Need some advice on new imac

[cynics]

What does Zen CPUs have to do with Intel-based iMacs? Are you thinking Apple will abandon Intel?

Not at all, I find that highly unlikely actually. However it could significantly impact Intels pricing and incremental update scheduling.
[doublepost=1469371618][/doublepost]To add to my previous post. I'm not sure how well that will translate to the iMac especially with Apple Tax.

For example the Intel 4590 can be purchased from Newegg @ ~200 dollars + tax. The 6700k from Newegg is ~350 dollars + tax. So there is a 150 dollar + tax delta. Apple charges 250 dollars for that upgrade when building an iMac....225 dollars from their education store.

So its tough to say if pricing will directly be effected however if Zen is a powerhouse it will certainly effect Intels update scheduling causing them to put out better products that will trickle into the iMac.

 

[mustang52]

Ok so the iMac will be here Wednesday and I ordered 16gb of ram as suggested. I have a Samsung ssd that I'd like to use for external storage. I'd like to hear some suggestions on enclosures for the ssd drive and also wether or not I should run Windows 10 either through parallels or boot camp on it. Thanks so far for all you guys help!

 

[MCAsan]

It is easy to find a USB 3 enclosure that UASP. It could be harder to find an empty TB1 or TB2 enclosure. Do searches at NewEgg or similar computer parts houses.

 

[Tiberius2000]

Ok so the iMac will be here Wednesday and I ordered 16gb of ram as suggested. I have a Samsung ssd that I'd like to use for external storage. I'd like to hear some suggestions on enclosures for the ssd drive and also wether or not I should run Windows 10 either through parallels or boot camp on it. Thanks so far for all you guys help!

Your preference based on need. Here is the answer for me:

Parallels. If you have an internal SSD, your are allocating valuable space to Windows, which is not you Primary OS. If you have a Fusion drive, Windows will reside only on the spinning side and take a speed hit from the slower drive speed.

Parallels lets you store the Windows "drive" wherever you want. Plus, unless you are using major applications on Windows, the performance hit is only an issue when running apps in both systems at once. Also, Parallels will not require you to reboot anytime you need something from the other OS.

I would only use BootCamp if you have daily, mission critical apps in Windows that have to run at full speed... But then why not buy a separate Windows laptop for $500-$800?

 

[mustang52]

Good advice! I was thinking pretty much the same and storing windows on the portable drive using parallels. Will a usb 3 enclosure be fine for this or should I be looking for a thunderbolt one?

 

[maflynn]

Will a usb 3 enclosure be fine for this or should I be looking for a thunderbolt one?

Benchmarks have shown that USB 3 and TB are nearly identical speed wise. I'd go with USB 3.0 devices as they will cost lost then thunderbolt products

 

[Tiberius2000]

Benchmarks have shown that USB 3 and TB are nearly identical speed wise. I'd go with USB 3.0 devices as they will cost lost then thunderbolt products

...and consider the medium.
5400 rpm HD? No. This is best for inexpensive MASS storage at a low price. Think back-ups.
7600 rpm. Great Balance of GB/$ and speed/$.
SSD. Fastest with best performance but high $/GB.

Also, with USB 3.0, Parallels and other factors I am not certain of the real-world performance difference between the SSD and the 7600 rpm HD (as you intend to use it).

 

[maflynn]

SSD. Fastest with best performance but high $/GB.

True the cost per GB for the SSD is higher then a hard drive, but I'd say its still an economical purchase. I put a SSD in an external drive, and I'm currently running windows on it. Its faster then my bootcamp partition (thanks to the Fusion drive and having windows on the HD).

 

[Tiberius2000]

True the cost per GB for the SSD is higher then a hard drive, but I'd say its still an economical purchase. I put a SSD in an external drive, and I'm currently running windows on it. Its faster then my bootcamp partition (thanks to the Fusion drive and having windows on the HD).

No question that you are correct. But without knowing the exact needs (file sizes and quantities) I would not recommend one option over the other; I just wanted to provide the pros/cons.