Upgrading 27" iMac and NOT getting Mac Studio. The iMac still got it.

[Andrey84]

Hello,

This post is mainly for UX/graphic professionals working from home on an iMac and needing an upgrade.

Do you really need to buy the Apple Studio + Studio Display, if you're on a budget?

Wanted to share our experience and discuss.

My wife is a UX/graphic designer and she's been using 27" iMacs for 13 years. She recently started 3D-designing, rendering and making jewellery as a hobby. She has a base spec 2017 i5 iMac (upgraded to 64GB RAM, 2TB SSD) which has become too slow and needed an upgrade. She couldn't work in Adobe XD and share the screen in Zoom at the same time without a massive lag, and her rendering in Rhino was very slow. Latest OS wasn't supported either.

The requirements are:
- High-quality 5K monitor, due to the design work and using massive app prototype files
- 2 TB of space, as in December she had 0.9TB of 2TB free
- 64GB of RAM, as under normal use it's showing around 45GB used
- The best CPU possible for rendering

We decided to go for a top spec iMac 2020 instead of the Apple Studio. We got it for just £2,305 from eBay. It has the nano-glass too, which actually looks incredible. It's really fast on Sonoma and does really well in tests and outperforms M1 Max in Cinebench.

-------
UPDATE 04.01.2024
After having spent a month on these forums, another viable alternative came to light: to buy a used M1 Max Apple Studio (64GB/2TB) and to build a DIY 5K Apple Display (also, forum link). This will cost just around £500/$500 more, that will last at least 2 years longer. Another downside, apart from higher costs and having to do a lot of work yourself and the risk, is that you can't really get the nano-textured glass, which we got with the new iMac and I believe it's fantastic for eye health.
-------

Some cost analysis is below.

A comparable setup with Mac Studio, M2 Max, 96GB unified memory and 2TB SSD, which is her minimum storage requirement, would’ve set her back £3,699 for the box and £2,149 for the Studio Display, so £5,848 in total. This means she made a total saving of £3,534.

I live in the UK and a used M1 Max Studio 64GB/2TB goes for around £2,200 and ASD with adjustable stand a nano-coating is around £1,700, so still even on used the total saving is around £1,500. Plus she gets 128GB of memory instead of 64GB.

A maxed-out Mac Mini would've been £2,699, however the max RAM is 32GB and it's shared with the video card, it wouldn't have been enough.

This 2020 iMac will very likely support the upcoming 2024 & 2025 Mac OS too. Maintenance support is about 2-3 years, so the machine will be officially supported until late 2027. After that, she can get a new Studio Display with a used Mac Studio with M3 Ultra, which will cost at least 30% less than when released in summer next year. There is always OpenCore Legacy Patcher as well.

Overall, I'm very happy with the decision. Let's see how it will play out over the next 3 years.
Such a shame they stopped making new 27" iMacs. It's an incredible machine and actually a great value for money

Some photos are attached.

 

[kuyman]

Interesting post, and great setup. I'd love to see the nano glass screen.

My 27" iMac will be 10 years old next year, and I still use it every day. I develop eLearning courses in Articulate Storyline and nothing else but the 27" will do. Actually, I had reservations at first about "downgrading" from my 30" Cinema Display I started on, but the retina screen won me over.

Over the years the number of cores has doubled in new Macs, and the GPU in my 2014 is so vintage I have to run OpenCore Legacy, but with those modifications and a modern SSD (I can't believe this machine came with a Fusion Drive, but it was a decade ago), the machine runs fast. I expect to use it two or three more years.

I did buy a 24" iMac when they were new a couple years ago. It's great for ~ 80% of my work, but the 27" still gets about equal use.

 

[ignatius345]

It's been like this for quite a few years now. The iMac is an incredible deal up front. If Apple sold a standalone display equivalent to the 4.5K Retina display the M3 iMac has in it, I guarantee you it would cost minimum $1000, given that the 5K Apple Studio Display starts at $1600.

Looking at the base model iMac at $1299, that means for $300 over and above the (presumed) cost of that display, you're getting the equivalent of a Mac Mini, plus a Magic keyboard and a Magic mouse. The keyboard and mouse retail for $179 together, for the non-Touch ID version you get with the base model iMac. So when you subtract those out, you're getting a Mac for $120. Excellent deal, and it's all wrapped up in a lovely, desk-friendly package.

