Which iMac to buy?

[Winter]

Hi guys, I'm a PC user thinking of switching to Mac because my computer is really old now and it's time to upgrade.

I have an old MacBook but hardly use it because I'm a desktop person. So, I am roughly familiar with an Apple OS but need advice on choosing a desktop suitable for a photographer.

I have my eyes on an iMac 5K retina but I don't know if it's worth the extra cost. I know I definitely want an iMac 27" but which spec should I get? Retina or not? How much ram do I need and which processor is good enough for Lightroom and Photoshop? And any other software I might also need?

I'm conscious of budget but don't want to just buy the cheapest iMac if it's going to be significantly slower in processing photos or I'm going to feel limited by it in 2 years.

So, opinions please?

Oh, and one more bonus question. I'm used to a dual monitor setup. If I get an iMac, what are my options for a second monitor? I can't possibly buy 2 iMacs?? Lol.

 

[Fodrigal]

I'd say max everything apart from RAM and get the retina, if you up the res you won't need a dual monitor setup as there will be a huge amount of desktop real estate to play with

The RAM you can upgrade yourself for a LOT cheaper than the apple prices

Edit: quick edit to sat i think that config works out at about £2300, but it should be more than enough spec (with the cheap RAM upgrade) to last for a long long time

 

[Winter]

Thanks for your comment, Matt. So, are you saying the iMac that costs £1849 in the Apple Store now won't be good enough? I would need to upgrade the processor and graphics card too?

I was hoping to spend between £1500 and £1800 (well, because I'm not paying for it technically and I'd need to justify the cost to my "CFO", who is saying, why don't you just upgrade your current PC, it's cheaper.) If I tell him now it's going to cost £2300, I fear what he's going to do.

 

[Chappers]

I'm running a Mac that's getting on for 5 years old, and I don't really need to upgrade for normal photographic use. it handles 5D3 and 6D files OK. Video now that's another matter. So a good Mac will last you for a long time. Don't go mad on spec if you don't need it. I was lucky I had am iMac with quad core processors. Hence it's longevity. Had I bought earlier ( 6 months) I would have had only 2 cores and would have a much slower machine. In fact my 2.6GHz quad is as I said running fine and if not for more video work I doubt If I would need to upgrade. Latest iMacs have USB3 and Thunderbolt 2 connections so external devices will be fast enough. I would think twice about a 5K machine if you don't need that resolution or doubt if you will in the next few years. ( Nice to have but may not need) Don't over do it on the RAM, unless you are going for the 21" machine. You'll get double the memory from crucial for the same amount of money. Fitting is easy. For most uses the standard off the shelf spec is fine ( with the crucial memory upgrade) . Look at the the Fusion drive it will start quicker and load apps faster as well. Don't go mad on internal storage. I have all my images on external deices and this works fine. USB3/Thunderbolt is going to be fast enough.

One last word. WAIT. Strong rumours about significant updates in October. New Intel chips and DDR4 memory I would say make the delay worthwhile

 

[Merluza]

The £1849.00 one will do fine. It's a lovely thing, we have one at work. You might want a faster processor and fancier graphics card but what they offer as 'standard' will do you for at least 5 years. One thing to know is if you should get the 21.5" you have to get the RAM fitted when you buy, you can't add it yourself later, conversely, as John said if you go for the 27" then you can and should fit it later yourself and save a lot of money, Crucial supplies good memory. If you can squeeze a bit more out of your boss I'd go for a faster processor first, although others may disagree.

 

[Winter]

Thank you, John and Jim, for your suggestions. But now I have more questions!

1. What's this Crucial you're talking about? Is it a shop?

2. If I buy the stock iMac 5K, could I still upgrade the processor and graphics card in the future? Take it to an Apple store to get it done or what?

3. I don't know if I'll need the 5K resolution. I've just read that editing big photos files on that would be amazing, and I like amazing.

