Your experience - what Mac to buy?

[Grisu23121972]

Hi,

I have actually an old iMac from 2017 with 1TB of memory. I’d like to buy a new one but the actual model with 1TB of memory costs over 2000€ 😩. Here the options I see:

1. I buy a new iMac with 1TB of memory and pay over 2000€
2. I buy a Mac Mini with 1TB of memory and a external screen… 1200€ the Mac + about 300€ for the screen
3. I buy a smaller iMac with just 256 Go and buy for 1600€ and buy an external SSD 1TB for my photo and video library

Anyone had the same questions and what are your experiences with one of these configurations?

Thank you in advance.

 

[Alameda]

Apple charges a massive premium for added storage. However, it may be worth paying the premium for a system with 16 GB of RAM. My system is MacBook Pro with 16GB RAM and 512 GB storage (The alternative was 8/256).

My preference would be Mini with external screen and external storage. You can purchase an external, 4TB Thunderbolt SSD drives made by Samsung and SanDisk, which are extremely fast. They are very small. You plug it in once and never fuss with it.

I also purchased the Logitech MX wireless keyboard and mouse, and it is an exceptional combination. I prefer it greatly over Apple’s keyboard and mouse.

The display is the most difficult choice, by far. In a store, they all seem alike. Once you get it home and use it for many hours, the flaws are readily apparent. I would suggest a 4K60 display with a DisplayPort connection, and an IPS panel with premium quality. There are more expensive models, such as 4K120 and OLED, so I’m suggesting the highest end of the tier without the 120 and without the OLED. I personally find that a screen sized larger than 27” is difficult to use; you have to move your head about too much.

Of course, you can just buy the iMac and you’ll get a beautiful looking screen, but you’ll likely pay more than if you buy a Mac Mini with separate screen.

 

[Arctic Moose]

I buy a smaller iMac with just 256 Go and buy for 1600€ and buy an external SSD 1TB for my photo and video library

This.

You’ll have a hard time finding a similarly decent screen and computer for less, and the elegant packaging is included.

You can get a 4 TB Thunderbolt drive that will be practically the same speed as the internal drive for less than $400.

You can shave hundreds off that by going down in capacity and/or opting for USB instead of Thunderbolt, which in practice may not even represent a noticeable loss of performance.

Just tape the drive to the back of the iMac and never worry about it again.

 

[Alameda]

This.

You’ll have a hard time finding a similarly decent screen and computer for less, and the elegant packaging is included.

You can get a 4 TB Thunderbolt drive that will be practically the same speed as the internal drive for less than $400.

You can shave hundreds off that by going down in capacity and/or opting for USB instead of Thunderbolt, which in practice may not even represent a noticeable loss of performance.

Just tape the drive to the back of the iMac and never worry about it again.

When I look on Apple’s site, the iMacs are only available with 24” screens, while 27” external screens are very plentiful today.

 

[Arctic Moose]

When I look on Apple’s site, the iMacs are only available with 24” screens, while 27” external screens are very plentiful today.

The iMac has a 24" 4.5K screen that is excellent, I haven't been able to find anything even remotely comparable, at any price.

Semi-affordable 27" 4K monitors aren't great in general, and particularly terrible with macOS. (YMMV, some don't care, I cannot stand them.) RTING's budget pick is currently $250.

If you want something that is better than the iMac's 24" you need to compare to 27" 5K (such as the Studio Display or Samsung S9) which puts you firmly in $1200+ territory. Add that to the lowest end M2 Mac mini and you're looking at something like $1800.

I'd say the $1300 iMac looks pretty good in comparison, especially considering you're getting color-matched peripherals, a one-cable setup and M3 over M2. (Although personally I'd throw in an additional $50 for Touch ID and $200 for RAM.)

 

[JonnyMacx86]

This.

You’ll have a hard time finding a similarly decent screen and computer for less, and the elegant packaging is included.

You can get a 4 TB Thunderbolt drive that will be practically the same speed as the internal drive for less than $400.

You can shave hundreds off that by going down in capacity and/or opting for USB instead of Thunderbolt, which in practice may not even represent a noticeable loss of performance.

Just tape the drive to the back of the iMac and never worry about it again.

I'm with Arctic Moose. I just got my first external TB SSD for my Mac and I'm blown away by the speed of it. It might be a different consideration if you were getting a portable but for a desktop Mac, this feels like the obvious choice to me.