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Upgrade from Late 2012 27" iMac
- Thread starter b18221964
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I'm in the same boat as you but I'm not impressed with the new iMac. Performance difference is very minimal by 5% for both CPU and GPU and the only big differences are the retina display and PCI-e SSDs. I think I might wait another year to hopefully see a redesign with USB-C, Thunderbolt 3, and DDR4 options. If Apple offered nVidia cards I probably would of jumped the gun, though.
I'd think that the GPU boost be way more than 5%
http://barefeats.com/imac5k6.html
According to Bare feats, even the M290X was exchanging blows with the 780M and the M295X was killing it. An M395X should pretty much obliterate the 680MX.
http://barefeats.com/imac5k6.html
According to Bare feats, even the M290X was exchanging blows with the 780M and the M295X was killing it. An M395X should pretty much obliterate the 680MX.
I have the late 2012 iMac and am really debating whether I'll see much of an improvement to warrant spending out 2k.
Does anyone know how much of an improvement I'd see running Logic Pro?
I was thinking of ordering the mid range 27inch (upgrading it to the i7) but after reading this thread and seeing it may only be a slight improvement on performance I'm now in a dilemma. My current iMac has a 750gb SSD, 32gb of RAM and the GTX 680.
I've tried looking round on the internet but if anyone knows roughly how much improvement I'd see I'd really appreciate it.
Does anyone know how much of an improvement I'd see running Logic Pro?
I was thinking of ordering the mid range 27inch (upgrading it to the i7) but after reading this thread and seeing it may only be a slight improvement on performance I'm now in a dilemma. My current iMac has a 750gb SSD, 32gb of RAM and the GTX 680.
I've tried looking round on the internet but if anyone knows roughly how much improvement I'd see I'd really appreciate it.
Instead of thinking about potential improvements and look at your current workflow instead. Are there areas where you are impacted by slow performance? I've got a late 2012 (fusion) and have never had any problems with the stuff I do in Logic. Granted, my workflow will be different to yours. But, I'm not going to move to the new model, because although it may be faster, it's not actually going to give me any great advantage.
Thanks for your reply.
That's a really good way of looking at it. Certain areas of production feels a bit sluggish compared to a couple of years ago as I'm using more and more plugins / tracks. In truth be told it does what I need it to do. But if there was a noticeable difference I'd buy a new one. I usually upgrade every two or three years so am getting itch feet so to speak!
I have the same 2012 iMac and I ordered a new one yesterday.
If I wait another year, I think I can sell my 2012 model for maybe 1300€. Now I'll get 1800€ hopefully. I expect the CPU to be 25% faster and the GPU to give me a noticeable boost (especially the 4GB VRAM). I expect 30-50% more fps for games. On top you get AC WiFi, the latest Flash drives (I hear 1GB/s +) and the 5k screen.
I a tough decision, for me it just came down to: I want a new iMac. That's it
If I wait another year, I think I can sell my 2012 model for maybe 1300€. Now I'll get 1800€ hopefully. I expect the CPU to be 25% faster and the GPU to give me a noticeable boost (especially the 4GB VRAM). I expect 30-50% more fps for games. On top you get AC WiFi, the latest Flash drives (I hear 1GB/s +) and the 5k screen.
I a tough decision, for me it just came down to: I want a new iMac. That's it
I have the same 2012 iMac and I ordered a new one yesterday.
If I wait another year, I think I can sell my 2012 model for maybe 1300€. Now I'll get 1800€ hopefully. I expect the CPU to be 25% faster and the GPU to give me a noticeable boost (especially the 4GB VRAM). I expect 30-50% more fps for games. On top you get AC WiFi, the latest Flash drives (I hear 1GB/s +) and the 5k screen.
I a tough decision, for me it just came down to: I want a new iMac. That's it
Ditto. That's exactly what I thought too. Ordered mine the other day
That is what I've decided. Would love the screen but hopefully next year there will be a redesign.
I don't think so. IMO the last redesign was the 5k screen which was introduced last year. I think we will see a "re-design" in two years at the earliest...
I retired my late 2012 iMac and replaced it with the 'best" stock 27". It's much perkier but the screen is the reason to upgrade. I have them sitting side by side and man, what a difference.
And, for the usual computing with a little photoshop, the RAM is adequate according to the memory pressure graph in activity monitor.
It's only money lol.
And, for the usual computing with a little photoshop, the RAM is adequate according to the memory pressure graph in activity monitor.
It's only money lol.
