Should I choose iMac ?

[jimmysoy]

Hey guys, I'm new here and I'm not knowledgeable about computer specs.

I am looking a good desktop for that will make my graphic designing and video editing easier and smoother
I also wanted to enjoy playing games with high quality graphics.
Although I only play them occasionally like when I'm having a break, bored or on my rest day. I only play dota 2 or battlefield 3, I also want to play more games but I usually uninstall them when I got bored out of it or they're starting to become a display to my desktop.

Do you think iMac fits my desire desktop ?

My friend told me that it's better to invest on a self upgrade computer so I can save more money.

But my mom is planning to buy me 21.5 inch iMac ($1499) this summer
https://www.apple.com/imac/specs/

I realized that a lot of graphic designers used iMac.
Just wondering what do graphic designers see in iMac ?

 

[tjwilliams25]

Hey guys, I'm new here and I'm not knowledgeable about computer specs.

I am looking a good desktop for that will make my graphic designing and video editing easier and smoother
I also wanted to enjoy playing games with high quality graphics.
Although I only play them occasionally like when I'm having a break, bored or on my rest day. I only play dota 2 or battlefield 3, I also want to play more games but I usually uninstall them when I got bored out of it or they're starting to become a display to my desktop.

Do you think iMac fits my desire desktop ?

My friend told me that it's better to invest on a self upgrade computer so I can save more money.

But my mom is planning to buy me 21.5 inch iMac ($1499) this summer
https://www.apple.com/imac/specs/

I realized that a lot of graphic designers used iMac.
Just wondering what do graphic designers see in iMac ?

It is true, you can save money building your own (or having it built for you) custom computer. However, I can wholeheartedly say that my iMac lasted quite a bit longer than my home built computer, without any modifications. Specially from a software standpoint. Really, it comes down to this: what's your preference? Do you want a computer that is more expensive, but reliable; or do you want a computer that is cheaper up-front, but as the years go on having to add more and more parts to keep it up-to-date? The choice is up to you. As someone who recently just bought a 5k iMac after 7 years with a refurbished, base-model iMac (which is still running strong, but I wanted a speed boost for video editing), I have to say the choice was easy for me. I can't imagine going back to a PC.

As for what graphic designers see in Mac: less headaches. What I mean is the software/hardware has a less likely chance of having an issue or crashing. Not to say that you never have problems, but the frequency of which they happen is much less than my experience with Windows software. Also, most graphic design softwares (among many other creative softwares) are available on Mac.

 

[jimmysoy]

It is true, you can save money building your own (or having it built for you) custom computer. However, I can wholeheartedly say that my iMac lasted quite a bit longer than my home built computer, without any modifications. Specially from a software standpoint. Really, it comes down to this: what's your preference? Do you want a computer that is more expensive, but reliable; or do you want a computer that is cheaper up-front, but as the years go on having to add more and more parts to keep it up-to-date? The choice is up to you. As someone who recently just bought a 5k iMac after 7 years with a refurbished, base-model iMac (which is still running strong, but I wanted a speed boost for video editing), I have to say the choice was easy for me. I can't imagine going back to a PC.

As for what graphic designers see in Mac: less headaches. What I mean is the software/hardware has a less likely chance of having an issue or crashing. Not to say that you never have problems, but the frequency of which they happen is much less than my experience with Windows software. Also, most graphic design softwares (among many other creative softwares) are available on Mac.

Thank you for your thoughts and specific points on my question.
and you made my decision easily. My cousin also owns an iMac 27"
but she only says that it's good, no lag and she's still using it after 5 years without having a problem.
But I need more opinions and thoughts like yours
I think I should invest my money on iMac and plus. I don't want to experience working on a project and then your PC goes wrong.

 

[0879397]

Which softwares are you using to edit video?

I use my iMac mostly for Photoshop and Final Cut. It's fast enough for Photoshop use. For heavy workload on Final Cut he's doing okay.

