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I pulled the trigger - help me feel better about it

A

anza

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 13, 2007
28
15
I'll start by saying I pulled the trigger on a fully spec'd 27" 5k iMac last night after the event. Begrudgingly would be an understatement.

Backstory:
I use my computer primarily for audio production, so screen real estate and raw power are generally more of a priority than portability. My mid-2011 iMac croaked in May - the dreaded GPU issue (pink bands, etc.). There was a replacement program for this, but my machine was way past that deadline.

I felt reasonably confident there'd be a minor spec bump at WWDC, but alas. I felt more than reasonably confident there'd be a spec bump at the iPhone event, but alas. Up until last week, I felt dead certain we'd get a redesign or at the very least, a spec bump and upgraded ports yesterday. BUT ALAS.

Last month I began to ponder an alternate solution - a new MBP and 5k Cinema Display, being reasonably confident the display would be unveiled. Obviously the LG display is an option, but it's not shipping until December. And it's ugly and expensive. And the biggest laptop innovation (touch bar) is not terribly practical or useful to me - more than likely I'd be docking the laptop/keeping it closed. Plus, all USB C ports means additional investment for all my peripherals.

Ultimately the year-old 5k iMac felt like a better value and the better of two pretty lousy choices. I'm very bummed be buying so far off cycle. I usually time this perfectly! And what I was REALLY hoping for was Thunderbolt 3/Target Display, so that when it comes time for the next upgrade, I could at least continue to use that 5K display.

And I'm just bitter about having waited nearly 6 months for nothing, all while being unable to create music and do something I love to do. Waiting another 6 months is simply unpalatable. Lesson learned.

On the bright side:
-It doesn't look like Kaby Lake is going to bring drastic improvements. And GPUs are of limited import to me.
-The 5K is still a great machine and of all the "Don't Buys", is probably closest to the "Caution" stage.
-Aside from target display, Thunderbolt3 would not provide a huge practical benefit otherwise...and when the time comes, 5k displays should be much cheaper.

All told, I'm excited to get a new machine and get back to business, but this is the first time I've ever truly resented throwing money at Apple.

I'm sure others are in the same boat. Let's commiserate!
 
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I bought the same (maxed out) as you last year. I agree with the rest of what you wrote. It is still a great machine. I don't see anything all that compelling on the horizon as well. That said I may still get the new Macbook pro 15" to replace my 2013 model.
 
I commiserate. I am in the same boat. My 2008 iMac is having intermittent power-up problems. Backing up every couple of hours here since as I use it every day. Do I hang on or sink money into years-old technology?
 
Well, after yesterdays MBP event I decided to pull the trigger on the current mid-tier iMac 27 with 512 SSD. I'm sure we'll be very happy with the current high-end iMacs and might even be glad we bought before prices went through the roof.
 
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I did the same guys, even though I was considering the new Macbook Pro with LG's 4k monitor. I ended up getting the iMac with 16gb ram, 512gb SSD, i7 and the 390 gpu. Should last for a while.
 
Here's a tip:

Before you buy a giant expensive iMac you're like "I must maximize the value of my purchase! What if my computer becomes outdated?!"

But then a year, or 6 months, after your purchase, when the new shiny thing comes out, you're like "huh? oh. who cares."

And the reason for that is because computers get old and destroyed before they get obsoleted these days. A 6-year-old computer is perfectly fine for almost all high-end applications right now, so long as you bought a good one in the first place.

So like, get the thing you want, enjoy it, live happy. The iMacs right now might not be "top tier" but geeeeez have you used one? They're insane wonder-machines of magic. Aside from playing video games (get a PC moron), what in the name of goodness are people doing that makes these machines seem "bad"?!

You can edit 4k video with 7 layers of visual effects on them and they don't even pause to render. Like. For real. They're fast.
 
