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Great advice. A middle ground. I am still thinking about the i7. Would be a nice felling to have the fastest processor but I’m leaning towards the 3.5.
I’m predicting the 2018 WILL have upgradable RAM. Why? Because the 2018 8th Gen CPUs are almost drop in replacements, and the 2018 Polaris GPUs are also drop in replacements, so Apple would keep the same design.
In your situation, I would order the 2017 3.5 i5-7600 on Sunday, June 3, expecting to cancel the order if possible for the new model.
Truthfully though I’d strongly consider getting the new model regardless since it is so much better for music. If the new model has upgradable RAM then great, get the i5-8600. If it doesn’t have upgradable RAM then consider the i5-8400/8500 entry level 27” model with Apple RAM, if the RAM options are suitable for you.
In your situation, I would order the 2017 3.5 i5-7600 on Sunday, June 3, expecting to cancel the order if possible for the new model.
Truthfully though I’d strongly consider getting the new model regardless since it is so much better for music. If the new model has upgradable RAM then great, get the i5-8600. If it doesn’t have upgradable RAM then consider the i5-8400/8500 entry level 27” model with Apple RAM, if the RAM options are suitable for you.
Thanks for the advice! Yes, ordering the 3.5 i5 on the Sunday before the WWDC event seems like my best option as canceling an order would be much easier than returning the computer after I've received it. I think I should be able to cancel my custom order within 24 hours, as it's not a base model.
I would definitely prefer getting the latest model so I hope they announce just "drop in replacements" like you mentioned above as that would mean a better computer with the same RAM upgrade capability! I would ideally like at least 40GBs of RAM, plan to upgrade to 64GBs in the future so let's hope they offer the upgrade option!
I would definitely prefer getting the latest model so I hope they announce just "drop in replacements" like you mentioned above as that would mean a better computer with the same RAM upgrade capability! I would ideally like at least 40GBs of RAM, plan to upgrade to 64GBs in the future so let's hope they offer the upgrade option!
OP wrote:
"The i7 is a bit out of my price range..."
Then... I'm surprised you'd pay Apple's exorbitant price for the 1tb SSD. It's NOT worth it.
I'd suggest the 512gb SSD instead.
Then... add EXTERNAL storage as required.
You might even consider taking the old SSD from the 2011 MBPro, putting it into an external USB3 enclosure, and supplementing your storage that way.
Get the 3.5ghz "midrange" model with the 7600 CPU. It costs only $200 more and has better graphics as well. A good blend of "speed/quiet".
If you can "hold out", it's worth waiting until the 2018 iMacs are introduced. Then... either buy a new one or a 2017 model at "closeout pricing".
DON'T expect an "announcement" at WWDC.
There may be one.
There might not be.
If there is not, that doesn't mean new iMacs "aren't coming".
I would expect to see them August/September...
"The i7 is a bit out of my price range..."
Then... I'm surprised you'd pay Apple's exorbitant price for the 1tb SSD. It's NOT worth it.
I'd suggest the 512gb SSD instead.
Then... add EXTERNAL storage as required.
You might even consider taking the old SSD from the 2011 MBPro, putting it into an external USB3 enclosure, and supplementing your storage that way.
Get the 3.5ghz "midrange" model with the 7600 CPU. It costs only $200 more and has better graphics as well. A good blend of "speed/quiet".
If you can "hold out", it's worth waiting until the 2018 iMacs are introduced. Then... either buy a new one or a 2017 model at "closeout pricing".
DON'T expect an "announcement" at WWDC.
There may be one.
There might not be.
If there is not, that doesn't mean new iMacs "aren't coming".
I would expect to see them August/September...
I have already planned on using the SSD from my Macbook Pro as an external USB3 hard drive. I already bought this: http://cdon.se/hemelektronik/2-5in-...chss-ssd-hdd-enclosure-with-uasp-in-p35985094
I will consider getting the 512 but I really like having a large internal hard drive.
Yes, the 3.5 model is the one I think I will get. Don't the 2017 models disappear from Apple's website? No Apple dealer where I live sells custom built iMacs (no way to get the SSD I want) so I have to buy from apple's website. Also I am planning on using my education discount as I am a student and that only works though Apple.
