New iMac

[Homer]

Switching to Mac. Help for new iMac 27", should I get the base i5 3.1GHz or BTO(Built to order) i7 3.4GHz with 2GB HD and 256MB SSD. Either system will upgrade the ram with after market. Only will use the system for MS office, web surfing and photo editing and not a gamer. Currently use DPP but will order Apeture 3 with the new system. Not doing any video yet but will in future as have 7D. Not in a rush as if go to BTO with SSD is shipping in 4-6 weeks and if I go this path I will also wait for OS Lion. Also not concerned about the extra costs between stock and BTO. As always thanks for the advice








7D, EF-s 10-22, 70-200L F2.8 IS II, 24-105L F4 IS, EX 1.4ii, EX 2 iii

[elmo_2006]

Hi Homer...


I would and as you have confirmed, go with the i7 3.4 and as much RAM as you can afford. I have read that video editing in particular from a DLSR is very CPU intensive and requires a robust system in particular anything to do with HiDef content.


Plan today for tomorrow and in the world of computers that

[HDNitehawk]

Homer


Either computer will do the job. When you do the upgrades your just buying more time before you have to upgrade again. But the order I would do the upgrades are this:


Ram first, at least 8 gb


Processor second


As for the Hard Drive. I wouldn't go for the 2tb myself. As the files I have now wouldn't fit on 2tb. I have a 1 tbhard driveon my mac pro, with 200mb allocated to run windows 7. That gives me enough storage to work on my projects for 4 or 5 months before I have to move everything off. I backup to externals and the other 3 hard drives I have on the computer. If I were using an IMac I would probably use a 1tb hard drive and get something like time capsule for time machine to back up to, then get externals to store everything on.


As for Windows I have the Mac version of office. I would suggest using boot camp or VM Ware Fusions and buy a copy of Windows 7. This would be cheaper than buying a new copy of Windows Office. While Office and Word work on Mac, they do not work as well in my opinion. If your just typing letters its probably OK. But certain of the shortcuts you have gotten used to with Windows will not be on the Mac version. The explanation for this from Windows is that these shortcuts are proprietary to Windows. Windows 7 cost me $199 bucks to put it on my Mac, and it was very easy to do. One thing I have noticed, I can take the files off the partitioned areas of Windows with the Mac. But I cant share files from the Mac when in Windows, nor does the Mac part of the hard drive even show up.


As much as you suggested spending, your almost in to a Mac Pro.


Good Luck


Rick

[Richard Lane]

I think the 2 main things that you want to look at when purchasing a new computer for photography and especially for Video is RAM and hard drive size. I would go for the 2TB Drive and the 8GB of Ram and upgrade to the i7 if you could afford it.


SSD drives are very expensive and although they are faster and probably more reliable, I don't think it's money well spent, to spend $500 more for 1/4 the drive space. You still have to back up anyway, and when prices of SSD drives become more affordable, then you could always upgrade later. I would rather put that money into the i7 processor.


I like to look at the upgrade prices and I will usually go for the $100-$300 upgrade on an individual upgrade selection (and these can add up quickly), but I will usually stop short of the $500-$1000 individual upgrade selection.


So, look at your options and go with the reasonable upgrade costs. See where the reasonable upgrade pricing turns into unreasonable pricing.


The key is to future-proof as much as possible at todays prices, but don't future-proof with the latest technology by purchasing futuristic pricing.


Rich

[neuroanatomist]

Bottom line is either machine will do the job. Get lots of external storage (2 TB FW800 or Thunderbolt drives). Only other bit of advice is regarding Aperture 3 - it's $200 preinstalled or retail box version, but if you download it from the App Store (built into Mac OS X now), it's only $80.

[Keith B]

i7 four core processors are capable of Hyper-threading which means it would create a virtual 8 core processing unit.


Aperture from the App is definitely the way to go. Also MS Office is only $150 which is less than buying a copy of Windows. Another option is Apple iWork. You can buy it in separate packages from the App Store for $20 each. So if you only need Pages (Word compatible) then it will just be $20. Pages allows you to save files as Word docs and also allows you to open and edit them.

[Trowski]

I actually just ordered the 3.4 GHz i7 model with the 256GB SSD + 1TB HD and upgraded graphics card. Cost a little more than I really had wanted to spend, but my desktop is over 4.5 years old now, so I wanted an upgrade that would last another 4 - 5 years. I figured quad-core with hyper-threading and awesome graphics card would fill my photographic needs rather than leaving me wanting an upgrade again in a couple years. Even though you

[HDNitehawk]

Aperture from the App is definitely the way to go. Also MS Office is only $150 which is less than buying a copy of Windows. Another option is Apple iWork. You can buy it in separate packages from the App Store for $20 each. So if you only need Pages (Word compatible) then it will just be $20. Pages allows you to save files as Word docs and also allows you to open and edit them.

It depends on which version of MS Office you get wheter it is cheaper or not. From a reputable dealer I have seen windows for $179, But that isn't really the point. Word and Excell do not work the same on a MAC as they do on Windows. You loose alot of the ease and short cuts you have gotten used to. If you make your living using these programs you will notice a diffrence, and to me time is money and if it takes a few extra steps on a spread sheet using excel on a MAC its not worth it.


If you are a casual user, once in a while you use office then it probably doesn't matter. For everything else though, go with MAC. The only reason I have windows on the homeMAC is for some online video games we play.

[neuroanatomist]

Rick, I agree about some of the shortcuts - for example, it

[freelanceshots]

I bought at the end of December 2010 the 27" Imac i3 processor and upgraded to 12GB memory for an additional 110 dollars (Newegg) on top of the 1,550 dollar price that I bought the computer for. My computer runs fine with big photo projects like having 10 full res 5D2 TIF images open at once in Photoshop along with all the other stuff I have it do. I don't do any video editing and probably never will so I can not advise you on that. All the extra stuff that you have your eye on will just be the extra icing on the cake. The only bad thing about the imac's is the glare that comes off the screen but that is minor really as the screens are amazing. Just don't have your work station in a room with a bunch of big windows or a really bright light in the ceiling. I feel that the lighting around your work station should be controlled/limited anyways but to each is own.