My office says its time to upgrade my old iMac... help!

[jrm27]

Hello all,

I'm a graphic designer, photographer, sometimes video editor/motiongraphics guy. At my workplace, I've been using a 2017 Retina 5k iMac... 3.4 ghz i5 with 64 gb of memory. It has handled most of what I do well, but it tends to choke up a bit on video/motion graphics if it goes beyond the basics. Regardless, the company says it's time to upgrade. So, they were suggesting a 16" MBP (M1MAX, 10 core/32 core, 32 Gb memory, and 2TB internal drive). However, I don't really need a laptop and was thinking I might get more bang for my buck with the new Mac Studio.

Just looking at the specs they sent over, I imagine I have an all-in budget of around 4500 (with tax and some apple care included at that price). It seems like even the M1 Max Studio, upgraded to the 32 core and 64gb of memory at $2600 would be a stronger machine and would leave some good budget left over for a screen (not enough for the studio display, but perhaps a decent third party solution).

In this use case, what would you recommend? I dont need any peripherals except a screen for the Mac Studio...

Thanks for any help or suggestions you might have!

 

[glenthompson]

That $2,600 for a Studio only gets you 512gb of SSD. Will that be sufficient? Bumping it up to 2TB will change the price to $3,200. If you go for the smaller drive and add the studio display the total will be $4,200. Will you expect a monitor with the MBP if you went that route? The Studio with the display will be cheaper than a MBP with an external display.

 

[jrm27]

That $2,600 for a Studio only gets you 512gb of SSD. Will that be sufficient? Bumping it up to 2TB will change the price to $3,200. If you go for the smaller drive and add the studio display the total will be $4,200. Will you expect a monitor with the MBP if you went that route? The Studio with the display will be cheaper than a MBP with an external display.

Oh, I forgot to spec up the storage! Shoot. I probably only need 1Tb (it's what I have now), as I archive/store most of my files on an external drive that gets backed up daily. I've gone that way so I can take a hard drive with me when I travel (along with a personal laptop in case an emergency pops up). So, upgrading to 1TB would price out at $2800. Once I add in the required apple care for the computer, and the base Studio Display (no apple care), and add tax, I'd be about $500 over budget. So it may make sense to prioritize the computer and find a comparable non-apple display?

I would not receive a monitor with the laptop and would likely have to use an extra monitor that I have (personally) if i wanted one. Too bad I couldn't just use the iMac screen as a secondary... that's a great monitor for me and no one in the office is going to take the old mac (from what I understand).

 

[aurora_sect]

I'm an audio guy, so GPUs are less of a concern, but from what I've read/seen the measurable performance bump from the GPU-only upgrades is pretty dubious. So you might get more out of a bigger SSD instead though obviously YMMV.

All in all, though, since you have the budget I'd say the MS Studio is easily your best bet if you need that upgrade right away.

 

[Macintosh IIcx]

A very solid solution would be Mac Studio M1 Max and a Benq SW271 monitor.

 

[jrm27]

A very solid solution would be Mac Studio M1 Max and a Benq SW271 monitor.

ohhh... that is a nice monitor! Thanks for the idea!

 

[jrm27]

At a basic "these two machines have the same working capabilities" though, these two options are the same machines with different connectivity and display "solutions" correct? Just trying to get close to an apples-to-apples comparison so I can make an argument for one machine over the other when I start requesting to upgrade/downgrade a few things (dropback the storage a bit, increase the memory, etc...)

 

[januarydrive7]

You could use the 5k iMac's screen with the studio, no?

 

[Mr.Blacky]

I don't think you would need the 32-core GPU version. Maybe spend the money for more storage or a nicer display?

 

[jrm27]

You could use the 5k iMac's screen with the studio, no?

I think I'd have to use something like a Luna Display to make it work.. and I'm not sure if that's a great all-day/real-life usage solution. I think Target Display Mode isn't an option on the 2017 iMac. I wish it was!

 

[jrm27]

I don't think you would need the 32-core GPU version. Maybe spend the money for more storage or a nicer display?

That's an interesting idea. I'm not super informed when it comes to the differences that would bring about. Is there a "explain it like I'm a child" version of the difference I might experience if I dropped from a 32 core GPU to a 24 core GPU?

 

[januarydrive7]

I think I'd have to use something like a Luna Display to make it work.. and I'm not sure if that's a great all-day/real-life usage solution. I think Target Display Mode isn't an option on the 2017 iMac. I wish it was!

I wonder if this would work:

 

[clevins]

I'd get, in your situation, the Studio. I'd try to swing the Studio Display too, perhaps but I'd rather increase specs on the studio and get a good but not top line screen.

 

[aurora_sect]

That's an interesting idea. I'm not super informed when it comes to the differences that would bring about. Is there a "explain it like I'm a child" version of the difference I might experience if I dropped from a 32 core GPU to a 24 core GPU?

