# Help me spec out a new iMac



## Vivid Color (May 21, 2015)

Apple has just reduce the price of its Retina iMacs. 

My 21-inch iMac is from 2010 and I am very close to running out of space on the one terabyte hard disk due to my ever expanding collection of photos and videos. 

I want to get a 27-inch iMac with a 3 TB hard drive. Beyond that, I'm not sure what I should get. 

Retina versus non-retina?

8 or 16GB bytes of RAM? 

Enhanced video card?

I've been using Aperture but I'm going to be adding Lightroom and Photoshop if that makes a difference. 

I would love and greatly appreciate it, if the members of this forum that use Apple computers would provide suggestions about what iMac I should get.


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## geekpower (May 21, 2015)

get the biggest one you can afford.

i have 32 gigs of ram in my mac pro, and it slaughters all the 4 gig and 8 gig macbooks i've used. you wont regret going for 16 gigs.

retina is an even bigger deal if you are using it to edit, or even just look at photos. the pixel pitch is so small and smooth that anything else looks like lego blocks in comparison.


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## IglooEater (May 21, 2015)

Geekpower said it, set yourself a budget and get as much as you can in it. The one thing though, is that with apple, the CPU is NOT upgradable, while RAM and hard drives are. So I'd suggest topping out with the very best CPU and if you can't afford it now, add ram afterwards. It's often cheaper to add the RAM yourself anyways.


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## dolina (May 21, 2015)

Go with a 1TB Fusion drive then for the difference of a larger Fusion drive get a external USB 3 HDD.

Go Core i7 and 4GB GPU BTO.

Buy the 32GB RAM from newegg.com. Mind you Macs may be picky with the memory you use so see the user feedback for Mac compatibility.


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## tolusina (May 21, 2015)

Get a model that supports and displays 10 bit color, aRGB, over a billion colors.
sRGB and 16 million colors is so last decade, why any photographer would settle for sRGB in 2015 is beyond me.


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## gjones5252 (May 21, 2015)

OK here goes-
The new macs cannot always be upgraded- or at least yet. Apple is making it very hard to upgrade things and they are saying its all for the sake of making it more compact so they make the parts attached permanently to the board. 
Here is a few pagees you will need. 

Go to https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201634 to figure which mac your looking at- they have special identifiers. 

go to http://eshop.macsales.com/ to see if you can buy anything for your mac. They are the most up to date with mac replacement parts- all of thier stuff has been tested. I only buy from here. 

Keep this in mind as an option http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

Refurbished is not bad. Get that out of your head. So what i could figure out from a 2min scan is the new macs are all 14,4 which you cant really upgrade anything for. They use the new soldered memory and its not possible to upgrade. The hard drive is a bit more tricky. it may just be quite a bit of work to do. The do sell it with a standard drive so you know its got a full HDD in there that can be replaced but its just the fact of how to get to it. Not a lot of places including OWC list it, or if they do they say its not possible. Also fusion drive is like putting a muffler on your car to make it sound different. Yeah maybe there is more airflow but in reality its garbage. So this being said-
New Imac- Due to lack of replacement you will need to get want you want up front. 
lets say you get the real deal 3.2GHz Quad-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
i5 3.2ghz 
32GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 4X8GB
1TB Flash Storage
NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M 1GB GDDR5
That equals $3399. UGHH

LEts say you get refurbished
3.2ghz i5
late 2013
27-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2560-by-1440 resolution
8GB memory
1TB hard drive
NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M graphics processor with 1GB of GDDR5 memory
this is $1529
OWC 8x1+ 8x2 =$225
1tb SSD depending on what you want =400+-
so all together the refurbished is $2154

Thats a savings of over $1200. Thats a new lens. 

