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I potentially need a new computer. Please help.

mollyc said:
Plus, it is unlikely I can even get a new 24" in the next month anyway due to supply constraints and needing a CTO. Even a 16GB Mac Mini is a CTO. :(
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Yeah, that's a bummer, isn't it?! This seems to be pointing in the direction of your going with another Intel machine to tide you over for a while, which in the end may be the best solution after all, as then you wouldn't feel rushed about hurrying to try and grab one of the new M-series "pro" iMacs when they do become available, as I imagine that for a while they will be in high demand. That way there would be the opportunity to watch and see if there are any "gotchas" with the new machines and wait through a firmware update or two.

All of this is so frustrating, though, I'm sure! Hang in there....
 
Apple fanboy said:
I’m the other way. A pair of 27” is my ideal. Great for the way I multitask and for photo editing.
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I'm not big on multitasking, either, I tend to focus on one thing at a time and that may come into play with this as well? Although I certainly have the desk space for two displays I can't imagine using them simultaneously with something displayed on one and something entirely different displayed on the other. That said, I DO have the 2018 MBP on the desk beside the display, and I keep it open rather than in clamshell mode, so the display is visible, but it's mirroring what is on the external display. I also have the 12.9 iPad on the desk as well, and if I'm in the middle of editing images and an email or text comes in, I can quickly glance at the iPad to see if it's something I should stop and read right then. I can quickly tap on it, read the email or text and then unless the message really requires an immediate response, get back to my editing. With a text, I can quickly fire off a short response on the iPad without disturbing where I am in the editing process. For emails I usually wait to respond later.
 
mollyc said:
Thanks. I'm not sold on the 24" screen and know that if I have to get something immediately I am just going to want whatever the "real" model is that will come out within the next year. Although I'm not a professional, I am far beyond a starter computer and just think I will be disappointed in performance of what is available right now.

I'm really hoping just to keep my existing computer going for a bit longer. This was an interesting read, though, and I appreciate the link. 🙂
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70% faster on single core and 200% faster on multicore than your current Core i7 iMac shouldn’t be too disappointing. Granted, synthetic GPU scores put the M1 at 70% of the M295X GPU, real world might be less noticeable. Food for thought, though. The 16GB limit is the only real world caveat, to my mind.
 
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Just FYI:
1626325767887.png
 
Also, in Portland. If you really want one in the next day or two, with 16 GB RAM, they’re available. I’d still just fix the one you have and wait for the big machines, but if you really want an iMac 16/1TB, they’re out there, for same day pickup.
1626325948043.png
 
profcutter said:
Also, in Portland. If you really want one in the next day or two, with 16 GB RAM, they’re available. I’d still just fix the one you have and wait for the big machines, but if you really want an iMac 16/1TB, they’re out there, for same day pickup.
View attachment 1806554
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I don't doubt that stores get the occasional shipment of some higher end models, but I live in the DC area with 12 Apple stores within 40 miles of me, and as soon as I configure to 16GB the pickup options immediately go to unavailable for all stores. :( Now, maybe some random color will come in stock, but it's not easy to check every color and configuration on either the website or the app. I need one of the third party trackers like they do for iPhones to tell you what is in stock at each store.

eta: i did find two blue ones (my least favorite color in all the world) and one silver one locally in the 16gb/1tb. we’ll see what happens after my husband cracks open the dying one.
 
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OP:

I doubt you'd be happy with any of the m1 Macs.
They're just too ... basic.

Wait for the large-screen iMac to be released around Sep/Oct.
I wouldn't pre-order one (one should NEVER do that).
Wait until it's been in users' hands a few weeks, to see what experiences they have.
And then... if it looks good... that's when it's time to order one.
 
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mollyc said:
I don't doubt that stores get the occasional shipment of some higher end models, but I live in the DC area with 12 Apple stores within 40 miles of me, and as soon as I configure to 16GB the pickup options immediately go to unavailable for all stores. :( Now, maybe some random color will come in stock, but it's not easy to check every color and configuration on either the website or the app. I need one of the third party trackers like they do for iPhones to tell you what is in stock at each store.

eta: i did find two blue ones (my least favorite color in all the world) and one silver one locally in the 16gb/1tb. we’ll see what happens after my husband cracks open the dying one.
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I may have missed an update. Has the power supply been replaced yet?
 
Fishrrman said:
OP:

I doubt you'd be happy with any of the m1 Macs.
They're just too ... basic.

