Please help me to buy a new desktop for non artist

[screaminghat]

Hi. I've been using Mac's since the Apple 2. I've used the other kind before but it makes me frustrated.
I'm not a power user. I'm an attorney who relies mostly on Microsoft Word, Excel and Adobe. I enjoy using Setapp apps.
I'm currently using an IMac 27" mid 2011 3.4 GHz i7 with 24 gb ram and an ssd startup disk. (You can see that I am long overdue)
I also use a MacBook Pro 15" 2017 with 2.8 quad core I7, with 16gb ram, but I don't really like typing on the keyboard and the battery life isn't what I feel it should be.
I had an Air but it was too flimsy for me (I'm a careless giant)
I really don't want to use windows over Mac but I'm concerned how the M1s will play with the apps that I use most frequently and like others Im not happy with the lack of a iMac 27. I'm in front of a screen for 12 or more hours a day so I like a big beautiful screen.
I'm concerned that buying a 2019 iMac 27" is a short term solution that will not age well with new operating systems and apple processors.
I'm not opposed to buying a new laptop and desktop, but I don't want to carry my laptop everywhere.
Your advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[nekonoshucchou]

Hi,

I’m a retired attorney, and used Macs since 1990. In the early days I always used Apple's hi-end machines, because the low-end ones were terribly slow.

Today, a hi-end machine seems to be overkill for a law practice. Since Apple doesn’t offer the 27" iMac any more, I would probably look at a Mac mini or a Mac Studio, combined with the 27" Studio display. If I would use the machine also privately for things like video or photography, I might even look at the Studio Ultra version.
As an alternative I might also look at the combination of a Studio display and one of the latest MacBooks. Seems quite handy to take your laptop with you in your briefcase when you leave the office, and just plug it in when you return.

Sometime ago I fiddled with a MacBook a friend had bought - I believe it was an M1 version - and it seemed powerful enough for the software you mentioned in your post. A son in law recently bought the latest MacBook M1 Max, combined with a non-Apple monitor, and raves about it.

I wish you success with your choice.

 

[Kaikidan]

The base M1 has more than enough power for normal tasks, it's on par or better than my Ryzen 2700 on my gamming rig, yeah it's a 2017 cpu but it's still kinda overkill for daily use and is impressive that the M1 can perform on par consuming only 10W, and since you said you are on a 2011 i7, the diference will be night and day, if you can use the i7 to do what your need today, the M1 will have no problem at all, and it's still faster than the 2017 pro you also mentioned.

Based on geekbench benchmark, your iMac has a score of (single core/multi core) 700/2600, your macbook 900/3400, the base macbook air/imac 24", which are the weakest M1 on the market with only 7 gpu cores, still have 1700/7400 scores. That means that considering CPU alone not even accounting for the RAM and SSD updates over the years, even the most basic version will be almost twice as fast for normal single core, day to day software, and for high demanding multicore software the base M1 will be faster than both your machines together with room to spare.

So take a look if the software you use is compatible with the M1 architecture here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/universal-and-native-apple-silicon-apps.2267176/unread


If after the check everything you use most runs fine, then even the base M1 models will be a huge upgrade, so you can pick wathever machine fits your fancy/budget/needs, no need to worry about performance. Just try to go for at least 16gb of ram if possible.

 

[Starfia]

screaminghat – I'd agree with Kaikidan on the main points. The entry-level M1 Mac mini would be a real upgrade even from my 2017 iMac, and it sounds like more than enough to see you through at least another half-decade, if not more. If you can afford spec upgrades, evaluate your storage needs and consider upgrading to 16GB of memory for longevity. (If you're cost-conscious, I'd also suggest keeping your eye on Apple's refurbished store for Macs.)

Everything I've heard about Rosetta suggests it's essentially seamless for apps that haven't been specifically rebuilt to use Apple Silicon, and that should be supported for at least a couple of years. If you arrive at the future and find Rosetta is going to be removed from macOS and one of your critical apps still isn't supported, you can choose not to upgrade at that point, but I'm guessing the apps you mentioned will all have been converted by then.

The main remaining question is the display. If you're using a 2011 iMac then perhaps you're not accustomed to a Retina resolution for your main screen, but it's difficult to go back after acclimating to its detail and beauty. The expensive new Studio Display is one of the only 27-inch options of its quality – but if you're happy with a 24-inch 4K display, there's much more affordable competition. (And at least you can separately upgrade the display when you're ready.)

