2017 vs 2019 iMac

[jessicaf32]

Hi all. I’m in the process of upgrading my current iMac and deciding between two, unsure which will work best for my needs. I work as a photo editor and am mostly bouncing between Adobe LR and PS daily. These are the specs of the two I’m torn between -


2017 iMac 27” Retina 5K
3.8GHz Quad core Intel Core i5
Radeon Pro 580 8GB VRAM
32 GB RAM (upgraded)
Upgraded Storage 1TB SSD


2019 iMac 27” Retina 5K
3.7GHz 6-core Intel Core i5
Radeon Pro 580X 8GB VRAM
64 GB 2667MHz DDR4 RAM (upgraded)
512 GB SSD Storage


Thoughts on which is faster/more desirable? Is the 2017 with upgrades a good investment?

 

[bogdanw]

For longer support, get the 2019 one.
Sonoma drops support for the 2017 model.
https://www.macrumors.com/2023/06/05/macos-sonoma-compatible-macs/

 

[rpmurray]

Not so much for the support, but the 2019 is a better deal with the extra cores and RAM. You can always get an external Thunderbolt drive to store your data. My preferred method is to keep just the OS and the apps on the internal, everything else on an external, so the 512 GB SSD of the 2019 is not a drawback.

 

[jz0309]

from a spec POV - the 2019
you haven't told us what you have today nor what your budget is, nor what the price is for each of those

 

[TheIntruder]

The 2019 iMac only just squeezed past Apple's velvet rope and was permitted into the Sonoma Club, and is notably the only patron inside that lacks a T2.

Who knows how much longer that will last, without even considering the larger question of how long Intel support will continue in general.

And despite being allowed inside, it's going to miss out on things like Metal 3, even though older models with Intel graphics have been blessed by Apple with support for it.

Apple doesn't offer anything but the bare minimum in outlining its software support policies, never mind explaining its logic behind what it chooses to support going forward. Tread carefully.

I have a 2019 3.7 with the 1TB SSD, which hasn't missed a beat, but personally, I wouldn't spend money on any Intel machine at this point, without some very compelling reason to, like a specific desire to run older versions of software.

What can be said about the 2017 vs 2019 is that the latter received fewer anecdotal complaints about fan noise, and in particular, the 3.7 has a processor Intel classifies as a 9th gen, vs the 8th gen in the lower 2019 models. Whether that makes much, if any, practical difference is unclear, but it is another spec difference.

YMMV.

 

[opeter]

The above mentioned 2017 iMac has an 64-bit 3.8GHz 7th Generation Intel Core i5-7600K CPU with 4 cores/8 threads (Kaby Lake) with Turbo Boost 2.0 (up to 4.2 GHz).

The 2019 iMac has an 64-bit 9th Generation Intel Core i5-9600K CPU with 6 cores (and no additional threads). But it does have Turbo Boost (up to 4.6 GHz).

 

[Fishrrman]

2019.

I'd be wary of the "upgraded" storage in the 2017.

 

[theorist9]

Clearly the 2019 is faster. And you can upgrade the internal SSD if you need more space*.

But as far as which is the better investment: How much do they cost?

*I had my local campus bookstore, which is an authorized Apple Service Center, install a 2 TB WD SN850 in my 2019 i9 iMac, and it works great. See:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/a-list-of-successful-imac-27-2012-2019-ssd-upgrades.2162435/page-39?post=31134473#post-31134473