Need a new Mac

[SunMoonStars]

Currently using Mac Pro Mid 2010 self employed graphic designer. Its been a workhorse and I will retire it to server/storage status. I am looking to buy a new or refurbed mac and I'm overwhelmed at what's out there and the no longer affordable pro macs.

Primary focus is in photoshop and illustrator. I do a lot of print, packaging and general design and have designed most everything over the years. I need to be able to update my app software to take advantage of the new features

I have a 27" LG HDR 4k that works fine and external hard drives for storage.

I want at least a 2TB start up drive and heavy on the ram since I do a lot of photo work. All of my projects are worked off the main drive and store it when the work is complete. I can have several projects going at the same time that requires space and elbow room.

I appreciate your input as I really am not thrilled at what Apple has thrown at the pro end and the costs that come with it. I am open to all options and would like to keep the overall cost $5k and under.

 

[paardenkapper]

Considering you already had a quite capable Mac you could switch to a newer refurbished Mac Pro which is going to allow you to insert heaps of storage. I would not recommend the trash can Mac Pro 2013 but a later cheesegrater model. Maybe you find something in your price range?

Switching to M1/2 could give you quite a lot of performance but almost no upgradeability as later models have everything soldered on the logic board. How about a good Macbook Pro with 32 GB RAM?

 

[SunMoonStars]

Considering you already had a quite capable Mac you could switch to a newer refurbished Mac Pro which is going to allow you to insert heaps of storage. I would not recommend the trash can Mac Pro 2013 but a later cheesegrater model. Maybe you find something in your price range?

Switching to M1/2 could give you quite a lot of performance but almost no upgradeability as later models have everything soldered on the logic board. How about a good Macbook Pro with 32 GB RAM?

Researched the trash can and that is a definite no. I do not care for working from a macbook so desktop all the way.

What cheesegrater model are you thinking of? I need something that will run the latest software as I am paying a monthly adobe fees and not getting the usage due to age of mac.

 

[chown33]

How much RAM is in the retiring Mac Pro? You might also want to list your software, so readers can tell you anything they might know about a specific app.

Also, what is your deadline date? Or do you have one? I haven't checked shipping dates for any of the newly announced models, so if the date is far enough away, you might benefit from waiting for a refurb of something like an M1 Mac Studio.

 

[SunMoonStars]

How much RAM is in the retiring Mac Pro? You might also want to list your software, so readers can tell you anything they might know about a specific app.

Also, what is your deadline date? Or do you have one? I haven't checked shipping dates for any of the newly announced models, so if the date is far enough away, you might benefit from waiting for a refurb of something like an M1 Mac Studio.

56gb ram
Photoshop and Illustrator main focus

Deadline this year or sooner if my current mac wonks out on me. The graphics card (Radeon RX 560 4096 MB)
is being hinky lately and I don't want to spend $600 to replace it. The retiring mac will be used for storage.

 

[mcnallym]

Have you considered a new M2 Max Studio

12 Core M2 Max
38 Core GPU
96Gb of RAM or could leave drop at 64Gb if prefer
2TB SSD

$3599 + applecare

64Gb is $3199

Even if 2010 is a 12 Core 3.46Ghz then will be a big upgrade

Refurb only has 8Tb versions in currently

M1 Max CPU 10 Core
24Core GPU
64Gb RAM
8Tb SSD

$4049

I wouldn't expect an influx of studio as the trade in is pretty crap.

Mac Pro 2019 is going above 5k

3.5Ghz 8 Core CPU
Radeon Pro W6600X
48Gb RAM
1TB SSD

4699 and then going to have spend more to upgrade RAM, GPU, Storage etc
From Refurb Store

Unless need to pack out above 96Gb RAM and using 56Gb at moment then the Studio should be fine for you.

