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2019 iMac (any spec) followup reviews

codernova

codernova

macrumors member
Original poster
May 13, 2019
93
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I've upgraded my specific iMac to 40GB ram, have added 2x500GB SSD for data/programs and 2x2TB HDD for Time Machine backups.

LOVING my new machine still. I hope to hear from others how they've upgraded their machines and how they are working out for them.
 
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I am glad that you are happy with the new iMac. It is a great computer.

Unfortunately, in my case, I am still waiting for the reseller of my recently bought and dead 2019 iMac with Vega 48 to send me a carrier to pick up the defective computer and obtain my money back to buy another iMac and be able to continue working.

I had bad luck with the new iMac, failing short after receiving it. In less than 2 weeks the computer crashed randomly several times and later it even did not turn on. I should have bought it directly from Apple instead from this reseller. The reseller gave me 2 years of warranty instead the 1 year offered by Apple (this was my reason to buy from the reseller). But my experience with this Apple reseller is being awful with the return of this defective 2019 new iMac and the refund that I requested 14 days after receiving the computer.

Close to a month after that I informed the reseller that the recenty bought new iMac had died (this fact is also certified by an Apple Service technician) and that I wanted a product return and a money refund, they told me that they have sent a carrier to pick up the dead iMac, so they can refund me the money (close to 4000 euro), but this is not true as I have been waiting for the carrier and no one showed up to take the computer.

So I am still waiting to return the dead machine and get my money back (as the reseller told me). They told me that I should wait for the carrier that they send me to return the computer. And they do not even allow me to carry the iMac to one of their physical stores to return it (I have tried it and they say that they can not accept the return this way, because I bought the computer to the online department of the reseller and they are different departments of the same company).

After several calls, emails, hollyday cancellations and communication attempts I hope that I can solve this situation and return this iMac soon, as I do not want to start a legal battle against this iMac reseller and spend another 4000 euro to hire a lawyer.

So I am glad to hear that my case is unique and other users are enjiying their new iMac. I have learnt the reseller lesson the hard way. Meanwhile I will wait without the Mac for the reseller to react and comply with the laws. I call them everyday with no luck for the moment.

So this is for the moment my 2019 iMac/reseller experience.
 
Sam Marks said:
I am glad that you are happy with the new iMac. It is a great computer.

Unfortunately, in my case, I am still waiting for the reseller of my recently bought and dead 2019 iMac with Vega 48 to send me a carrier to pick up the defective computer and obtain my money back to buy another iMac and be able to continue working.

I had bad luck with the new iMac, failing short after receiving it. In less than 2 weeks the computer crashed randomly several times and later it even did not turn on. I should have bought it directly from Apple instead from this reseller. The reseller gave me 2 years of warranty instead the 1 year offered by Apple (this was my reason to buy from the reseller). But my experience with this Apple reseller is being awful with the return of this defective 2019 new iMac and the refund that I requested 14 days after receiving the computer.

Close to a month after that I informed the reseller that the recenty bought new iMac had died (this fact is also certified by an Apple Service technician) and that I wanted a product return and a money refund, they told me that they have sent a carrier to pick up the dead iMac, so they can refund me the money (close to 4000 euro), but this is not true as I have been waiting for the carrier and no one showed up to take the computer.

So I am still waiting to return the dead machine and get my money back (as the reseller told me). They told me that I should wait for the carrier that they send me to return the computer. And they do not even allow me to carry the iMac to one of their physical stores to return it (I have tried it and they say that they can not accept the return this way, because I bought the computer to the online department of the reseller and they are different departments of the same company).

After several calls, emails, hollyday cancellations and communication attempts I hope that I can solve this situation and return this iMac soon, as I do not want to start a legal battle against this iMac reseller and spend another 4000 euro to hire a lawyer.

So I am glad to hear that my case is unique and other users are enjiying their new iMac. I have learnt the reseller lesson the hard way. Meanwhile I will wait without the Mac for the reseller to react and comply with the laws. I call them everyday with no luck for the moment.