Sorry i know thats a lot i just cant stand random statements without understanding what is truly available. 
Tips on what to get in a comp and depending on what your using it for. 
Ram- Egh i have 64 but i do video, You do see a difference but only once your current ram gets full . for photos i would say 16 to 24gb unless your doing massive pano. 
HDD-this is your money maker. If you can have the fastest version of these puppies your ram gets backed up less and less. Which in turn makes more ram not as crucial(sorta). I would for 500gb ssd drive on your computer. then an external storage process. like http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/985459-REG/highpoint_5212_2_bay_thunderbolt_10gb_s_storage.html
Its fast as poo and can take any drive. I use these to run two good quality 7200 hard drive at 3tb($90) each in raid. Thats 6tb of storage for $180 that runs at about 350mbs. Thats just about 100-200 under ssd speed for an insane price drop. Of course i also have ssd drive that run about 500mbs for when i have large video projects. 

You can get an awesome setup for cheaper, just be willing to look around a bit.


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## Zeidora (May 21, 2015)

How do you back-up your files? Consider using a smaller (1TB/500GB) internal HD just for OS, applications, and scratch disk. Then add an external thunderbolt drive for data. I do that on a new MacPro with 1TB internal (500 GB would have been sufficient), a 3TB LaCie 2big RAID 1 drive for regular use data, and a 16 TB Lacie 4big RAID 1 drive for deep storage. Data transfer to thunderbolt drive is just as fast (if not faster) than on old MacPro tower with multiple internal drives.

Do yo do video editing? If yes, a better video card may be good, if not, the stock one does the job.

I also have 32 GB RAM; as others have mentioned processor is not upgradable, but RAM is. Running DXO, PS, InDesign/Quark, Word, Excel, Filemaker, Zerene all at once does not hit the memory limit.

The 5K display is very nice. I'm currently waiting for prices to drop on external 4K IPS displays to replace the dual 27" cinemas.

If you don't calibrate your display yet, consider getting an external spider. In general the apples are pretty close, but calibrating them gives you still a bit higher color accuracy.


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## Vivid Color (May 22, 2015)

My thanks to all of you who have posted your suggestions. You've given me a lot of good ideas. And the links to the various products you've described are extremely helpful. 

A question was raised about backing up files and external storage. Currently I have a 1 TB backup drive continuously connected to my iMac and I use Time Machine to automatically and regularly back up my files onto the backup drive. I have two additional 1 TB backup drives that I also periodically back up, one of which is stored in another place in my house and the other drive is kept at my office. I've been thinking about getting some sort of RAID system, but I'm not sure what to get. It's also been suggested that I store my photography files on an external drive but then it gets even more confusing to me in terms of how to back that up. Do I have just a regular external drive for the photos and then some sort of RAID backup system that could back up both the external storage drive and the hard drive on my computer?


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## Mt Spokane Photography (May 22, 2015)

Considering the price, Apple seems to limit the ability to upgrade their computers. I'd want a 1TB SSD plus a 4TB spinning HD plus at least 24GB of RAM. I like Apple, but not that much.

I believe its no problem doing that in a pc for less than the base price of a Apple computer. Last fall, I bought a DELL base model i7 from Costco which had 12 GB memory and 1TB HD for $699. I pulled out the HD, added a 500GB MSSD and 3TB hard drive for a additional $450. Now that 1TB SSD's are priced around $300, I'd step up to a1TB SSD.


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## Vivid Color (May 22, 2015)

Dear Mt Spokane, 
I appreciate your suggestion. I am, however, committed to getting an iMac. 
Kindest regards,
Vivid


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## Eagle Eye (May 22, 2015)

+1 for an external hard drive and solid state in the computer. I bought a Mac Mini in early 2013 with a maxed out processor. Put in 16gb of RAM and a 512GB solid state drive, then fused it with a 1TB regular drive for 1.5TB total space. I went with the Mac Mini because I want to control the monitor and not have to replace it every time I replace the computer. I still keep all my photos on a WD 2TB Passport. My home wireless is off of an Apple Airport with a 5TB drive attached to it. I just use Apple's Time Machine to back up the photo drive and the computer multiple times a day in the background to the 5TB drive. Every few months I'll re-mirror the photo drive. I keep that backup at work.


