New 27” iMac 2TB Fusion Drive

[kdoug]

Confimation bias at its best. You just cant stand it that we find an i5 perfectly good. The advantages of the i7 are marginal. But you make up a fake fact about i7's lasting longer.
As if people are selling off their i5 systems because theyre 15% slower in a small munber of rare tasks.
Delusional.

And I think you’re crazy for not spending a measly $200 for a MUCH more capable machine. There are guys who spend $260 for 32gb of additional memory (myself included) and will never see the performance difference over 24gb. When I was ordering my machine the 3tb FD vs the 1TB SD was a tougher decision than sacrificing the I7.

 

[robeddie]

And I think you’re crazy for not spending a measly $200 for a MUCH more capable machine. There are guys who spend $260 for 32gb of additional memory (myself included) and will never see the performance difference over 24gb. When I was ordering my machine the 3tb FD vs the 1TB SD was a tougher decision than sacrificing the I7.

Here you go again. How do you figure that a speed bump of 20% in synthetic tests, but rarely ever leveraged fully by real world software makes it a 'MUCH' more capable machine.
You spent the cash, you think that little speed difference is worth it. Great. But to exaggerate the benefits like you are is telling.

 

[robeddie]

By the way all you i7 fanboys here - check out the threads about the 2017 imacs running hot. Guess what, they're all i7's. So enjoy your little pressure cooker while it lasts.

 

[J.Gallardo]

LOL at the i5 vs i7 discussion and arguments in this thread. Seriously? Your already dropping close to 2K for a machine. Why in the name of anything would you not just spend another $200 or so to get the best proc available at the time? Makes zero sense not to.

Well: I won’t spend 200+€ for an i7 because of my concerns about homogeneous quality in this Intel cpu. I won’t because I don’t like 100°C pikes in temp. and subsequent fan ramps (call me ignorant, but I’ve researched & I’m the buyer).
Intel’s i5 seems to me like a more robust chip, with lower & more constant temp.
I accept that maybe I’ve become a little superstitious, as my 2010 i7 lies in my desk, broken because intense heat & quick temp changes. Just read about what happens with microsolderings & how to “reflow” a gpu. Yes, I know last iMacs gpus get even hotter... I just don’t want to add 20°C more to the only fan, in favor of a better performance that I don’t need.
Assuming now that I’ll have to change my system every 7 years (and be happy about that!), I’m seriously considering to spend just enough to accomplish my work. Future-proof is a slippery concept in technology...
Also, i7 is an upgrade option. One could think (like in cars) that i5 is the most proven model... & changing the motor but keeping other parts the same spoils reliability.
(Anyhow, I keep reading, as I’m still dubious about what iMac 5k is the best for me)

 

[Awgd8]

I had the exact machine you have (except i7) but had to return it due to bad memory slots. Apple gave me the free upgrade to a 512 SSD.

My friends also use these machines for film editing and run the 2 and 3 TB FD drives as well as the 1TB SSD.

In actual usage it's pretty hard to tell the difference and they're cutting pretty high end stuff. With the 128GB SSD portion, the FD drive is smoking fast.

But with all of that in mind, did also learn that the i7 is a serious, yet fairly inexpensive upgrade that should not be missed. I'm working in film folk out here in Hollywood and these people know their Macs. My son's i5 is noticeably slower working with photos vs. the i7. And I've also noted that an i7 with FD is noticeably faster than an i5 with SSD. Do not underestimate the advantages of the i7 processor.

You can always upgrade the drive later, but the brains of the system are either i5 or i7...go i7 if you plan video/photo stuff.


R.

I just bought a 27” 5k (Mid 2017) with 1TB fusion drive. The newer ones only has 27-30 GB allotted to SSD part of it.
I verified it on my system.

OP: Samsung T5 SSD is out and if you l

So you can actually put a third party nVME (or whatever) blade SSD in the 2017 iMac? I thought that wasn't possible, and you could only put in the slower SATA SSDs?

This is what I did to my newly bought iMac...

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/finally-upgraded-my-21-5-mid-2009-imac.2074040/

 

[tn-xyz]

This is what I did to my newly bought iMac...

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/finally-upgraded-my-21-5-mid-2009-imac.2074040/

this is an external SSD and nothing new. we talked about faster PCIe SSDs.