4. I suppose I can wait till October but wouldn't a new iMac be out of my budget?

Oh, and the "CFO" is not my boss, he's my husband, and I'm persuading him to buy me the iMac for my birthday.

 

[Merluza]

Crucial manufacture memory, it's high quality stuff. Apple charge an extortionate amount for memory so only buy from them if you have to, i.e if you buy the 21.5" model. I suppose theoretically you could upgrade processor and graphics card later but practically you can't. These aren't machines that you can upgrade yourself as they are packed into those slim looking shells with a cunning and complexity that defies anyone who wants to mess. I've never had the opportunity to try different graphics cards next to each other so I don't know how much real difference it makes but I do have the faster processor and so feel very smug. One thing to consider is buying from the Apple refurb store. My machine came from there and I got extra memory and the faster processor for little more than the basic machine. I haven't seen so many of the 27" Retinas on there but it's worth looking. They come with the same 12 month warranty.

 

[dan_yorkshire]

Not read everything above but I bought one a few months ago and it's been first class.

I bought a refurb and apart from a brown box instead of a shiny white one the contents are exactly the same, save lots of money too.

I used the 'refurbme' iPhone app to set an alert when the one I wanted came in stock as they can sometimes sell out very quick if there hasn't been many available for a while.

 

[julianhj]

If you're unsure whether to wait or not, www.macrumors.com is worth a read - they have buyer's guides and rumour roundups that may assist.

Personally I'd wait until the new models are out - the prices don't tend to change much and the spec bump will add a little more future-proofing, which may help justify the cost to your CFO.

 

[Winter]

Crucial manufacture memory, it's high quality stuff. Apple charge an extortionate amount for memory so only buy from them if you have to, i.e if you buy the 21.5" model. I suppose theoretically you could upgrade processor and graphics card later but practically you can't. These aren't machines that you can upgrade yourself as they are packed into those slim looking shells with a cunning and complexity that defies anyone who wants to mess. I've never had the opportunity to try different graphics cards next to each other so I don't know how much real difference it makes but I do have the faster processor and so feel very smug. One thing to consider is buying from the Apple refurb store. My machine came from there and I got extra memory and the faster processor for little more than the basic machine. I haven't seen so many of the 27" Retinas on there but it's worth looking. They come with the same 12 month warranty.

I meant could I sent my iMac back to the Apple store to upgrade in the future? And, hey, thanks for the recommendation on the refurb store. I never knew that existed!! WHY!!?! I checked and they have lots of 27" retinas there so yay, but i'm thinking now I should wait till October. And if a new machine does come out and I want it, I'd have to wait for months or however long for one to pop up in the refurb store?

Not read everything above but I bought one a few months ago and it's been first class.

I bought a refurb and apart from a brown box instead of a shiny white one the contents are exactly the same, save lots of money too.

I used the 'refurbme' iPhone app to set an alert when the one I wanted came in stock as they can sometimes sell out very quick if there hasn't been many available for a while.

Cool, thanks for telling me about the app. That's useful.

If you're unsure whether to wait or not, www.macrumors.com is worth a read - they have buyer's guides and rumour roundups that may assist.

Personally I'd wait until the new models are out - the prices don't tend to change much and the spec bump will add a little more future-proofing, which may help justify the cost to your CFO.

Thank you for the link! I'll have a read around.

 

[andyred]

but i'm thinking now I should wait till October. And if a new machine does come out and I want it, I'd have to wait for months or however long for one to pop up in the refurb store?

This is one of the issues we all suffer with - how long do you wait till you actually do buy something...

If you are buying new, then if you can wait and don't need one now, then I would wait till later in the year and see what (if any) differences there are with the new machines. If you are waiting till one appears in the refurb shop, then who knows how long you'll wait...

Personally, if you are going for the retina spec, I would spec the Fusion drive - if you add this to the new iMac they've just brought out, it works out approx £90 cheaper (from memory) than the top spec version (the original one). The only difference then between the 2 is a slightly quicker processor (3.3 v 3.5) and an X on the graphics card - which from searching around, I can't find out what difference this makes...

