Which iMac would you get?

[chordstrummer]

Hello all,

Any and all suggestions, comments, criticisms, etc welcome.

I currently have a mid 2010 MacBook Pro 13” upgraded with a 1TB SSD, a little more than half full. The OS is High Sierra 10.13.6. Runs fine and all, but I’m starting to worry about the age of this machine. Software update looks wonky now (all plain text and formatting all over the place), and after the latest security update, it failed to restart, hung up on a progress screen. Hard restart made it come back, but it was a little unnerving.

No longer need the portability of a laptop, so I’m thinking either:

1. New M1 iMac, upgraded to 16GB RAM and a 1TB SSD, or
2. Refurb 27” 2019 Intel iMac with a 1TB SSD, and minimal RAM I could upgrade later.

Price looks to be comparable. Open to other suggestions, too. Maybe a Mac Mini plus a nice 4K display?

This is strictly a home computer, so its mainly an Internet device, and I also store my music library on the hard drive.

Photo editing is probably the most taxing activity. I dabble in photography (Nikon D750, RAW format) and use Photoshop for editing and Lightroom for storage/organization. Due to the old OS (I think?), I can’t upgrade to the latest version of Lightroom. I store photos on an external drive (FW800 RAID). I have another older 2TB library of photos in an Aperture library, also stored on a FW800 RAID drive. Planning on upgrading to faster external drives in the future, and probably migrate the Aperture library to Lightroom.

As you can tell, I tend to hang onto my hardware for a long time. Part of the decision is I’d like a machine that is reasonably future-proof.

One consideration: Is 16GB in the new M1 iMac enough? Apple certainly seems to think so, right? I see that the M1 machines are not nearly as easy to upgrade, if at all.

Again, I appreciate any thoughts.

Thanks!

 

[za9ra22]

If you plan to keep a system for a long time, it is generally best to look for the fastest and most powerful, and particularly the question of which will be best supported for the longest time.

To my mind, there would be no question given the two alternatives you list. An M1 iMac with 16Gb RAM and 1Tb SSD would be most likely to serve you better for a longer period of time. It would likely require some new software, particularly if anything you are running at present is 32bit - the M1 won't run that, but recent macOS versions aren't 32-bit capable anyway.

An M1 Mac mini of similar spec would also be an option, but for the money the iMac is a slightly better bet, due to the quality of the display, and features such as the in-built speakers, web cam, and mics.

The question of whether 16Gb RAM is enough in an M1 is best answered, I think, by pointing out that if Apple didn't think so, they wouldn't be building the new systems in the configurations they are. If nothing else, it will act as a restrictive boundary for developers who will be well aware that building apps and solutions requiring more memory would give them a much smaller potential market. Apple are, in effect even if not intent, setting practical limits for developers (and themselves as macOS develops over the next few years).

 

[MistrSynistr]

There are videos on YouTube of users with M1 Macs doing literally everything under the sun with 20+ tabs open, multiple programs, 4k video, RAW photos, etc with only 8gb of RAM.

 

[rpmurray]

To my mind, there would be no question given the two alternatives you list. An M1 iMac with 16Gb RAM and 1Tb SSD would be most likely to serve you better for a longer period of time.

The question of whether 16Gb RAM is enough in an M1 is best answered, I think, by pointing out that if Apple didn't think so, they wouldn't be building the new systems in the configurations they are.

The M1 iMac (or anything M1 derived) is a first generation device. Apple has proven in the past that they don't usually hit the Goldilocks zone until they've brought out the third generation of new hardware. Limitations are usually pretty evident; RAM, storage, ports, etc. so I'd go with a proven system and then switch later when all of Apple's unpaid beta testers (AKA early adopters) have helped them iron out the wrinkles.

Apple thought that putting 5400 rpm hard drives into systems running the newer OSes with APFS was also OK, so them thinking it's fine doesn't always mean it's a good idea. If they have excess inventory of product that makes the user experience crappier and they weigh that against profit then profit will always win. Gotta please the shareholders, who are your real customers.

