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Wait for iMac refresh or go for it now?

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Dr Kevorkian94

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Jun 9, 2009
2,179
83
SI, NY
Hey guys I'm in a bit of a predicament. Im giving my younger brother my old iMac and want to get a new one but I know that it hasn't been refreshed because of the Broadwell delay. I was thinking about getting a fully loaded iMac or waiting for the next refresh. The Mac Pro might be another route but I'm not sure yet. And of course my brother wants to get his hands on my old one asap. I would like to see everyone's opinion on the matter because I can't decide what's the best way to go. Thanks guys hopefully we can come to some sort of consensus? :D
 
Dr Kevorkian94 said:
Hey guys I'm in a bit of a predicament. Im giving my younger brother my old iMac and want to get a new one but I know that it hasn't been refreshed because of the Broadwell delay. I was thinking about getting a fully loaded iMac or waiting for the next refresh. The Mac Pro might be another route but I'm not sure yet. And of course my brother wants to get his hands on my old one asap. I would like to see everyone's opinion on the matter because I can't decide what's the best way to go. Thanks guys hopefully we can come to some sort of consensus? :D
Click to expand...

https://buyersguide.macrumors.com//
 
Depends. Honestly we probably won't hear anything new about iMacs till at least October? Then they may stagger availability into November, December, maybe longer. Also no guarantee they'll change anything significant like retina displays.

On top of all that, iMacs are probably the most stabile you'll find right now. Once a new overhaul releases they go back to being buggy for a bit. New technology = fun and fresh but some bugs. Mature technology = stabile and reliable.
 
I'd just look at it like this: If you NEED a new one now, go for it. Otherwise if you can make do with your existing setup... just hold off until you really need it. Otherwise I'd be upgrading every year.
 
I don't think you are in a predictament. If you are generous and your brother needs a computer now, and that seems to be the case on both counts, do him the solid. Going only that far should answer your question for you.
 
lJoSquaredl said:
Depends. Honestly we probably won't hear anything new about iMacs till at least October? Then they may stagger availability into November, December, maybe longer. Also no guarantee they'll change anything significant like retina displays.

On top of all that, iMacs are probably the most stabile you'll find right now. Once a new overhaul releases they go back to being buggy for a bit. New technology = fun and fresh but some bugs. Mature technology = stabile and reliable.
Click to expand...

Good post. Even if someone was adamant about waiting for a retina display, they might want to read this first:

http://www.cultofmac.com/168509/why...ion-of-those-new-retina-display-macs-feature/
 
lookatchu said:
Good post. Even if someone was adamant about waiting for a retina display, they might want to read this first:

http://www.cultofmac.com/168509/why...ion-of-those-new-retina-display-macs-feature/
Click to expand...

I hook my rMBP up to my 24 inch 1080p sometimes (cheap monitor and less ppi than an iMac screen obviously) and from where I sit it looks just as good. However some pics when I look at them in both screens...I do see some better clarity at times. As someone who does photo editing, retina is AMAZING but not needed. As someone who does video editing, not a big deal IMO, and frankly I could use the 16:9 for my timeline. For gaming...man is it beautiful at 1800p...but I usually play at 900p/1050p and sometimes 1200p cuz 1800p heats up my rMBP pretty damn hot. I don't wanna get anything non retina anymore, but it's not needed, and won't be the standard for a while. I play LoL and none of the menus/pics are retina, I can't tell until I lean in but bleh, looks pixelated when I do:p

Also, when I compare my 1800p, my 1080p, and my 720p screens, the 1080p is always in last cuz it's a matte finish Asus I got for like $100. There's something to be said for screen quality as well, and iMacs have that regardless of retina.

Also to my point earlier, I have a first generation rMBP and I LOVE it, but I do have that weird vid card flicker bug. Haven't sent it in yet, and frankly don't know if they'd fix it anyways since they seem to dodge video card repairs, but regardless of bugs I've enjoyed this beautiful machine everyday. Having said that I'm also looking at iMacs, perhaps even a 1080p one:)
 
lJoSquaredl said:
Depends. Honestly we probably won't hear anything new about iMacs till at least October? Then they may stagger availability into November, December, maybe longer. Also no guarantee they'll change anything significant like retina displays.