BUT! That value proposition breaks down the minute you go to upgrade and you can't repurpose the display the way you could if you'd bought a Mini + external display in the first place. The savings may make it worth it to you if the iMac meets your needs, but I can also see how it's tempting to decouple the CPU and the display for cheaper and easier upgrades down the road.

 

[Andrey84]

It's been like this for quite a few years now. The iMac is an incredible deal up front. If Apple sold a standalone display equivalent to the 4.5K Retina display the M3 iMac has in it, I guarantee you it would cost minimum $1000, given that the 5K Apple Studio Display starts at $1600.

Looking at the base model iMac at $1299, that means for $300 over and above the (presumed) cost of that display, you're getting the equivalent of a Mac Mini, plus a Magic keyboard and a Magic mouse. The keyboard and mouse retail for $179 together, for the non-Touch ID version you get with the base model iMac. So when you subtract those out, you're getting a Mac for $120. Excellent deal, and it's all wrapped up in a lovely, desk-friendly package.

BUT! That value proposition breaks down the minute you go to upgrade and you can't repurpose the display the way you could if you'd bought a Mini + external display in the first place. The savings may make it worth it to you if the iMac meets your needs, but I can also see how it's tempting to decouple the CPU and the display for cheaper and easier upgrades down the road.

The value proposition doesn't fully break down though. Yes, it's inconvenient to upgrade. However, if you're selling your iMac in full, with the display, and get compensated for it in full too. And you buy the used Mac (if you do) which has similar price forming rules attached to it.

 

[ThunderSkunk]

Yeah, I still run max spec 2019s and will until they all die and can’t be replaced by any more 19/20s. But as nice as that 5k display is, I am struggling with 27” feeling a bit small for my aging eyes though, so i now use it to drive a big LG Curved ultrawide on my desk while the imac itself sits across the room, & acts as my tv when I’m not toiling. Windows allows you to fully disable the imacs internal display or the external) in the software so youre not burning up power driving both displays. Makes it a perfect single-computer solution for an efficient living space.

 

[ignatius345]

The value proposition doesn't fully break down though. Yes, it's inconvenient to upgrade. However, if you're selling your iMac in full, with the display, and get compensated for it in full too. And you buy the used Mac (if you do) which has similar price forming rules attached to it.

That is true -- though it depends on how long you're keeping your iMacs for. My 2020 M1 iMac (16 GB RAM, 1TB SSD, still under AppleCare) is likely to fetch ~$1200-1500 on eBay, which would take a big bite out of the cost of an M2 version, if I go that route. If I waited a couple more years, though, I assume that resale value would drop precipitously.

 

[Jackbequickly]

I replaced my old 27" iMac with the new M3 iMac and am very happy. As I get a bit older I find myself on my iPad more and more but still have a smaller office set up where bills get paid and emails answered. I found the 27" a bit big for the desk, kinda reminded me of sitting in the front row of the theater. The 24" has a smaller foot print and it smokes its big brother in speed.

 

[Andrey84]

After having spent a month on these forums, another viable alternative came to light: to buy a used M1 Max Apple Studio (64GB/2TB) and to build a DIY 5K Apple Display (also, forum link). This will cost just around £500/$500 more, that will last at least 2 years longer. Another downside, apart from higher costs and having to do a lot of work yourself and the risk, is that you can't really get the nano-textured glass, which we got with the new iMac and I believe it's fantastic for eye health.

 

[niho]

Not a bad choice if you need that GPU.
Do you really need a 5k screne though?
Anot alternative would be that; You could get a M2 Pro Mac Mini or used M1 Max studio and 4K Dell or LG IPS screen and call it a day for cheaper. And it would be faster than 2020 imac.

 

[Andrey84]

Not a bad choice if you need that GPU.
Do you really need a 5k screne though?
Anot alternative would be that; You could get a M2 Pro Mac Mini or used M1 Max studio and 4K Dell or LG IPS screen and call it a day for cheaper. And it would be faster than 2020 imac.

Yes, but not for my wife's requirements. 5K is an absolute must, as she works with designs and large application prototype flows.
With Mac Mini, 32GB of RAM is not enough as I mentioned in the post itself - her real memory usage is normally at least 45GB.