The £90 you'd save on the newer Retina with a Fusion drive specced up, would pay (virtually) for an 16GB of memory from Crucial ... Something else to think about

 

[Chappers]

Mac's aren't really upgradable. Yes you can upgrade the memory on a 27" iMac but that's about it. In fact you cant do that on the 21" machine.

Whenever you buy something , it will be out of date within a year. But it will stil do the job just as well as it did when you first unpacked it. My iMac as I said is 5 years old and it working fine. If it wasn't for increased video work i don't think I'd bother upgrading.As to when to buy, that's up to you. I'm waiting to see what the new machines have to offer. I have the budget set aside for a new machine and the spec I want doesn't usually turn up in the refurb list.

The best advice I can give you is go to an Apple store. Look at the Mac you are thinking of buying, ask questions ( The guys there are really helpful, they'll answer your questions or just leave you alone ) and see what you think. Regrettably Apple no longer have Photoshop on the machines since CC, and Aperture has been discontinued, so the only photo app you have is Photo's .

 

[Winter]

Personally, if you are going for the retina spec, I would spec the Fusion drive - if you add this to the new iMac they've just brought out, it works out approx £90 cheaper (from memory) than the top spec version (the original one). The only difference then between the 2 is a slightly quicker processor (3.3 v 3.5) and an X on the graphics card - which from searching around, I can't find out what difference this makes...

The £90 you'd save on the newer Retina with a Fusion drive specced up, would pay (virtually) for an 16GB of memory from Crucial ... Something else to think about

Thanks! That's a good suggestion.

 

[Winter]

Mac's aren't really upgradable. Yes you can upgrade the memory on a 27" iMac but that's about it. In fact you cant do that on the 21" machine.

Whenever you buy something , it will be out of date within a year. But it will stil do the job just as well as it did when you first unpacked it. My iMac as I said is 5 years old and it working fine. If it wasn't for increased video work i don't think I'd bother upgrading.As to when to buy, that's up to you. I'm waiting to see what the new machines have to offer. I have the budget set aside for a new machine and the spec I want doesn't usually turn up in the refurb list.

Cool, thanks for clarifying that.

The best advice I can give you is go to an Apple store. Look at the Mac you are thinking of buying, ask questions ( The guys there are really helpful, they'll answer your questions or just leave you alone ) and see what you think. Regrettably Apple no longer have Photoshop on the machines since CC, and Aperture has been discontinued, so the only photo app you have is Photo's .

I suppose I can do that, but the apple guys might not be photographers so wouldn't be able to give me a photographer's perspective.

Ah, I didn't know macs had photoshop on them. Not a problem though, as I'm planning to subscribe to the CC photography package.

My main dilemma is I use Adobe Illustrator for drawing (although not regularly), so changing from PC to Mac means I'm going to lose my Illustrator. £17 a month to add it to my CC sub feels painfully expensive when I don't use it often enough!

 

[julianhj]

The best advice I can give you is go to an Apple store. Look at the Mac you are thinking of buying, ask questions ( The guys there are really helpful, they'll answer your questions or just leave you alone ) and see what you think. Regrettably Apple no longer have Photoshop on the machines since CC, and Aperture has been discontinued, so the only photo app you have is Photo's .

Went I was making my mind up between a Retina or regular Macbook Pro last year, I went in to the local Apple Store and downloaded identical images from Interfacelift - which made the decision for me pretty quickly.

 

[julianhj]

My main dilemma is I use Adobe Illustrator for drawing (although not regularly), so changing from PC to Mac means I'm going to lose my Illustrator. £17 a month to add it to my CC sub feels painfully expensive when I don't use it often enough!

You can run Windows very easily using Parallels - I have it on my Macbook and it's excellent. No need to bin all your PC software, just install it on your Mac via Parallels and you're good to go. It'll cost less than £50.