The main problem with iMacs are the screen issues, which are terrible.

 

[jimmysoy]

Which softwares are you using to edit video?

I use my iMac mostly for Photoshop and Final Cut. It's fast enough for Photoshop use. For heavy workload on Final Cut he's doing okay.

The main problem with iMacs are the screen issues, which are terrible.

Hmmm

Photoshop, Illustrator, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premier... These are the softwares that I always use.

Really ? I thought iMacs have are good with screen. since it is large 21.5-27 inches

 

[roadkill401]

Don't fool yourself into believing the hype that Apple actually builds a better class of machine than anyone else.

If I go on personal statistics, I have had far more trouble with apple Mac's than I have with Windows machines. Both have equal issues and I can only assume that once I get past the getting it to work properly stage This iMac will be a great stable machine. But then again, so was my Windows box.

Really, it comes down to this: what's your preference? Do you want a computer that is more expensive, but reliable; or do you want a computer that is cheaper up-front, but as the years go on having to add more and more parts to keep it up-to-date? The choice is up to you.

It is utter BS that a Mac will require less parts or last any longer than a windows machine. Take a look at all the 2011 iMac's that are having to have a new graphics card installed as their built in one has failed. Well, so can a windows machine, but you can do it yourself for about 1/2 the cost and 1/4 the effort.

The only thing that apple has going for it is that their OS up until Yosemite has been by far better than windows. you buy apple for the OS.

Windows 8 has been a dog and nobody knows what Win10 is going to be like.

For the same cost as a single Apple iMac that you will hope to last you for 5-6 years, you can buy 2 windows machines and end up with a much faster computer that is 3 years newer tech for the same price.

BUT

You loose out on some of the great integration between other apple hardware. You are stuck being a slave to windows and needing to re-format the machine about every year to keep it running well. You will need to install gob's of service patches to keep the OS up-to-date.

You gain far better gaming experience if that is what you are looking for.

There is nobody but yourself who can best define what you really want in the end

 

[jimmysoy]

Don't fool yourself into believing the hype that Apple actually builds a better class of machine than anyone else.

If I go on personal statistics, I have had far more trouble with apple Mac's than I have with Windows machines. Both have equal issues and I can only assume that once I get past the getting it to work properly stage This iMac will be a great stable machine. But then again, so was my Windows box.



It is utter BS that a Mac will require less parts or last any longer than a windows machine. Take a look at all the 2011 iMac's that are having to have a new graphics card installed as their built in one has failed. Well, so can a windows machine, but you can do it yourself for about 1/2 the cost and 1/4 the effort.

The only thing that apple has going for it is that their OS up until Yosemite has been by far better than windows. you buy apple for the OS.

Windows 8 has been a dog and nobody knows what Win10 is going to be like.

For the same cost as a single Apple iMac that you will hope to last you for 5-6 years, you can buy 2 windows machines and end up with a much faster computer that is 3 years newer tech for the same price.

BUT

You loose out on some of the great integration between other apple hardware. You are stuck being a slave to windows and needing to re-format the machine about every year to keep it running well. You will need to install gob's of service patches to keep the OS up-to-date.

You gain far better gaming experience if that is what you are looking for.

There is nobody but yourself who can best define what you really want in the end

Thank you so much for sharing this.
But I got one question for you, if you were me right now. Which one would you choose ?
Built-in or iMac ?

 

[joema2]

Don't fool yourself into believing the hype that Apple actually builds a better class of machine than anyone else.

The comparison is complex because all Macs are made by Apple to their standards, vs PCs which are made by many manufacturers to varying quality standards at different price points. Then you must add self-built machines, which adds yet more variables.

In general an upper-end Dell or HP machine is probably as reliable from a hardware standpoint as an iMac. OTOH they are about the same price as the iMac (if not more).

Yes if you build your own machine (like the OP mentioned) that adds all kinds of variables. Every component decision and every configuration decision can change the reliability picture.

