iMac

[LakeTravis]

The newer laptops are not upgradable and that's screwed up. The iMacs still have slots and are easy to open up for RAM (but not anything else).

I'll be damned... some iMacs are, but not all. I thought the same was true for all the iMacs since 2013, I know my last one, (27"-late 2013, which I still have) wasn't upgradable. It's kind of hit and miss (mostly hit), but there's a list of those you can, and can't, upgrade on Apple Support.

 

[LakeTravis]

The newer laptops are not upgradable and that's screwed up. The iMacs still have slots and are easy to open up for RAM (but not anything else).

Son of a BEYOTCH, my late 2013 iMac 27" IS upgradable, and I forked out the $$ for 32GB of RAM on it... I just assumed that they were all soldered on since the previous couple were that way. Live and learn.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

I've had my iMac 27" for three years. Final Cut and Aperture were the reasons to buy it. It died on me just before Christmas - Macs look good and work great, but not for long. Problems with heat are the price for good looks. GPUs die on them. They just don't last. There has been several service campaigns for replacement if yours died a bit too early, but don't expect an iMac work much longer than the warranty period if you will use it for GPU hungry applications like NLE. I've installed 'macs fan control' after (costly) repair to force coolers start earlier than Apple decided hoping that it will help it last longer.

Sent from my XT1572 using MavicPilots mobile app

I would say your experience is not a common one. I have used Apple computers forever and have never owned a Windows based PC. All but one of my Mac's were still running when I retired them after many years of flawless service (capacitor failed). My (now 5 year) old 27" iMac purrs along beautifully and my brand new MacBook Pro with all options except the 2TB drive should work well for many, many years to come. Macs were adopted by the graphic arts community years ago and for good reason. And no virus issues (yet ).

 

[LuvMyTJ]

I'll be damned... some iMacs are, but not all. I thought the same was true for all the iMacs since 2013, I know my last one, (27"-late 2013, which I still have) wasn't upgradable. It's kind of hit and miss (mostly hit), but there's a list of those you can, and can't, upgrade on Apple Support.

The 27" iMac has a panel to allow for RAM charges, nothing more (not available on the 21"). You can open it for drive changes but they stopped using magnets and glue them now so it is a job. There are kits available with new gaskets, etc. needed to complete it correctly.

 

[LakeTravis]

I would say your experience is not a common one. I have used Apple computers forever and have never owned a Windows based PC. All but one of my Mac's were still running when I retired them after many years of flawless service (capacitor failed). My (now 5 year) old 27" iMac purrs along beautifully and my brand new MacBook Pro with all options except the 2TB drive should work well for many, many years to come. Macs were adopted by the graphic arts community years ago and for good reason. And no virus issues (yet ).

Couldn't agree more with TJ and everything he said about Macs. I was the CIO of a major corporation for over 10 years and we used Windows systems for many years. Not long after I left that life, in 1997, I switched to Macs. Never looked back, they keep humming just as fast until the day you retire them, I've owned a dozen or more iMacs or Macbooks (by choice, I like the latest and greatest even though I really don't need it) and only had two problems, one was a hard drive, which they replaced with a bigger one 2.5 years after purchase and the other was the video driver and they had to replace the main board--I think it costs me $225 for a 5 year old machine, well worth it. I just hand them down to my kids, eventually my grandkids.

 

[halley]

I've used IBMs since the original 5150 PC came out in 1980. And Compaq. And pretty much every knockoff and main retailer since. Some are always trash like Acer or Gateway. Some are okay in some years and not okay in other years, like Dell or HP.

DOS, Windows, Linux, you name it, I used it heavily. I still use Linux a lot for 3D Printing and other semi-industrial tasks. I used Unix systems in college so it's comfortable to me.

Before Apple switched to Intel, I had no interest in their platform. I did see a PowerPC Macbook Pro early on, and thought it looked nice, but never really liked the MacOS 9 or earlier platforms. I like their laptops and desktops now that they're built on a real Unix base and I can run a wide mix of software. That said, I do not like iPads, iPods, iPhones or the ilk. And Apple is trying to turn the MacBook Air and MacBook and even lower-grade MacBook Pros into glorified tablets, adding their new "smudge bar" instead of real keys, and gluing down everything they can get away with.

Have gotten Apple hardware for the family ever since... several laptops and even a couple Mac Minis over the years for media. I recently bought my second 27" iMac, and loaded it up to 40 GB of aftermarket RAM, while that option still exists. We will have to see if this is the last Apple or if they will continue to support the non-tablet world.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

I've used IBMs since the original 5150 PC came out in 1980. And Compaq. And pretty much every knockoff and main retailer since. Some are always trash like Acer or Gateway. Some are okay in some years and not okay in other years, like Dell or HP.

DOS, Windows, Linux, you name it, I used it heavily. I still use Linux a lot for 3D Printing and other semi-industrial tasks. I used Unix systems in college so it's comfortable to me.

