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    New iMac spec

    I'm looking for advice here....I'm going to change as my current Mac which is a 2011 model and my Son in law needs a computer so its a good time to change as he'll have the old one (for none tog needs)

    my current model is
    27" iMac - 2.7GHz i5 processor
    Radeon HD6770M 512MB
    20Gb DDR3 Ram - (came with 2x2Mb but I added 2x 8Gb in the spare slots)
    1TB SATA hard drive

    so I'm keen to know if the 'Fusion' hybrid drive is a good choice or to get all SSD

    my current pick is

    21"iMac 3.0 GHz quad core i5 7th Gen with retina 4K display
    Radeon pro 555 2Gb video memory
    8Gb DDR4 RAM 2400 MHz
    512SSD hard drive - thinking I'll store my main library on portable drives and back up with cloud storage

    any pearls of wisdom here please? Thanks in advance.
    Brian Vickers LRPS

    brianvickersphotography.com

    #2
    Re: New iMac spec

    I don't know Macs but that seems low on RAM unless you intend to add more after the fact as before. Would also recommend core i7 6700 if possible.
    Chris
    80D - 10-18 IS STM - 15-85 IS USM - 55-250 IS STM - 50 f/1.8 STM - 100-400L IS II USM - 100 f/2.8L Macro - 1.4x III

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      #3
      Re: New iMac spec

      nice spec although i7 would be my choice. As for memory agree 16GB but you can upgrade yourself from 8 to 16 cheaper than buying it from Mac ...I think :)
      :- Ian

      5D Mk III, 24-105 / 70-200 f2.8 L / 100-400 Mk II / 100 macro / 16-35 L / 11-24 L / 1.4 & 2x converters and a bad back carrying it all ;o)

      :- https://www.flickr.com/photos/fotosespana/

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        #4
        Re: New iMac spec

        Yes last time the Apple store even recommending the RAM upgrade after sale which I did.
        Ill check out the i7 cost difference....thanks
        Brian Vickers LRPS

        brianvickersphotography.com

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          #5
          Re: New iMac spec

          Don't think you can upgrade the RAM yourself on the 21 in ( might have dreamt that )

          Alan

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            #6
            Re: New iMac spec

            I believe I posted the spec of mine in Colin’s thread ,the only thing I will add is be wary of the retina screens as my lad keeps muttering that he can’t get the pics as sharp on it ?

            Comment


              #7
              Re: New iMac spec

              I bought the 27in retina with the 4.2Ghz i7 processor to build in some future proofing, the display is brilliant. Only 8Gb ram on initial purchase for the same reason stated.

              The only area I’ve had difficulty with is getting to connect to the networked WD raid drive I use; ok at present but it is temperamental. Tried discussing this with Apple but they’re not interested as it’s not their kit. The windows kit I have doesn’t have the same issues.

              Ian
              Ian

              Flickr page https://www.flickr.com/photos/154026104@N07

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                #8
                Re: New iMac spec

                I recognise your predicament Brian. I specced mine up to what I wanted and then baulked at the price, so I compromised the spec and brought it down to a sensible price, ending up with something I didn't particularly want. So in the end I didn't compromise and got what I wanted.

                Here are some thoughts:

                As your existing is a 27", are you going to be comfortable with the 21.5" ?

                An SSD is much faster than a fusion drive, or a HD. Also, no moving parts so essentially nothing to go wrong. So definitely go with the SSD.

                You have four slots for RAM up to a total of 128GB. If you go for the 8GB, you will end up with two slots of 4GB and two empty slots, which could restrict your options if you wished to upgrade in the future. I went for 16GB, which is two slots of 8GB. I wanted 32GB, but the extra 16GB was £540 from Apple and £166 from Crucial. I shall go for the Crucial 16GB in the near future to give me the 32GB I originally wanted.

                As standard, it comes with the Mighty Mouse II and the small keyboard. Pay the £30 extra and go for the extended keyboard. It comes with the extra function keys, move keys and the numbers on the right. Well worth it.

