New iMac 27 5k?

[Mr. 123]

Hello,

I am currently using a Macbook Pro from 2011 with 16GB RAM and a 500 SSD hard drive. It's extremely slow and fans are running constantly so I'm looking to buy an iMac.

Whatever model I choose, I'll get it with a 1TB SSD drive and I will upgrade the RAM myself to 32 or 63GB.

I am looking at the base 27 inch model (3.4 GHZ i5), mid model i5 (3.5 GHZ i5) and the mid i7 model (4.2 GHZ i7). Is there a difference between the 3.4 and 3.5 i5 models in performance? and how much of a leap is it to the i7 4.2? The i7 is a bit out of my price range...

I use my computer for composing music in Logic Pro X and I use a lot of samples which I load from separate hard drives. I also work in Photoshop and sometimes I do some video editing (nothing heavy). I would like the computer to last me a long time.

Also, the WWDC conference is in 10 days so is it smarted to wait or could Apple maybe choose to remove the upgrade RAM option on the 27 inch iMac like they did with the iMac Pro (which would be a deal breaker for me as I can't afford to upgrade the RAM from Apple).

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[Mr. 123]

And in comparison with a high spec i7 MacBook Pro, how does the i5 iMac compare?

 

[_Refurbished_]

You won’t see much of a difference in performance with the two i5’s. The i7 is a bit faster, but it comes at a cost. Noise. The i5’s run quiet at load, while the i7 makes a considerable amount of noise. I’m skipping the i7 for this reason.

If price is a limiting factor, I’d go with the 512 SSD. Much cheaper. You can always add external storage (even an external SSD) as time goes on. The 1TB drives are a rip off, the same way the RAM is a ripoff.

 

[EugW]

If Apple releases an i5-8600 non-K next month, it will be roughly as fast as today's i7-7700K, and should be a lot quieter.

As for the RAM, you'd get it with 8 GB (2 x 4 GB), and then add 32 GB for a total of 40 GB. Or in my case I added 16 GB for a total of 24 GB, which is more than sufficient for my needs.

 

[Mr. 123]

You won’t see much of a difference in performance with the two i5’s. The i7 is a bit faster, but it comes at a cost. Noise. The i5’s run quiet at load, while the i7 makes a considerable amount of noise. I’m skipping the i7 for this reason.

If price is a limiting factor, I’d go with the 512 SSD. Much cheaper. You can always add external storage (even an external SSD) as time goes on. The 1TB drives are a rip off, the same way the RAM is a ripoff.

Which i5 do you use?

So people saying that the i5 iMacs are not worth buying and that Macbook Pros and iMac i7s are way way better are overselling those facts? I would really like to go with the cheaper i5 processor version but I heard many people saying that the i7s are much better. As a composer, fan noise is rather annoying so the i5 might be better for that.

I know the 1TB SSD is overpriced but for some reason I like having a large internal drive but I'll think about the 512GB drive. My current 500GB SSD internal on my MBP 2011 is almost full right now which is why I thought I needed the 1TB SSD. I definitively won't get RAM from Apple.

 

[EugW]

Which i5 do you use?

So people saying that the i5 iMacs are not worth buying and that Macbook Pros and iMac i7s are way way better are overselling those facts? I would really like to go with the cheaper i5 processor version but I heard many people saying that the i7s are much better. As a composer, fan noise is rather annoying so the i5 might be better for that.

I know the 1TB SSD is overpriced but for some reason I like having a large internal drive but I'll think about the 512GB drive. My current 500GB SSD internal on my MBP 2011 is almost full right now which is why I thought I needed the 1TB SSD. I definitively won't get RAM from Apple.

For music, having the headroom of the i7-7700K is very helpful.
For music, having the noise of the i7-7700K is also a big negative.

OTOH, as I suggested above, the i5-8600 will be as fast as the i7-7700K, but without the noise.

I personally use an i5-7600. I don't do music, but I had a 7700K in my house for a week. The noise really annoyed me after the first couple of days so I returned it for the i5-7600.

 

[Mr. 123]

What are the odds of Apple releasing a new 27 inch iMac without upgradable RAM? Because that would be a reason for me to get the 2017 version.
[doublepost=1527190944][/doublepost]

For music, having the headroom of the i7-7700K is very helpful.
For music, having the noise of the i7-7700K is also a big negative.

OTOH, as I suggested above, the i5-8600 will be as fast as the i7-7700K, but without the noise.

Lol 1+ 1- for the i7. Does the i5 (fro example the 3.4) perform well for music or would it be limited?

 

[EugW]

The odds of Apple releasing a new 27 inch iMac without upgradable RAM is pretty small right? Cause that would be a reason for me to get the 2017 version.

No idea, but they did release an iMac Pro with non-upgradable RAM though, and the 21" has non-upgradable RAM too.

However, even if I were in your shoes as a musician with a budget and Apple released the new iMacs without upgradable RAM, I'd still try to save up and get the new model if speed and lack of fan noise matter to you. This is one of the biggest CPU upgrades in years so it would be a big shame to pass on something like the i5-8600 to get upgradable RAM.

 

[Mr. 123]

No idea, but they did release an iMac Pro with non-upgradable RAM though, and the 21" has non-upgradable RAM too.

However, even if I were in your shoes as a musician with a budget and Apple released the new iMacs without upgradable RAM, I'd still try to save up and get the new model. This is one of the biggest CPU upgrades in years so it would be a big shame to pass on something like the i5-8600 to get upgradable RAM.

Right. For loading samples (through the app Kontakt 5), RAM is very important and buying 32 or 64GBs or RAM from Apple would be completely out of my price range. So that's why I'm on the fence about this...
[doublepost=1527191195][/doublepost]Is it possible to return a custom built iMac (1TB SSD)?