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Im waiting till January 2017 on the 10th it will be the 11th anniversary of Intel iMacs announcement and 10 years of the Aluminium iMac and the 18.1 would be introduced in 2017 so a few more months wont hurt... Much
 
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Hear of all you. In my case, any more time waiting was just not worth the tradeoff. Was agonizing enough waiting 6 months. Potentially 6 more...no way the performance gain is worth it. I am generally excited for the machine. It is just very tempered by the regret of waiting and the roller coaster cycle of anticipation and disappointment. Obviously that is the distinctly Apple phenomenon we all endure. I'm sure I'll be even more excited when it's in hand. Thanks for all the comments!
 
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I'm about to replace a 2011 mini -- if it didn't croak (GPU failure, I think), I wouldn't even be considering a new machine. I changed the HD to an SSD last year and it flies for what I use it for.

I decided to wait for Thursday's event before purchasing. The only downside to waiting is that I've been up-selling myself. I was planning to get a refurbished 2014 mini. Then I looked closer at the refurbished iMac 5K and realized that for a few hundred more, I'd get a larger monitor, new keyboard, new mouse, and 2015 technology vs. 2014.

At this point, I've convinced myself to get the 512GB SSD. I'm hoping the refurb comes back in stock before I talk myself into getting the 1 TB SSD.

One benefit of no new model -- the 2015s are available in the Apple refurb store. I'm going the refurb route + AppleCare.
 
I don't know why so many people on this board were so confident that there was going to be a spec bump.

It was already the newest Mac in the lineup, and on top of that most of the tech in it is current anyway.

The GPU and processor are both current.

In addition to that, we already know Kaby Lake is coming out in '17. Seems like a perfect addition to an update around that time frame.

The current iMac has been out for a year, which as we know from the current trend of releases, can be considered somewhat of a short time for Apple.

About a week before the event I was already certain that there wouldn't be a new iMac announced so I pulled the trigger at that time, and have no regrets in doing so.
 
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I did the same thing. Bought a maxed out (even got 64gb of ram) 27" 5k iMac yesterday. I'm not waiting anymore for the desktop that I need.

These machines are going to scream. And just because something newer and a little faster may come out eventually - it doesn't make our ultra fast systems "slow down" - now I'm just excitedly waiting for my new iMac!
 
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FYI I recently had my 2011 video card fail. I had it replaced (under recall warranty). The cost on the receipt would of been $453.41+tax.
 
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protoxx said:
FYI I recently had my 2011 video card fail. I had it replaced (under recall warranty). The cost on the receipt would of been $453.41+tax.
Click to expand...

How were you able to do this?

I did not attempt, because my understanding according to this page was that they would only repair for free within four years of purchasing and I was outside that window. Is there flexibility on this?

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203787
 
anza said:
Hear of all you. In my case, any more time waiting was just not worth the tradeoff. Was agonizing enough waiting 6 months. Potentially 6 more...no way the performance gain is worth it. I am generally excited for the machine. It is just very tempered by the regret of waiting and the roller coaster cycle of anticipation and disappointment. Obviously that is the distinctly Apple phenomenon we all endure. I'm sure I'll be even more excited when it's in hand. Thanks for all the comments!
Click to expand...
You should be excited. I have a maxed out late 2014 iMac, and I love it!
 
anza said:
I'll start by saying I pulled the trigger on a fully spec'd 27" 5k iMac last night after the event. Begrudgingly would be an understatement.

I'm sure others are in the same boat. Let's commiserate!
Click to expand...

For audio production, the iMac you got is more than sufficient. There will be no target mode even with TB3. It is gone. You can't even get a proper peripheral to use TB3 as even a RAID stripped SSD would probably only need a TB2 -- and you don't want to spend the money on that, or an additional 5K monitor in the next 5 years anyway. So TB3 is a non issue and the only thing you're missing is the 10-20% improved processor speed with Kaby Lake -- which won't make a real world difference for most audio production. The improved graphics on the new machine will be nice, but again, not essential for your work in the next 4-5 years.
 
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If you need it for work, I don't think you should second guess at all. Especially if the redesign has USB-C, you'll be buying a bunch of dongles for equipment!
 
