ?

The only issue might be the video card for online gaming...

 

[pldelisle]

As for RAM, it's cheaper to upgrade yourself ?

A lot.

The only issue might be the video card for online gaming...

Forget this if you want to game. This is a very low end GPU. It's not made to game at all. The purpose of a 5300 is to be able to drive 5K display and run light photoshop editing. Radeon Pro 5700 is the bare minimum for gaming and to ensure you will be able to play games in future as requirement always grow. Radeon Pro 5700/5700XT are still mid-range last-year GPUs. Nothing to compare with Nvidia 2080 Super/TI or upcoming 3070/3080. It's a world of difference.

 

[4sallypat]

......
Forget this if you want to game. This is a very low end GPU. It's not made to game at all. Radeon Pro 5700 is the bare minimum for gaming and to ensure you will be able to play games in future as requirement always grow. Radeon Pro 5700/5700XT are still mid-range last-year GPUs. Nothing to compare with Nvidia 2080 Super/TI or upcoming 3070/3080. It's a world of difference.

Very helpful.

I was thinking about the 5700XT with 8GB of VRAM I would need.

Just thinking while I consider getting an Intel based iMac before the AS comes out as I run Windows 10 Bootcamp.....

 

[pldelisle]

I was thinking about the 5700XT with 8GB of VRAM I would need.

5700XT has 16 GB VRAM.

Just thinking while I consider getting an Intel based iMac before the AS comes out as I run Windows 10 Bootcamp.....

While Windows 10 ARM is supposedly planned to work on AS according to latest leaks, I don't think it will work within the next 2 years (knowing Microsoft slow development and Windows is clearly at the very end of Apple's priorities). Going with Intel is a safe bet.

The best iMac for the price is top-tier iMac 2020, add Radeon Pro 5700 8 GB, 1 TB SSD for improved performance, and you get a very good machine. Double the price of your first post thought, but incredibly more capable.

 

[russell_314]

Very helpful.

I was thinking about the 5700XT with 8GB of VRAM I would need.

Just thinking while I consider getting an Intel based iMac before the AS comes out as I run Windows 10 Bootcamp.....

Buy the iMac and get a PC for Windows. For around $1000 you can get a gaming PC that will likely do better than the top end iMac for games. I mean if you have to have it all combined in the iMac the 5700 XT Mac is a bare minimum for gaming. I think anything lower would be very disappointing.

 

[KennyJr]

Yes. That's what I got (in the vicinity of that price). I'm now running Big Sur Public Beta on it. It's all good with fast loading (a heck of a lot quicker than my 2017 iMac), and I haven't added additional memory yet (still at 8GB). I think having the SSD rather than the fusion drive makes a real difference. Not gaming though.

 

[russell_314]

Prices may drop at third party sellers once AS Macs are released, especially if AS Macs are better in performance and build quality and the third party sellers have a lot of inventory to sell.

There will certainly be more sales too.

As mentioned above, can you live with 256gb internal storage?

If so, what about Tiger Direct’s return policy in case you need to return?

Just FYI "Apple products are non-returnable" from Tiger Direct policy. It's the same with B&H. They charge less but they can't really afford to let people just change their mind after they already opened and used the product.

 

[kazmac]

Just FYI "Apple products are non-returnable" from Tiger Direct policy. It's the same with B&H. They charge less but they can't really afford to let people just change their mind after they already opened and used the product.

Thought so. Thanks. I’ve had issues with iPads and the 16” MBP. I will skip buying from anywhere but Apple now.

I bought my current 2013 27” iMac and an older MBA from B&H: they were fine, but considering Apple’s build quality and B&H/Andorama/Tiger Direct’s no return policy, I‘d pass now.

 

[4sallypat]

This is great info!

I bought the 16" MBP from B&H and it has been fantastic.

Got caught up in a $1600 base iMac when in reality after what all of have said that I needed the better graphics card version (top tier) iMac.

I guess I will wait till they discontinue the Intel iMacs when the new AS iMacs come out - just can't see myself spending $2,800 for an iMac even after figuring in the $200 EDU discount, $75 Apple Cash, and the free Airpods...

Thanks everyone for your input.!