For that matter, don't overlook the 24-inch iMac – perhaps even wait until June 6 for potential announcements about an update to it. The performance equals the Mac mini's, the display is very good, and I'd say the convenience and value from the engineering are higher than just about any other option at this point for somebody who wants a single unit-type setup.

Bonne chance!

 

[Kaikidan]

screaminghat – I'd agree with Kaikidan on the main points. The entry-level M1 Mac mini would be a real upgrade even from my 2017 iMac, and it sounds like more than enough to see you through at least another half-decade, if not more. If you can afford spec upgrades, evaluate your storage needs and consider upgrading to 16GB of memory for longevity. (If you're cost-conscious, I'd also suggest keeping your eye on Apple's refurbished store for Macs.)

Everything I've heard about Rosetta suggests it's essentially seamless for apps that haven't been specifically rebuilt to use Apple Silicon, and that should be supported for at least a couple of years. If you arrive at the future and find Rosetta is going to be removed from macOS and one of your critical apps still isn't supported, you can choose not to upgrade at that point, but I'm guessing the apps you mentioned will all have been converted by then.

The main remaining question is the display. If you're using a 2011 iMac then perhaps you're not accustomed to a Retina resolution for your main screen, but it's difficult to go back after acclimating to its detail and beauty. The expensive new Studio Display is one of the only 27-inch options of its quality – but if you're happy with a 24-inch 4K display, there's much more affordable competition. (And at least you can separately upgrade the display when you're ready.)

For that matter, don't overlook the 24-inch iMac – perhaps even wait until June 6 for potential announcements about an update to it. The performance equals the Mac mini's, the display is very good, and I'd say the convenience and value from the engineering are higher than just about any other option at this point for somebody who wants a single unit-type setup.

Bonne chance!

Imacs from 2014 < supports target display mode, and 1440p is still pretty good for today standards, so it's possible to use the old imac as a display for now and save the money on a better machine, or until you find a nice monitor.

EDIT: just discovered that M1s don't support target display anymore.

 

[jav6454]

Hi. I've been using Mac's since the Apple 2. I've used the other kind before but it makes me frustrated.
I'm not a power user. I'm an attorney who relies mostly on Microsoft Word, Excel and Adobe. I enjoy using Setapp apps.
I'm currently using an IMac 27" mid 2011 3.4 GHz i7 with 24 gb ram and an ssd startup disk. (You can see that I am long overdue)
I also use a MacBook Pro 15" 2017 with 2.8 quad core I7, with 16gb ram, but I don't really like typing on the keyboard and the battery life isn't what I feel it should be.
I had an Air but it was too flimsy for me (I'm a careless giant)
I really don't want to use windows over Mac but I'm concerned how the M1s will play with the apps that I use most frequently and like others Im not happy with the lack of a iMac 27. I'm in front of a screen for 12 or more hours a day so I like a big beautiful screen.
I'm concerned that buying a 2019 iMac 27" is a short term solution that will not age well with new operating systems and apple processors.
I'm not opposed to buying a new laptop and desktop, but I don't want to carry my laptop everywhere.
Your advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks

Get an M1 MBP. They are great performers for the cash spent, exceedingly quiet and have great portability.

 

[screaminghat]

Thanks for the thoughts and suggestions. I have to roll up my sleeves and dig into this.

 

[KaliYoni]

I'm not opposed to buying a new laptop and desktop

If my needs were a setup that will be used in a business that is primarily driven by the creation and review of text-based documents, here are some things I would consider:

• The monitor (or monitors) would be my starting point. The ability to use the monitor in portrait orientation could be very important. Resolution and contrast might also be more important that color attributes.
• Once I know which monitor I need, I can then select the rest of my system (if an iMac display fits my requirements, the rest is pretty easy).
• The fastest available processor won't be needed because it won't affect how quickly I read and type much.
• If my business has been profitable over time, I wouldn't be too price sensitive about going beyond the base amount of RAM and SSD storage. All the gear is going to be depreciated over a relatively short period. Also, in a billable hour business model, time really is money. The less time I spend waiting for my machine to do something, the better!
• Again assuming my business is profitable–or at least cash flow positive–I would buy current generation hardware to ensure any new software remains usable over the entire depreciation period and to minimize the possibility of incompatibilities with clients and vendors.

 

[Fishrrman]

You're an attorney.
These Macs are business tools, and as such can be depreciated, right...?

Get a Mac Studio, base model.
Keep the MBP that you have for now.

Get a decent display (doesn't have to be the Apple Studio display), 27" or 32".
32" with a native resolution of 1440p would have plenty of real estate for document preparation and spreadsheets.