Wait for the large-screen iMac to be released around Sep/Oct.
I wouldn't pre-order one (one should NEVER do that).
Wait until it's been in users' hands a few weeks, to see what experiences they have.
And then... if it looks good... that's when it's time to order one.
Click to expand...
Yes, I'm totally aware of all that, except that if the repair of my existing iMac doesn't work, I need something immediately. I would never otherwise be in this predicament, and would just wait like a sane person.
 
mollyc said:
I don't doubt that stores get the occasional shipment of some higher end models, but I live in the DC area with 12 Apple stores within 40 miles of me, and as soon as I configure to 16GB the pickup options immediately go to unavailable for all stores. :( Now, maybe some random color will come in stock, but it's not easy to check every color and configuration on either the website or the app. I need one of the third party trackers like they do for iPhones to tell you what is in stock at each store.

eta: i did find two blue ones (my least favorite color in all the world) and one silver one locally in the 16gb/1tb. we’ll see what happens after my husband cracks open the dying one.
Click to expand...

Seems to be a bug on the Apple Store site. If you start at the high end one and go to 16GB/1TB, they’re in stock. If you start at the mid-range and go to 16GB/1TB they’re not. Despite being the same machine!

It’s weird that there’s no option to check all the colors at once for the iMac. I just bought an M1 iPad Pro and there was a button to show all the configurations in stock locally at once, but it doesn’t seem to exist for the iMac!

Also now that I’ve been using the iPad for a couple weeks I can say there are definitely no performance problems with my workflow. Exporting Lightroom photos on the iPad is faster than my 2019 16” MacBook Pro, as is importing, and switching between/editing photos is miles faster. Unfortunately the iPad still doesn’t do everything I want, which makes the speed difference even more noticeable every time I have to go back to the MacBook. All that to say the M1 should be plenty powerful for you! If there was a good way to do panoramas, HDR, and Starry Landscape Stacker on the iPad I think I’d ditch the laptop for photos entirely and be more than happy with the performance. But unfortunately the software just isn’t there yet
 
mackmgg said:
Seems to be a bug on the Apple Store site. If you start at the high end one and go to 16GB/1TB, they’re in stock. If you start at the mid-range and go to 16GB/1TB they’re not. Despite being the same machine!

It’s weird that there’s no option to check all the colors at once for the iMac. I just bought an M1 iPad Pro and there was a button to show all the configurations in stock locally at once, but it doesn’t seem to exist for the iMac!

Also now that I’ve been using the iPad for a couple weeks I can say there are definitely no performance problems with my workflow. Exporting Lightroom photos on the iPad is faster than my 2019 16” MacBook Pro, as is importing, and switching between/editing photos is miles faster. Unfortunately the iPad still doesn’t do everything I want, which makes the speed difference even more noticeable every time I have to go back to the MacBook. All that to say the M1 should be plenty powerful for you! If there was a good way to do panoramas, HDR, and Starry Landscape Stacker on the iPad I think I’d ditch the laptop for photos entirely and be more than happy with the performance. But unfortunately the software just isn’t there yet
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Given that I am having a hard time with the idea of moving down from a 27” to a 24” there is no way I am moving to an iPad of any sort. Glad you are happy with your setup but definitely not for me. 🙂

Also I’ve only been looking at the “highest” tier option. Hard to find in DC.
 
mollyc said:
I don't doubt that stores get the occasional shipment of some higher end models, but I live in the DC area with 12 Apple stores within 40 miles of me, and as soon as I configure to 16GB the pickup options immediately go to unavailable for all stores. :( Now, maybe some random color will come in stock, but it's not easy to check every color and configuration on either the website or the app. I need one of the third party trackers like they do for iPhones to tell you what is in stock at each store.

eta: i did find two blue ones (my least favorite color in all the world) and one silver one locally in the 16gb/1tb. we’ll see what happens after my husband cracks open the dying one.
Click to expand...
Hi Molly,

I’m absolutely not advocating that you get a current iMac, I’m just suggesting that if your current machine dies, all hope is not lost for getting a 16gb one. The key is to check after midnight. If I checked now, none of the stores would have one in stock. Yeah, the colors are limited, I’m not sure why they decided to make so many blue high end machines, but here we are. I’m really hoping the PSU swap does the trick for you. I think you’d be much happier with a high end machine.
 