 

[Sassafras]

I'm running a Mac that's getting on for 5 years old, and I don't really need to upgrade for normal photographic use.

Me too. I have a 2010 or maybe 2011 Mac mini with 4GB of RAM which is just fine for Lightroom. Albeit that I don't have huge files; I use an M9.

 

[Deleted sulking member 63079]

You'd get more flexibility / longevity out of a Mac Pro, you know what they say about all-in-ones, all the drawbacks of a laptop combined with all of the drawbacks of a desktop.

 

[shreds]

The only thing about the iMac is that it is not so portable, but mine has been out on occasions

MacBook Pro very portable laptop without the extortionate cost and non transportability of the Mac Pro. I would only consider a Mac Pro if I was doing video stuff, and at £2500-£3300 it would need to be seriously earning its keep.

My iMac is eight years old whilst the MBP is three. They seem to have a much longer life than the equivalent Windows machine and you are not constantly fiddling around under the hood with components that don't always like 'playing' with each other.

Just get the best you can afford, it will to some extent future proof you, but expect that to be £1500/2000+

 

[Chappers]

As a casual user of Illustrator you might want to have a look at Affinity Designer from serif labs. It's £29.99 from the App Store and has good reviews. Not used it myself but have used the beta version of its companion app Affinity Photo. which was impressive.

 

[Winter]

Went I was making my mind up between a Retina or regular Macbook Pro last year, I went in to the local Apple Store and downloaded identical images from Interfacelift - which made the decision for me pretty quickly.

Um, can you describe what you saw, please?

You can run Windows very easily using Parallels - I have it on my Macbook and it's excellent. No need to bin all your PC software, just install it on your Mac via Parallels and you're good to go. It'll cost less than £50.

Yeah, I guess, that's an option. Just didn't really like the idea because I like having many programs open at once. I'd be running Illustrator and Photoshop at the same time, with a few other programs also running, and I read that will lag the computer.

Me too. I have a 2010 or maybe 2011 Mac mini with 4GB of RAM which is just fine for Lightroom. Albeit that I don't have huge files; I use an M9.

Sounds good, thanks!

You'd get more flexibility / longevity out of a Mac Pro, you know what they say about all-in-ones, all the drawbacks of a laptop combined with all of the drawbacks of a desktop.

Hmm, I like big screens and big keyboards. Somehow, I've never been able to get used to doing stuff on a squished up keyboard and a small screen. I also write, so I spend quite a lot of time typing.

My iMac is eight years old whilst the MBP is three. They seem to have a much longer life than the equivalent Windows machine and you are not constantly fiddling around under the hood with components that don't always like 'playing' with each other.

Just get the best you can afford, it will to some extent future proof you, but expect that to be £1500/2000+

Yeah, that's what I keep hearing, and it's a big incentive to change systems. As for buying the best you can afford, that's a bit tricky. I can technically afford a highest end Mac Pro, but does that mean I should get it (at the expense of, I dunno, other stuff you may want to spend money on, or just having some savings).

As a casual user of Illustrator you might want to have a look at Affinity Designer from serif labs. It's £29.99 from the App Store and has good reviews. Not used it myself but have used the beta version of its companion app Affinity Photo. which was impressive.

Cool! Thank you for that. I read up a bit on it and it looks promising!

 

[Deleted sulking member 63079]

Hmm, I like big screens and big keyboards. Somehow, I've never been able to get used to doing stuff on a squished up keyboard and a small screen. I also write, so I spend quite a lot of time typing.

I said Mac Pro, not Macbook. Or a.n.other desktop. Like I said, all-in-ones don't really have any plus points other than space saving, just the disadvantages of both other styles. They're not up-gradable, and if something expensive goes bang, you need to replace everything, including the monitor.

 

[julianhj]

The difference between Retina and non-Retina was the clarity and sharpness of the images.

As a quick refresher, I've set my rMBP and my wife's non-Retina MBP to the same image via Interfacelift. On my machine the colours appear more vivid and life-like, the image appears to pop out because of the additional detail, and again, the sharpness is really noticeable.

