About to buy a $3k iMac...

[iRabid]

I've been in the market for a new iMac for the past 3 years. I currently have a 2008 24in iMac. I do believe that it's time to upgrade. Since 2008 i've gained a hobby of photography, now i'm starting to dabble in videography. With the photography, I shoot for clients and plan on doing more photoshoots. I bought a Mavic Air and want to start editing some drone footage and maybe start a vlog or YouTube channel,using Final Cut Pro X.

I also have a large mass of media that i've accumulated over the past 12 years. Ranging from music to movies. So I have multiple external HDD for that. (I plan on getting a DAS and NAS enclosure in the future) So I plan on having some kind of archive system soon.

This iMac has seen it's fair share of use in the past 10 years. My iMac is pretty much slow and buggy. The only things that i've done to my iMac is upgrade the HDD from the stock 320GB to 1TB (which I'v been running less than 50 GB left of free space for years). I also have 4 GB of ram in my iMac. It just seems to drag along when I use it. Every once in a while, it will freeze up and be unresponsive with a grey screen. (Sometimes a dark green screen with small stripes)

So now that Apple has upgraded the iMac line last year, and no iMacs are being upgrade this year (so far). I think it's time to get a new iMac. i was thinking about getting the 27in i7 4.2Ghz, 8 GB of ram (upgrade to more RAM later), 512GB SSD, and Radeon Pro 580. Comes out to the hefty price $2,946.50. I just want to make sure I make the right choice in this setup before I make that decision on such a big purchase. Also to make sure I have this iMac for more than 5 years. I plan on using it for editing photography and videography, also having it as a media hub for my TV's.

What are you're guys thoughts and opinions on this. I feel like i've missed out on so much stuff in iMacs since 2008

 

[cobracnvt]

That will be a nice computer. That's the level of computer I'm looking for. I haven't seen too many good deals on the 2017 iMacs so far. Maybe a couple hundred off. One of the main issues I've seen in the forums have to do with heat from the i7 CPU and fan noise under load.

 

[borgranta]

I've been in the market for a new iMac for the past 3 years. I currently have a 2008 24in iMac. I do believe that it's time to upgrade. Since 2008 i've gained a hobby of photography, now i'm starting to dabble in videography. With the photography, I shoot for clients and plan on doing more photoshoots. I bought a Mavic Air and want to start editing some drone footage and maybe start a vlog or YouTube channel,using Final Cut Pro X.

I also have a large mass of media that i've accumulated over the past 12 years. Ranging from music to movies. So I have multiple external HDD for that. (I plan on getting a DAS and NAS enclosure in the future) So I plan on having some kind of archive system soon.

This iMac has seen it's fair share of use in the past 10 years. My iMac is pretty much slow and buggy. The only things that i've done to my iMac is upgrade the HDD from the stock 320GB to 1TB (which I'v been running less than 50 GB left of free space for years). I also have 4 GB of ram in my iMac. It just seems to drag along when I use it. Every once in a while, it will freeze up and be unresponsive with a grey screen. (Sometimes a dark green screen with small stripes)

So now that Apple has upgraded the iMac line last year, and no iMacs are being upgrade this year (so far). I think it's time to get a new iMac. i was thinking about getting the 27in i7 4.2Ghz, 8 GB of ram (upgrade to more RAM later), 512GB SSD, and Radeon Pro 580. Comes out to the hefty price $2,946.50. I just want to make sure I make the right choice in this setup before I make that decision on such a big purchase. Also to make sure I have this iMac for more than 5 years. I plan on using it for editing photography and videography, also having it as a media hub for my TV's.

What are you're guys thoughts and opinions on this. I feel like i've missed out on so much stuff in iMacs since 2008

Selling the old one can help offset the cost. If your old one is using a regular hard drive instead of an SSD it may be contributing to the problems depending on which OS it is running.

 

[mlody]

I've been in the market for a new iMac for the past 3 years. I currently have a 2008 24in iMac. I do believe that it's time to upgrade. Since 2008 i've gained a hobby of photography, now i'm starting to dabble in videography. With the photography, I shoot for clients and plan on doing more photoshoots. I bought a Mavic Air and want to start editing some drone footage and maybe start a vlog or YouTube channel,using Final Cut Pro X.

I also have a large mass of media that i've accumulated over the past 12 years. Ranging from music to movies. So I have multiple external HDD for that. (I plan on getting a DAS and NAS enclosure in the future) So I plan on having some kind of archive system soon.

This iMac has seen it's fair share of use in the past 10 years. My iMac is pretty much slow and buggy. The only things that i've done to my iMac is upgrade the HDD from the stock 320GB to 1TB (which I'v been running less than 50 GB left of free space for years). I also have 4 GB of ram in my iMac. It just seems to drag along when I use it. Every once in a while, it will freeze up and be unresponsive with a grey screen. (Sometimes a dark green screen with small stripes)

So now that Apple has upgraded the iMac line last year, and no iMacs are being upgrade this year (so far). I think it's time to get a new iMac. i was thinking about getting the 27in i7 4.2Ghz, 8 GB of ram (upgrade to more RAM later), 512GB SSD, and Radeon Pro 580. Comes out to the hefty price $2,946.50. I just want to make sure I make the right choice in this setup before I make that decision on such a big purchase. Also to make sure I have this iMac for more than 5 years. I plan on using it for editing photography and videography, also having it as a media hub for my TV's.