                Your keyboard and mouse are charged via a USB cable. Change to a Thunderbolt 3 (USB c) cable for faster charging and to keep one of the USB3 outlets free.

                Your new iMac will not come with a CD/DVD optical drive, so you will need a separate one. The Apple one at £70 isn't that reliable and lots of complaints on the reviews. I bought one that looked similar from an auction site for £17 and it works a treat.

                Let us know what you eventually order.
                Colin

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                  #9
                  Re: New iMac spec

                  Thanks everyone ....looks like I have made assumptions about upgrading RAM so Ill check that...no Optical...my existing 27" has that but since 2011 I guess Apple think they are now obsolete.
                  I have an extended keyboard already so OK on that front.

                  My existing had 2x2GB as standard..so I added 2 x 8GB from Crucial....it didn't make such a big difference with 20Gb total...I think they need to be more closely matched in size and speed though they are the recommended ones from Crucial.

                  Ill also research the screen options...the retina is more expensive but maybe not such a benefit.

                  A bit more research needed...thanks for this everyone.
                  Brian Vickers LRPS

                  brianvickersphotography.com

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: New iMac spec

                    I'm still thinking 21"
                    .....................each of these has a £180 difference attached - I need to choose between i5 and i7, 8Gb or 16Gb and 256GB or 512Gb SSD

                    is the i7 processor really that much better...I note that most of the 27" models still have i5 ?

                    The 2Tb fusion looks good with 128Gb of SSD within the 2TB conventional drive but you cant have that with a 21"....typical!

                    So 21", 8Gb RAM (upgrade via Crucial if needed) i5 processor, 512Gb SSD = £1719.00
                    or with i7 £1899.00
                    or 27" same i5 spec £2019
                    or 27" with i5 and 2GB Fusion inc 125Gb SSD = £1929.00
                    Brian Vickers LRPS

                    brianvickersphotography.com

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: New iMac spec

                      The 27 in i5 2gb fusion drive is the model I bought in September and I am very pleased with it, I upgraded to the 2Tb drive but if I had seen Colin and Jeff posts about SSD I would have gone for the 512 SSD although I would still have been storing my files on a spinning hard drive, the one thing I was bothered about was the shiny screen but I have got used to it now
                      When you say upgrade the 21 in via Crucial do you mean the computer has to go to them as I checked Apples site and the memory on the 21 in is not user upgradeable

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: New iMac spec

                        Just a couple of comments to add to the sound advice already offered by others:

                        1) you might want to hold until WWDC in June - Apple may announce hardware changes which give you better performance at a similar price point
                        2) internal I would go SSD - the tough question is 256 or 512 though - probably 512 makes best sense
                        3) I am sure I read that memory upgrades required a visit to an Apple approved service point - you might want to research that
                        4) ideally all memory should be identical in terms of size / spec / manufacturer - you might want to think about ordering only 8GB and then ordering a full 32 from Crucial and selling on the original Apple 8
                        5) memory + SSD would probably help offset any significant performance difference between i5 and i7 - that really depends on the application software you will be running

                        Edit: some duplication with Alan_H’s post which interleaved with mine ...
                        Last edited by Enigma; 06-04-2018, 12:21.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: New iMac spec

                          Thanks Guys....the memory appears to be upgradable when you look at the spec tab but it’s not clear about user upgradable....L open a chat on there web site to find out.
                          Brian Vickers LRPS

                          brianvickersphotography.com

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Re: New iMac spec

                            Not sure about the 21", but the 27" is user upgradable and there are even instructions and diagrams within the iMac to do this.
                            Colin

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: New iMac spec

                              Yes..I upgraded my existing one....looks like 21" has to go to Apple or an approved service provider...who probably charge Apple prices for memory.
                              Shame because my upgrade would only cost £80 with devices from crucial.
                              As Enigma says it might be worth waiting until the new models are out in June.
                              Brian Vickers LRPS

                              brianvickersphotography.com

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