 

[za9ra22]

Apple has proven in the past that they don't usually hit the Goldilocks zone until they've brought out the third generation of new hardware.

I really don't believe there would have been hope of survival as a business with that record of failure, and while I agree they do make mistakes and they previously have, I think this is overstating it egregiously.

I'll be happy to join any of the multiple-dozens of class-action lawsuits if they have got this so badly wrong. Ultimately, that's what shareholders will take notice of in the longer term.

 

[rpmurray]

I really don't believe there would have been hope of survival as a business with that record of failure, and while I agree they do make mistakes and they previously have, I think this is overstating it egregiously.

I didn't say they were utter failures and people avoided them in drovers. Just that it seems to take Apple a few iterations before the design matures enough that you get something that meets the needs of more than just the lowest common denominator.

 

[4sallypat]

DO NOT buy an Intel iMac!

I have a 2019 4K iMac and it is a waste of money.

6 months of using the base (8GB) M1 Mini and blows all my Intel out of the water.

Sold off all my Intel Macs (Mini, iMac, Macbook Pro, Macbook Air, Mini Server...) due to heat, fans blowing like crazy, thermal throttling, short lived battery, etc....

Can't wait for my M1 iMac to blow it out of the park!

4 more days and counting...

 

[Fishrrman]

"I store photos on an external drive (FW800 RAID)"

Hooking up a firewire drive to a current Mac requires two adapters, daisy-chained:
- thunderbolt3 to thunderbolt2
and
- firewire800 to thunderbolt 2

To avoid this, it might be wise to plan on upgrading this setup BEFORE you buy a new Mac...

 

[za9ra22]

I didn't say they were utter failures and people avoided them in drovers. Just that it seems to take Apple a few iterations before the design matures enough that you get something that meets the needs of more than just the lowest common denominator.

That is rather different than the prior observation, but it has also not been my experience.

There have been problems with some Apple products - most notorious is probably the twin-USB 'snowbooks' (2001-2003), which even after 4 iterations still had logic board failures ranging up to about 75% of units sold. They got it right at iteration 5. It should be said though that Apple did provide replacements, and there are still a fair number of them around that are working and in use.

They put laptop drives in the early minis, which were not as fast as they could have been, but was to enable the size. Users didn't mind much. Same with the 5400RPM drives they used in some systems. Purists might have noticed, but users typically didn't, or didn't much care.

Belittling people who buy their first/second/whatever iteration of products as 'lowest common denominator' is really too demeaning to have a place in any serious discussion.

 

[4sallypat]

I didn't say they were utter failures and people avoided them in drovers. Just that it seems to take Apple a few iterations before the design matures enough that you get something that meets the needs of more than just the lowest common denominator.

Sounds like you are going to wait a very long time for an Apple Silicon Mac...

This first iteration (M1) was a success in my past 35 years of using Apple computers.

I even have the base (8GB) Mini and it blew away a fully loaded CTO/BTO Intel 6 core i7 2018 Mac Mini w/ 32GB of RAM.

When was the last time I dumped an entire line of (Intel) Macs ?
Answer: M1.

4 days till the new BASE iMac is arriving and I have a feeling (based on 6 months of M1 Mini), that this will certainly run circles around my 2019 Intel iMac!

 

[Scarboose]

If screen size matters to you, I would wait for the larger iMac to drop. Otherwise, get the 24" iMac. It's a great machine that will last a long time and has amazing built in speakers for that music library too. The all-in-one experience is hard to beat!

 

[blairh]

Hello all,

Any and all suggestions, comments, criticisms, etc welcome.

I currently have a mid 2010 MacBook Pro 13” upgraded with a 1TB SSD, a little more than half full. The OS is High Sierra 10.13.6. Runs fine and all, but I’m starting to worry about the age of this machine. Software update looks wonky now (all plain text and formatting all over the place), and after the latest security update, it failed to restart, hung up on a progress screen. Hard restart made it come back, but it was a little unnerving.

No longer need the portability of a laptop, so I’m thinking either:

1. New M1 iMac, upgraded to 16GB RAM and a 1TB SSD, or
2. Refurb 27” 2019 Intel iMac with a 1TB SSD, and minimal RAM I could upgrade later.

