What 2019 iMac Did You Order?

[apocalyarts]

I ordered the high-end 21" model without any extras. Luckily my girlfriend is still enrolled as a student and we live together, so I could shave some euros off the price. As I still have a decent MBP I really couldn't justify getting a 27"

 

[Brookzy]

• 27”
• i9
• 8GB RAM (will add two 16GB sticks myself)
• 512GB storage
• Vega 48

Has anyone been charged/preparing for shipment yet?

 

[amoergosum]

• 27”
• i9
• 8GB RAM (will add two 16GB sticks myself)
• 512GB storage
• Vega 48

6- or 8-Core ?

 

[kazmac]

Definitely getting one if the thermals are fine and no T2 chip. Either maxed out 21.5” or mid tier 27” - not sure which as either size display will be fine with my vision.

6 core, probably not i9 though. Possibly Vega GPU, at least 32gb of RAM and 512gb - 1tb SSD. I do not really need the Vega, but after choosing the wrong GPU twice now, I think that might be the way to go. I’d rather have a little more computer than I need than not enough again.

Waiting on reviews about thermals, T2 chip inside(?) and overall responsiveness.

 

[peterh988]

I'll be going for the base model, (5k) with 512gb SSD, and extended keyboard.

Plenty powerful enough for my needs.

 

[adamjackson]

I maxed out the iMac 27" It's replacing the config in my signature. My biggest issue with my late-2015 model was the Fusion drive. It was the only bottleneck I suffered from followed by the GPU as my workflow is 4K. I'm really looking forward to having an SSD finally. Mac resale continues to be great. 2600 USD spent on the Late-2015 iMac. Sold for $1300 3 full years later (1 week left on Apple Care). 50% depreciation in 3 years is so much better than other machines.

Core i9
8GB RAM for now (will order 32GB or 64 from Crucial)
2TB SSD
VEGA Pro

 

[fokmik]

6- or 8-Core ?

i9 is only 8 cores

 

[3rdDivCptn]

I ordered the i9 but left the GPU as the 580x (512 SSD and putting 32GB RAM in myself). I could barely justify the upgraded CPU but I am curious if anyone thinks the Vega would be worth it for Digital Art (just drawing) and some light 2d animation (cartoon style stuff with audio). Never used MacOS so does anyone think the 580x should be fine for that kind of task? I don't even know if I will render it in 4k but even if I did, would the 580x be fine for it? I am not someone on a tight output schedule or anything it is more of a side hobby.
Thanks!

P.S. - If I remember, I will be posting thermals I see from realistic workloads when I get the chance.

 

[sandylp]

Ordered:
27"
3.6GHz 8-core 9th gen Core i9
8GB memory (ordered 64Memory Upgrade Kit from OWC)
Radeon Pro Vega 48
1 TB SSD drive

I'm replacing my 2015 27" iMac.

 

[mikehalloran]

I ordered the i9 but left the GPU as the 580x (512 SSD and putting 32GB RAM in myself). I could barely justify the upgraded CPU but I am curious if anyone thinks the Vega would be worth it for Digital Art (just drawing) and some light 2d animation (cartoon style stuff with audio). Never used MacOS so does anyone think the 580x should be fine for that kind of task? I don't even know if I will render it in 4k but even if I did, would the 580x be fine for it? I am not someone on a tight output schedule or anything it is more of a side hobby.
Thanks!

P.S. - If I remember, I will be posting thermals I see from realistic workloads when I get the chance.

Animation rendering is one of those GPU intensive tasks your mama never warned you about. Whether or not your "light 2d animation" fits that category is something we'll not know. In addition, the second you think of bring up 4K, you might want to consider the iMac Pro — in case you decide to go there. Definitely go for the Vega 48 if not doing the IMP. If you get a gig, Time saved=Money earned.

That said, the 8 core iMP in the Refurb Store is $4249. Has a Vega 56, 32G RAM and a 1T SSD. The T2 chip and 10G Ethernet let you link to a 2018 Mini in case you want to crunch large animation files should your interests wander in that direction.
https://www.apple.com/shop/product/...baebaa89a287571b7af0202a6993163abb4682763c37a

 

[3rdDivCptn]

Animation rendering is one of those GPU intensive tasks your mama never warned you about. Whether or not your "light 2d animation" fits that category is something we'll not know. In addition, the second you think of bring up 4K, you might want to consider the iMac Pro — in case you decide to go there. Definitely go for the Vega 48 if not doing the IMP. If you get a gig, Time saved=Money earned.