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## Tinky (May 22, 2015)

I'm a longtime Mac User. It's testament to their products that my 11 year old MacMini still has a life as media server for my itunes.. that my 9 year old MacBook Pro is still running really well, better than ever in fact since replacing the HDD with a SSD (boots faster than the wifes 2014 netbook) and I'm typing this on my 2009 27" i7 iMac.

In my last FT job (now a freelancer) I had a 2007 MacPro which was blazing fast thanks to a software RAID across two of the four HDD bays. 

So I'm fairly committed to Macs.

The iMac represents great value, the screen alone is almost worth the purchase price, with current generation products in particular. If you do any video or photo work the you are well served.

The biggest barrier to your iMac is not what you spec today, but what you won't be able to spec in 4 years. 
This may not be an issue if you don't intend to run you mac for that long. iMacs fail on expandability...

I personally would spec an SSD internal drive. As big as you need for now and future OS / Software.

This will double the speed or more of you boots and access compared to an HDD.

External extra capacity for longer term storage is far cheaper and far more flexible. I would look at USB 3.0 2.5 enclosures for Sata3 SDDs for speed (current project work), and just regular USB 3.0 external HDDs for GB per buck for longer term archival.

Get your system as fast as you can just now, with as much RAM as you can just now, best processor you can afford, as much RAM as you can afford and an SSD drive, even if this means dropping to a 512GB. You are limiting yourself to HDD speeds for the life of your machine otherwise.


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## photonius (May 22, 2015)

just wanted to add to what gjones5252 said, more and more apple is going away from "upgradable" parts. Not all models are self upgradable anymore for some parts, they start to use soldered RAM and such rubbish.


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## TexPhoto (May 22, 2015)

Aftermarket iMac RAM is easy to install, and much cheaper than Apple's.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Brx2rrXLrpo

Upgrading the Hard drive is very hard, but possible. I'd say spend your extra money there.

But adding an external HD to the iMac is ridiculously easy. I highly recommend the ministack max. Gives you an optical drive, HD, SD card reader and USB hub all in one. We use them at work and love them.
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/ministack_max

And definitely get the 5K 27" iMac. The screen is awesome, and there is nothing close to it in $ even on the PC side of the house.


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## tolusina (May 22, 2015)

TexPhoto said:


> ........
> 
> And definitely get the 5K 27" iMac. The screen is awesome, and there is nothing close to it in $ even on the PC side of the house.


I just don't get why any photographer spending large on a photo editing machine in 2015 would settle for.....
_"........27-inch (diagonal) Retina display with IPS technology; 5120‑by‑2880 resolution with support for millions of colors"_
---
When NEC monitors are available with wide gamut......
_"Displayable Colors 1.07 billion out of 4.3 trillion (10 bit DisplayPort or HDMI) / 16.7 million out of 1.05 billion (8-bit) "_

And Eizos are available that...
_" Reproduces 99% of the Adobe RGB Color Space

An IPS panel with a wide color gamut reproduces 99% of the Adobe RGB color space so images shot in RAW can be converted to Adobe RGB or images shot in Adobe RGB will be displayed correctly. The colors seen in photos of vibrant blue skies and lush green forests will be reproduced faithfully. The wide color gamut also ensures that the monitor reproduces almost the entire ISO-coated and US web-coated CMYK color spaces used in printing as well as 93% of the DCI used in post production."_

You will need a Quadro graphics card to realize 10 bit Adobe RGB.

---
There will come a time that whatever memory is installed will not be enough. 
I suggest choosing a machine that accepts at least 16GB and install at least that much.
---
And, for all the lovers of SSDs for speed advantages, yes but, look into the latest M.2 SSDs. Many of the latest PC motherboards include an M.2 socket, if no such socket is present there are M.2 drives on PCIe cards.
Either way, M.2 abandons the SATA interface, storage has a much more direct access path to processing via PCIe.


