Best iMac for starting out photographer...

[Lucynicoler]

Hi all,

Needing some help with what iMac to get for my photography. I will mainly be using Lightroom, Photoshop and Bridge. Lots of processing and converting RAW files. Lots of editing. Need it to be fast. Have not owned a proper computer yet.

Currently running my business off an old HP laptop and the Photoshop and Lightroom are terribly slow!

Most people are telling me to get the SSD 512GB but is this too much I really don’t know. The question is Can I get away with 1TB Fusion Drive?

Also 21.5” or 27”?

Don’t know if I should be invest in something that will last me longer or getting something to start me off into the freelancing/business world.

All welcome to answer.
Any help will be a appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[theluggage]

Most people are telling me to get the SSD 512GB but is this too much I really don’t know. The question is Can I get away with 1TB Fusion Drive?

The 2TB/3TB Fusion drives are better because they have a 128GB SSD cache, whereas the 1TB only has a 32GB SSD cache.

Would still recommend getting an all-SSD model just big enough to hold your "work-in-progress" and adding external drives for long-term storage.

 

[06tb06]

The 27" is the only AiO on the market with a 5K display, and will obviously pack more performance (especially in the graphics department) than the 21.5". The smaller 21.5" iMac is still a great option for photography if you go for the $1299 model and above. I would opt for the 1TB Fusion Drive, or even the SSD if you can spare a bit more cash.

Either way, you can't go wrong with a 4K or 5K iMac.

 

[Fishrrman]

Get your iMac with a "straight SSD" inside (NOT a fusion drive).
These MUST be ordered online through "build-to-order".
Even the 256gb SSD option would be preferable to a 1tb fusion model (adds $100).
For $300 more, you can get the 512gb SSD option.
I don't consider the cost of the 1tb SSD to be worth it, and wouldn't recommend it.

If you need more storage, just plug in a USB3 external drive.

For LR, PS -- probably any of the iMacs will do "well enough".
I'd spend $200 more for the "midrange" model (3.5ghz).

 

[deep diver]

Make sure you are thinking about your future needs along with your current needs. Also think about what the state of the art technology will be 5 years from now. I just got a new 21.5". I keep my computers for a long time (as much as 8-10 years), so I always "max out" the configuration. I got more than I need right now, but it will be spot on in the next several years. I would have gotten the 27", but I do not have room on my desk for something that large.

 

[jaduff46]

I have the same approach as @deep diver in terms of maxing out a purchase and holding onto it for a long time. Still with the 27” 2010 iMac. Works well for everything, especially photography, since the screen is huge

Next one will be all SSD. Don’t believe you’ll need the i7 chipset unless you’re doing a lot of video rendering/editing. 512gb SSD will work well and external SSD seem to be reasonably priced as @theluggage suggests in his advice above.

I’ve invested in C1 Pro rather than LR/PS since it seems more intuitive to me and was less expensive, given that I have a Sony camera.

 

[MCAsan]

Definitely go with a 2017 27" 5K unit. I ordered ours from B&H for $150 off each plus no tax or shipping. I ordered ours with the i7 4.2Ghz CPU but the i5 3.8Ghz is not far behind. Ours has the Radeon 580GPU. I ordered only 8GB of memory to save money because you order more from Crucial or other vendors via B&H, Adorama, and others for no tax or shipping. I put in 16GB additional for a total 24GB. For storage our libraries of photos, music, documents...etc will not fit on any fusion drive. So I went with 512GB SSD. With MacOS, apps, email, app caches...etc. I currently use around 300GB with around 200GB let for more apps. Besides I don't want spinning HD inside a computer. It is only when, not if, they will fail. The libraries are on external RAID arrays connected via TB.

 

[Smellmet]

I would absolutely go for any i7 27 inch imac with an SSD and at least the 4GB video card get the base RAM and upgrade it yourself later. You can't go wrong with this configuration.