 

[CaptRB]

Well: I won’t spend 200+€ for an i7 because of my concerns about homogeneous quality in this Intel cpu. I won’t because I don’t like 100°C pikes in temp. and subsequent fan ramps (call me ignorant, but I’ve researched & I’m the buyer).
Intel’s i5 seems to me like a more robust chip, with lower & more constant temp.
I accept that maybe I’ve become a little superstitious, as my 2010 i7 lies in my desk, broken because intense heat & quick temp changes. Just read about what happens with microsolderings & how to “reflow” a gpu. Yes, I know last iMacs gpus get even hotter... I just don’t want to add 20°C more to the only fan, in favor of a better performance that I don’t need.
Assuming now that I’ll have to change my system every 7 years (and be happy about that!), I’m seriously considering to spend just enough to accomplish my work. Future-proof is a slippery concept in technology...
Also, i7 is an upgrade option. One could think (like in cars) that i5 is the most proven model... & changing the motor but keeping other parts the same spoils reliability.
(Anyhow, I keep reading, as I’m still dubious about what iMac 5k is the best for me)

LOL, the folks at three animation studios here in LA use i7's and put them through more work in a month than you're likely to do in five years. Never heard of a CPU failure. Mr friend is co-owner of the top Post production houses in NY and again, the editing suites are running 15 hours a day, all machines are naturally top spec i7. Same goes for me and pretty much every pro shooter I work with. No CPU issues. The director I'm currently working with handled animatics for everything from Harry Potter to the film he's currently directing...and again ALWAYS the i7.

You can gather up all of the opinions from basement hobbyists and guys in steamy kitchens eating cupcakes over their keyboards, but I'll go with what an entire highly demanding industry uses and recommends. To put it more bluntly, not a single professional I know of uses the i5. Not one. And the only folks talking about fans and heat are in these forums.

Like I said, it's your money. But I won't let anyone claim that "slower is better" or even "slower is about the same" because it's bad info, AKA a lie. If the i5 is "good enough" for you, then say that and let it go. Don't try to equalize it with better tech. AKA, my Mercedes is not as good as the AMG version. I guess I could say the AMG might have different issues, maybe even more expensive ones, but it's still better.

i7 reliability is hardly a common problem. And so far as I know my fans have gone on only TWICE. Sheesh, what a "pressure cooker!" And I've been editing all week. If I run FDX, leave photoshop open with files and stream video I can MAKE the fan come on. FYI: Ambient temp in my computer room is typically 73 degrees.

R.

 

[deeddawg]

This is what I did to my newly bought iMac...

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/finally-upgraded-my-21-5-mid-2009-imac.2074040/

Yep, plugging external drives is certainly an option, but let's just not confuse it with putting a third party nVME (or whatever) blade SSD in a 2017 iMac. That doesn't yet seem to be possible, and thus anyone wanting the substantially faster blade SSD still needs to buy it from Apple.

 

[mar58]

LOL Am I the only one to get a chuckle out of this post below? Seems just a bit inconsistent with the ongoing lectures we've been getting over the past few days/week. I mean "after spending a couple of thousand of dollars" (to quote other i7 or go home believers) wasn't the son worthy of a "measly $200.00 upgrade" to the only configuration ANYone should purchase or that perhaps Apple should even offer? I mean especially from a father who so obviously has the means to do so.

I'm not trying to start anything here, I'm really not, I just found the post somewhat interesting. However, I suppose I'll be next to experience the Capt's wrath but what the heck. Let the persecution begin. lol

Oh p.s. I fall under the "most people" category.


per CaptRB:
"I bought my son the 27" 5K i5 with the fusion drive and it's a great machine, plenty fast. He's 13 and this is a good student machine. The 2TB FD drive is fast and roomy. For most people it's a great choice. But if you are concerned with speed for any real reason, get the i7.

If you use apps that are drive intensive and have limited RAM, the SSD makes a bigger difference."

 

[Awgd8]

this is an external SSD and nothing new. we talked about faster PCIe SSDs.

Just giving easy option to the OP.

 

[kdoug]

By the way all you i7 fanboys here - check out the threads about the 2017 imacs running hot. Guess what, they're all i7's. So enjoy your little pressure cooker while it lasts.

LOL.

 

[SaSaSushi]

By the way all you i7 fanboys here - check out the threads about the 2017 imacs running hot. Guess what, they're all i7's. So enjoy your little pressure cooker while it lasts.

I'm not sure what you're referring to.

I've seen some threads about users complaining that the fans engage more frequently on i7 machines with conflicting reports and opinions. There are also threads where users claim the fans are louder than previous generations.

I happen to agree that the SSD is a higher priority upgrade than the CPU if one had to choose between the two but let's stop with the i7 having overheating issues BS.

I'm going on 4 months with the i7 4.2GHz now and it's run no hotter than the 2013 Haswell i7 3.5GHz it replaced. I hear the fans no more frequently and it generally stays below 48°C.

 

[CaptRB]

Well...to the fellow asking why I didn't upgrade my son's machine to an i7...He wanted a notebook, but he murdered his i7 15" and I felt the iMac is a safer bet for the next couple of years. After that I'll get him an i7 MacBook Pro (by then we hope the keyboards are fixed). The other issue was that the machine was needed quickly and no stores had any i7's in stock. So we went with the i5, slapped in some memory and he's good for now.

