What 2019 iMac Did You Order?

[mikey8811]

Hi

I am looking to purchase the base 27 in 2019 iMac (i5 6 Core 3.0 GHz, 8 Gb RAM).

I understand the SSD configuration is faster and better to use in the long run.

I can only afford the 256 Gb SSD or stick with the 1 Tb fusion drive.

My current usage is an old 2008 MacBook (Intel core 2 duo 2 GHz, 2 Gb RAM) with only 80 Gb HDD of which I am using at best 60 Gb for OS (10.6.8) and apps (basically MS Office).

iTunes, iPhotos, iPhone backups, Time Machine backups are all on external HDD's.

All data, music, photos and video files are also on external HDD's

I plan on upgrading the RAM separately to 16 Gb or more.

Is a 256 Gb SSD sufficient in the above context? I am unsure how much Mojave system files need to run with some headroom.

I do not really do intensive processing. Just some video transcoding for Plex Media Server where the video files are on an external HDD. My current MacBook has some stuttering when transcoding video and audio and I am unsure if this is related to drive speed, processing power or RAM.

The bad habit I have is running a browser like Safari, Firefox or Chrome with many tabs open simultaneously.

Does this eat up disk space?

Any feedback appreciated.

 

[EugW]

Hi

I am looking to purchase the base 27 in 2019 iMac (i5 6 Core 3.0 GHz, 8 Gb RAM).

I understand the SSD configuration is faster and better to use in the long run.

I can only afford the 256 Gb SSD or stick with the 1 Tb fusion drive.

My current usage is an old 2008 MacBook (Intel core 2 duo 2 GHz, 2 Gb RAM) with only 80 Gb HDD of which I am using at best 60 Gb for OS (10.6.8) and apps (basically MS Office).

iTunes, iPhotos, iPhone backups, Time Machine backups are all on external HDD's.

All data, music, photos and video files are also on external HDD's

I plan on upgrading the RAM separately to 16 Gb or more.

Is a 256 Gb SSD sufficient in the above context? I am unsure how much Mojave system files need to run with some headroom.

I do not really do intensive processing. Just some video transcoding for Plex Media Server where the video files are on an external HDD. My current MacBook has some stuttering when transcoding video and audio and I am unsure if this is related to drive speed, processing power or RAM.

The bad habit I have is running a browser like Safari, Firefox or Chrome with many tabs open simultaneously.

Does this eat up disk space?

Any feedback appreciated.

Yes, 256 GB would be sufficient. You only need about 30 GB for a very basic install IIRC.

It should be noted though that the Photos application requires a Mac file format for its database AFAIK, unlike iTunes. So for Photos, you would need either the internal drive or a Mac-formatted external drive.

 

[macduke]

Yes, I have an adapter at the moment for my MacBook - not a dongle mind - its the size of a portable drive!

Yeah, I don’t need anything faster than gigabit for the next couple years so hopefully they’ve got some less expensive, more compact usb-c options available by then. I might also add a BT 5.0 dongle if it seems like the range would be better with the new AirPods.

 

[Ifti]

Yeah, I don’t need anything faster than gigabit for the next couple years so hopefully they’ve got some less expensive, more compact usb-c options available by then. I might also add a BT 5.0 dongle if it seems like the range would be better with the new AirPods.

Cool - for me its just handy to be able to move large FCPX libraries between my NAS and my main editing drive. I find the external TB3 to 10GBe adapter a little unreliable at times.

 

[sanichor]

Hi
I am also looking to buy a 5K iMac but I'm hesitating. The product line is well done to push me to buy the higher one because of the default 2TB Fusion Drive. It offers a better value for money but it is a trap, I don't need all this extra power. I just need cheap and fast storage.

Can we hope future cheap NVME Thunderbolt 3 adapters ? Is it a viable solution to boot from external NVME SSDs ?
USBc to NVME adapters are cheap but don't support TRIM if I'm correct.

I'm still in my hackintosh mood to compulsively look for unnecessarily complicated ways of saving very few bucks

 

[macduke]

Cool - for me its just handy to be able to move large FCPX libraries between my NAS and my main editing drive. I find the external TB3 to 10GBe adapter a little unreliable at times.