From a software standpoint, Macs and PCs often run the same application software suites. I work with people who run Premiere Pro on Mac and PCs. Their entire working day is immersed in that one app. The interface of Premiere is all they see 90% of the time. Whether the supporting OS is Windows or OS X is not even that apparent.

From an OS standpoint both Windows and OS X can be very reliable if properly installed and maintained. OS X is easier to maintain since you generally don't need anti-virus software and updates are less frequent and less intrusive than Windows.

OTOH OS X has notable software reliability problems, although these generally don't affect lots of users. For examples see: http://macperformanceguide.com/topics/topic-AppleCoreRot.html

Windows is regularly tested at extremely high transactional loads, and any bugs or glitches are fixed immediately. File system bugs or corruption problems are almost unknown: http://www.tpc.org/tpce/results/tpce_price_perf_results.asp

By contrast OS X is not tested to this degree and consequently some file system bugs remain unfixed. To my knowledge this one is still not fixed on Yosemite: http://macperformanceguide.com/blog/2014/20140331_1-OSX-Mavericks-hang-bug.html

From a UI standpoint, yes Windows 8 was horrific. Most key Microsoft managers involved with that have left the company, been fired or demoted.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

You want high quality gaming...

Thank you so much for sharing this.
But I got one question for you, if you were me right now. Which one would you choose ?
Built-in or iMac ?

As said in you OP so I would suggest you get a gaming PC with upgradeable graphics card.

Yoi can game quite well on a mac but the 21.5 inch version doesn't have the greatest graphics options, all imacs use mobile graphics cards not desktop ones and so they will never give you top gaming performance which ever you get. The 27 inch ones make fairly good gaming rigs but are spanked by a gaming PC.

 

[jimmysoy]

As said in you OP so I would suggest you get a gaming PC with upgradeable graphics card.

Yoi can game quite well on a mac but the 21.5 inch version doesn't have the greatest graphics options, all imacs use mobile graphics cards not desktop ones and so they will never give you top gaming performance which ever you get. The 27 inch ones make fairly good gaming rigs but are spanked by a gaming PC.

But it doesn't make a difference when it comes to graphic design between iMac and PC ?

 

[roadkill401]

Thank you so much for sharing this.
But I got one question for you, if you were me right now. Which one would you choose ?
Built-in or iMac ?

I have been a loyal PC windows user for the past 20+ years. Mid last year I bought a mac mini and gave it a try. I did like Mavericks and found the OS to be quite a bit easier for the rest of the family.

At the start of this year I bought an riMac 27" and it comes with Yosemite. that OS is a giant step backwards in my opinion, but it does intergrate better with my iPad and does some things still much better than windows ever has.

I refuse to buy a Windows 8 machine as I have tried to use it and Microsoft has taken up trying to make their OS idiot proof, but in the process made it impossible for us IT type people who know what they are doing to get things done. I just hated it.

I also like to play some games too, and so I took my older (2.5 year old) i7 PC and loaded up a clean install of Win7 and put a more modern video card (R280x) inside and play games using that with Steam. I use the iMac just for doing my photography and web design for my woodworking business.

I have spent more time on the phone with Apple trying to debug issues with the iMac than I ever have with Microsoft. I never actually called MS, just perserviered with what support i could get off the internet.

The display on the riMac is wonderful and I really do like it. I hope that the issues that I have had are software and just not knowing issues that I just need to get by. I push my machines so I can understand why I get some issues and some other parts (itunes) is just the nature of the beast.

If I wanted a computer for playing games I would not get a mac. It just is not designed for doing that, not to say it can't but there are far better options for a PC and windows.

If you were trying to do any other business tasks, graphics and stuff, I would say that a mac is a better choice.

I don't follow the 'cult' of mac and I am not a fanboy in any means. I bought the riMac as it's a tool to get my work done, and the screen is so much better than anything else I can buy for around the same money so it just made sense.

Hope this helps.

