Which Mac?

Vita · 10 Feb 2020 at 12:04

I’m after some advice on which Mac to buy. I’ve had Macs in the past all be it in notebook format. I’m wanting a Mac as I’m in the Apple ecosystem / iPhone /iPad etc.

It will be used for general web browsing/documents/spreadsheets. Though I’m wanting to also use it for photoshop/video editing and learning to code. I’ve tried to leave the Apple eco system but always get drawn back. Currently have a Microsoft SurfaceLaptop 2.

In the past I’ve had the following;

Early 2011 MBP 15
2017 MBP 13
2018 MBA
2018 MB

Now, I’ve been drawn to the iMacs but I have no clue about them. I’ve decided maybe a desktop machine is better for me as my notebooks hardly went out the house if ever.

I want a machine which will last me 7 years at least.

I don’t mind refurbished or second hand devices so I can cater my budget but I’m just unsure on where to go and what I would need to fill my requirements.

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks.

Vita · 10 Feb 2020 at 16:59

Sorry budget around £1700 max.

I’m guessing the intel onboard graphics are not good for video rendering/photoshop work?

Vita · 10 Mar 2020 at 08:07

So I’ve decided to go for the 27” iMac. I can’t really stretch to the 16” MBP.

I’ve read that there may be a refresh announced by Apple sometime later this month? Worth holding out till then?

Vita · 10 Mar 2020 at 09:15

Maccy said:
Yup worth holding out

https://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#iMac

I’ll hold out see what they offer then, thanks!

Vita · 20 Mar 2020 at 15:40

I’ve now decided against the iMac having thought more about it.

I think the portability of a laptop is better now.

The new MacBook Air seems a good bet and actual decent value for money. Would it be beneficial to get the i7 cpu over the i5?

Vita · 21 Mar 2020 at 12:39

RAM will be 16gb. Ssd size I’m not bothered by 256gb or 512gb as I do have external drives if needed for storage.

May just opt for the i5. Though, I’m still unsure.

Vita · 27 Oct 2020 at 21:00

Just to update, I ended up purchasing a base iMac 27 6 core 2020. Bought some extra 32gb ram and I'm enjoying it. The Magic Mouse is taking some getting used to but I am very happy with my purchase. I decided I'll wait for the 2nd Gen of Apple Silicone before I upgrade again.

Vita · 31 Oct 2020 at 18:21

Barks said:
My parents have owned 5 iMacs between them over the past decade and they've barely lasted no more than 4 years/piece. It may be coincidence but every single time, the performance drops significantly after a few years and despite me installing additional RAM to the older ones, they were basically unusable by the end. Funnily enough the one my mother bought 4 years ago has just started doing the same, it's painfully slow and I've tried every trick in the book to speed it up. Admittedly they've always bought base spec ones but the sudden drop in performance is unwarranted.

I think I’ll be ok. Did they stay with the fusion drive versions or did you upgrade to ssd?