So this is for the moment my 2019 iMac/reseller experience.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry you've had such a disappointing experience. You said you have a 2 year warranty with the reseller, but doesn't your new iMac still include Apple's standard warranty? If so, why not contact Apple about sending in the iMac for a repair or replacement? I agree that a refund is in order, but since you're still waiting on the reseller / carrier, this might be the quickest and easiest solution at this point.
 
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CE3 said:
I'm sorry you've had such a disappointing experience. You said you have a 2 year warranty with the reseller, but doesn't your new iMac still include Apple's standard warranty? If so, why not contact Apple about sending in the iMac for a repair or replacement? I agree that a refund is in order, but since you're still waiting on the reseller / carrier, this might be the quickest and easiest solution at this point.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your message. Incredibly, 4 hours ago the carrier from the reseller finally came to my house and took the iMac back to the reseller. I think that they are going to analyse the unit to corroborate that it is totally defective first. Now I will wait for the refund of the money or in the worst case a new machine with the same specs.

I also contacted Apple the first day I detected the problem, as you correctly suggested, but they offered me only a repair and not a replacement (they indicated me that a possible replacement or refund should be offered by the reseller which they initially did, I hope that they comply with their words). Regarding the repair of the DOA iMac I consider that, in my concrete case, it would not be OK, when you have a totally dead new computer in the very first days of usage (probably due to a serious manufacturing problem), as I intend to use this iMac for several years to come and to its full potential and I do not want a problematic iMac. I want the money back or at the very least a new unit in perfect shape not a repaired one when it is so new. I do not want more issues with this concrete iMac. If they repair it I think that I could have more problems with this unit.

It is funny, but I have also a mid-2010 i7 MBP that I have been using on a daily basis for the last 9 years and never had a single problem with it. It performs still as new, perfect. I replaced the HDD for a SSD and upgraded its RAM to 8GB.
 
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@Sam Marks I'm glad the carrier finally arrived! I think you've just had a bit of bad luck with this machine. Hopefully everything goes smoothly from this point forward and you'll have your refund and a new iMac soon.

My 2017 iMac performed flawlessly and gave me zero issues over the past two years. I'm only upgrading to the 2019 model because I find it's often easier to sell and upgrade around this time. Looking forward to returning to this thread after I've had some time with the new model!
 
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CE3 said:
@Sam Marks I'm glad the carrier finally arrived! I think you've just had a bit of bad luck with this machine. Hopefully everything goes smoothly from this point forward and you'll have your refund and a new iMac soon.

My 2017 iMac performed flawlessly and gave me zero issues over the past two years. I'm only upgrading to the 2019 model because I find it's often easier to sell and upgrade around this time. Looking forward to returning to this thread after I've had some time with the new model!
Click to expand...
Thank you! I hope so. I will keep you updated.
 
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codernova said:
I've upgraded my specific iMac to 40GB ram, have added 2x500GB SSD for data/programs and 2x2TB HDD for Time Machine backups.

LOVING my new machine still. I hope to hear from others how they've upgraded their machines and how they are working out for them.
Click to expand...

I’ve only put 64GB RAM In my home iMac and it has a 25TB NAS for additional storage and backups.

Not too exciting on my end.
 
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Recently bought a refurb from Apple for $500 off the i9, Vega 48, 1TB. Plopped in 32GB RAM, attached an eGPU and 2TB SSD couldn’t be happier.

Fans: They spin up during heavy processing. In other words, the Earth is round, although some would argue otherwise.

Noise: No issues during light tasks (even remotely).

RAM Upgrade: Bought the OWC Kit via Amazon and the RAM upgrade was a little frightening at first (the door doesn’t come off as easily as shown in online videos, at least, it didn’t for me) and the RAM sticks didn’t easily click in. Light finagling was required.

SSD Speeds: Terrific. About 2GB/s.