Yes, if you are using education discount through Apple, the old models will usually disappear as soon as the new ones are launched.
The old models continue to be sold on the refurbished store, but since you don't have that, that doesn't help you.
I'm also wanting to buy a new imac for music and was considering the i5-7600 or the i7-7700k. I don't want to deal with fan noise but was hoping the i5 could run enough tracks in Logic Pro X that I'd be ok with just that.
Could it do 40 tracks of mostly vst and some audio ? 3rd party plugins like hive or serum?
Could it do 40 tracks of mostly vst and some audio ? 3rd party plugins like hive or serum?
k sounds good.
I've been using a 2007 Macbook Pro 2.2 ghz core 2 duo with 2 gb ram & 120 HD, running OSX 10.4.1 + Logic Pro 7 since 2007.
It's time for an upgrade, I literally can't do what I want or need to with my current set up and it's way over due for a new set up.
I'd rather save some money and get the i5 as I don't think I'll need the i7 and I'd like to avoid fan noise and heat issues.
My current set up I can get like 20-25 tracks of mostly internal vsts. Once I try using Kontakt or anything like that I can only do like 12-15 tracks.
Wow, that machine would be completely unusable for me. IMO, one can't even surf properly on that machine.
Nonetheless, if the new iMacs don't show up next week, I would still recommend waiting until the new models are out. If you get a 2018 hex-core i5 iMac, performance wise it would probably last you another decade, judging by your ability to get the most lifespan out of your Macs.
Note though that your current machine is ripe for an upgrade. With an SSD and 4-6 GB RAM, that 2007 MacBookPro3,1 would run macOS 10.11 El Capitan reasonably well. You could get a 120-240 GB SSD and 4 GB RAM for under US$100 total. I ran a 2008 Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz MacBook5,1 with 4 GB RAM and 120 GB SSD worked decently with the latest OS. The same machine with 2 GB RAM and 120 GB hard drive running 10.9 Mavericks was totally unusable. While something like 10.6 would be way faster, it is obsolete, and current web browsers don't run on an OS that old.
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Yea I don't use it on a daily basis...I have a PC I had built in 2013 for that, I'd just used it for making music but I haven't made music in like 2 years because I would get depressed every time I'd open up logic 7 and realize I can't do what I want to do with it.
I'm going to be running some newer plug-ins and Logic Pro X and that just isn't compatible with the 2007 macbook pro.
I don't plan on keeping the new mac for 10 years though as I'd like to get about 4-6 years out of it if I could.
Really my only concern is the price + i7-7700k heat/fan noise issues.
I've considered the 21.5" i7-7700 + 16gb ram + 512 SSD, and that solved the heat/fan noise issues as the 7700 is a 65w chip instead of 91.
Anything I get will be an upgrade but when I bought my 2007 MBP, they released the new ones + Logic Pro 8 like 2 months later.
I'd hate to run into that scenario again, but also I'm wondering if I even need more than what is currently available.
I'd never made a song with more than 20-25 tracks but I plan on using more than that for my newer music I'll be making.
So yea I appreciate the tips for upgrading my 2007 MBP but that is out of the question for the time being as I'd rather put the money towards a brand new imac.
I'm also considering refurb as I could save probably $500-600 too.maybe even more.
Good point.
My 2009 MacBook Pro is fine, but I noticed for my white 2008 MacBook the fan was always revving up high. Finally I bit the bullet and disconnected the heatsink and fan, cleaned out the dust from the fan, removed the old thermal paste from the heatsink, and re-applied a nice thin layer new Arctic Silver thermal paste. That machine runs MUCH cooler now, and the fans don't come on high nearly as often. That said, I'm not sure I'd try that on my MacBook Pro because it's much more painful to disassemble to get at the heatsink, judging by the teardown on iFixit. I don't know about the later MacBook Pro models though.
Unfortunately, that old MacBook only officially supports up to 10.7.5 Lion, so I ended up putting Ubuntu 17.04 on it to keep it relevant.