 

[jimmysoy]

I have been a loyal PC windows user for the past 20+ years. Mid last year I bought a mac mini and gave it a try. I did like Mavericks and found the OS to be quite a bit easier for the rest of the family.

At the start of this year I bought an riMac 27" and it comes with Yosemite. that OS is a giant step backwards in my opinion, but it does intergrate better with my iPad and does some things still much better than windows ever has.

I refuse to buy a Windows 8 machine as I have tried to use it and Microsoft has taken up trying to make their OS idiot proof, but in the process made it impossible for us IT type people who know what they are doing to get things done. I just hated it.

I also like to play some games too, and so I took my older (2.5 year old) i7 PC and loaded up a clean install of Win7 and put a more modern video card (R280x) inside and play games using that with Steam. I use the iMac just for doing my photography and web design for my woodworking business.

I have spent more time on the phone with Apple trying to debug issues with the iMac than I ever have with Microsoft. I never actually called MS, just perserviered with what support i could get off the internet.

The display on the riMac is wonderful and I really do like it. I hope that the issues that I have had are software and just not knowing issues that I just need to get by. I push my machines so I can understand why I get some issues and some other parts (itunes) is just the nature of the beast.

If I wanted a computer for playing games I would not get a mac. It just is not designed for doing that, not to say it can't but there are far better options for a PC and windows.

If you were trying to do any other business tasks, graphics and stuff, I would say that a mac is a better choice.

I don't follow the 'cult' of mac and I am not a fanboy in any means. I bought the riMac as it's a tool to get my work done, and the screen is so much better than anything else I can buy for around the same money so it just made sense.

Hope this helps.

It really helps. I guess I would rather focus on my career rather than playing games.

 

[roadkill401]

FWIW:

I bought the i7 with 16gb ram 290x video and the SSD.

My logic was that the i7 will get used in Photoshop and my web design. I also run vmware fusion and have a win7 vm for some tasks. I first bought my iMac with 8gb ram and found that for the work i did it was not enough. 16gb was and the cost of getting apple to supply it vs any problems down the road with crashes/kernal panics, if the ram came from apple then they must cover it. 256gb SSD more than covers all my apps and then some. (I have put about 90gb of data on the drive). For my photo's and other data, I have a NAS with RAID6 and external disk backups. Far more safe than a single drive inside the iMac and the difference in speed for the work i do is nominal. I have had ZERO issues with graphics performance. that includes the elusive PDF issues, or screen slowdowns in the OS. it just simply works fine and I see no reason for going with a faster display. (again, I don't buy into the hype that XX is better than YY, but rather try it myself and see what works for me).

I got a really good deal with getting mine refurb off the apple store. But I hear they have really good deals through B&H, Anbdromida or Amazon. As I plan on keeping this for 5-6 years, I also got the applecare as I want apple to fix it if it dies. This is a new display type so if it's likely to go wrong it will be in year 2 or 3 and my $150 safety net was worth it for my piece of mind.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

The only real difference is in which apps you use

But it doesn't make a difference when it comes to graphic design between iMac and PC ?

If the software you need is on windows you might as well get a beast of a PC, if the software you use on OSX then you will need a mac (or a hackintosh). Most software comes on both platforms. I am not trying to scare you away from macs, I don't use anything else at home, but a 21.5 inch Imac is not the most powerful beast but it is perfectly fine for some graphic design and some casual gaming. Not so brilliant for high end modern games and 4K video editing.

 

[fathergll]

From a UI standpoint, yes Windows 8 was horrific. Most key Microsoft managers involved with that have left the company, been fired or demoted.

Ha I haven't heard that. Not surprised.

 

[0879397]

Hmmm

Photoshop, Illustrator, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premier... These are the softwares that I always use.

Really ? I thought iMacs have are good with screen. since it is large 21.5-27 inches

The screen is great if you ignore the chance that you might get one with the well known screen ghosting (image retention) issues.

Generally Adobe Premiere and After Effects are getting along with Nvidia cards better because of the CUDA cores.