That’s too bad. I remember when USB 3 was new all the hubs and adapters were flakey so hopefully as more people need it, 10gbps adapters will improve. I would only need mine when my home internet goes over 1 gig, and we’ve only had it available since last summer and are currently on 500mbps. Maybe Apple will make an adapter soon.

 

[EugW]

Hi
I am also looking to buy a 5K iMac but I'm hesitating. The product line is well done to push me to buy the higher one because of the default 2TB Fusion Drive. It offers a better value for money but it is a trap, I don't need all this extra power. I just need cheap and fast storage.

Can we hope future cheap NVME Thunderbolt 3 adapters ? Is it a viable solution to boot from external NVME SSDs ?
USBc to NVME adapters are cheap but don't support TRIM if I'm correct.

I'm still in my hackintosh mood to compulsively look for unnecessarily complicated ways of saving very few bucks

Just get a lower end iMac model and upgrade the drive to 2 TB.

ie. 3.0 GHz 6-core 5K iMac with 2 TB Fusion Drive for $1999.

Personally though, I'd get an SSD, but if budget is a concern then just get a 256-512 GB SSD and then USB-C external storage.

 

[fwh32720]

Trying to decide on config. I mainly do general computing (many internet tabs, YouTube, MS office), decoding movies w handbrake and photoshop/Lightroom. I am looking to upgrade my mid 2011 iMac. I have a 8 gig Synolgy NAS for external storage.

I’m leaning towards:

• 3.7GHz 6-core 9th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.6GHz
• 8GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory
• Radeon Pro 580X with 8GB of GDDR5 memory

Undecided if I should spring extra ~$1100 for the I9, VEGA and 1 gig of SSD.

I would not use system for gaming since I have a PS4.

I will upgrade RAM myself.

Would there be major performance/longevity/fan noise differences for my applications? Or should I save the cash?

 

[EugW]

Trying to decide on config. I mainly do general computing (many internet tabs, YouTube, MS office), decoding movies w handbrake and photoshop/Lightroom. I am looking to upgrade my mid 2011 iMac. I have a 8 gig Synolgy NAS for external storage.

I’m leaning towards:

• 3.7GHz 6-core 9th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.6GHz
• 8GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory
• Radeon Pro 580X with 8GB of GDDR5 memory

Undecided if I should spring extra ~$1100 for the I9, VEGA and 1 gig of SSD.

I would not use system for gaming since I have a PS4.

I will upgrade RAM myself.

Would there be major performance/longevity/fan noise differences for my applications? Or should I save the cash?

1. Do you mean encoding movies? (Not decoding.) If so, how much are you doing this?
2. How heavy are you into Photoshop/Lightroom? Are you importing Gigabytes of RAW files at a time needing conversion?
3. How important is fan noise to you?

Unless Apple has drastically modified their air flow system, I'd be shocked if the i9 isn't like a vacuum cleaner after a minute of any heavy load.

In fact, I suspect the 3.7 GHz 9th-gen Core i5 would be pretty loud too, considering it is a 95 Watt 6-core chip.

Take a look at this graph:

Remember, the Core i7-7700K is known as a very hot chip. Check out where the Core i5-9600K resides in comparison.

If noise is a concern, personally I'd hold off for the reviews to see how well these new iMacs do.

BTW, I have the Core i5-7600 iMac. It's not on this graphic, but it would be somewhere in between the Core i5-7500 and the Core i5-7600K. Because I don't like fan noise, in 2019 I'd probably be buying the 3.0 GHz Core i5-8500, unless the reviews indicate the iMac's cooling system has been changed (to something like the iMac Pro's) to accommodate those much higher power chips. Too bad the Core i5-8400 isn't an option.

 

[fwh32720]

1. Do you mean encoding movies? (Not decoding.) If so, how much are you doing this?
2. How heavy are you into Photoshop/Lightroom? Are you importing Gigabytes of RAW files at a time needing conversion?
3. How important is fan noise to you?

Unless Apple has drastically modified their air flow system, I'd be shocked if the i9 isn't like a vacuum cleaner after a minute of any heavy load.

In fact, I suspect the 3.7 GHz 9th-gen Core i5 would be pretty loud too, considering it is a 95 Watt 6-core chip.