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mollyc said:
Given that I am having a hard time with the idea of moving down from a 27” to a 24” there is no way I am moving to an iPad of any sort. Glad you are happy with your setup but definitely not for me. 🙂

Also I’ve only been looking at the “highest” tier option. Hard to find in DC.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah I wasn’t suggesting the iPad for your setup! Just saying that if the performance on the iPad is good, I’d expect the iMac is too! Unfortunately the iPad definitely isn’t a replacement for a computer yet even if it had a 27” screen.

I expect the only way to know if you’d like the 24” screen size is to actually use it. Either in store (which likely isn’t enough) or taking advantage of the 14-day return policy if it’s too small.
 
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mollyc said:
Yes, I'm totally aware of all that, except that if the repair of my existing iMac doesn't work, I need something immediately. I would never otherwise be in this predicament, and would just wait like a sane person.
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www.apple.com

Refurbished 27-inch iMac 3.8GHz 8-core Intel Core i7 with Retina 5K display

If you can dream it, you can do it on iMac. It’s beautifully designed, incredibly intuitive, and packed with powerful tools that let you take any idea to the next level. And the new 27-inch model elevates the experience in every way, with faster processors and graphics, expanded memory and...
www.apple.com

Config is 8-core/8GB DRAM/1TB SSD/5500XT, better in every respect to your 2014 iMac.

Slap 32Gb of DRAM in it, and move on. If your husband can fix your old one, sell it to help pay for your new iMac. if he can't, sell it for parts-only on eBay. You don't seem to be too concerned about keeping pace on macOS updates, so I really wouldn't fret about it being obsolete for your use case for 5-7 years. Just my 2 cents. Good luck!
 
Zdigital2015 said:
www.apple.com

Refurbished 27-inch iMac 3.8GHz 8-core Intel Core i7 with Retina 5K display

If you can dream it, you can do it on iMac. It’s beautifully designed, incredibly intuitive, and packed with powerful tools that let you take any idea to the next level. And the new 27-inch model elevates the experience in every way, with faster processors and graphics, expanded memory and...
www.apple.com

Config is 8-core/8GB DRAM/1TB SSD/5500XT, better in every respect to your 2014 iMac.

Slap 32Gb of DRAM in it, and move on. If your husband can fix your old one, sell it to help pay for your new iMac. if he can't, sell it for parts-only on eBay. You don't seem to be too concerned about keeping pace on macOS updates, so I really wouldn't fret about it being obsolete for your use case for 5-7 years. Just my 2 cents. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Mine is a 2017, not 2014, and already a 4.2ghz. Yes, the one you linked is newer, but I doubt it's appreciably faster.
 
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Apple fanboy said:
Speaking as a husband I find I have to do both my jobs in the week. What my boss wants and what my wife wants!
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Darmok N Jalad said:
You mean, what the boss wants, and what the Boss wants!
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Well to be fair, my husband is extremely methodical and focused, particularly with things like this. So not something he'd just start at 9pm. Plus we had two evening swim meets this week and the fact that he is willing to try at all and researched what part I needed (hopefully) gives him until the weekend to crack it open. 😉
 
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mollyc said:
Well to be fair, my husband is extremely methodical and focused, particularly with things like this. So not something he'd just start at 9pm. Plus we had two evening swim meets this week and the fact that he is willing to try at all and researched what part I needed (hopefully) gives him until the weekend to crack it open. 😉
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Yes, and cracking open an iMac isn't a simple process. It's definitely a longer project on the newer models, since Apple moved to adhesive to fix the screen to the chassis. You don't want to end up with working internals, but with a broken display!
 
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mollyc said:
Well to be fair, my husband is extremely methodical and focused, particularly with things like this. So not something he'd just start at 9pm. Plus we had two evening swim meets this week and the fact that he is willing to try at all and researched what part I needed (hopefully) gives him until the weekend to crack it open. 😉
Click to expand...
Good luck.
 
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I had to take my son to buy new shoes today so hopped into the Apple Store while I was at the mall. No, I didn't buy anything because my goal is still to get my old one working. But I wanted to at least see the new 24"s before trying to commit to something. I actually did not mind the screen size, and might even slightly prefer it. They had one 24" set up next to a 27" and the new design is really quite refreshing. I think it looks better in person than online. But I feel a lot better about switching to an M1 if it comes to that (hopefully it won't, but I need a plan if it does).
 
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Options that work for you are always a good thing. I’m glad it looks like it could work. We’re all dying to know if the PSU fixes the problem!
 
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Ordered my new 24" iMac yesterday, shipping times not bad, Aug 9-Aug 16. Give me time to clean this one out.
New design looked great, but was the speed that sold me. Got the silver one, figured I would get tired of a color.
 
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