 

[SunMoonStars]

Have you considered a new M2 Max Studio

12 Core M2 Max
38 Core GPU
96Gb of RAM or could leave drop at 64Gb if prefer
2TB SSD

$3599 + applecare

64Gb is $3199

Even if 2010 is a 12 Core 3.46Ghz then will be a big upgrade

Refurb only has 8Tb versions in currently

M1 Max CPU 10 Core
24Core GPU
64Gb RAM
8Tb SSD

$4049

I wouldn't expect an influx of studio as the trade in is pretty crap.

Mac Pro 2019 is going above 5k

3.5Ghz 8 Core CPU
Radeon Pro W6600X
48Gb RAM
1TB SSD

4699 and then going to have spend more to upgrade RAM, GPU, Storage etc
From Refurb Store

Unless need to pack out above 96Gb RAM and using 56Gb at moment then the Studio should be fine for you.

I am considering all things. I am doing all the research at this point and start narrowing it down further in the coming weeks. It doesn't look like Apple is going to do much on the more pro side except price me out of range. I was waiting on the M2 chips so that's a plus

These are good options and I will take a harder look at the studio. I am trying to keep costs down as much as I can and I don't have to get everything at one time. I need to see how expandable the studio is and if I can do it myself as I have with my current mac which is a complete piece of cake.

 

[mcnallym]

I am considering all things. I am doing all the research at this point and start narrowing it down further in the coming weeks. It doesn't look like Apple is going to do much on the more pro side except price me out of range. I was waiting on the M2 chips so that's a plus

These are good options and I will take a harder look at the studio. I am trying to keep costs down as much as I can and I don't have to get everything at one time. I need to see how expandable the studio is and if I can do it myself as I have with my current mac which is a complete piece of cake.

Your days of self upgrade are over.

Studio internally is buy what you need and that is it till replace.
All the Pro does is more internal storage and PCI-E slots save buying a TB Chassis

SoC is soldered to board and CPU/GPU fixed in it along with the RAM
SSD is replaceable in that you can get a larger SSD from another Studio and then doing a DFU with configurator and a second mac can upgrade to a larger stick but there is no-one selling the Storage online.

Mac Pro 2019 allows to swap CPU, GPU and SSD available but again DFU and second mac required to swap the SSD.

New Mac Pro shows that other then adding PCI-E cards non-GPU expandable days are over but seems are making SSD upgrades available.

With predominantly Adobe Software and if Cloud Subs then may want to consider a self build PC as alternative.

The last intel Mac has been removed so the clock is ticking down for Hackintosh if feeling adventurish

 

[SunMoonStars]

Your days of self upgrade are over.

Studio internally is buy what you need and that is it till replace.
All the Pro does is more internal storage and PCI-E slots save buying a TB Chassis

SoC is soldered to board and CPU/GPU fixed in it along with the RAM
SSD is replaceable in that you can get a larger SSD from another Studio and then doing a DFU with configurator and a second mac can upgrade to a larger stick but there is no-one selling the Storage online.

Mac Pro 2019 allows to swap CPU, GPU and SSD available but again DFU and second mac required to swap the SSD.

New Mac Pro shows that other then adding PCI-E cards non-GPU expandable days are over but seems are making SSD upgrades available.

With predominantly Adobe Software and if Cloud Subs then may want to consider a self build PC as alternative.

The last intel Mac has been removed so the clock is ticking down for Hackintosh if feeling adventurish

This time I'm going for simple and easier. I thought about going lower end to the imac and replacing that in a few years since I realized that macs are never going to be user upgradeable again and those that have more options to do so are priced out of range. I doubt I'll ever get 10 years out of another mac so why make a huge investment.

I just need the internal storage to work from and will backup everything external. I may look at a 8TB SD and partition that for an immediate rescue incase things go sideways so I'll never be down and out.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Currently using Mac Pro Mid 2010 self employed graphic designer. Its been a workhorse and I will retire it to server/storage status. I am looking to buy a new or refurbed mac and I'm overwhelmed at what's out there and the no longer affordable pro macs.