Take a look at this graph:

View attachment 827960

Remember, the Core i7-7700K is known as a very hot chip. Check out where the Core i5-9600K resides in comparison.

If noise is a concern, personally I'd hold off for the reviews to see how well these new iMacs do.

BTW, I have the Core i5-7600 iMac. It's not on this graphic, but it would be somewhere in between the Core i5-7500 and the Core i5-7600K. Because I don't like fan noise, in 2019 I'd probably be buying the 3.0 GHz Core i5-8500, unless the reviews indicate the iMac's cooling system has been changed (to something like the iMac Pro's) to accommodate those much higher power chips. Too bad the Core i5-8400 isn't an option.

Thanks for the detailed post. I will be doing encoding just from time to time to transfer movies to NAS.

I am a casual photographer. I work w RAW data bit only import about once every week or two. So not much.

 

[mrex]

Just wondering why do you encode with habdbrake? If you you matroska video files (mkv), files stay untouched and are future proof too.

 

[Crylex]

Its my first time ordering an iMac!

Specs I ordered:

27"
i9
8GB RAM (will order 32 more)
512 SSD
580X with 8GB DDR5

Hope this will last many years with me! Just gonna use Final Cut, Photoshop, Lightroom and other light apps with this.

 

[fwh32720]

Just wondering why do you encode with habdbrake? If you you matroska video files (mkv), files stay untouched and are future proof too.

I will have to look into that—thanks! I’m a noob and just occasionally rip one of my dvds to watch on iPad or Apple TV.

 

[Fishrrman]

If 256gb is all you can afford, GET THAT.
It will "do the job", and do it properly.

Get the base configuration of 8gb of RAM -- that's EASY to add later when you want to.

If all you are using NOW on your MacBook is a total of 80gb, DON'T EVEN WORRY about the drive size. 256gb WILL BE FINE (all shouting is intentional).

Personal experience:
I have a friend who bought an iMac in 2008.
He uses it for browsing, email, his personal writing, some photo storage.
After TEN YEARS, he had used a total of.... 80gb of drive space.
When it was time to replace the iMac last year, I recommended to him a 256gb drive.
I doubt he'll get it close to half-full in THE NEXT 10 years..!

 

[macpro2000]

If 256gb is all you can afford, GET THAT.
It will "do the job", and do it properly.

Get the base configuration of 8gb of RAM -- that's EASY to add later when you want to.

If all you are using NOW on your MacBook is a total of 80gb, DON'T EVEN WORRY about the drive size. 256gb WILL BE FINE (all shouting is intentional).

Personal experience:
I have a friend who bought an iMac in 2008.
He uses it for browsing, email, his personal writing, some photo storage.
After TEN YEARS, he had used a total of.... 80gb of drive space.
When it was time to replace the iMac last year, I recommended to him a 256gb drive.
I doubt he'll get it close to half-full in THE NEXT 10 years..!

It all depended was you do...I have a 4TB SSD in our iMac Pro and 3TB are already used. And this is just the family computer in the kitchen.

 

[mikey8811]

It all depended was you do...I have a 4TB SSD in our iMac Pro and 3TB are already used. And this is just the family computer in the kitchen.

I am inclined to go with what Fishrrman suggested.

I do actually have lots of music and video files - photos not so much - because I use the Mac as a video (Plex) and music (Open Home or UPnP) server. But they are all on external HDD's.

What did you fill up the 3 Tb on your kitchen iMac Pro with?

 

[Glockworkorange]

Yes, 256 GB would be sufficient. You only need about 30 GB for a very basic install IIRC.

It should be noted though that the Photos application requires a Mac file format for its database AFAIK, unlike iTunes. So for Photos, you would need either the internal drive or a Mac-formatted external drive.

This is right---buy the largest SSD you can afford. 256 should be plenty of internal. You can always hand external SSD's over TB3 if you need significantly faster storage.

8 GB of RAM should be sufficient for browser tabs, but if not, you can buy RAM down the road and at much better prices.

For your stated needs, that is a great machine.
[doublepost=1553440884][/doublepost]

If 256gb is all you can afford, GET THAT.
It will "do the job", and do it properly.

