*** New Design 2012 iMac 21.5" & 27" ***

I run 32GB in my Mac and I barely ever touch the edges unless I load up 7 or 8 VMs at the same time. Aperture editing RAW files from my D600 which are 30 odd MB is using under 3GB.
 
I have 32GB as I run virtual machines, in fact entire virtual environments that need 2-8GB each to be able to run. If I didn't have to run VM 16GB would be more than enough. If your paging stick 16GB and a SSD in and put the page file on the SSD.

My iPhoto library is just shy of 300GB at the moment so not that small either and apperture still only uses under 3GB of ram, and i get no paging at all.
 
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The plan is just a fusion drive.

The question is by whether 16G is enough, the question is whether 16G is enough for 3 years. I'll probably only have 16G in the iMac for the first year and then upgrade it to 32G later on. I don't have that option for the Mac mini.

The attractive thing with the Mac mini is I get to recycle the screen but the intel GPU also put me off because PS CS6 has started to shift workload to the GPU so the Mac mini is already out of date for that already. I mean it will work but if adobe continues to shift more algorithm to the GPU in their updates then the more the Mac mini will struggle in the future.
 
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Get the server swap out the 2nd drive and stick it in a USB 3 chasis, install a 256GB SSD and 16GB and I'd expect you to be flying for years, mac don't suffer like PCs from memory and general blote of apps
 
Ok simplier terms

Buy a Mac Mini either the Server with 2 x 1TB drives or the mid spec box with 1 x 1TB drive.

Buy a 256GB M4 or 830 SSD drive

Buy the drive upgrade kit if you bought a mid range and the tools to remove disassemble the Mini as per the Youtube/IfixIT info.

Install the SSD either in the empty slot or replace the 2nd drive in the Server model.

Configure the 2 drives as a Fusion drive as per the DIY fusion instruction and re-install OSX.

Install 2 x 8GB memory purchased from your favorite memory supplier.

If you have the server install the spare 1TB drive into a USB enclosure and plug into the machine and use as you see fit.

Buy a decent Display Port capable monitor and attach to the Mac Mini

Use Mac Mini for many years to come, or if it gets too slow sell it for a significant proportion of the original buy price and upgrade to new shiny Mac Mini.

What I was saying about Macs not suffering from blote as PCs do, is that OSX is much more efficient in memory management and tends to not slow down at anywhere near the rate of a simliar Windows PC. We have 5 year old Macbooks that perform pretty much the same today as when they were bought.
 
I am not doing any of that...I got a mac in the first place so I don't have to do that lol basically I am partly not doing that out of principle, partly because I don't have the time or patience....it's why I got a mac.

Thanks all the same, I saw the spec again, it's not even the same CPU so that's another box against it, add to the less RAM capacity and slower GPU, it really sealed it for me.

I'm not denying mac suffering like windows, my mac is fine, until I load up Lightroom and try to process a photo. Only started with 5D3 and LR4, was fine before that, now it takes a minute to output a photo. I want as much horsepower out of the box as I can.
 
Hey Raymond, just to give you some idea on the i5/i7 debate. I have an i7 and it takes less than 4 seconds per photo to export from Lightroom. I'll quite happily dual export an entire wedding (low and full res) and carry on doing other things and it's done in no time. I don't know if the i7 grunt comes through for Lightroom or if the i5 would be similar though. I run 16gb RAM with Windows 8 & Lightroom 4.2 and my i7 is overclocked to 4.4Ghz although even at stock it's probably around a secondish slower per photo.

I'd imagine you'd find similar performance from an i7 iMac and 16gb RAM.
 
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Raymond Lin said:
I can't believe i am going to say this but i agree with you.

The one thing I can say the Mini doesn't do it for me is the GFX and the Ram capacity.
Click to expand...

I hope you haven't found the trauma of agreeing with me to stressful ?:D

I think it's sad that it has come to this though and wonder just where Apple consider they may have crossed the line on pricing? Let's face it most of the developed world is going through the worst recession since the 1930's yet Apple are hiking their prices with little added value as though the good times are back - crazy.
 
I was looking into the Mac Mini over waiting for the iMac as I was getting desperate last week. The fundamental difference which is not highlighted on the Apple website is that the Mini has traditionally used laptop spec CPU and GPU and the iMac has used desktop CPU and laptop spec GPUs. So the i5 in the iMac should beat out the lower clocked i7 in the Mini.

As for i5 v i7 on the iMac... I would be buying the i7 if I could afford it just because these cant be upgraded and I'd be planning on keeping this a long time. I cant afford it though, so its not going to happen. Base spec 27" for me, with a Fusion drive.

If thats not powerful enough then it's going back and Im building a PC!
 
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