Price looks to be comparable. Open to other suggestions, too. Maybe a Mac Mini plus a nice 4K display?

This is strictly a home computer, so its mainly an Internet device, and I also store my music library on the hard drive.

Photo editing is probably the most taxing activity. I dabble in photography (Nikon D750, RAW format) and use Photoshop for editing and Lightroom for storage/organization. Due to the old OS (I think?), I can’t upgrade to the latest version of Lightroom. I store photos on an external drive (FW800 RAID). I have another older 2TB library of photos in an Aperture library, also stored on a FW800 RAID drive. Planning on upgrading to faster external drives in the future, and probably migrate the Aperture library to Lightroom.

As you can tell, I tend to hang onto my hardware for a long time. Part of the decision is I’d like a machine that is reasonably future-proof.

One consideration: Is 16GB in the new M1 iMac enough? Apple certainly seems to think so, right? I see that the M1 machines are not nearly as easy to upgrade, if at all.

Again, I appreciate any thoughts.

Thanks!

OP I'd like to know why you feel the need to store all your music on your HD? I have my entire collection in my iCloud Music Library and it works flawlessly. I don't store anything on my HD.

I would at least wait until WWDC in a few weeks to see if the new iMacs are unveiled. If not, they will probably come in the fall, if you feel you can wait that long.

If you don't want to wait until the fall, I would get the 27" iMac. It's a steal at that refurb price. The larger screen will be a delight to your eyes. The fear over purchasing an Intel machine is overblown. Especially given your needs. You can always manually upgrade the RAM if you feel the need down the road.

 

[rpmurray]

Belittling people who buy their first/second/whatever iteration of products as 'lowest common denominator' is really too demeaning to have a place in any serious discussion.

I see that you are easily offended so I suppose you don't have very many serious discussions.

 

[za9ra22]

I see that you are easily offended so I suppose you don't have very many serious discussions.

Oh dear.

 

[GSWForever8]

I would recommend M1 iMac. That thing is gorgeous! Although I dislike the idea of white bezels, the white bezels play nicely with the new iMac. Also, a 2019 iMac should be avoided, since it's intel and 2 years old already.

 

[chordstrummer]

Thanks everyone for the comments. Greatly appreciated. I do think I am leaning toward the M1 as the best bet overall. And I do think I’ll be upgraded external drives for photos sooner rather than later.

About storing music on the HD, I’m resistant to the idea of storing anything on anyone else’s cloud, services, etc. bit of a Luddite in that sense. Might change my mind in the future, but my library isn’t that large anyway.

Thanks again to all of you, and keep it coming.

 

[arian71]

There are videos on YouTube of users with M1 Macs doing literally everything under the sun with 20+ tabs open, multiple programs, 4k video, RAW photos, etc with only 8gb of RAM.

MacBook Pro with 8gb ram, safari 4k YouTube, google chrome 4k this forum tab open and apple maps and I see the memory pressure going yellow constantly and laptop is getting warmer. yes for my needs just for watching media and browsing internet 8gb might be enough but just . made my mind will go for iMac 16 gb memory

 

[mdgm]

The main reasons to go with the Intel would be:
1. Need a 27" screen and can't wait for the Apple Silicon replacement
2. The 2019 has a replaceable SSD (though you have to pull the whole machine apart pretty much to do it)
3. Can have more than 16GB RAM (up to 128GB) and RAM is replaceable, moreover its easily user replaceable.
4. Can run older Mac OS in a VM e.g. Sierra, High Sierra or Mojave to run 32-bit Mac apps
5. Can run VMs of x86/x64 OSes such as Linux and Windows. There are alternatives for running VMs of ARM Linux and Insider Preview of Windows for ARM on the M1.
6. Can boot into Windows using Bootcamp
7. Can boot into Linux (though the 5.13 RC kernel has added some support for booting Linux on the M1, there's still a fair bit of work to be done)
8. Support for more external monitors.

 

[jahin17]

Sounds like you are going to wait a very long time for an Apple Silicon Mac...