I often go for the "cheap" upgrades but as I rushed through my own Studio purchase--and again, I'm an audio guy that dabbles a bit in Resolve--I thought I just don't need that GPU boost. This video convinced me that I probably made the right choice:

**edit** I guess this newbie just learned you can't link videos here? It was by "Max Tech" on YouTube, indicating that their real life comparisons on MBPs indicated there was little to no benefit in the 24 to 32 and 48 to 64 GPU-only upgrades.

If I were an photo/video guy person like you, I'd probably spend the $200 anyway, but if you're struggling to get this under budget it might be something to consider.

 

[now i see it]

Remember- that when it’s time to retire an iMac, you’ve got to trash a perfectly good monitor too (which was always apple’s plan).
If you get a Studio, you won’t be trashing monitors in the future.

 

[jrm27]

Thanks

I often go for the "cheap" upgrades but as I rushed through my own Studio purchase--and again, I'm an audio guy that dabbles a bit in Resolve--I thought I just don't need that GPU boost. This video convinced me that I probably made the right choice:

**edit** I guess this newbie just learned you can't link videos here? It was by "Max Tech" on YouTube, indicating that their real life comparisons on MBPs indicated there was little to no benefit in the 24 to 32 and 48 to 64 GPU-only upgrades.

If I were an photo/video guy person like you, I'd probably spend the $200 anyway, but if you're struggling to get this under budget it might be something to consider.

for that! I'll look up the video and learn something new today. I appreciate it!

 

[jrm27]

Remember- that when it’s time to retire an iMac, you’ve got to trash a perfectly good monitor too (which was always apple’s plan).
If you get a Studio, you won’t be trashing monitors in the future.

Yeah, I wish Target Display Mode was still a thing. I'm looking at "solutions" that may allow me to redeploy my current iMac as a secondary screen.. but it's looking kinda sketchy.

 

[januarydrive7]

Yeah, I wish Target Display Mode was still a thing. I'm looking at "solutions" that may allow me to redeploy my current iMac as a secondary screen.. but it's looking kinda sketchy.

I've seen several that have used airplay to their 5k iMacs. It's a native and free solution, and you can connect with usb-c to reduce any latency that might be present in wireless airplay.

 

[jrm27]

I'll have to try it with my laptop and the imac... see how it works!

 

[januarydrive7]

I'll have to try it with my laptop and the imac... see how it works!

Looking forward to a report on it -- my cursory search showed very little info on any possible latency issues with wired airplay. Also, it's unclear on whether this works or not as a primary display with a headless mac.

 

[FNH15]

Oh, I forgot to spec up the storage! Shoot. I probably only need 1Tb (it's what I have now), as I archive/store most of my files on an external drive that gets backed up daily. I've gone that way so I can take a hard drive with me when I travel (along with a personal laptop in case an emergency pops up). So, upgrading to 1TB would price out at $2800. Once I add in the required apple care for the computer, and the base Studio Display (no apple care), and add tax, I'd be about $500 over budget. So it may make sense to prioritize the computer and find a comparable non-apple display?

I would not receive a monitor with the laptop and would likely have to use an extra monitor that I have (personally) if i wanted one. Too bad I couldn't just use the iMac screen as a secondary... that's a great monitor for me and no one in the office is going to take the old mac (from what I understand).

There’s a LG UltraFine 5K on Amazon for $1295, which should bring you right at your budgetary threshold.

LG 27MD5KL-B 27 Inch UltraFine 5K (5120 x 2880) IPS Display with macOS Compatibility, DCI-P3 99% Color Gamut and Thunderbolt 3 Port, Black

The LG UltraFine Display a perfect companion for MAC. The 27 inch Class 5K IPS Monitor with macOS Compatibility. LG UltraFine 5K Display, is over 50% bigger than a 4K display in terms of raw pixel count, with 218 PPI can express exceedingly detailed picture and sharp text. So you can experience m...

www.amazon.com

 

[KPOM]

ohhh... that is a nice monitor! Thanks for the idea!

I wonder if this would work: View attachment 1971896

Does your company get the EPP discounts from Apple? If so, then the LG UltraFine 5K is still available for $1170 from Apple, at least for now. That would at least get you a 5K display (albeit not the other features of the Studio Display). LG sells a 3-year warranty extension for $89.

 

[jrm27]

Does your company get the EPP discounts from Apple? If so, then the LG UltraFine 5K is still available for $1170 from Apple, at least for now. That would at least get you a 5K display (albeit not the other features of the Studio Display). LG sells a 3-year warranty extension for $89.

I'm not sure if they do, but its definitely worth me looking into. Thanks for the heads up. That would be a fine deal!

 

[darngooddesign]

Yeah, I wish Target Display Mode was still a thing. I'm looking at "solutions" that may allow me to redeploy my current iMac as a secondary screen.. but it's looking kinda sketchy.

Before you buy a display, get the Luna Display dongle and connect your iMac to another Mac via USB-C and try it out.

 

[satcomer]

Tell him as long he using MS Server 2010 or better a Mac or Linux machine can bind to Active Directory natively! You'll be surprised on how man companies are still on old as MS Server software!