Before Apple switched to Intel, I had no interest in their platform. I did see a PowerPC Macbook Pro early on, and thought it looked nice, but never really liked the MacOS 9 or earlier platforms. I like their laptops and desktops now that they're built on a real Unix base and I can run a wide mix of software. That said, I do not like iPads, iPods, iPhones or the ilk. And Apple is trying to turn the MacBook Air and MacBook and even lower-grade MacBook Pros into glorified tablets, adding their new "smudge bar" instead of real keys, and gluing down everything they can get away with.

Have gotten Apple hardware for the family ever since... several laptops and even a couple Mac Minis over the years for media. I recently bought my second 27" iMac, and loaded it up to 40 GB of aftermarket RAM, while that option still exists. We will have to see if this is the last Apple or if they will continue to support the non-tablet world.

Being an Apple user since 1982 I am not thrilled with the avenue they have chosen to go down but I still love my Macs. I think next time I am going to try a Hackinstosh desktop.

 

[halley]

I think next time I am going to try a Hackinstosh desktop.

Myself and a lot of people are going to join you on that.

 

[LakeTravis]

I've used IBMs since the original 5150 PC came out in 1980. And Compaq. And pretty much every knockoff and main retailer since. Some are always trash like Acer or Gateway. Some are okay in some years and not okay in other years, like Dell or HP.

DOS, Windows, Linux, you name it, I used it heavily. I still use Linux a lot for 3D Printing and other semi-industrial tasks. I used Unix systems in college so it's comfortable to me.

Before Apple switched to Intel, I had no interest in their platform. I did see a PowerPC Macbook Pro early on, and thought it looked nice, but never really liked the MacOS 9 or earlier platforms. I like their laptops and desktops now that they're built on a real Unix base and I can run a wide mix of software. That said, I do not like iPads, iPods, iPhones or the ilk. And Apple is trying to turn the MacBook Air and MacBook and even lower-grade MacBook Pros into glorified tablets, adding their new "smudge bar" instead of real keys, and gluing down everything they can get away with.

Have gotten Apple hardware for the family ever since... several laptops and even a couple Mac Minis over the years for media. I recently bought my second 27" iMac, and loaded it up to 40 GB of aftermarket RAM, while that option still exists. We will have to see if this is the last Apple or if they will continue to support the non-tablet world.

I agree with just about everything you said, except for one thing. I am REALLY starting to like the smudge, I mean TOUCH bar on my recently purchased 15" maxed out Macbook Pro with touch bar--I initially thought the touch bar was just a gimmick, but I love the smaller form factor, lots of power, brighter screen, faster graphics, etc. Photoshop, Final Cut X Pro and, just recently Adobe Premiere Pro CC all have excellent support for the touch bar. I am accustomed to using SOME keyboard shortcuts, but there are just a lot of them you don't use enough to remember. You can configure them on the touch bar, many are already there. As far as I can tell, I am a heck of a lot more efficient when I don't have to use the mouse or touchpad and can mostly stick to the keyboard shortcuts--especially on the touch bar. I really like it.

 

[Robert]

I am in the market for an iMac with 27in 5K Monitor. Is it powerful enough to edit and playback 4k video? What configuration should I get if my budget is only $2500. The current iMac is about a few years old, new iMac will be released in spring. Should I wait for the new release? Sorry for the basic questions. I have always been a PC guy, and this would be my first Mac.

Thanks

 

[halley]

I am in the market for an iMac with 27in 5K Monitor. Is it powerful enough to edit and playback 4k video? What configuration should I get if my budget is only $2500. The current iMac is about a few years old, new iMac will be released in spring. Should I wait for the new release? Sorry for the basic questions. I have always been a PC guy, and this would be my first Mac.

Even in the i5 processor range, the iMac in the store today will be just fine with 4K video editing stream. Reserve a little money in the budget for Final Cut Pro X software, max out your RAM (only the 27" is end-user upgradeable after sale), and buy some 1~4TB external storage for all that Mavic footage, since it's about 6GB per flight if you record it all.

 

[ATXdrone]

I'll be damned... some iMacs are, but not all. I thought the same was true for all the iMacs since 2013, I know my last one, (27"-late 2013, which I still have) wasn't upgradable. It's kind of hit and miss (mostly hit), but there's a list of those you can, and can't, upgrade on Apple Support.

Oh, I forgot that the 21" went to non-upgradeable (Apple, that sucks by the way). The 27" have always been upgradeable.

 

[Robert]

Even in the i5 processor range, the iMac in the store today will be just fine with 4K video editing stream. Reserve a little money in the budget for Final Cut Pro X software, max out your RAM (only the 27" is end-user upgradeable after sale), and buy some 1~4TB external storage for all that Mavic footage, since it's about 6GB per flight if you record it all.