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## lilmsmaggie (May 22, 2015)

I’m with Mt. Spokane. I realize that for some, once you decide to commit to a particular platform, there’s no turning back. But it seems Apple takes advantage of that mindset and you pay the dues for owning one. The design, and functionality make for some very desirable (and tempting) platforms and many times I’ve found myself coming close to purchasing an iMac and then I stop in mid-thought: Upgradeability 

Lloyd Chambers has long discouraged his readers from buying into an iMac for that very reason. Yeah, it’s doable but if you don’t know what you’re doing, DIY upgrades are a PITA. And now within this thread, there are people saying Apple is putting the kabosh on your ability to upgrade after you purchase. That sucks. That IMHO does not represent good value.

With respect to the iMac, it makes upgrade and expandability; an already expensive and limited affair -- that more expensive and limited. And for aftermarket businesses like OWC or consultant’s like Lloyd Chambers, it could mean more business for them because the average Joe isn’t going to be able to, or have the technical chops to just pop the case (or remove the LCD glass panel in this scenario) and upgrade or swap out components.

What happened to Apple’s long touted open architecture and expandability? Seems like Apple is going in the opposite direction. It used to be that PC’s were a PITA to upgrade.

I mean just look at the effort required to install an SSD in a 2010 27” iMac?
http://guides.crucial.com/Guide/iMac+Intel+27-Inch+EMC+2390+SSD+Dual+Drive+Installation/632

I’d rather be out shooting or spending that time post-processing. A refurbished pre-2013 Mac Pro, would make more sense from the perspective of upgradeability and expandability.

I’ve owned and used both platforms but for the money, the PC is a less expensive proposition that is very capable from a performance standpoint of doing what the iMac does at a far more reasonable price point.

Having said that ++1 for Tinky's advice:



Tinky said:


> Get your system as fast as you can just now, with as much RAM as you can just now, best processor you can afford, as much RAM as you can afford and an SSD drive, even if this means dropping to a 512GB. You are limiting yourself to HDD speeds for the life of your machine otherwise.


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## TexPhoto (May 23, 2015)

tolusina said:


> TexPhoto said:
> 
> 
> > ........
> ...




Well, I can't speak for others, but I don't take photos to stare a them on my monitor. My photos are going to clients who don't have NEC or Eizos monitors. They may be printing the photos. My Photos are going on my wall or into websites that will be viewed by people not using NEC or Eizos monitors. 

Processing my photos on one of your high end monitors is not going to put more colors into the final product. My computer does not check the monitor and then downgrade my files because it's not happy with the monitor.

And the reason I don't use a PC unless someone pays me or forces me is because of the Windows OS and it's accompanying security problems. I'd rather enjoy my time on a computer than spend time trouble shooting / removing viruses, etc. Many people do and that does not bother me, but it's not my thing.


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## neuroanatomist (May 23, 2015)

TexPhoto said:


> tolusina said:
> 
> 
> > An IPS panel with a wide color gamut reproduces 99% of the Adobe RGB color space so images shot in RAW can be converted to Adobe RGB or images shot in Adobe RGB will be displayed correctly. The colors seen in photos of vibrant blue skies and lush green forests will be reproduced faithfully.
> ...



+1

After processing, the only time photos are in the display is as a screensaver – for when I'm _not_ looking at the display.


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## tolusina (May 23, 2015)

TexPhoto said:


> ......
> 
> Processing my photos on one of your high end monitors is not going to put more colors into the final product. My computer does not check the monitor and then downgrade my files because it's not happy with the monitor.
> 
> And the reason I don't use a PC unless someone pays me or forces me is because of the Windows OS and it's accompanying security problems. I'd rather enjoy my time on a computer than spend time trouble shooting / removing viruses, etc. Many people do and that does not bother me, but it's not my thing.


 
Is your Apple 5K display going to put more pixels into a random on-line viewer's screen or to a print? If not, what is the real point of 5K?
If 5K is about bragging rights, I'll take wide gamut instead.

