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iMac refresh
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Apple have give the iMacs a refresh and performance boost:
https://www.macrumors.com/2019/03/19/2019-imac-refresh/
I've been preparing my wallet for a Mac Mini purchase, but if I do the same Mac Mini spec as the base level 27" iMac (added storage, keyboard and mouse), it comes to £1,837. The iMac would be £1,749.00, nearly £90 less...BUT you also get a dedicated graphics card rather than an onboard one...and a rather lovely built-in 4k 27" monitor.
The new iMacs are also not using the T2 chip, so theoretically wouldn't suffer the reported audio issues.
Just need to work on Mrs Monzo a bit. I've talked her through it but she's not looking happy.
Comments
They do look good especially when you compare the prices of nice quality 27” 5K screens.
Just don’t buy one with a spinning disk. Its like buying a new BMW M3 and getting it configured with the space saver tyres fitted.
Yeah I realised after starting the thread the entry level iMac still has the Fusion drive. Bugger. An upgrade to a 500gb puts the price at over 2k, and I can’t go that high.
Is there a big difference in speed between a Fusion drive and an SSD? I know a standard HD really lags, but the Fusion includes a n SSD element for booting etc.
Yes. I have a fusion drive in my late 2015 4 Ghz core i7 5k iMac at work and it frequently pauses for what seems like an age before catching up with itself. The SSD part is too small and the spinning HD part is too slow. It can't fit enough apps and data on the SSD alongside the OS to make it anywhere near as fast as 'proper' SSD drive and when it hits the HD, it slows to a crawl as it swaps stuff in and out. The pauses are really annoying and don't happen on my SSD only MacBook Pro. You can hear the HDD working when it pauses.
The spinning part is also not even fast for a hard drive as it's only 5400rpm. I don't know what the newest specs are on the latest Fusion drives, but up to now they have tiny SSD partitions and slow 5400rpm HD partitions.
In retrospect, I regret buying the iMac with a fusion drive. I'd much rather have a 256G SSD than the 3TB Fusion that I have. As it's a desktop, having external HDDs or SSDs plugged in isn't an issue and give more options for backups, etc.
Also, from what I gather you are a Reason user as well. Some (many) complain that Reason doesn’t do so well with retina screens.
I loved my iMac back in the day!
They are great machines for what we do imo
You can load any app in non-retina mode by selecting "open in low resolution" in the app's info window (Finder->File->Get info). That should get past any issue with the app not coping well with so many pixels.
I have a CAD app at work which is totally dog-slow with retina screens but runs OK in low resolution mode.
Having said that, you shouldn't have to do that. It's a horrible app! (the CAD app that is, I haven't used Reason for years).
That's good to hear. I acquired a 2015 imac in a trade. It's a lovely thing. I'm using it only for Maschine and Komplete so far. But, it doesn't have an SSD drive and it is a painful thing. I'll likely upgrade to that at some point but for now it'll have to do. I find that things load way slow, but once loaded there isn't an issue.
Thanks for the info - blimey, I hope the new ones aren't 5400, that's ridiculous, even my 9 year old PC desktop has a 7200 drive.
Officially this is a replacement for my work machine - so web development and graphics use. I don't do much print work now, so hopefully the Fusion drive would cope fine with Affinity apps and general online stuff. I'd be hoping to get at least 5 years use from it.
For my musical hobby, I've currently got all my software for that on an external 500gb SSD, which I plug in to my 2012 Macbook Pro. I boot from that, so get reasonable performance, only hindered by the MBP CPU. Theoretically music stuff would work better on the iMac, as I'd still be using the SSD to boot from, but enjoy the faster CPU. The crap graphics for Reason etc. is a bummer though, as Logic looks fantastic on the iMac.
Need to think about this, if the Fusion drive is still 5400 that could be a real bottleneck.
Fusion Drive in 2019 ??? That’s incredibly disappointing. Performance will be noticably
slower than SSD. Avoid it.
Also, it is worth noting that the iMac has a SATA SSD, which is maxed out at about 600MB/s transfer speeds. The latest tech (also in Mac Mini) is NVMe SSD which transfers up to 2500MB/s or more. The practical difference is marginally noticeable for daily use, for example booting up MacOS in 12 seconds instead of 35 or whatever.
But for future-proofing a new machine that you want to last 5 -8 years I would really recommend something that is going to perform great for the longest possible time. In my mind that puts the MacMini way ahead even if prices are similar.
Thafor the info. Yeah, the Mini is back in the running for me, but need to read a tear-down of the new iMac first.
Another perspective on the fusion drives in the new iMacs:
https://sixcolors.com/post/2019/03/the-imac-and-spinning-disc-disappointment/
I wonder if it’s the same 5400 in the 27”?
Have to say this has put me off getting one, as I can’t afford the SSD upgrade and don’t want to buy old tech.
@MonzoPro How difficult is it to create a bootable 'external' drive? This might be cheaper for me than paying someone to crack open my iMac, eventually.
A friend setup mine, but he said it was easy. There’s a guide here: https://www.online-tech-tips.com/mac-os-x/install-boot-and-run-mac-os-x-from-an-external-hard-drive/
The SSD runs about 8 times faster than the internal HD.
I’d still be using the SSD if I bought an iMac, but I’d be using the internal for everyday work stuff. Disappointed they haven’t updated these, and the SSD is an extra cost.
Many thanks!
Seems weird to have a spinning drive in that very expensive computer, I agree. Silly actually.
Clearing out old stock before crossing over to ARM completely, a hackintosh is the safer bet right now.
It’ll cost £2019 with the 512gb SSD upgrade, compared with £1279 fog the same spec Mini. No keyboard, mouse, screen or GPU with the Mini, but I could cope with my existing kit, and maybe put up with the onboard graphics for now.
Bloody Apple, they’re always just out of reach of my budget.
You might even be able to add in a decent eGPU and still be under £2000 total cost
I would just go for it. Especially if you have an adequate monitor, mouse, keyboard already.
I just need something for work to replace my dying PC - and the Mini would definteily do that job. I just like to try and get something I can also use for music in my spare time though, and the Mini has audio issues relating to the T2 chip. I'm between a rock and a very expensive hard place.
I'll have to sit on the fence for a bit...no idea what this Brexit shite is going to do next week anyway, looks like we're heading for a no-deal, which means we'll have more pressing things to worry about.
We won’t, we’ll all be dead by Sunday
YOUR FRIEND IS TOTALLY A GENIUS
it’s actually really hard. rocket surgery