That said, the 8 core iMP in the Refurb Store is $4249. Has a Vega 56, 32G RAM and a 1T SSD. The T2 chip and 10G Ethernet let you link to a 2018 Mini in case you want to crunch large animation files should your interests wander in that direction.
https://www.apple.com/shop/product/...baebaa89a287571b7af0202a6993163abb4682763c37a

Ah ok thanks. I have a Vega 64 laying around but from what Ive read the iMac doesnt support external GPUs through its own display. Thank you for the link and I will look into it!

 

[jwhazel]

I'll be going for the base model, (5k) with 512gb SSD, and extended keyboard.

Plenty powerful enough for my needs.

Just a thought for you and anyone else looking at this option with the 27": Consider going for the high end model instead. There's a weird almost counter-intuitive price scale at play here when converting the fusion drive to an ssd:
27 base ($1799) + 512 ssd = $2099
27 medium ($1999) + 512 ssd = $2299
27 high end ($2299) + 512 ssd = $2399

As you can see above, simply ticking that 512gb ssd option drops the price gap between the base model and the highest one to only $300. What do you get in return:
a.) a much faster cpu (while still an i5, the high end standard cpu is a 9th gen vs the 8th gen in the other models)
b.) a much faster gpu
c.) more vram

I'm leaning heavily towards this option myself even though I'm in the same boat where the base model is plenty enough for my needs. Out of any possible option you could spec these with, that extra $300 is the best bang for the buck.

 

[macduke]

I maxed out the iMac 27" It's replacing the config in my signature. My biggest issue with my late-2015 model was the Fusion drive. It was the only bottleneck I suffered from followed by the GPU as my workflow is 4K. I'm really looking forward to having an SSD finally. Mac resale continues to be great. 2600 USD spent on the Late-2015 iMac. Sold for $1300 3 full years later (1 week left on Apple Care). 50% depreciation in 3 years is so much better than other machines.

Core i9
8GB RAM for now (will order 32GB or 64 from Crucial)
2TB SSD
VEGA Pro

Do you sell on Craigslist or similar or somewhere online? Maybe I should start doing this. Usually I give old machines to my grandpa, but he is getting really old and I doubt will want or need this one. He also prefers laptops.
[doublepost=1553106264][/doublepost]

Ah ok thanks. I have a Vega 64 laying around but from what Ive read the iMac doesnt support external GPUs through its own display. Thank you for the link and I will look into it!

I was actually just talking with someone about this earlier. Seems like it should be possible? https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/27-imac-gpu-options.2173961/#post-27197992

 

[adamjackson]

Do you sell on Craigslist or similar or somewhere online? Maybe I should start doing this. Usually I give old machines to my grandpa, but he is getting really old and I doubt will want or need this one. He also prefers laptops.

I use a few different place

• MacRumors Marketplace
• Local List-Serv (I live in middle of nowhere New Hampshire and we have a town mailing list)
• ADVRider.com (motorcycle forum which has an "other" for sale area)
• My blog / YouTube I'll do a post if no one bites.

I just find the model number, type it into eBay, look at sold listings and then take some pictures and throw it up. You can see my ad here - https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/sale-27-5k-imac-core-i7-w-32gb-of-ram-a1419.2173913/

After an hour, it sold on the motorcycle forum for asking price. I get to avoid Paypal's 10% final value fee + Paypal's 5% fees and it's already off to the next owner.

 

[Digeeedad]

Have not purchased yet but will shortly. Will be a gift for my daughter, who is a film major in college and still living at home with us. She is taking editing classes, learning Avid Media Composer on Macs. Her area of interest is editing. Probable purchase:
27"
i9
580x gpu
8gb ram (will be upgrading to 32/40 myself)
1TB SSD
*for budgetary reasons choosing 580x over Vega 48. Am assuming that it will be ok, as the 580 2 days ago was a GPU of choice for maxing out the 27". Going with the Vega would necessitate dropping to the 512 SSD. Thoughts?

 

[amoergosum]

*for budgetary reasons choosing 580x over Vega 48. Am assuming that it will be ok, as the 580 2 days ago was a GPU of choice for maxing out the 27". Going with the Vega would necessitate dropping to the 512 SSD. Thoughts?

I saw this comment:

“The best option i think is vega(that runs cooler than 580x) and that i9 that turns out has integrated thermal cooling and it self runs 10C cooler than the old gen i7“

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-design-ifurnace.2173925/page-2#post-27197200

 

[rossgrant]

Bit the bullet and upgraded my 2011 Mac pro for this:

27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display
With the following configuration:
3.6GHz 8-core 9th-generation Intel Core i9 processor, Turbo Boost up to 5.0GHz
8GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory
Radeon Pro Vega 48 with 8GB of HBM2 memory
2TB SSD storage
Magic Mouse 2
Magic Keyboard - British
Accessory Kit

Cost almost £4,000 - but still considerable less than the iMac pro with 2TB SSD.

