Needing help with upgrade options (HDD? and RAM?)

[Kurt Barker]

Hi guys,

Looking at buying a new iMac.

Due to price restraints I am looking at a 21.5".

21.5-inch iMac

• 2.8GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor, Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz
• 8GB 1867MHz LPDDR3
• 1TB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
• Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200
• Magic Mouse 2
• Magic Keyboard (International English) and User’s Guide (English)
• Accessory Kit

With no configuration changes it's coming in at AU$1,999.

Now i've read horrible things about the 5400RPM HDD, so I think a fusion drive is likely. However i've also heard the 1TB fusion is pointless, barely being able to wake-up your iMac from sleep using the 24GB SSD due to lack of space.

Half the reason of being happy without jumping to 4K is the onboard graphics, I figure powering 4K with onboard would be a stretch and may slow down the system. Please correct me if this would make minimum to no difference.

My next upgrade point would be the RAM. 8GB seems fine, but again onboard graphics, so maybe I need more?

My ideal system using the pre-defined hardware above would be:
16GB 1867MHz LPDDR3
2TB Fusion Drive
AU$2,799

However I feel the following would be more than sufficiant:
2TB Fusion Drive
AU$2,479.

The preferred price point would be around $2,500.

Please let me know your opinions, and please advise.

Thanks,
Kurt

 

[pastrychef]

As far as I know, the RAM on this model is soldered on to the main logic board. This means that you will not be able to upgrade it on your own in the future. For this reason, I feel that the 16GB option is a "must have" option.

Secondly, personally, I would go with the 256GB SSD option. Apple uses a proprietary PCI-e based SSD. They offer far, far better performance than any mechanical hard drive or Fusion drive can offer. Trying to find these for sale is difficult and trying to find them for sale at reasonable prices seem impossible, so upgrading in the future is not a feasible option. Also, opening up an iMac to install one of these not a fun exercise.

Another reason to choose the 256GB SSD over the Fusion drive is, the likelihood of the mechanical hard drive failing over time is far higher than an SSD. If you happen to be out of warranty when this happens, you would be facing the unenviable task of opening up the iMac to replace it...

You can use an external USB 3 hard drive to increase storage...