In a manner of speaking, an end to end color managed system does 'downgrade' somewhat like you describe when printing.
A calibrated monitor displays color as accurate as possible within it's specs.
An ICC printer profile created from a specific printer/paper/ink combination is conceptually an error correction file, soft proofing for print then shows on screen what the final print will look like, the system effectively 'downgrades' the monitor to match the printer.

If accurate color management matters not to you, why not save archival space and shoot in jpg only?
---
Regarding Windows and security issues, very little is required of end users aside from smart browsing, not clicking email attachments from unknown senders, a few basics like that plus applying Windows updates in a timely manner which is too easily fully automated and happens mostly in the background, installing an anti-virus program (several excellent free applications available) and letting it run automatically. 
Updates, smart browsing, anti-virus, how hard is that.
I haven't had a Windows virus infection on any of my PCs in over 15 years though I've had several heeded warnings about sites and files to avoid from the OS and AV.

That said, sure I've spent time and effort delousing a few Windows boxes for friends, time and effort can sometimes overcome user indifference and/or user poor practices.

If you think non prophylactically protected Apple OSes are immune from infection, 1992 called, misses you.



neuroanatomist said:


> ....After processing.....


Pray tell, where do you view your photos during processing?

---
edit....
I suppose a reasonable question the answer prior to spending large on a current hard and software platform might be to the effect of "Are you a creative or consumer type?"

Apple offers gorgeous consumer systems.



lilmsmaggie said:


> ....
> I mean just look at the effort required to install an SSD in a 2010 27” iMac?
> http://guides.crucial.com/Guide/iMac+Intel+27-Inch+EMC+2390+SSD+Dual+Drive+Installation/632.......


In comparison, here's what was involved replacing an SSD boot drive with an M.2 boot drive, including OS backup.
1) In Windows backup, create a system image of the boot drive saved to a back up drive and a start up disc, a few mouse clicks and wait maybe a half hour for the jobs to complete. Make note of drive letter assignments.
2) Power down.
3) Remove two thumbscrews that secure the left side panel, no tools needed.
4) Remove one Philips screw securing an expansion slot block off, remove the block off. Pocket Phillips screwdriver required.
5) Insert PCIe card with integral M.2 drive, replace the screw removed in 4). 
6) Unplug data cable from SATA header on the motherboard for the original boot drive.
7) Power the PC back up with the start up disc in the optical drive, follow the on screen prompts to restore the image created in 1).

Time spent on hardware changes, literally no more than two minutes.
Maybe as much as an hour of mostly unattended OS backup and restore.

.......edit


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## Eldar (May 23, 2015)

I am currently on a 2010 27" iMac, with a 27" Eizo monitor on the side. It is convenient to have two screens, but since I got the self calibrating Eizo monitor, I have not used the iMac monitor for image processing at all.

I have upgraded to 16GB of RAM, but it is getting slow (my MacBook Pro, with SSD is faster). And since I have a 5DSR on order and I believe I have to upgrade my hardware. The original thought was to get a Mac Pro, but then I read some reviews, stating that the difference between iMac and Mac Pro, on processing images (I do not do video) was marginal. 

A 5k Retina monitor is tempting, but I am a bit concerned with the color depth ... What to do :


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## Vivid Color (May 24, 2015)

To all of the posters who've written in suggestions about what specs I should get on my iMac, I greatly appreciate your thoughts and insight. And for the Mac users out there who have not posted yet, please feel free to add in your thoughts as well. 

To the posters who have suggested that I rethink this and get a PC, I realize that you are trying to give me your best possible advice and I thank you for thinking of me. But, what I am asking assistance on is how to best configure a 27-inch iMac as well as any external drives for photo storage or for back ups. So, to the extent that your knowledge is transferable, please feel free to make suggestions about how best I could spec out my iMac.