I am waiting until December until I make my choice on macbook pro 15" or iMac 2015/2016. Hoping something will still come. I mean, it's a rumor until apple releases (or not) anything. Right..
 
Have you guys considered the Microsoft Studio? Apple is too afraid to put in a touch screen in their iMac and Macbooks. They're afraid it will eat up iPad sales.

 
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Wallabe said:
Have you guys considered the Microsoft Studio? Apple is too afraid to put in a touch screen in their iMac and Macbooks. They're afraid it will eat up iPad sales.
Click to expand...

Tried it at the Microsoft Store. Felt very high quality. I just don't see a need for my desktop to turn into a giant tablet. Granted, that was only after using it for a few minutes, and I'm not an artist, so I'm probably not in the target market anyway.
 
Count me among the post-announcement iMac buyers also. I hate the idea of buying year old tech, but I don't want to wait anymore, so I mostly maxed out a new 27" model - upgrades are the 4Ghz i7, 512 gig flash memory, and I have an extra 16 gigs of RAM coming from OWC (24 total, to start.)

I record music online, and while the SSD in my Mini helped most of the slowdown issues, it's still slowing down in other ways (lousy integrated graphics), and it's just *really* time for a new machine.

My Mini will get a new life as an Ubuntu server, so it won't be going to waste, and I'll finally have a nice fast machine again :)
 
qs933 said:
I'm about to replace a 2011 mini -- if it didn't croak (GPU failure, I think), I wouldn't even be considering a new machine. I changed the HD to an SSD last year and it flies for what I use it for.

I decided to wait for Thursday's event before purchasing. The only downside to waiting is that I've been up-selling myself. I was planning to get a refurbished 2014 mini. Then I looked closer at the refurbished iMac 5K and realized that for a few hundred more, I'd get a larger monitor, new keyboard, new mouse, and 2015 technology vs. 2014.

At this point, I've convinced myself to get the 512GB SSD. I'm hoping the refurb comes back in stock before I talk myself into getting the 1 TB SSD.

One benefit of no new model -- the 2015s are available in the Apple refurb store. I'm going the refurb route + AppleCare.
Click to expand...
Why not buy a replacement GPU for your 2011 machine off eBay or Amazon?

Don't get me wrong if you wanted to upgrade I know you will enjoy your machine but a GPU costs much less then a entirely new machine.
 
anza said:
I'll start by saying I pulled the trigger on a fully spec'd 27" 5k iMac last night after the event. Begrudgingly would be an understatement.

Backstory:
I use my computer primarily for audio production, so screen real estate and raw power are generally more of a priority than portability. My mid-2011 iMac croaked in May - the dreaded GPU issue (pink bands, etc.). There was a replacement program for this, but my machine was way past that deadline.
Click to expand...

I recently managed to get one of these lightly used for £200 and a couple of cheap Xeon E5-2665s. https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASRock-EP2...473887869&sr=8-1&keywords=asrock+dual+lga2011 Spent another £200 on parts and the rest came from my spares box. It's in a nice 'silent' case with sensible, quiet cooling.

A great balance of brutal speed and 'didn't spend all that much'.

Hackintoshed fine. And I can throw in a cheap FW card for all my existing drives, extra USB, loads of HDs.
 
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You made a great choice, I was in the same boat as you last year.

I purchased a maxed 5K iMac, a rMB and kept my Thunderbolt display. I've never been happier, and with the iMac you can somehow just feel it being able to last for many years! Happy happy happy.
 
The late 2015 5K iMac is still awesome. Just wish it would have USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports, only for future-proofing as I have absolutely no use for these ports now. CPU, GPU, RAM in the maxed-out 2015 5K iMac are all still better than the maxed-out 2016 15" MacBook Pro Retina (stock RAM speed is 1867 MHz, but replaced with all 2133 MHz DIMMs will run at full speed to match the MacBook Pro).
 
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