I would be surprised if they update the 5K iMac today since the iMac Pro was just released six months ago. Wouldn't that make them compete too much? The game has changed now that the iMac Pro exists. Wouldn't be surprised to see updates more spaced out, unfortunately. Hope I'm wrong. We'll know soon enough.
Uppdate: Last night I ordered the 2017 i5 model in preparation of today’s event. They didn’t release any new iMac and if there comes out one this year, it’ll be months from now so I am going to keep the 2017 model! I need it for a project this summer so I can’t really wait till fall.
The iMac should arrive within a week!
The iMac should arrive within a week!
Yes. I could see that happening as they don’t usually do Events in August right? They might even release the new macs in 2019 I guess... there were no new iMacs in 2016.
[doublepost=1528148112][/doublepost]Another question now that I’ve ordered the iMac.
I own a LED Cinema Display from Apple and it has the mini display port and usb 2 or 3 port. Which adapter should I buy to connect it to the iMac as an external display? I read that Apple’s adapter doesn’t work with the LED Cinema Displays.
[doublepost=1528148112][/doublepost]Another question now that I’ve ordered the iMac.
I own a LED Cinema Display from Apple and it has the mini display port and usb 2 or 3 port. Which adapter should I buy to connect it to the iMac as an external display? I read that Apple’s adapter doesn’t work with the LED Cinema Displays.
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FWIW... been running decently large sessions in Logic Pro X and regularly scoring short films with over 100 tracks with the i7 for almost a year now. I have had 0 issues regarding heat / fan noise. Literally whisper silent.
The fan will only ramp up when I'm exporting video, which for me is a non-issue because I'm not working on music or mixing while I'm exporting video.
That being said, the i5 should still be more than capable of handling very large sessions. If you need it now, buy something now. Otherwise just wait till the next refresh happens - it'll likely be worth the wait.
It would be even worse for MBPs with the current line up. I hope they do a hardware event before then.
Do Apple sometimes schedule 2 events so close?
You using it for making music? If so let me know how it works with the i5.
I could save some good money by going with the i5, and it might be all I need even though I'd be using mostly vsts with plug in synths including 3rd party.
Congrats on the new imac.
I'm kind of in same boat although I don't have a project to work on, I'm just starting to make music again for the first time in 2-3 years and I don't feel like waiting 4-6 months.
Hoping it works out well for you.
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thanks for the reply. Yea making music again has been on my mind 24/7 for the last 6-12 months and I've been saving up and waiting for this day to see if they release new....and they didn't so I'll be buying something just not sure if going with i7 or i5.
I'm leaning towards i7 as a just in case and future proof kind of move. I'd hate to spend $2,900 and regret it when All I had to do was spend $3,500 and get exactly what I wanted.
I might just spend the extra $550-600
21.5" just seems like it wouldn't feel that special considering I'm using a 22" for my PC monitor, because of dimensions it might feel like a downgrade with those bezels.......which are twice the size as the ones on my 2013 HD monitor.
Also, 100 tracks is more than I'll need to use anyways. I'd be happy with 40-50 running at once without having to freeze.
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Which synths will you be using? Omnisphere? I use mostly orchestral samples that I load through Kontakt with multi instances in Logic. I really hope the i5 should be enough but when loading samples, the RAM is very important and I’ll be installing 32GBs of additional ram when the iMac arrives which will give me a total of 40GBs.
I will report back.
I know musicians who have chosen the i5 over the i7 because of the fan noise issue. I’m upgrading from a MacBook Pro 2011 which has the fans running loud all the time so I really want a silent computer!
^ I'm not sure exactly as all the options are new to me. on my 2007 MBP I used 99% internal synths and even once instance of kontakt was taxing on the system.
I'm looking at U-he's Hive for sure and potentially a few others...there are so many out there. I'll definitely check out some free ones as well. I wonder how well omnisphere or serum would do with an i5.....but yea let me/us know how that works out for you.
I'm looking at U-he's Hive for sure and potentially a few others...there are so many out there. I'll definitely check out some free ones as well. I wonder how well omnisphere or serum would do with an i5.....but yea let me/us know how that works out for you.