5K Panel: Where was this all my life.

The only con I can think of are the limited TB3 ports at the back. I don’t want to purchase a dock but will inevitably have to if I want to continue using my eGPU on one port and eventually add 10gb Ethernet and still use my 2TB SSD (NVMe over USB C).
 
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Mine is just a standard 2019 27 inch 5K i5 with the 2TB Fusion Drive, though I have upgraded the RAM so now have 24 gigs. I have two other machines which have SSD but decided to go with the Fusion Drive on this new machine.

So far I do not regret this decision and as far as I am concerned there is far to much derision of the Fusion Drive. As I see it I have 128 gigs of fast SSD and the rest is HDD. My 2011 iMac is still using the original HDD alongside an SSD. Such longevity from an Apple computer using a HDD is by no means exceptional and I would expect to get at least 6 years use from this HDD too.

I think the cost trade off with a Fusion Drive is currently a good one. I doubt your average user would notice much real world difference between Fusion and full SSD.
 
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Sam Marks said:
So I am glad to hear that my case is unique and other users are enjiying their new iMac. I have learnt the reseller lesson the hard way. Meanwhile I will wait without the Mac for the reseller to react and comply with the laws. I call them everyday with no luck for the moment.
Click to expand...
You should always purchase items from trusted and reputable resellers like Microcenter or B&H or from Apple directly. If you’re trying to save a buck or two look at Apple’s refurbished store.

———————

I purchased the 2019 iMac: 27” i9, Vega 48, 1TB SSD, and added 32GB RAM. Then I realized that 1TB was just not enough space for me. On my last day of return eligibility, I called Apple to see if there was a way to keep this iMac until the new one I would order with a 2TB SSD arrived. After about ten minutes and a chat with a manager, they said to place my new order while they issued a return label to ship it back, and gave me 14 days to return my old iMac for a full refund. I use my computer for work, so it’s great that I won’t have to be down while I wait for the new one to arrive. Super stoked with Apple’s customer service.

And so far this machine has been blazing fast. I know fan noise is huge concern on MR, but this thing is so quiet. My 2011 iMac had a hard drive that made so much noise whenever you did anything, just constant clicking and puttering since the day I got it. The 2019 is just whisper quiet imo.
 
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bpeeps said:
You should always purchase items from trusted and reputable resellers like Microcenter or B&H or from Apple directly. If you’re trying to save a buck or two look at Apple’s refurbished store.

———————

I purchased the 2019 iMac: 27” i9, Vega 48, 1TB SSD, and added 32GB RAM. Then I realized that 1TB was just not enough space for me. On my last day of return eligibility, I called Apple to see if there was a way to keep this iMac until the new one I would order with a 2TB SSD arrived. After about ten minutes and a chat with a manager, they said to place my new order while they issued a return label to ship it back, and gave me 14 days to return my old iMac for a full refund. I use my computer for work, so it’s great that I won’t have to be down while I wait for the new one to arrive. Super stoked with Apple’s customer service.

And so far this machine has been blazing fast. I know fan noise is huge concern on MR, but this thing is so quiet. My 2011 iMac had a hard drive that made so much noise whenever you did anything, just constant clicking and puttering since the day I got it. The 2019 is just whisper quiet imo.
Click to expand...
I totally agree with you. Next time I will buy directly from Apple.
 
Sam Marks said:
I totally agree with you. Next time I will buy directly from Apple.
Click to expand...

Expercom in Sandy, Utah was a good experience for me. Per my request they did not open the box shipped from Apple and I was able to do so myself.
 
I replaced my 2011 iMac 27” with a 2019 iMac: 27”, i9, Radeon Pro 580X, 1TB SSD. I installed 32GB of Crucial RAM for a total of 40GB. I am really liking this machine. I have only heard the fans once (X Plane 11 demo), otherwise it has been super quiet.
 
