Replacing my early 2010 iMac. What iMac would you suggest

jaybar

jaybar

macrumors 68020
Good evening everyone:

As soon as an upgrade is announced, I will be getting a new iMac (21.5).

Our current iMac has a 1TB drive and 6GB of RAM. I run VMWare Fusion, Aperture, office for the Mac etc.

Our needs, on the surface are modest. Word Processing, Internet, scanning, occassional photo editing, email etc. In short, the usual home stuff. We also have two iPad's and two iPhones, if that figures in.

I back up to two external glyph desktop drives, using time machine. I print with a Xerox 6280 color laster printer, which has no wifi capability.

My desk is small and I sit fairly close b/c of visual impairment, so that the 27" would NOT be practical.

Cost is not really an issue.

What would you add, above the base model:
SSD?
Fusion Drive
16GB of RAM?
Better Graphics chip if possible?

The reduced glare from the new iMac will be visually helpful. Also my Applecare Warrantee expired

I will be giving my former iMac to a friend.

Your suggestions would be helpful.
 
jaybar said:
Good evening everyone:

As soon as an upgrade is announced, I will be getting a new iMac (21.5).

Our current iMac has a 1TB drive and 6GB of RAM. I run VMWare Fusion, Aperture, office for the Mac etc.

Our needs, on the surface are modest. Word Processing, Internet, scanning, occassional photo editing, email etc. In short, the usual home stuff. We also have two iPad's and two iPhones, if that figures in.

I back up to two external glyph desktop drives, using time machine. I print with a Xerox 6280 color laster printer, which has no wifi capability.

My desk is small and I sit fairly close b/c of visual impairment, so that the 27" would NOT be practical.

Cost is not really an issue.

What would you add, above the base model:
SSD?
Fusion Drive
16GB of RAM?
Better Graphics chip if possible?

The reduced glare from the new iMac will be visually helpful. Also my Applecare Warrantee expired

I will be giving my former iMac to a friend.

Your suggestions would be helpful.
Click to expand...

Assume you prefer not to rip your new iMac open and swap components yourself, I will suggest:

1. 16GB is a bit more future-proof since RAM on 21.5 is not user serviceable.
2. Fusion Drive is a must-have. For me the 5400-rpm drive is simply unbearable. Once you experience the SSD, there is no way back.
3. There is no graphic cards configurable. The top model's graphics is slightly better than the one used in base model. There is no noticeable difference between the two unless you play games, though.
4. If your budget allows, upgrade to i7, it's quicker than i5 in multithread app. However, under light workload like web browsing or word processing , i7's advantages are almost negligible.

Most importantly, the new 2013 model is expected to coming soon, so wait a few weeks or months if you can. Getting a refurbished one may also be a good idea.
 
Thanks

I will try and wait for the spec bump. I have no ability to open a machine.

Jay
 
I agree.....

in the 16 GB of RAM and Fusion drive with the another poster. If you dont want or can open your machine, see before buying about prices on computer shops.Maybe even in this case, you save $$ instead of buying Apple directly.

AppleCare can be bought prior to the end of first year. And you seems to me to use your computer fairly well, so maybe AppleCare is not needed....:D

The Xerox printer is the thing I am wondering. Support, useful drivers and software......:(......:confused:

SSD external over TB or USB 3.0 can do a nice addition to improve the access time to photo collections or seeking files....

:):apple:
 
i am in the same boat and i definitely want the 16gb and fusion drive. the fusion just blows away. right now that configured is $1749. I am the new version with those specs is in the $1499.99 range.
 
jaybar said:
...
Our current iMac has a 1TB drive and 6GB of RAM. I run VMWare Fusion, Aperture, office for the Mac etc.
...
What would you add, above the base model:
SSD?
Fusion Drive
16GB of RAM?
Better Graphics chip if possible?
...
Your suggestions would be helpful.
Click to expand...
Withoug knowing exactly wgat's being announced, suggested configurations may not be the best choice.

  • 16GB of RAM since the ram is not user servicable in the 21.5"
  • Fusion Drive, although if the prices droip, a decent size SSD would be better. If you go with the SSD, you will need a decent external HD for additional space requirements.
  • The higher end 21.5" configuration for the better graphics option.
  • On whether to get the i7 or not, flip a coin. But that's based on the current models. The next update the processor upgrade might be more worthwhile.
 
After three years of use, we only have 120GB of data, so an SSD drive should not be an issue.

I prefer to purchase from Apple.

I too am concerned about the Xerox printer and how slowly they develop drivers. The printer is discontinued.

Jay
 
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