Lower spec iMac or top spec Mac mini?

dan_yorkshire

dan_yorkshire

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Already partially discussed elsewhere but wanted a bit more input.

Looking to purchase my first Apple computer, and can't decide which to get.

I like the look of the iMacs (who doesn't) but can't help but feel that for the money of the bottom spec 27" I could do better.

I will be using the computer for 75% lightroom and 20% photoshop and the remaining 5% for browsing and itunes etc.

I have a good calibrated monitor already so was considering the top spec Mac Mini upgraded to i7 and 16GB Ram which will have the fusion drive too. That totals £1125 (after 6% work discount) saving £325 on the lowest spec 27" iMac.

The bottom spec iMac has i5, 8GB, standard 1TB drive, would this still be ok for my needs? I could obviously upgrade things later in life but that's at even more cost, it's already £1449

Cheers for any input.
 
The new (ish) Mac Mini only sports a Dual core processor, whereas the iMac has a quad core and faster processor. OK the mini has an i7 processor which makes use of Hyperthreading, provided the app allows for this. Also upgrading the new minis is virtually impossible as everything , including the memory, which is now soldered to the logic board. The iMac is similar, but the memory is user replaceable. You will also have to add the cost of a keyboard and mouse for the mini, these are included in the with the iMac. You also get NVIDEA graphics with the iMac not the standard on board Intel Iris, which if you are using Photoshop and Lightroom probably won't make much difference.

I have a 5 year old iMac. it's a 2,6GHz i5 machine. I looked at upgrading it to the new 5K model, but am struggling to find reasons to do so. ( and it's not the cost) . OK I've only got USB2 ports, and Firewire, not USB 3 and Thunderbolt, but that's the only advantage I can see. Yes some rendering times with FCPX can take a while, but I can queue those up and they render in the background. Same with Lightroom and 5DMk3 files.

Overall I would, if funds permitted, opt for the iMac. Also bear in mind the residual value. Mac's tend to hold their second hand value so 5 years down the line the iMac would be an easier sell( If you wanted to sell it) than the mini, which is more specialist market.
 
Cheers for your reply Chappers.

The iMac is my preferred choice I must admit.

Would like to upgrade the Ram but £160 to double to 16GB is excessive.

Obviously I can do this myself but does this immediately break the warranty?
 
Have you looked at Crucial memory - I upgraded my 27 inch 2011 imac i5 from 8 - 24gb and it cost under £100 and it doesnt invalidate the warranty
 
No upgrading the memory from crucial shouldn't invalidate the warranty. Did the same myself. Double check the crucial memory. The iMac uses 1600 speed memory and I don't think Crucial have this yet. It's slower 1200. This ill slow everything down to this speed. The only third party I am aware of supplying 1600 is OWC in the states. From memory ( sorry for the pun) it works out similar to Apples prices. Give it a few months for the OM suppliers to catch up. To be honest I ran with 8Gb for several years and had no problems with either Lightroom or Photoshop. If in doubt, use the Mac's Activity monitor to see how much memory you are using. If it gets a bit tight then buy some more.
 
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Cheers everyone. I'm liking the refurb site and have downloaded the app and set up some alerts.

iMac is my preference but I'm being distracted with other options
 
I run a fully spec current model Mac mini with 16GB ram i7 processor etc, with a Eizo Floris calibrated monitor and I can use Lightroom, Photoshop, Nikon View NX2 and Safari at the same time and performs flawlessly...
 
Mini '12 i7 is not a bad way to go, but you'd probably want an SSD in there one way or another. The new mini sounds like a big downgrade for more money. iMac isn't too bad, but presumably its the low end one you are after - is pretty glossy and suffers from obvious crosshatching (i.e. very clearly visible individual pixels). In such case I opt for minimum expense, which was mini back in 2012, and still is.
 
Just a couple of things to mention when you consider your iMac. First is that iMacs no longer have a DVD or CD drive. If you need to instal Lightroom you'll need to download the Mac version from the Adobe Web site. The serial no you already have will work on both PC and Mac. Photoshop will have to be CC version. As Adobe no longer do a cross platform exchange. However if you are going CC no problem with Lightroom as that will part of the Photographer package.

If you do need a DVDS writer there are cheaper options than the Apple one. I got a Samsung USB powered unit for £19.00 from MyMemory

You have a choice of keyboards with the IMac. A neat Bluetooth version or a more conventions one with a numeric keypad. This latter one is connected via a USB cable and has two additional USB ports. The Bluetooth version is standard. You have to specify the numeric keypad option if you want it.
 
Cheers everyone (big thanks Chappers)

I have already lined up a DVD drive, probably the same Samsung one on Amazon.

Will keep an eye out for refurbs. With my 6% employee discount if I can get the iMac with 16GB Ram I'll be more than happy.

More reading up to do,

Cheers
 
dan_yorkshire said:
Already partially discussed elsewhere but wanted a bit more input.

Looking to purchase my first Apple computer, and can't decide which to get.
Click to expand...

Just to complicate things.. have you considered a used MacBook Pro? Even my previous one, 2009 vintage, and one of the last 17" models they produced, was perfectly fine with the usual duties, with the caveat that it maxed at 8GB (the project I was working on at the time could be quite memory-hungry, out of necessity), and the USB 2 ports. You'd still be able to use your existing monitor in addition to its own, with the benefit of being able to continue working on a project out in the field.

FWIW, I wound up ditching its DVD-R for an SSD, which made quite a significant difference. 256GB SSD for the OS, some applications, and the current Aperture library, and a 1TB HD for everything else. I did buy a cheap external BD-R, but it's seldom used.
 
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