Should I wait for the new iMac?

[Silly John Fatty]

I'd like to buy a new iMac with these options currently:

- 27"
- Intel Quad Core i7 3,5 Ghz
- 256 GB Flash drive

I read that the processor will be updated. I'm not sure if I understood it correctly, on the 10th of May, Intel is releasing a new Haswell processor. But I also read that another, completely new (Broadwell?) processor will come out.

I would need the Mac now. But I would still regret it to see another iMac come out a few months later, much more powerful and faster, for the same price.

I'm really trying to get the best of the iMac right now. Mac Pro is too expensive sadly, except the low end one, but according to the benchmarks it's slower than a maxed out iMac, so no reason to invest 1500+ € for less.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

If you do not mind waiting for a 10 to 20 % performance increase with new Broadwell chips, once they are released in late 2014, then wait.

But if you can use an iMac now and do not mind, that it is 15 % slower than a not yet released iMac, and that the current Mac will fulfil your current computational needs, get one now.

There is always something better around the corner.

 

[=E=]

I was debating on whether or not I should wait or get the iMac now.
I am happy I didn't wait because this machine is very powerful as it is!
But like the other person said. There is always something better around the corner...

 

[ApfelKuchen]

iMac has been getting annual refreshes in the fall. My feeling is, if you need it now, get it now. Yes, there's the possibility that they'll do a stealth update of the machine when the new Haswell comes out, but Apple isn't exactly hair-trigger about updating to new processors as soon as they're available.

At this point, the incremental Intel processor improvements aren't dramatic. If you're updating from a significantly older, slower machine, whatever you gain in the period from now until year-end may be greater than the net gain you'd have over the life of the machine by waiting for the next version.

 

[Silly John Fatty]

Yeah I know there's always something better around the corner, but for the same price?

I do mind waiting actually, because I have quite a lot of projects I'd like to get done and don't want to wait anymore. I know that the Mac will do the job if I buy it now, but on the long term, the late 2014 one will probably be better. Possibly for future projects, that are even heavier.

I'm upgrading from the Mac in my signature, and according to the benchmarks, mine is only half as fast as the current one.

 

[iF34R]

I'd use what you currently have and hold out for the fall update.

 

[Silly John Fatty]

Hmm… but will the processor be a faster one? Or just newer one? Because there's been plenty of rumours since last year already that a "low-cost" iMac will be launched. Perhaps it uses this new processor, but if it's not faster, it's useless to me.

 

[Perilla]

I don't think Broadwell will improve very much in the iMac. It provides a die shrink, less power consumption, etc. which are all good for laptops and other mobile devices.

The Haswell refresh is out because Intel dropped the ball on Broadwell, delayed it, and scrambled for something to meet the crucial "back to school" sales. Even so, you aren't likely to see any tangible performance improvement from the current iMac.

The main upgrade in the next iMac will be the Nvidia Maxwell GPUs. The biggest gains will be for laptops again, where TDP drops while increasing performance. Going from 780m (CTO 27" iMac) to 880m, the improvements aren't as great as from 750m (rMBP) to 860m (Maxwell not Kepler).

I would say that there is little to gain from waiting as Broadwell/Haswell could be out by Q1 2015. The biggest jump in performance in the late 2013iMac from the 2011 iMac should be the HDD->SSD. If you have projects and need to upgrade now, I would recommend that you do it and enjoy the iMac. They are incredibly powerful and well suited for just about any task.

 

[Silly John Fatty]

Thanks for your input.

From what I've read also is that the current iMac doesn't have Thunderbolt 2 – only the first Thunderbolt. Can anyone confirm this? And does anyone believe the next one will have Thunderbolt 2?

I'm not sure if that will be useful for me.

The thing is, I'll be going with a 256GB Flash drive. I'd like to get another external hard drive to "compensate" for this small storage (flash is so expensive!), and I'd like it to be thunderbolt, so that it's ultra fast.

I'll try to keep important things only on the Mac, but if I get to the point where I have to put "every-day" stuff on the external hard drive too (let's say a photo library for example), then it would be better if it was pretty fast. Kind of disappointed by this, I was 100% sure the latest iMac had Thunderbolt 2.

 

[yjchua95]

Thanks for your input.

From what I've read also is that the current iMac doesn't have Thunderbolt 2 – only the first Thunderbolt. Can anyone confirm this? And does anyone believe the next one will have Thunderbolt 2?

The current iMacs only have TB1. I expect the next ones to have TB2, Broadwell and Maxwell.

 

[ioannis2005gr]

The current iMacs only have TB1. I expect the next ones to have TB2, Broadwell and Maxwell.

about TB2, apart from a second DP2.0 monitor (compatible with TB2), if you need it... you won't find affordable external hardware to buy for the next years...