Get the base configuration of 8gb of RAM -- that's EASY to add later when you want to.

If all you are using NOW on your MacBook is a total of 80gb, DON'T EVEN WORRY about the drive size. 256gb WILL BE FINE (all shouting is intentional).

Personal experience:
I have a friend who bought an iMac in 2008.
He uses it for browsing, email, his personal writing, some photo storage.
After TEN YEARS, he had used a total of.... 80gb of drive space.
When it was time to replace the iMac last year, I recommended to him a 256gb drive.
I doubt he'll get it close to half-full in THE NEXT 10 years..!

Strongly agree---no need to even consider a fusion drive.

 

[TVreporter]

If 256gb is all you can afford, GET THAT.
It will "do the job", and do it properly.

Get the base configuration of 8gb of RAM -- that's EASY to add later when you want to.

If all you are using NOW on your MacBook is a total of 80gb, DON'T EVEN WORRY about the drive size. 256gb WILL BE FINE (all shouting is intentional).

Personal experience:
I have a friend who bought an iMac in 2008.
He uses it for browsing, email, his personal writing, some photo storage.
After TEN YEARS, he had used a total of.... 80gb of drive space.
When it was time to replace the iMac last year, I recommended to him a 256gb drive.
I doubt he'll get it close to half-full in THE NEXT 10 years..!

I’m so torn on what size drive to get - whether I go iMac or Mac Mini (waiting on some iMac reviews)


Right now I have about 250GB of photos and videos in iCloud which I didn’t want to do but was forced to scramble to save when my 2011 iMac graphics card slowly died.

I’d much rather keep all of it off the cloud but does any one know how well Photos works running off on an external drive? This collection will grow as it’s mainly family photos.

The prices Apple wants for the SSD storage are outrageous.

 

[Kfamily]

I really appreciate everyone's input on the new iMacs on these forums. I would love any advice on my current thinking for a 2019 iMac for my home use. My first priority is a machine that is future-proofed and "just works" so I can stay off these forums for as many years as I can make this new iMac last Sorry for the long post but any advice is much appreciated.

I currently have a 27" mid-2011 iMac with a 2TB fusion drive and 3.4 GHz Intel Core i7; it had 8 GB Ram and I added another 8 myself a few years after I had it for 16 total. It had fairly high specs when I bought it. It was my first iMac and it's been amazing but started slowing down over the years and especially slow after upgrading to High Sierra last summer (I had to upgrade the OS to download the Photoshop to put together a large media guide on a volunteer basis - I am not a pro user but am fairly proficient in Photoshop). The fusion drive then crashed last month, and the graphics card (AMD Radeon HD 6970M 2048 MB) has already been replaced once while under Apple Care, so I'm finally ready to move on.

My general uses - lots of HD home video from 18 years of my 3 kids, sporting events, etc. The iMovie library over 2TB in size and I really need to clear it out, organize it and put it to some actual use, but my current machine is just to slow to make it worth the time. A large photos library (about 300GB) that also needs some clearing out, and I would love a speedy enough computer that I can actually make use of some of the search feature like Faces, which pretty much crashes my current iMac. Also photoshop - producing a media guide with about 64 individual large-size .psd files just about killed me and my computer. So something that can handle large files and projects easily. Those are probably the hardest tasks I ask my computer to do. Other major uses are Excel, Safari, Quicken. Possibly Parallels.

My current thought:
27"
6-core 9th gen i5 CPU**
8GB Ram upgraded to 40GB myself***
Graphics Card - no clue either 580X or Vega 48 but don't really understand their role TBH
SSD - just need to determine size****

**I would consider spending more money on the 8-core i9 if it would be worth it for future-proofing, relative speed (although I think it's likely either 9th generation option would amaze me after my 2011 iMac). I realize I should wait to make sure it doesn't run too hot, and am happy to wait a month or so to let all the reviews and initial user experiences shake out.