Ahahah, me too
Problem with Apple here is that some movies on iTunes are just in German and we have no TV shows at all in the store...also Apple raised all prices due to the strong dollar a couple of weeks ago...meaning I have to dig deep for the new iMac
I also have a top of the line late 2012 with a fusion drive - I plan on keeping my 2012 and not upgrading for a few more years. The 2012 still does all I need it to do with no issues and if I need to improve it any ill take it to my local independent Mac shop and get them to install a SSD drive.
Moore's law is no longer in effect. CPU bumps nowadays aren't what they were 10-15 years ago. Just a couple years ago, the big catalyst was I/O - and Spinning disk to SSD made a huge difference to the extent that my 2012 11.6 MBA outperformed my 2010 i7 iMac in many ways that impacted my workday, unless I was converting or compiling something.
I'm pretty much running the exact iMac that you are (Late 2012/3.4 i7/3 TB Fusion/680 MX 2GB/32GB RAM). My system is still snappy, and does everything I need it to do. I've actually ordered a new iMac twice, from Apple, and cancelled both times. This, along with playing with a 15 rMBP to see if I can convert from desktop to laptop.
Regarding converting to mobile, I'm having trouble living without 3 27" displays. Other than that, I will say that my 2015 15 rMBP is keeping up with my late 2012 iMac very well, and that's with a Haswell i7 chipset.. Still, I miss the real estate. So, still considering the 5k iMac.
Regarding the upgrade to the new iMac form my old one, I tend to refresh every 2.5 years. The reason I do this has more to do with resale value and Applecare, than with technology bumps. Macs hold their value, especially when sold with Applecare (actually, this is the main reason I buy Applecare). Selling a 2 1/2 year old Mac that's still under Applecare almost always gets me 60% of what I paid for it, especially since I buy refurbs or Educations systems (several kids in k-12). I will say that, if it wasn't for my Applecare/resale situation, I'd probably still upgrade for the following reasons:
I'm pretty much running the exact iMac that you are (Late 2012/3.4 i7/3 TB Fusion/680 MX 2GB/32GB RAM). My system is still snappy, and does everything I need it to do. I've actually ordered a new iMac twice, from Apple, and cancelled both times. This, along with playing with a 15 rMBP to see if I can convert from desktop to laptop.
Regarding converting to mobile, I'm having trouble living without 3 27" displays. Other than that, I will say that my 2015 15 rMBP is keeping up with my late 2012 iMac very well, and that's with a Haswell i7 chipset.. Still, I miss the real estate. So, still considering the 5k iMac.
Regarding the upgrade to the new iMac form my old one, I tend to refresh every 2.5 years. The reason I do this has more to do with resale value and Applecare, than with technology bumps. Macs hold their value, especially when sold with Applecare (actually, this is the main reason I buy Applecare). Selling a 2 1/2 year old Mac that's still under Applecare almost always gets me 60% of what I paid for it, especially since I buy refurbs or Educations systems (several kids in k-12). I will say that, if it wasn't for my Applecare/resale situation, I'd probably still upgrade for the following reasons:
- 5k Display - this is a bargain, in that it's part of the package. While my current display looks good, the new one is stunning. And I look at that sucker all day. I earn my keep with it.
- Faster SSD - Might not make a huge difference, but could be noticeable.
- KB & trackpad - I hate switching batts, and I'm wearing out my old ones anyhow.
- GPU - While I like my NVIDIA, I suspect the new one will be noticeably better, at least for my needs.
- Skylake - This is Apple's first Skylake quad upgrade. The MacBook is two gens behind. While I see differing opinions on the bump, my gut tells me to side with the optimistic ones.
Well. Changing a better LCD panel is not a redesign..IMO. The look on this current iMac is from 2009. The Late 2012 is the first unibody more like a facelift not a redsign. The conclusion is they all look the same since 2009.
Anyway. I have an offer to sell my iMac for US$1,200.00, this a good deal?
Anyway. I have an offer to sell my iMac for US$1,200.00, this a good deal?
I
In the world of Apple a redesign does not mean changing the form factor we have all become accustomed to, its more about following these basic principles every year, the product will become:
a) slimmer
b) have the best display amongst the competition
c) feature something innovative like the fusion drive
d) work well with OSX and iOS devices
I would be interested in doing this also - but its convincing the Wife that I need a new computer every 2 years that would be the hard part :>)
I thought we paid this much because we wanted longevity from these machines!
I personally wouldn't spend $2000 every 2 years on a new computer kind of defeats the object of paying for a top spec machine, which you'd expect to get more use out of.
I personally wouldn't spend $2000 every 2 years on a new computer kind of defeats the object of paying for a top spec machine, which you'd expect to get more use out of.