 

[_Refurbished_]

Right. For loading samples through Kontakt, RAM is very important and buying 32 or 64GBs or RAM from Apple would be completely out of my price range. So that's why I'm on the fence about this...
[doublepost=1527191195][/doublepost]Is it possible to return a custom built iMac (1TB SSD)?

Yes 14 days. I’m getting the faster i5 for the 8gb video ram GPU. i7 difference will be negligible.

 

[Mr. 123]

I’m getting the faster i5 for the 8gb video ram GPU. i7 difference will be negligible.

Nice! The i5 3.8 would cost around the same as the mid i7 4.2 right?
[doublepost=1527193136][/doublepost]

Yes 14 days.

That’s great! Then I could technically order the custom built 2017 iMac with the 1TB SSD the day before WWDC and if they announce something better with upgradable RAM, I could return it and get the new one!

 

[EugW]

Is it possible to return a custom built iMac (1TB SSD)?

Yes.

 

[_Refurbished_]

Nice! The i5 3.8 would cost around the same as the mid i7 4.2 right?
[doublepost=1527193136][/doublepost]

That’s great! Then I could technically order the custom built 2017 iMac with the 1TB SSD the day before WWDC and if they announce something better with upgradable RAM, I could return it and get the new one!

It’s $200 more to get the i7. Same computer otherwise. The way I see it is when it’s time to upgrade to a new iMac, both iMacs will need the upgrade. Either of the two will run fantastic for the time being. It’s Apple’s planned obsolescence I worry about. My OLD i5 2500k PC runs Windows 10 fantastic. I doubt Apple would ever let the current iMacs run as well on OSX for this long.

 

[EugW]

It’s $200 more to get the i7. Same computer otherwise. The way I see it is when it’s time to upgrade to a new iMac, both iMacs will need the upgrade. Either of the two will run fantastic for the time being. It’s Apple’s planned obsolescence I worry about. My OLD i5 2500k PC runs Windows 10 fantastic. I doubt Apple would ever let the current iMacs run as well on OSX for this long.

The late 2009 iMacs are still officially supported by 10.13 High Sierra.

The i5-2500K is from 2011.

 

[Mr. 123]

I will probably order a custom 2017 iMac and in the case of non upgradable RAM on the 2018 iMacs, I’ll keep it. It’s gonna be a lot of work though but it will be worth it

 

[Glmnet1]

I will probably order a custom 2017 iMac and in the case of non upgradable RAM on the 2018 iMacs, I’ll keep it. It’s gonna be a lot of work though but it will be worth it

Why not just wait after WWDC and order what you want then? You can still order the 2017 from the refurb store or any reseller.

 

[Mr. 123]

Why not just wait after WWDC and order what you want then? You can still order the 2017 from the refurb store or any reseller.

I live in Sweden and sadly we don’t have refurb. I have checked loads of other stores that sell Apple computers and none offer the option to choose 1TB SSD.

Apple stops selling the 2017 computers when the new ones are announced right?

 

[EugW]

I live in Sweden and sadly we don’t have refurb. I have checked loads of other stores that sell Apple computers and none offer the option to choose 1TB SSD.

Apple stops selling the 2017 computers when the new ones are announced right?

Yes. Also, you’ll have to check the return policy in Sweden. I don’t know if it is the same as in Canada and the US.

 

[Mr. 123]

Yes. Also, you’ll have to check the return policy in Sweden. I don’t know if it is the same as in Canada and the US.

I will call Apple’s Support to make sure.

 

[_Refurbished_]

The late 2009 iMacs are still officially supported by 10.13 High Sierra.

The i5-2500K is from 2011.

Support and responsiveness are two wildly different things.

Windows machines don’t have an “end of life” like Macs do. Without getting into a full fledged Windows vs Mac discussion, the point I was making was that all of the 2017 iMacs equipped with SSDs will slowdown at the same rate. Buying the i7 won’t futureproof anything.

Also, not sure if they ship to Sweden but there’s this:
https://www.apple.com/shop/product/...uad-core-Intel-Core-i5-with-Retina-5K-display

Has an extra 8GB and the 1TB SSD. Same 1 year warranty.

 

[Mr. 123]

If refurb existed in Sweden I would definitively buy my computer refurbished. I don't think they ship out of the US but I'll check to make sure.
[doublepost=1527199921][/doublepost]I just checked and they don't ship outside the US:/

 

[EugW]

Support and responsiveness are two wildly different things.

Windows machines don’t have an “end of life” like Macs do. Without getting into a full fledged Windows vs Mac discussion, the point I was making was that all of the 2017 iMacs equipped with SSDs will slowdown at the same rate. Buying the i7 won’t futureproof anything.

My 2010 i7 iMac with external FireWire 800 SSD is very responsive with current versions of macOS. That shouldn’t come as a big surprise though, since the CPU is faster than my 2017 MacBook’s.

The local authorized Apple shop will even install an internal SSD for you if you don’t like external drives.

 

[Mr. 123]

I checked with Apple in Sweden and they do offer the chance to return custom built Macs if you order them from the Apple website! I think I’ll order the 3.4 i5 or 4.2 i7 and see what Apple announces at WWDC!

 

[EugW]

I checked with Apple in Sweden and they do offer the chance to return custom built Macs if you order them from the Apple website! I think I’ll order the 3.4 i5 or 4.2 i7 and see what Apple announces at WWDC!

If for music, why not get a faster i5?

 

[Mr. 123]

If for music, why not get a faster i5?

Because the price for the 3.8 i5 is similar to the price of the 4.2 i7 so in that case I’d rather get he i7 if i spend that extra money.