New iMac for PS Elements (not PS CC)

[CarmenRM]

Hi Brian,

I’m just about ready to buy a new iMac, finally!  I’m working through your pinned iMac Configurations post but I’m wondering: would you recommend different specs for the iMac 27” for Photoshop Elements 2020  (rather than Photoshop CC 2020)?

I’m not aiming to use PS CC so I’m hoping it’s possible to save a few Canadian bucks by being able to go to lower specs on the iMac.

I’ll still be using (and I’ve checked that these are all compatible with Catalina…and hopefully Big Sur):

• Adobe Bridge
• Fujitsu Scansnap iX500 for document scanning
• possibly an Epson flatbed scanner (Perfection v500 Photo)
• the Spyder X Pro calibrator that you recommend 
• Memories Suite (layout software for photo books)

Plus others, but I think? these are the more intensive hardware/software that I’ll need a computer to handle.

One more question — I’ve kept all my EHDs to the 75% full or less rule ? but I’m wondering if I should partition the EHDs with Time Machine backups (so that it’s only possible to fill it to 75% before TM starts overwriting old backups).  Or should I delete old backups myself?

 

Thanks for time and help!

Carmen

[CarmenRM]

Whoops, forgot — the camera I’m using now is 16MP, and if I decide to upgrade (not for a good while, need to recover from the cost of the iMac LOL) will likely be 20MP.  Not sure of this makes a difference. 

[Brian]

As I've stated in my pinned articles, Apple wants you to "Go Big or Go Home." So my configurations stand. Give this article another read. Remember, when I configure my computers, I have a 7-8 year lifespan time-frame in mind, not something that will work for "Now." I realize my configurations are a bit on the expensive side, compared to say...buying a stock $1799 iMac, but things like a better video card and better HD along with the ability to upgrade RAM down the line also come into play. My configurations are overkill for PSE, but at the end of the day, I'd rather you have a computer that is going to last than one you will replace in 2-3 years. Of course, it's your money and if you want to buy a lower-priced iMac, go for it. Just make sure you skip the 21.5" iMac models.

5 hours ago, CarmenRM said:

I’m wondering if I should partition the EHDs with Time Machine backups

NO!!

You want a Time Machine EHD that has a capacity which is at least twice of what your internal HD is. Also, your Time Machine Drive is just meant for Time Machine Backups ONLY!! Do not partition anything or try to cheat. Leave the Time Machine Drive all by itself, and make sure that TM does NOT backup any of your other External Hard Drives. You just want TM to backup your Internal Mac HD ONLY. Personally, I have a 4TB TM EHD and my Internal Mac HD is just a 1TB SSD Drive. You can manually "Trim" Time Machine Backups from a few years ago, this is totally up to you. In my humble opinion, this is something I would do manually and not use software for. Honestly, it's pretty easy to do, and a simple Google Search of  "time machine delete old backups" will yield a bunch of results. Since I'm a visual person, I prefer YouTube Tutorials. This will walk you through, step-by-step on how to trim your TM EHD. 

One more thing, now is the time to buy a current iMac, since they will be the last of the Intel-based CPU Chips. Apple is moving away from Intel and going with their own CPU Chip line, similar to what is in the iPads and such. This makes sense for Apple, but as far as the user experience and things working with a Mac, like the list you provided above, I'd get a Intel Based iMac while you can.

5 hours ago, CarmenRM said:

the camera I’m using now is 16MP, and if I decide to upgrade (not for a good while, need to recover from the cost of the iMac LOL) will likely be 20MP.

It will. Any increase in MP will require more horsepower and storage and RAM from your computer. That said, going from 16MP to 20MP isn't THAT huge. I went from 16MP to 45MP and my old Mac practically cried out in pain. Honestly, 32GB for your new iMac will work just fine for you. You could get away with something like 16GB, but RAM is cheap now and just buy it and get it over with. If you are looking to save costs, and I realize that Canada is really expensive, just like Australia (they are MUCH worse than Canada,) so you could purchase something like a 16GB Kit from Crucial.com to take your iMac from 8GB to 24GB and see how things work for you. You can always go higher when it comes to RAM. 

[CarmenRM]

Yup, read the article, just wanted confirmation.

Thanks for the other info!