In terms of Parallels and lag, I've never noticed any, but then I've not had cause to run several resource-intensive programs at the same time.

 

[shreds]

The difference between Retina and non-Retina was the clarity and sharpness of the images.

In terms of Parallels and lag, I've never noticed any, but then I've not had cause to run several resource-intensive programs at the same time.

Agree on the Retina comment.

Parallels, have it on the MBP, but rarely use it as it has that horrible Windows 8.1 on it.

No significant speed issues but then again all my photo editing stuff is on the Mac side of the fence anyway.

 

[Winter]

I said Mac Pro, not Macbook. Or a.n.other desktop. Like I said, all-in-ones don't really have any plus points other than space saving, just the disadvantages of both other styles. They're not up-gradable, and if something expensive goes bang, you need to replace everything, including the monitor.

Oh, my mistake. I would love to have a Mac Pro. But I've read many articles saying it's overkill for just photo editing, even if you're editing giant files. I probably can't buy it anyway. There's no way my husband is going to shell out 3k to 3.5k for a new computer for me.

The difference between Retina and non-Retina was the clarity and sharpness of the images.

As a quick refresher, I've set my rMBP and my wife's non-Retina MBP to the same image via Interfacelift. On my machine the colours appear more vivid and life-like, the image appears to pop out because of the additional detail, and again, the sharpness is really noticeable.

In terms of Parallels and lag, I've never noticed any, but then I've not had cause to run several resource-intensive programs at the same time.

Thanks! Sounds good. I can't wait to see what images popping out look like.

Agree on the Retina comment.

Parallels, have it on the MBP, but rarely use it as it has that horrible Windows 8.1 on it.

No significant speed issues but then again all my photo editing stuff is on the Mac side of the fence anyway.

Thanks for your feedback!

 

[Neilc28]

You can run Windows very easily using Parallels - I have it on my Macbook and it's excellent. No need to bin all your PC software, just install it on your Mac via Parallels and you're good to go. It'll cost less than £50.

Don't forget you'll need to buy Windows too though

 

[Winter]

Don't forget you'll need to buy Windows too though

I have Windows 7 which I'm currently using on my PC. That would work, right? Also, I've signed up for the free Windows 10 upgrade. Not sure if that's portable to another system or how it'll work!

 

[Winter]

Don't forget you'll need to buy Windows too though

I have Windows 7 which I'm currently using on my PC. That would work, right? Also, I've signed up for the free Windows 10 upgrade. Not sure if that's portable to another system or how it'll work!

 

[Neilc28]

If it came with the PC then it is likely the OEM license which is tied to the PC and non-transferrable. The windows 10 license would be based on your existing license and as such would also be tied to the PC. What version does it say on the COA (Certificate of Authenticity)??

 

[Winter]

If it came with the PC then it is likely the OEM license which is tied to the PC and non-transferrable. The windows 10 license would be based on your existing license and as such would also be tied to the PC. What version does it say on the COA (Certificate of Authenticity)??

Oh, hmm... It was 2009 when I bought my computer and I don't remember what version of Windows 7 I got. Unfortunately, all my software discs are at the moment in Singapore (where I used to live) so I can't check, lol. Is there anyway I can check on my PC?

 

[LongLensPhotography]

retina or its a waste of money. Otherwise you are much better off plugging in that macbook pro into a decent 27" screen.

I would most certainly keep it clean from any winruses.

 

[wave01]

I took a leap of faith after 30 years with PCs and never looked back

 

[Winter]

retina or its a waste of money. Otherwise you are much better off plugging in that macbook pro into a decent 27" screen.

I would most certainly keep it clean from any winruses.

Thanks for your feedback. Could you elaborate a bit on "winruses"? Would running Windows on a Mac compromise the security of the whole computer?

I took a leap of faith after 30 years with PCs and never looked back

Thanks for sharing your experience.