Otherwise it makes no sense to choose the i5 over the i7, if you had the cash for the faster processor. Please stop wasting time with stories you read about i7 heating up and loud fans. I own BOTH machines. I work with the i7 machines and so do my clients.

It's beyond ridiculous to push a slower configuration, but this is ONLY happening because I dared to suggest that the i7 is a smarter deal. Because it IS.

I'm sorry if this so heartbreaking for i5 owners, but all of the SSD's in the world still leave your machines 10-20% slower on MANY apps. That's what you chose. My machine rarely kicks the fans on (twice so far). Buyers should skip the i5 for maximum speed and longevity...and that's just MATH.


R.

 

[robeddie]

Yes. We are heartbroken. You have shown us the shame that all us i5 owners must now shoulder for our short-sighted decision. Strut forward with your 'vastly superior' i7. We can no longer bear the brilliant light that you and your magnificient iMac processor posess. Now leave us be - to wallow in our misery.

 

[MAJ6288]

Hi guys, OP here.

My iMac was delivered on Thursday and I've been playing around with it since. I love it! The FD seems to be fine for me, although I haven't actually installed that much on it yet.

In terms of processor vs SSD etc etc.......I understand what CaptRB is saying, there is no denying that the i7 is better than the i5. However, I don't feel like I'm lacking performance in the tasks that I need the machine to do. However, I do think that a 512gb SSD would have been limiting and I would already be sweating over using too much memory if I had chosen it, leaving the only other option as a 1gb SSD.......upgrading to that and the i7 would have cost an additional (and I haven't looked it up, so don't jump down my throat) ~£800, which is bonkers!

 

[CaptRB]

Hi guys, OP here.

My iMac was delivered on Thursday and I've been playing around with it since. I love it! The FD seems to be fine for me, although I haven't actually installed that much on it yet.

In terms of processor vs SSD etc etc.......I understand what CaptRB is saying, there is no denying that the i7 is better than the i5. However, I don't feel like I'm lacking performance in the tasks that I need the machine to do. However, I do think that a 512gb SSD would have been limiting and I would already be sweating over using too much memory if I had chosen it, leaving the only other option as a 1gb SSD.......upgrading to that and the i7 would have cost an additional (and I haven't looked it up, so don't jump down my throat) ~£800, which is bonkers!

As long as you're happy with the machine...all that matters.

I'm only arguing with these other folks because they post silly stuff. Yeah, the i5 is a reasonable machine for many and the SSD is faster than a FD. But I agree with professionals on buying the faster processor. When someone actually posts that the i7 is "only" 10-20% faster, it's hard to know what say. People wait a whole year for a new processor that delivers 5 or 8% performance bumps.

Where I take exception is folks who have (perhaps) some buyers remorse and prefer if others do as they did. It's a rather common phenomenon.


Cheers.


R.

 

[J.Gallardo]

As long as you're happy with the machine...all that matters.

I'm only arguing with these other folks because they post silly stuff. Yeah, the i5 is a reasonable machine for many and the SSD is faster than a FD. But I agree with professionals on buying the faster processor. When someone actually posts that the i7 is "only" 10-20% faster, it's hard to know what say. People wait a whole year for a new processor that delivers 5 or 8% performance bumps.

Where I take exception is folks who have (perhaps) some buyers remorse and prefer if others do as they did. It's a rather common phenomenon.


Cheers.


R.

You’re quite sharp analyzing our silly stuff! I promess to work on my remorse (perhaps you’re right; pro’s told you. I’m getting the i7. OK?)
Are you a shrink?
But as you sentence, doc: ”As long as you're happy with the machine...all that matters.” (You’re good man... you’re good!!)

 

[deeddawg]

nevermind.

 

[CaptRB]

You’re quite sharp analyzing our silly stuff! I promess to work on my remorse (perhaps you’re right; pro’s told you. I’m getting the i7. OK?)
Are you a shrink?
But as you sentence, doc: ”As long as you're happy with the machine...all that matters.” (You’re good man... you’re good!!)

LOL....BTW, I probably spend half my time working on my MacBook Air (it's an i7!). I'm not a snob about this stuff and everyone doesn't need the fastest computers, cars, boats or women.

But I've yet to regret any of the above....perhaps the last!



R.

 

[jeffbax]

Most people won't see the difference between an i5 and i7 day to day, but they will see the difference between 30 seconds to copy out a file and 4 seconds. That's all we're saying. SSD gets you more realizable bang for the buck performance wise than the difference between CPUs these days, so if it was i5 + SSD or i7 + Fusion (or external SSD) I'd take the internal SSD and i5 one any day of the week

 

[CaptRB]

Most people won't see the difference between an i5 and i7 day to day, but they will see the difference between 30 seconds to copy out a file and 4 seconds. That's all we're saying. SSD gets you more realizable bang for the buck performance wise than the difference between CPUs these days, so if it was i5 + SSD or i7 + Fusion (or external SSD) I'd take the internal SSD and i5 one any day of the week

My 13 year old son can see the difference when he opens files from his Nikon camera on his system vs. my i7 and do processing.