This first iteration (M1) was a success in my past 35 years of using Apple computers.

I even have the base (8GB) Mini and it blew away a fully loaded CTO/BTO Intel 6 core i7 2018 Mac Mini w/ 32GB of RAM.

When was the last time I dumped an entire line of (Intel) Macs ?
Answer: M1.

4 days till the new BASE iMac is arriving and I have a feeling (based on 6 months of M1 Mini), that this will certainly run circles around my 2019 Intel iMac!

If you don’t mind me asking, what made you choose the base iMac over the 16gb ram? I’ve ordered both 8gb and 16gb with the latter coming mid June. Now I’m just a basic user, steam Netflix, YouTube, a bit of photoshop here and then with around 5 files opened minimum daily on photoshop for work. And then some light gaming for Football Manager. Do you think 8gb ram will easily manage that?

 

[svish]

Hello all,

Any and all suggestions, comments, criticisms, etc welcome.

I currently have a mid 2010 MacBook Pro 13” upgraded with a 1TB SSD, a little more than half full. The OS is High Sierra 10.13.6. Runs fine and all, but I’m starting to worry about the age of this machine. Software update looks wonky now (all plain text and formatting all over the place), and after the latest security update, it failed to restart, hung up on a progress screen. Hard restart made it come back, but it was a little unnerving.

No longer need the portability of a laptop, so I’m thinking either:

1. New M1 iMac, upgraded to 16GB RAM and a 1TB SSD, or
2. Refurb 27” 2019 Intel iMac with a 1TB SSD, and minimal RAM I could upgrade later.

Price looks to be comparable. Open to other suggestions, too. Maybe a Mac Mini plus a nice 4K display?

This is strictly a home computer, so its mainly an Internet device, and I also store my music library on the hard drive.

Photo editing is probably the most taxing activity. I dabble in photography (Nikon D750, RAW format) and use Photoshop for editing and Lightroom for storage/organization. Due to the old OS (I think?), I can’t upgrade to the latest version of Lightroom. I store photos on an external drive (FW800 RAID). I have another older 2TB library of photos in an Aperture library, also stored on a FW800 RAID drive. Planning on upgrading to faster external drives in the future, and probably migrate the Aperture library to Lightroom.

As you can tell, I tend to hang onto my hardware for a long time. Part of the decision is I’d like a machine that is reasonably future-proof.

One consideration: Is 16GB in the new M1 iMac enough? Apple certainly seems to think so, right? I see that the M1 machines are not nearly as easy to upgrade, if at all.

Again, I appreciate any thoughts.

Thanks!

Get the new 24" M1 iMac. No reason to get the Intel Macs now

 

[bushman4]

Wait for Apples M2 iMac. This way Apple works through all the kinks

 

[4sallypat]

If you don’t mind me asking, what made you choose the base iMac over the 16gb ram? I’ve ordered both 8gb and 16gb with the latter coming mid June. Now I’m just a basic user, steam Netflix, YouTube, a bit of photoshop here and then with around 5 files opened minimum daily on photoshop for work. And then some light gaming for Football Manager. Do you think 8gb ram will easily manage that?

Sure, I chose the base iMac according to how my base M1 Mini has been working.
The M1 Mini for the past 6 months has been stellar in everything it does.

No longer need to put a cooling fan under the old Intel Mini and no longer have to wait bounces for an app to open.

I figured that the M1 8GB Unified Memory is nothing like the standard Intel DDR RAM.
You can't compare apples to apples as the Intel RAM is "oranges".

The base M1 Mini with 8GB runs ice cold all day long, never has a spinning beach ball even with 40+ tabs open on 3 different browsers.
I do some light Photoshop CC and now I am waiting to try out the Pro Apps Bundle with the base iMac.

I think Apple has hit out of the park when they changed from Intel to Apple Silicon.
Their Mac OS & app execution is amazing - just like the efficiency of an iPad/iPhone running iOS.

I would personally try the 8GB out and see if it works for you - only you will know.

Let us know what you think when you get the new M1 iMac.