Primary focus is in photoshop and illustrator. I do a lot of print, packaging and general design and have designed most everything over the years. I need to be able to update my app software to take advantage of the new features

I have a 27" LG HDR 4k that works fine and external hard drives for storage.

I want at least a 2TB start up drive and heavy on the ram since I do a lot of photo work. All of my projects are worked off the main drive and store it when the work is complete. I can have several projects going at the same time that requires space and elbow room.

I appreciate your input as I really am not thrilled at what Apple has thrown at the pro end and the costs that come with it. I am open to all options and would like to keep the overall cost $5k and under.

Why are you not thrilled? Apple's M2 Studio Max and M2 MBP Max each fit your requirements (and mine) perfectly.

 

[SunMoonStars]

Why are you not thrilled? Apple's M2 Studio Max and M2 MBP Max each fit your requirements (and mine) perfectly.

I was not thrilled with the much higher prices to maintain what I have been used to. I prefer desktop macs over everything else.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

I was not thrilled with the much higher prices to maintain what I have been used to. I prefer desktop macs over everything else.

Studio is a superb desktop for our needs today and years from now. Not higher prices either IMO compared to new prices of a 2010 Mac Pro converted to today's dollars. You have had an extraordinary run doing challenging work with 13-year-old hardware.

You could do the job adequately today using a maximum 32 GB RAM M2 Mini, but I recommend the 64 GB RAM or more of the M2 Studio for future demands. [I got the M2 MBP with 96 GB RAM but would have bought a Studio if M2 had come out sooner]

 

[SunMoonStars]

Studio is a superb desktop for our needs today and years from now. Not higher prices either IMO compared to new prices of a 2010 Mac Pro converted to today's dollars.

Duly noted and will keep it in my research as I move forward.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Duly noted and will keep it in my research as I move forward.

We can save some $$ by keeping SSD size smaller (mine is 2 TB) and adding external Thunderbolt 4 connected third-party (I use OWC) SSDs as needed but IMO specifying the maximum of 96 GB RAM makes sense; Apple's Unified Memory Architecture rocks, and I fully expect apps/OS to take increasing advantage of it over time. I personally do not see the Ultra as justified for your described needs or mine.

 

[Fishrrman]

"I need to see how expandable the studio is and if I can do it myself"

The Mac Studio is not "user-expandable".
Those days are OVER for the Mac, with one exception:

I believe the only Mac that will remain "expandable" is the new Mac Pro.
But...that comes at a starting price of $7,000.
And... I'm wondering if some of the "expandability" will require a trip to the Apple Store for installation?

My advice:
Get an M2 Studio with 64gb of RAM and a 2tb SSD (or 4tb if you really want to spend the money).

That should keep you going for 5-7 years, at least.

 

[SunMoonStars]

"I need to see how expandable the studio is and if I can do it myself"

The Mac Studio is not "user-expandable".
Those days are OVER for the Mac, with one exception:

I believe the only Mac that will remain "expandable" is the new Mac Pro.
But...that comes at a starting price of $7,000.
And... I'm wondering if some of the "expandability" will require a trip to the Apple Store for installation?

My advice:
Get an M2 Studio with 64gb of RAM and a 2tb SSD (or 4tb if you really want to spend the money).

That should keep you going for 5-7 years, at least.

No I really don't want to spend any money but I have to. I will look further into the M2 Studio.

 

[SunMoonStars]

We can save some $$ by keeping SSD size smaller (mine is 2 TB) and adding external Thunderbolt 4 connected third-party (I use OWC) SSDs as needed but IMO specifying the maximum of 96 GB RAM makes sense; Apple's Unified Memory Architecture rocks, and I fully expect apps/OS to take increasing advantage of it over time. I personally do not see the Ultra as justified for your described needs or mine.

Yeah, I have to rethink my setup. I have 4 internal drives and several externals for storage. The macs I'm looking at are not of that structure. I'm currently working off a 2TB SD and won't go any smaller than that.