"I also contacted Apple the first day I detected the problem, as you correctly suggested, but they offered me only a repair and not a replacement"

You should have taken Apple up on that offer.
If you had, it would probably be "back and working" in relatively short order.
 
Fishrrman said:
"I also contacted Apple the first day I detected the problem, as you correctly suggested, but they offered me only a repair and not a replacement"

You should have taken Apple up on that offer.
If you had, it would probably be "back and working" in relatively short order.
Click to expand...
You are right. But I was afraid of a recursive problem with this new machine and I want a brand unit not a repaired one that basically was DOA (for this I would buy a refurb iMac, not a brand new one). Maybe I am wrong, but I hope that now, that the machine is in the reseller premises they will refund me the price soon.
 
Replaced my 2011 with the 2019 i5 512GB 580x and added 32GB of Ram.

It runs great and quietly and no issues so far - only wish I had ordered a large internal drive as I underestimated my storage needs. The bigger SSD is really not that much more in price compared to externals.
 
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TVreporter said:
Replaced my 2011 with the 2019 i5 512GB 580x and added 32GB of Ram.

It runs great and quietly and no issues so far - only wish I had ordered a large internal drive as I underestimated my storage needs. The bigger SSD is really not that much more in price compared to externals.
Click to expand...

True.. because Apple finally lowered the price of SSD upgrades. Now they should lower the price of memory upgrades. I paid $288 for a 64GB upgrade that Apple charges a whopping $1000 for. Thankfully we can still easily upgrade the RAM ourselves.
 
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I have a i9/40 GB/580x/2TB fusion.

Refurb through the military/veteran store it was $2060. Plus the cost of Crucial RAM, which I think was about $130.

Terrific machine. You can hear the fan as it ramps up, but it’s not distracting. And the fusion drive is great - it doesn’t deserve the derision it gets. And it is considerably faster CPU-wise than any other Mac I’ve ever had.
 
Zen_Arcade said:
And the fusion drive is great - it doesn’t deserve the derision it gets.
Click to expand...
Oh, it does.

Admittedly, whether it is noticeably slower or not depends on what you do with it.

But then, it considerably increases the risk of hardware failure, i.e. data loss. And when it does fail, it's not that you could easily open the machine and repair it. Yes I know, everyone has current backups at any time.

It consumes more power, so it produces more heat inside the iMac, which is somewhat hard to get outside anyway.

It produces more noise.

If it is sold to handle more static data like images and videos etc, then why is it only available with very small cheap-ish HDDs? I mean 1-3 TB on a HDD in 2019, really?
 
ruslan120 said:
Recently bought a refurb from Apple for $500 off the i9, Vega 48, 1TB. Plopped in 32GB RAM, attached an eGPU and 2TB SSD couldn’t be happier.

Fans: They spin up during heavy processing. In other words, the Earth is round, although some would argue otherwise.

Noise: No issues during light tasks (even remotely).

RAM Upgrade: Bought the OWC Kit via Amazon and the RAM upgrade was a little frightening at first (the door doesn’t come off as easily as shown in online videos, at least, it didn’t for me) and the RAM sticks didn’t easily click in. Light finagling was required.

SSD Speeds: Terrific. About 2GB/s.

5K Panel: Where was this all my life.

The only con I can think of are the limited TB3 ports at the back. I don’t want to purchase a dock but will inevitably have to if I want to continue using my eGPU on one port and eventually add 10gb Ethernet and still use my 2TB SSD (NVMe over USB C).
Click to expand...

Uhh, could you please elaborate on your eGPU that you use with your iMac?
I will jump on the iMac once my old cMP is no longer useful. My Vega card will then find its destiny in a Razor Chroma eGPU case. What I am still not sure about is the standard GPU.
It would make sense to save up some cash and go with the 580X card bacause of the planed Vega eGPU, but I am not sure about it. How is your eGPU experience so far? Does it work or is it still in its infancy ??
What eGPU are you using? Thanks
 
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