I'm amazed at the stuff people write in these forums? 30 seconds to copy out WHAT file? And does your computer FREEZE when it's copying a file? Are you using a Commodore 64 or Atari 800?

I can copy, render and lay down layers in EITHER system and the results are transparent because neither drive stops workflow. I get the feeling that most people don't do anything too demanding on these systems here.

That said, we can certainly agree that the FASTEST setup is the i7 AND the SSD, right????

SO...again, follow the little red ball as I'll bounce it slowly....

SYSTEM A has an i7 and a fusion drive
SYSTEM B has an i5 and a SSD

On some tasks that are less CPU dependent and more about drive time, SYSTEM B will be faster. CPU intensive and the i7 will be quicker.

But ONLY SYSTEM A can be made into the FASTEST configuration by swapping out for an SSD. You HAVE an upgrade path. With the i5 YOU HAVE NO UPGRADE PATH.

This is why professionals say, ALWAYS OPTIMIZE NON UPGRADEABLE HARDWARE FIRST.

And stop saying "most users." Most users I know (actually ALL) wouldn't waste a nickel on a i5 machine for their work.


R.

 

[J.Gallardo]

My 13 year old son can see the difference when he opens files from his Nikon camera on his system vs. my i7 and do processing.

I'm amazed at the stuff people write in these forums? 30 seconds to copy out WHAT file? And does your computer FREEZE when it's copying a file? Are you using a Commodore 64 or Atari 800?

I can copy, render and lay down layers in EITHER system and the results are transparent because neither drive stops workflow. I get the feeling that most people don't do anything too demanding on these systems here.

That said, we can certainly agree that the FASTEST setup is the i7 AND the SSD, right????

SO...again, follow the little red ball as I'll bounce it slowly....

SYSTEM A has an i7 and a fusion drive
SYSTEM B has an i5 and a SSD

On some tasks that are less CPU dependent and more about drive time, SYSTEM B will be faster. CPU intensive and the i7 will be quicker.

But ONLY SYSTEM A can be made into the FASTEST configuration by swapping out for an SSD. You HAVE an upgrade path. With the i5 YOU HAVE NO UPGRADE PATH.

This is why professionals say, ALWAYS OPTIMIZE NON UPGRADEABLE HARDWARE FIRST.

And stop saying "most users." Most users I know (actually ALL) wouldn't waste a nickel on a i5 machine for their work.


R.

...But there's is a radical technical failure in your reasoning!! (Please, techies, confirm if possible):
in last iMacs (27" at least) you can upgrade the processor, as is not soldered (and it's already done; search in the web). BUT I think it's almost impossible to upgrade pure Apple internal SSD... You can easily install an internal ssd, but Sata connected. Can you get a fusion drive or a small ssd from factory & upgrade to an internal ssd as fast as Apple PCIe connected?
I believe in this case, cpu is more "easily" upgraded...!
Does anyone knows? Tell us, please!
(Some info):
https://es.ifixit.com/Answers/View/406045/The+New+iMac+27"+2017+model+can+upgrade+ram+and+ssd

Update: after reading, it’s shure you can’t upgrade internal iMac SSD (Apple is the only maker of this superfast special ssd. You can order them to change the ssd blade for another bigger Apple one. Not cheap, but THEY can).
So I should get the biggest SSD iMac I could afford. (?)

 

[jeffbax]

So I should get the biggest SSD iMac I could afford. (?)

It depends on your ability to handle external drives, but I would always prioritize a decent enough SSD that by and large everything you do will be read/written to one outside of things like large media libraries perhaps.

 

[J.Gallardo]

It depends on your ability to handle external drives, but I would always prioritize a decent enough SSD that by and large everything you do will be read/written to one outside of things like large media libraries perhaps.

So you agree me... refuting a folk recommending to forget about internal storage as you could upgrade afterwards.
NO, you can’t upgrade to an internal PCIe ssd in iMacs!!
I’m studying wich model to buy, and I think internal storage options deserve some meditation. It’s not the same as back in time, when you had to choose HD/size vs. Fusion/size.
Of course, we have very fast interfaces in new iMac to add external storage later... But if you appreciate >2000Mb/s read-write, remember it will very difficult to implement later (an external usb-C connected PCIe case... perhaps).

 

[tn-xyz]

NO, you can’t upgrade to an internal PCIe ssd in iMacs!!

yet.