Thanks for the tip. I am using Adobe Premiere Pro. Is its performance not as good as Final Cut? I don't want to start a new program.

 

[halley]

Adobe Premiere Pro

You'll be fine I'm sure.

 

[JohnC]

I've had my iMac 27" for three years. Final Cut and Aperture were the reasons to buy it. It died on me just before Christmas - Macs look good and work great, but not for long. Problems with heat are the price for good looks. GPUs die on them. They just don't last. There has been several service campaigns for replacement if yours died a bit too early, but don't expect an iMac work much longer than the warranty period if you will use it for GPU hungry applications like NLE. I've installed 'macs fan control' after (costly) repair to force coolers start earlier than Apple decided hoping that it will help it last longer.

Sent from my XT1572 using MavicPilots mobile app

Just unlucky I guess! My 2010 iMac has been flawless runs OsSierra and Final Cut Pro, i7 16gb RAM with 1tb HD + 256GB SSD configured like a fusion drive! Was going to change it but decided to keep it and buy a 2016 MBP instead!

 

[LuvMyTJ]

I agree with just about everything you said, except for one thing. I am REALLY starting to like the smudge, I mean TOUCH bar on my recently purchased 15" maxed out Macbook Pro with touch bar--I initially thought the touch bar was just a gimmick, but I love the smaller form factor, lots of power, brighter screen, faster graphics, etc. Photoshop, Final Cut X Pro and, just recently Adobe Premiere Pro CC all have excellent support for the touch bar. I am accustomed to using SOME keyboard shortcuts, but there are just a lot of them you don't use enough to remember. You can configure them on the touch bar, many are already there. As far as I can tell, I am a heck of a lot more efficient when I don't have to use the mouse or touchpad and can mostly stick to the keyboard shortcuts--especially on the touch bar. I really like it.

I bought the same model maxed out but I skipped the 2TB drive for an additional $1200 was it ... when I started closing in on $4000 I put on the breaks a little. I went with the 1TB instead
The touch bar has been growing on me too and it runs editing software so much faster than my older iMac. I use FCPX and/or Adobe Suite. I also use it to DJ events so it is a multi use laptop for me.

 

[Andrew Bober]

+1 for using iMac for video editing! I use a 2013 27" iMac with 32 gigs of ram, and an i7 processor.

 

[LakeTravis]

I bought the same model maxed out but I skipped the 2TB drive for an additional $1200 was it ... when I started closing in on $4000 I put on the breaks a little. I went with the 1TB instead
The touch bar has been growing on me too and it runs editing software so much faster than my older iMac. I use FCPX and/or Adobe Suite. I also use it to DJ events so it is a multi use laptop for me.

I know exactly how you feel, but my common sense almost always falls by the side when buying new stuff and I go for it all... Now I expect the new iMac they keep promising will have the Kaby Lake processors, AMD Raedeon Polaris graphics, maybe a 3TB SSD (though I think 2TB is plenty) AND the touch bar keyboard... I do expect at least a minor design change of some kind, and Thunderbolt display that matches would be superb. I'll fall for whatever it is, hook, line and sinker with a smile, like usual, but love it nonetheless. My kids can fight over the hand-me-down!

By the way, I hope you ordered through a B&H or adorama, or at least do what I do and get the Education pricing through Apple.... I buy so much stuff at the local Apple store, I hardly even have to ask.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

I know exactly how you feel, but my common sense almost always falls by the side when buying new stuff and I go for it all... Now I expect the new iMac they keep promising will have the Kaby Lake processors, AMD Raedeon Polaris graphics, maybe a 3TB SSD (though I think 2TB is plenty) AND the touch bar keyboard... I do expect at least a minor design change of some kind, and Thunderbolt display that matches would be superb. I'll fall for whatever it is, hook, line and sinker with a smile, like usual, but love it nonetheless. My kids can fight over the hand-me-down!

By the way, I hope you ordered through a B&H or adorama, or at least do what I do and get the Education pricing through Apple.... I buy so much stuff at the local Apple store, I hardly even have to ask.

Unless they don't release for some time don't expect Kaby Lake... they are still some time off on making the availability enough to implement them... thats why the new MBP doesn't have them even though they are available.

 

[F6Rider]

I was strictly a PC guy for many years, building them like many of us. I got so sick and tired of the constant security updates and driver issues that I switched to a MAC, and am so glad I did. I just do not have ANY computer related issues after that. My Mid 2011 27" hummed along just great until the HD died, there was a recall so Apple put a larger (250GB > 305GB) for free. What I love about the MAC is the one button restore, plug it in, turn it on, select restore from Timemachine, click go, and go have some coffee. Although I do keep a SuperDuper bootable drive in the safe, Timemachine is just too easy. So now I have a new 5K with all the bells and whistles, sold my 2011 MAC for almost $800 on eBay, shipped it in the same box my new one came in, with a few mod's.