BrittanyBlake Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 Hi Brian, I had the link saved to your recommendations for purchasing an iMAC ages ago and I am wondering if that is still around? I can't find it. I just read another post with some recommendations but I need to buy an entirely new system. My laptop (connected to external monitor) is no longer calibrating properly and I cannot take it anymore. It's a 2010 so I think an upgrade is a good idea. I know I want the 27" and that I want to get the 16GB kit from crucial (right?) but other than that, I don't know which computer to actually buy or what else I need to factor into the overall cost. Based on what I read from you, it looks like the "base" model? I work off of external hard drives right now and I can continue to do so. I'd really like to get some type of good back up system while I am switching over. Thank you for your help! Brittany Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 5 hours ago, BrittanyBlake said: Hi Brian, I had the link saved to your recommendations for purchasing an iMAC ages ago and I am wondering if that is still around? I can't find it. Unfortunately, Apple changed everything. So that document that I created ages ago doesn't apply today. Well, not exactly anyway. The theme of the document is the same. I would still purchase the stock 27" $1799 iMac Purchase AppleCare for and extra $169 When you get your iMac, head to Crucial.com and run their scanning tool. It will take you to a page with your options. You are looking for a 16GB kit to take it from 8GB to 24GB. Currently, the price for that kit is around $80. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Why not the $1999 version? Because there isn't a major difference between the two. You see, Apple is charging you an extra $200 to have full upgrade options and they throw in a few minor tweaks to help sell the higher price-point. With the $1799 iMac, you get what they give you...for the most part. Sure, you can get different hard drives and extra RAM, but to get all the choices, you need to pay an extra $200 more. For me, that's like paying a restaurant and extra $50 to order a steak "Medium Well" instead of what they decide for me. Or that I should pay more, just to have the choice between Iceberg Lettuce or Romain in my Salad. Of course, for that extra $200, you get a Fusion Drive instead of a Traditional HD, and a slightly upgraded video card. Most of the time, since Adobe can't seem to figure out how to play nicely with Apple's video Drivers, we are un-checking "Use Graphics Processor" in PS' Preferences in order to prevent weird problems. (i.e., black-box problems while zooming in, fix issues with the Liquidfy tool, etc. Plus all the other weird behavior that doesn't seem to get fixed...only after to we tell Photoshop to ignore the video card does it stabilize. In which case, the extra "features" of the upgraded video card are lost... In addition to the video card upgrade, you get a 1TB Fusion Drive. Now Fusion Drives are fast. I will give you that. The main problem that I have with them, is you do not get a choice on what side of the HD the files reside on. It's up to the HD and Operating System to decide what goes where. Only after a period of around 30 days or so, will the HD move files from the Flash Memory Side to the Traditional HD side. I'm too much of a control freak and like to decide what goes where. Especially if something bad happens to the HD, you have no idea WHERE the files are and for me, that's very uncomfortable. So for those who can live with these issues that I have, the $1999 iMac is a fine purchase. That said, if you are just taking the default choices and not upgrading the CPU or getting a larger HD, then stick with the $1799 iMac. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Part three: For a bit of fun, I decided to choose the high-end 27" Retina iMac and max out all the choices. The Cost? Spoiler $4099!!! Plus AppleCare. Plus Shipping & Tax. So for around $4500-$4600 or more (Depending on where you live...) you can have a tricked out 27" iMac. That is insane to spend that much money on a iMac, in my personal opinion. For that money, I"m looking at the Mac Pro line. So the bottom line is this: Apple really wants you to "Go Big or Go Home." If you choose to purchase a Mac today, be prepared to spend more than $2000, even with the base 27" iMac for $1799.Now, in keeping with tradition, I will configure three iMacs for various budgets and post them in the next few comments. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 This is the "Best Bang for your Buck" iMac. If I was on a limited budget and wanted to purchase a iMac, this is what I would get. I WOULD AVOID THE 21.5" iMacs LIKE THE PLAGUE!! The reason is you can't upgrade a 21.5" iMac after the fact. Well at least not easily. By the time you purchase the $1499 iMac and upgrade the RAM to 16GB, you are at $1699. For just $100 more, you can get the stock 27" iMac and have the ability to upgrade it to 32GB yourself for about $200. This is the stock 27" iMac with Retina Screen for $1799: Purchase AppleCare for an extra $169 and we are at $1968, plus shipping & tax. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Here is "The Performance Model." This configuration is more aggressive and goes against what I would buy myself, but for those that are looking for a bit more "Umph" and don't care what my thoughts are; here is the "Performance" iMac: Purchase Apple Care for $169 and we are at $2968 plus shipping and tax. Combine that with a 16GB Upgrade kit from Crucial.com (About $80 as I type this) to take it from 16GB to 32GB, and you have a sweet editing machine for about $3050. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Now here is the "I JUST WON THE POWERBALL AND HAVE MONEY TO BLOW" Edition. I went for broke and picked all the high-end options. Personally, if you are spending this kind of cash on a iMac, I'd love for you to send some of that money my way. I take donations. Without further ado... That's right. $1 shy of $4100. That whole $1 makes it "Affordable." LMAO!! Add AppleCare for $169 and we are at $4268. Don't have to worry about upgrading anything with this configuration, you have the best and most expensive options installed, at least as far as the iMac line goes. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Here is the "I have more money than Donald Trump" Edition. This is a MAXED OUT MAC PRO. If you were editing full length movies, working for Pixar or doing other high-intensity graphic projects, this is the machine to do it with: After AppleCare, the final cost is: $10,026.00. Plus shipping and tax. Of course, if you wanted to, you could finance it for 18 Months, if you are approved. The monthly payments would be around $600 a month to have it paid off before the 18 Month Penalty fee. Now it doesn't seem so bad. Oh, don't forget all the extra External Thunderbolt HDs you'll need. Those suckers aren't cheap either. Plan on a extra $5000-$10,000 on top of this Mac Pro. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrittanyBlake Posted February 16, 2016 Author Share Posted February 16, 2016 (edited) I think I'll just go with that last option... since they so kindly offer that 18 months of special financing. I mean, that's why it's there, right? RIGHT. In all seriousness, thank you!! I'll go with the poor girl option you posted first. As you mentioned, it's all going to be great coming from my six year old machine and jacked up external monitor. Damien will be SO happy when I have that fixed. Haha!! I'll go to Crucial after it's here. I'll buy Apple Care. Your advice will be followed! It's always very much appreciated! I'll post in the other section for my questions about external drives so that others can see/find it. THANK YOU!!!(or not) I thought there was a "general" section. So, any advice on an external system? I'd like something that is a one and done, if possible. Imports and back up to the other drive(s) automatically. I have seen them but I know nothing about them. So, I don't want to make a bad decision. Edited February 16, 2016 by BrittanyBlake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Give this thread a read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Specifically, this WD drive caught my eye:http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1148572-REG/wd_wdbdtb0120jsl_nesn_my_book_pro_12tb.html As soon as you want drive mirroring, where one drive auto-copies to another, the costs increase. A RAID setup usually isn't cheap. Of course, you could purchase a few G Drives and use SuperDuper to copy things over. That will run you about $600 or so total. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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