What are you're guys thoughts and opinions on this. I feel like i've missed out on so much stuff in iMacs since 2008

I have been wanting the same exact machine (i7, 512gb ssd, 8 gb), but I keep reminding myself that the new iMac's might be around the corner, so I have been holding off.
I currently use 2010 27" with SSD and 24GB of ram, so definitely a bit better machine than yours. However, unlike you, I do not have any particular needs for my new computer, so since you are starting to make money using your computer, I would not bother waiting on a new system since you never know when Apple might release them and instead, I would just get the current model which is still an excellent computer and it will last you many years.

 

[HDFan]

8 GB of ram (upgrade to more RAM later)

8 GB of memory is not very much, especially if you are doing heavy video work. FCP on my system when just started up takes 500 MB, Lightroom is now taking 4 GB, kernel_task process 13 GB. They will run with less memory (my numbers are bloated because I have a lot of memory), but performance can suffer if you end up doing a lot of memory swapping.

In some cases when you do a memory upgrade you have to chuck the old memory and replace it with the higher capacity dimms. So saving some money now might cost you in the future. I would go with a minimum of 16 GB, or more, if you can manage it.

If you current internal drive is already full I'd be concerned that a 512 GB SSD isn't going to meet your needs. For video editing you need the fastest drive you have, and it looks as if that would be your SSD, unless you are looking at purchasing some very fast external drives.

 

[Ifti]

If you current internal drive is already full I'd be concerned that a 512 GB SSD isn't going to meet your needs. For video editing you need the fastest drive you have, and it looks as if that would be your SSD, unless you are looking at purchasing some very fast external drives.

I edit video and my next system will have a 512GB SSD.
Although I have a 1TB SSD in my current editing machine, I rarely go over 100GB!

Ive always worked by the fact that all scratch files, video, render files etc are best served from an external drive - hence I always use external devices to store all project media. Granted I use external SSD drives, but I've used USB3 in the past and for basic 1080p video editing its been perfectly fine......
Just my experience....

 

[dwig]

... i was thinking about getting the 27in i7 4.2Ghz, 8 GB of ram (upgrade to more RAM later),...

NO!!! Upgrade the RAM NOW, not later. Maybe not all the way, but I would recommend 32gb.

8 GB of memory is not very much, especially if you are doing heavy video work. ... For video editing you need the fastest drive you have, and it looks as if that would be your SSD, unless you are looking at purchasing some very fast external drives.

@iRabid - all of HDFan's recommendations are very good. Since you've not shown the dicipline to keep your 1tb boot drive from getting full you should not consider have the iMac's internal SSD any smaller than 1tb. If you can't afford larger than 512gb, then plan on getting a large (1tb or larger) external SSD for local storage soon. NAS storage is great for "archiving" but pittiful for storing files with which you are currently working. You need space to move all of the files for your current project to a fast SSD, either internal or directly connected external, preferably Thunderbolt.

 

[MSastre]

NO!!! Upgrade the RAM NOW, not later. Maybe not all the way, but I would recommend 32gb.



@iRabid - all of HDFan's recommendations are very good. Since you've not shown the dicipline to keep your 1tb boot drive from getting full you should not consider have the iMac's internal SSD any smaller than 1tb. If you can't afford larger than 512gb, then plan on getting a large (1tb or larger) external SSD for local storage soon. NAS storage is great for "archiving" but pittiful for storing files with which you are currently working. You need space to move all of the files for your current project to a fast SSD, either internal or directly connected external, preferably Thunderbolt.

dwig makes a very good point. Your internal drive is overfull which contributes to poor system performance. You need to keep between 10 and 20% of your system drive empty, preferably 20%. Order the minimum RAM, but immediately upgrade to more using 3rd party RAM. Apple overcharges. I've always upgraded my Macs with Crucial RAM. When doing video work keep all your media on a fast separate external drive and possibly your FCPX Libraries as well, depending on your workflow.

 

[smbu2000]

The i7 in the 2017 iMac is powerful, but it also gets hot and starts the fan spinning up pretty quickly (compared to the i5 version). I had ordered that same iMac when they released (i7/512 SSD/AMD 580/8GB RAM (upgraded to 40GB on my own), but I ended up returning it. For me, I was just using my 2016 MBP 15" much more. (I also have a 2008 24" iMac.)

It would probably be best to wait until the 2018 iMac refresh comes out. With the Coffee Lake CPUs even the i5 version will have 6 cores, which will give it a big boost in performance over the 2017 i5 4 core version, if you want to go for quiet. If you still want the i7 version then that will also have 6 cores (12 threads with Hyper Threading) compared to the 2017 i7 with 4 cores (8 threads with Hyper Threading).

It's been just over a year since the last iMac refresh, so it probably won't be too much longer. Since you've waited this long, it might be best to wait just a tiny bit longer.