On top of all that, iMacs are probably the most stabile you'll find right now. Once a new overhaul releases they go back to being buggy for a bit. New technology = fun and fresh but some bugs. Mature technology = stabile and reliable.
Click to expand...

There's always some uncertainty with changing technology. But Apple nailed it when they released the redesigned iMac in late 2012, IMO. The Fusion drive was new, but it's turned out to be very effective and reliable, at least in my experience. I also think that Apple did a great job with cooling, which had been a problem with earlier iMacs. I agree that the late 2013 iMacs are excellent machines for people who don't want/need a Mac Pro or MacBook Pro/Air and don't want to build a Hackintosh.

As for the next round of iMac updates, who knows? I'm surprised Apple didn't refresh the iMac this summer. I'm in the market for a new iMac, but I'm waiting because the computer it'll replace is generally working OK. However, if it failed, I'd have no hesitation buying one of the current models or possibly a refurb.
 
As said above, even if you wait for another 2-3 months, the best Apple is going to do is refresh the iMac line with 2014 Haswell chips (as opposed to 2013 Haswell chips in the current models) and maybe, just maybe, bother updating the Geforce chips to the 800 series instead of the 700 series; minor improvements all 'round. Broadwell desktop chips are not coming out until late Q2/early Q3 2015.

If you need a new iMac, just buy one now.
 
Later this year will be chances to 50%-50% of retina iMac and a lot of chances for Geforce 980M. Geforce announced that 980M will be out in October
 
lJoSquaredl said:
I hook my rMBP up to my 24 inch 1080p sometimes (cheap monitor and less ppi than an iMac screen obviously) and from where I sit it looks just as good. However some pics when I look at them in both screens...I do see some better clarity at times. As someone who does photo editing, retina is AMAZING but not needed. As someone who does video editing, not a big deal IMO, and frankly I could use the 16:9 for my timeline. For gaming...man is it beautiful at 1800p...but I usually play at 900p/1050p and sometimes 1200p cuz 1800p heats up my rMBP pretty damn hot. I don't wanna get anything non retina anymore, but it's not needed, and won't be the standard for a while. I play LoL and none of the menus/pics are retina, I can't tell until I lean in but bleh, looks pixelated when I do:p

Also, when I compare my 1800p, my 1080p, and my 720p screens, the 1080p is always in last cuz it's a matte finish Asus I got for like $100. There's something to be said for screen quality as well, and iMacs have that regardless of retina.


Also to my point earlier, I have a first generation rMBP and I LOVE it, but I do have that weird vid card flicker bug. Haven't sent it in yet, and frankly don't know if they'd fix it anyways since they seem to dodge video card repairs, but regardless of bugs I've enjoyed this beautiful machine everyday. Having said that I'm also looking at iMacs, perhaps even a 1080p one:)
Click to expand...

Good and informative info. Thanks for sharing. Retina displays are awesome indeed. How would you compare the fonts/text among your retina, 1080p and 720 screens? Any noticeable differences?

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steve23094 said:
The thing is this article is old, predating Retina Macs. They made a prediction and it was wrong.

The mid 2012 15" rMBP was introduced approx. four months after this article and it has a resolution of 2880 x 1800, not 1920 x 1200 as they surmised.
Click to expand...

Interesting. I didn't catch that (my bad). I had bookmarked that page a while ago while doing a little research.
 
lookatchu said:
Good and informative info. Thanks for sharing. Retina displays are awesome indeed. How would you compare the fonts/text among your retina, 1080p and 720 screens? Any noticeable differences?
Click to expand...

I test it in a real world situation...I sit in front of the monitor and move my head forward and backward lol. Altho I do feel the retina font is easier on the eyes especially after hours of use, having a smaller screen all the time can also be draining on the eyes as well. My 720p screen is a 50 inch tv so I wouldn't compare the fonts with the other 2 screens, but as far as both monitors go its more about preference imo...and within a year or two we won't even have to make the distinction. Just get something for a year or two, and then sell and upgrade. By that time retina screens should be the norm for all things Apple:)
 
I am pretty sure that with the release of the 9xx series from Geforce in October the new imac will be announce with thunderbolt 2 and standard fusion drive or ssd
 
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