I run a website publishing video and audio interviews.

Want to start shooting and editing these in 4K - editing without having to create proxy files - which cripples my Mac Pro.

Really hoping this will be able to handle that with ease?

Really need advice on external SSD storage solutions for 4K video - any ideas on a great setup?

THANK YOU!

Could also do with a link to buy another 32GB of compatible RAM in the UK.

Is Crucial still best for this? I haven't bought anything since 2011! Haha!

 

[3rdDivCptn]

Do you sell on Craigslist or similar or somewhere online? Maybe I should start doing this. Usually I give old machines to my grandpa, but he is getting really old and I doubt will want or need this one. He also prefers laptops.
[doublepost=1553106264][/doublepost]
I was actually just talking with someone about this earlier. Seems like it should be possible? https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/27-imac-gpu-options.2173961/#post-27197992

Yea I ordered the Vega options already as it will help with thermals as well. The part that confuses me about that article is it says you need Thunderbolt 3 as part of the requirements but the iMac has Thunderbolt 2. Will have to do more research. Thanks!

 

[mikehalloran]

Ah ok thanks. I have a Vega 64 laying around but from what Ive read the iMac doesnt support external GPUs through its own display. Thank you for the link and I will look into it!

Currently (beginning OS 10.13.4) only TB3 Macs support eGPU. If you have the version in the PCIe form, then you'll need a compatible TB3 expansion housing. If that's the case, then the new iMac just may hit your sweet spot.

 

[macduke]

Yea I ordered the Vega options already as it will help with thermals as well. The part that confuses me about that article is it says you need Thunderbolt 3 as part of the requirements but the iMac has Thunderbolt 2. Will have to do more research. Thanks!

The new iMac you ordered has Thunderbolt 3. I believe it has since at least the mid-2017 refresh.

Where did you hear the Vega 48 would have better thermals? Has someone confirmed it is on a 7nm process or something?

 

[BigBoy2018]

No power on earth could get me to consider a fusion drive — not going to cripple the speed of a new machine with something that slow.

The configuration I like is priced $600 under the iMac Pro I want. It doesn't have the T2 chip, however, and a Vega 48 instead of the 56 or 64. Only 2 TB3 ports instead of 4...

Not sure what the difference will be between the i7 and i9 for what I do.

Right now the iMac Pro is looking a bit better to me. We'll see....

For gods sake man, order it with the fusion drive and upgrade it yourself.
I upgraded mine with a 4tb samsung ssd - double the ssd space that apple even offers.
Just check iFixit, the upgrade isnt that hard!

 

[Dingster101]

21.5'' 4K VESA mount
3.0 6-core i5
16GB
512GB
Vega 20

Am I the first one ordering 21.5 inch

Nope ordered an i3 which will be enough for my low needs

 

[pcd109]

Have not purchased yet but will shortly. Will be a gift for my daughter, who is a film major in college and still living at home with us. She is taking editing classes, learning Avid Media Composer on Macs. Her area of interest is editing. Probable purchase:
27"
i9
580x gpu
8gb ram (will be upgrading to 32/40 myself)
1TB SSD
*for budgetary reasons choosing 580x over Vega 48. Am assuming that it will be ok, as the 580 2 days ago was a GPU of choice for maxing out the 27". Going with the Vega would necessitate dropping to the 512 SSD. Thoughts?

I think you should check Avid system requirements. here what it reads:

"Media Composer effects, render, and playback operations can benefit from GPU processing.
The render and playback performance of Media Composer will be greatly improved when using high end graphics cards, as more memory will be made available for the operations. Using lower performing graphics cards will limit the playback and render performance of the application.
Media Composer calculates and shares the processing between the CPU and GPU processors, and determines which processor to use based on which one will give the best performance for the operations involved. For systems that contain a GPU that meets Media Composer's minimum performance requirements, the CPU/GPU load balancing will be done automatically. For systems that don't meet these requirements, all processing will be done on the CPU only. In order to use GPU processing, the minimum requirement for Media Composer is a GPU card with 2GB or more of memory."

You should really think like this: you can always add an external drive, but the video card can never be upgraded. Once you made the purchase this is it. Best of luck to your daughter.

 

[Digeeedad]

You should really think like this: you can always add an external drive, but the video card can never be upgraded. Once you made the purchase this is it. Best of luck to your daughter.

Thanks for the great and informative reply!

 

[mlody]

Now that 2019 model is out, it is time for me to upgrade my 2012 27". I will be on a look out to pick a deal on 2015/2017 27" iMac.