***Saw this recommended somewhere on these forums to self install for a total of 40GB Ram. I did this on my 2011 machine quite easily and no problem, so happy to do it again although curious if it affects the warranty at all: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071H38422/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

****After my experience with the fusion drive, the SSD is a must. If I were silly rich, I would just buy the 2TB SSD and move on. I also feel like if there is space it gets filled up and spending now would help future proof the machine so I don't even have to think about buying a new one for a long time. But the price on these plus the fact my iMovie library already won't fit, makes me want to look at a smaller SSD and use external for my movie and photo files. My question here is will that slow my use of those files down? Working with those files is my primary use of the machine and I want to make sure that I don't spend a ton of money on a fancy machine just to have my external files slower to access and use. Any thoughts on good external SSDs? The ones I have looked at are still quite pricey making me wonder if, while overpriced, the installed internal SSDs might still be worthwhile in the larger 1TB or 2TB sizes.

I am completely clueless as to the graphics card choices and how my uses would be affected by either. The Vega 48 is an expensive upgrade, but would be willing to do it if it would help with either my immediate projects in iMovie and Photos or if it will likely run cooler or help with future proofing or any of the above.

Thanks to anyone who has some input on my options.

 

[ccsicecoke]

1. Do you mean encoding movies? (Not decoding.) If so, how much are you doing this?
2. How heavy are you into Photoshop/Lightroom? Are you importing Gigabytes of RAW files at a time needing conversion?
3. How important is fan noise to you?

Unless Apple has drastically modified their air flow system, I'd be shocked if the i9 isn't like a vacuum cleaner after a minute of any heavy load.

In fact, I suspect the 3.7 GHz 9th-gen Core i5 would be pretty loud too, considering it is a 95 Watt 6-core chip.

Take a look at this graph:

View attachment 827960

Remember, the Core i7-7700K is known as a very hot chip. Check out where the Core i5-9600K resides in comparison.

If noise is a concern, personally I'd hold off for the reviews to see how well these new iMacs do.

BTW, I have the Core i5-7600 iMac. It's not on this graphic, but it would be somewhere in between the Core i5-7500 and the Core i5-7600K. Because I don't like fan noise, in 2019 I'd probably be buying the 3.0 GHz Core i5-8500, unless the reviews indicate the iMac's cooling system has been changed (to something like the iMac Pro's) to accommodate those much higher power chips. Too bad the Core i5-8400 isn't an option.

I thought i5-8500 only 65W TDP?

 

[EugW]

I thought i5-8500 only 65W TDP?

It is, but it runs hotter than the i5-7500.

 

[bwsteg]

If 256gb is all you can afford, GET THAT.
It will "do the job", and do it properly.

Get the base configuration of 8gb of RAM -- that's EASY to add later when you want to.

If all you are using NOW on your MacBook is a total of 80gb, DON'T EVEN WORRY about the drive size. 256gb WILL BE FINE (all shouting is intentional).

Personal experience:
I have a friend who bought an iMac in 2008.
He uses it for browsing, email, his personal writing, some photo storage.
After TEN YEARS, he had used a total of.... 80gb of drive space.
When it was time to replace the iMac last year, I recommended to him a 256gb drive.
I doubt he'll get it close to half-full in THE NEXT 10 years..!

Doing iTunes backups of my iPhone takes a lot of GB so in my experience 256gb can go quick.

 

[christianhg]

My 2011 iMac is once again dead with yet another graphics card failure, and I simply cannot put myself through another round of repairs. It's time to let go of this machine.

And thus, I'm contemplating to got for yet another iMac.

To be truthful, it was still fast enough. Perfectly adequate for my needs, both personal and professional. If it was still upgradable (with newer MacOS versions) and if the graphics card wouldn't keep dying, I would be content.

The specs were as follows:

3.4GHz i7
12GB DDR3
256GB SSD
Radeon HD 6970M 2GB GDDR5 (piece of crap)

What 2019 iMac would be fast enough for me? Would something like this last me 5 years?

3.0GHz i5
8GB DDR4 (+ 16GB or 32GB)
Radeon Pro 570X
256GB SSD

 

[Oldmanmac]

I meant, where are they selling their 2015;s

 

[fgengineer]

I am tempted to either get

the base model

or the

Highest tier with 500 GB SSD

I am tempted to add the i9 too but worried about overheating.

Don’t know whether to act now or wait for the Mac Pro. The rumor of a new Apple display is what mostly stops me.