Broadwell and Maxwell? Come on! your BTO choice is almost perfect! you'd better save your money and proceed with the existing wonderful models...

 

[Silly John Fatty]

That sucks about Thunderbolt… Especially with such a small flash drive, it would not be bad to have a real fast I/O. Thunderbolt 2 is apparently twice as fast as the normal Thunderbolt.

But one question… if I'd have Thunderbolt 2 on my iMac, I would need to have Thunderbolt 2 on the hard drive as well right… because it would be useless in that case, apparently there isn't really any external hard drives with TB2…

 

[maflynn]

But one question… if I'd have Thunderbolt 2 on my iMac, I would need to have Thunderbolt 2 on the hard drive as well right… because it would be useless in that case, apparently there isn't really any external hard drives with TB2…

Correct, while its backward compatible, you'll only see the speeds when you pair up a TB2 device to a TB2 port.

 

[Silly John Fatty]

Correct, while its backward compatible, you'll only see the speeds when you pair up a TB2 device to a TB2 port.

Yeah that makes sense. One more reason to not wait for the new iMac then…

 

[Rob.G]

Go look through the refurbs of the current-release iMac and pick one from there and save some money too.

Rob

 

[Silly John Fatty]

Actually I'm getting a student discount, so it will cost me as if I'd buy a refurbished one except it will be new I prefer this to be honest, that's why I stopped looking into the refurbished ones. Also they don't have the options I'm looking for.

 

[animatedude]

wait until June when they announce the rumored cheap iMac.

 

[Silly John Fatty]

wait until June when they announce the rumored cheap iMac.

I don't want a cheaper iMac, if at all, I want a better one

 

[hologram]

I don't want a cheaper iMac, if at all, I want a better one

You obviously don't really NEED a new one now, or you would have bought it already, so wait.

 

[Silly John Fatty]

You obviously don't really NEED a new one now, or you would have bought it already, so wait.

I do NEED one and I have other computers I can use meanwhile, I need one in the sense that I need it for work and that I should get one pretty soon if I would like to continue and accept bigger jobs. I am still the one deciding if I NEED one or not, I highly doubt you - random dude on the internet - will know
And just because I am not instantly buying one, and trying to find the right solution, it does not mean I don't NEED one …

 

[hologram]

I do NEED one...I highly doubt you - random dude on the internet - will know

No need to get excited.

If you NEED it, then why are you asking us? Just buy it! Like I said, you can't need it that badly or you would have bought it already, because you wouldn't be able to make do with what you've got now. That's what NEED means.

But I guess the other random dudes here will know better than I if you NEED it, right? That's why you asked them, isn't it?

 

[Silly John Fatty]

I created the thread to find out about when possible new iMacs will come out, and these questions have been answered. Did you read the thread at all or are you just trolling?

 

[hologram]

Oh, I read it, but you've been asking us for 8 days now, and that's why I said you couldn't need it too badly.

Look, I'm not trying to start a fight, but it really doesn't seem to be that urgent for you. If it is, then buy it. Simple!

Anyway, since you're asking all the other random dudes on the internet about it, and I happened to be one of those who answered, no need to single me out for giving you an answer you don't want to hear. It wasn't an order.

 

[Silly John Fatty]

I don't know from which planet you are, but if you mean it isn't urgent because I've been "asking for 8 days now", then I don't know what to say either Urgent to me means I should get it this or next month. I'm not going to buy a random machine that I'll maybe regret buying for all the coming years then, so many questions regarding options are still open also, even if I go for a current iMac. So although it's urgent, I simply have to take my time to take the right decision.

Of course you're welcome to give answers, but I don't think the thread was about the definition of "urgent"

There's more complex questions behind all of this, for example:

- if I go with a current iMac, I'll be "stuck" with Thunderbolt 1
- I will also have to get a smaller flash drive (256GB or eventually also 512, which I'm taking into consideration now) because of the high cost
- That means I'll probably use external hard drives a lot
- But then we come back to the fact I'm stuck with Thunderbolt 1
- And then I read that Thunderbolt is useless with an HDD
- Which means I'll have small storage on the Mac and maybe won't be able to use things as quickly as I'd wish from the external HD
- etc.

 

[hologram]

Yes, I understand all that. I'm on an early 2008 iMac, maxed out at 4gb of ram, constantly running hot (probably from dust) and shutting down on me in the middle of something when it overheats. I "need" a new computer, too.

But, I realized that if I put a clip-on fan behind the computer, it keeps the temps cool enough so that It can be running all day without shutting down. Since I really want to wait for the iMac refresh before I buy a new one, and I can manage with what I have, I don't "need" it as much as I thought I did. I'm willing to put up with the slowness, inconvenience and hassle now to get something better down the line.

So spare me the nonsense of being from a different planet.

I'll do you a favor... reply to this and I won't answer so you can have the last word.