 

[dborja]

I just pulled the trigger and got a refurbished 4.2GHz I7,8GB RAM and 512GB SSD for $2289. I have placed an order for a Crucial 32 GB RAM with BHPhoto for $311. I will be buying the extended warranty once I get the gift card from Barclay ('taking advantage of the 18 month interest-free financing). This will replace my late-2009 27" iMac. IMHO, this is a great deal...

 

[iRabid]

Selling the old one can help offset the cost. If your old one is using a regular hard drive instead of an SSD it may be contributing to the problems depending on which OS it is running.

I wouldn't much from my 2008 iMac. I've researched online, and the most I could get is maybe $200 at the most.
[doublepost=1530951831][/doublepost]

I have been wanting the same exact machine (i7, 512gb ssd, 8 gb), but I keep reminding myself that the new iMac's might be around the corner, so I have been holding off.
I currently use 2010 27" with SSD and 24GB of ram, so definitely a bit better machine than yours. However, unlike you, I do not have any particular needs for my new computer, so since you are starting to make money using your computer, I would not bother waiting on a new system since you never know when Apple might release them and instead, I would just get the current model which is still an excellent computer and it will last you many years.

I'm with you on this one, any model I get now will be better than what I currently have right now.
[doublepost=1530951941][/doublepost]

8 GB of memory is not very much, especially if you are doing heavy video work. FCP on my system when just started up takes 500 MB, Lightroom is now taking 4 GB, kernel_task process 13 GB. They will run with less memory (my numbers are bloated because I have a lot of memory), but performance can suffer if you end up doing a lot of memory swapping.

In some cases when you do a memory upgrade you have to chuck the old memory and replace it with the higher capacity dimms. So saving some money now might cost you in the future. I would go with a minimum of 16 GB, or more, if you can manage it.

If you current internal drive is already full I'd be concerned that a 512 GB SSD isn't going to meet your needs. For video editing you need the fastest drive you have, and it looks as if that would be your SSD, unless you are looking at purchasing some very fast external drives.

To be honest, I haven't cleaned out my internal drive since I bought the external drives. I should do them when I get the chance...
[doublepost=1530952058][/doublepost]

I edit video and my next system will have a 512GB SSD.
Although I have a 1TB SSD in my current editing machine, I rarely go over 100GB!

Ive always worked by the fact that all scratch files, video, render files etc are best served from an external drive - hence I always use external devices to store all project media. Granted I use external SSD drives, but I've used USB3 in the past and for basic 1080p video editing its been perfectly fine......
Just my experience....

I was thinking that I would work and edit photos/videos on the internal SSD. Then when i'm done, I would just off load the files to external (Both RAW files and finished work)
[doublepost=1530952240][/doublepost]

NO!!! Upgrade the RAM NOW, not later. Maybe not all the way, but I would recommend 32gb.



@iRabid - all of HDFan's recommendations are very good. Since you've not shown the dicipline to keep your 1tb boot drive from getting full you should not consider have the iMac's internal SSD any smaller than 1tb. If you can't afford larger than 512gb, then plan on getting a large (1tb or larger) external SSD for local storage soon. NAS storage is great for "archiving" but pittiful for storing files with which you are currently working. You need space to move all of the files for your current project to a fast SSD, either internal or directly connected external, preferably Thunderbolt.

I don't think I want to upgrade initially from Apple, since they uncharge a crazy amount for RAM.

I currently have 4 external HDD that add up to 18 TB of storage. I just want to get a DAS or NAS, so my setup won't be so cluttered
[doublepost=1530952431][/doublepost]

The i7 in the 2017 iMac is powerful, but it also gets hot and starts the fan spinning up pretty quickly (compared to the i5 version). I had ordered that same iMac when they released (i7/512 SSD/AMD 580/8GB RAM (upgraded to 40GB on my own), but I ended up returning it. For me, I was just using my 2016 MBP 15" much more. (I also have a 2008 24" iMac.)

It would probably be best to wait until the 2018 iMac refresh comes out. With the Coffee Lake CPUs even the i5 version will have 6 cores, which will give it a big boost in performance over the 2017 i5 4 core version, if you want to go for quiet. If you still want the i7 version then that will also have 6 cores (12 threads with Hyper Threading) compared to the 2017 i7 with 4 cores (8 threads with Hyper Threading).

It's been just over a year since the last iMac refresh, so it probably won't be too much longer. Since you've waited this long, it might be best to wait just a tiny bit longer.

I'm tempted to wait another year for the newer chipsets, but the current lineup is sufficient enough for what i'm going to be doing. I have a hunch that Apple won't be refreshing this year...
[doublepost=1530952519][/doublepost]

I just pulled the trigger and got a refurbished 4.2GHz I7,8GB RAM and 512GB SSD for $2289. I have placed an order for a Crucial 32 GB RAM with BHPhoto for $311. I will be buying the extended warranty once I get the gift card from Barclay ('taking advantage of the 18 month interest-free financing). This will replace my late-2009 27" iMac. IMHO, this is a great deal...

That right there is a steal!! I should keep an eye out for Refurbished iMac's then...