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## TexPhoto (May 24, 2015)

Vivid Color said:


> To all of the posters who've written in suggestions about what specs I should get on my iMac, I greatly appreciate your thoughts and insight. And for the Mac users out there who have not posted yet, please feel free to add in your thoughts as well.
> 
> To the posters who have suggested that I rethink this and get a PC, I realize that you are trying to give me your best possible advice and I thank you for thinking of me. But, what I am asking assistance on is how to best configure a 27-inch iMac as well as any external drives for photo storage or for back ups. So, to the extent that your knowledge is transferable, please feel free to make suggestions about how best I could spec out my iMac.



Stop blathering on about what you want, this is about what we want... for you, I think. Don't sweat the haters (or even the somewhat rude), the internet is full of them. I wanted to mention, get yourself the fastest internet connection you can. It is such a big part of what we do today, and the company that was selling you blazing 10Mbps a year or 2 ago may now be selling 100Mbps or faster. This can make a real difference in your work load, and will be a nice upgrade with your shiny new iMac.


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## iKenndac (May 24, 2015)

I have a Retina iMac, and it's wonderful. Best machine I've ever owned.

As for speccing it, go in this order:

- Start the highest default-spec iMac you can stomach and put in the storage you want.

- Put in as much RAM as you can possibly afford, up to around 32Gb or so. Since the RAM is easily upgradable, you may want to save a bit and buy it separately from a reputable retailer (I like Crucial) and install it yourself.

- If you can then afford the upgrade to the i7 CPU, do that.

- If you can then afford the upgraded GPU, do that.

Done and done. RAM is very important - I have 24Gb in mine and it flies. The upgraded CPU may help you with exports and other CPU-intensive things, but it's not a huge increase. The upgraded GPU will future-proof you for a little bit longer, but to be honest Lightroom's GPU-acceleration still leaves a lot to be desired at the moment. If they improve it in the future, having that upgraded GPU might eke more life out of the machine.


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## neuroanatomist (May 24, 2015)

tolusina said:


> neuroanatomist said:
> 
> 
> > ....After processing.....
> ...



It's Memorial Day Weekend here in the US, and many people fire up the barbecue for some good ol' grilled burgers. Here's an idea...after taking pictures of the barbecue with a qpcard on it, I'll hand-make some burgers and I'll grill them on the high-end stainless steel barbecue to a medium-rare perfection, with a slice of 6-year aged Gouda on top. Then I'll slather them with 89¢/bottle Target-brand barbecue sauce and serve them to my friends on flimsy paper plates. 

Gee, I guess all that fancy prep equipment didn't really have much impact on the eating experience for my friends.


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## neuroanatomist (May 24, 2015)

@ Vivid Color - judging by your 5 year old current machine, I'd get the most iMac you can afford, max the RAM for sure. I'd prefer SSD to FD, budget permitting. AV libraries can go external.


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## Vivid Color (May 25, 2015)

To iKenndac and Neuro, 

thank you both for your advice on how to prioritize the choices that are available when ordering a new iMac. Your advice was the type I was looking for--trying to sort out and rank what makes the most difference in buying a new computer. 

Best regards,
Vivid


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## Vivid Color (May 25, 2015)

Tinky said:


> I'm a longtime Mac User. It's testament to their products that my 11 year old MacMini still has a life as media server for my itunes.. that my 9 year old MacBook Pro is still running really well, better than ever in fact since replacing the HDD with a SSD (boots faster than the wifes 2014 netbook) and I'm typing this on my 2009 27" i7 iMac.
> 
> In my last FT job (now a freelancer) I had a 2007 MacPro which was blazing fast thanks to a software RAID across two of the four HDD bays.
> 
> ...



Tinky, thank you for your thoughts on which trade-offs I should make – – very helpful information. FWIW, like your long-running MacMini, my iMac seems quite willing to go on for quite sometime. Unlike my PCs, whose motherboards all died right before or right after the four-year mark. If I had bought the 27 inch model, I probably would just to get an external drive at this point, but I'm using the lack of just space as an excuse to buy a 27 model. It's really nice having the luxury of time to try to decide what new computer to get rather than just have to rush out and get something/anything because your old one died. --Vivid


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