What Mac product to buy.

Joined
Mar 20, 2013
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Hi,

I have finally decided to get rid of my windows product!

And want to step up in the world of Mac, but I dont know what Mac Pc to get.

imac, or macbook pro?

I dont mind too much about being portable, I wouldnt really take the macbook to UNI in case it got nicked.

But if it is better perfomce than the imac, then please say.

I need a product for editing., As I am a film student I willl need it for Photoshop, final cut, so i will need it for lots of editing due to filming, so lots of footage and to be able to write a few essays.

I am not a gamer so I dont need anything to satisfy that need.

So I wantg something with enough space, I dont know to much about PC space or whatever, is 8GB enough?

And I would like one that comes with a DVD reader?

Thanks.
 
OP
S
Joined
Mar 20, 2013
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Hello there,

I havr finally decided to get rid of my windows product now. And want to move into the apple world.

But I dont know what apple PC to get please help! I want to spend around 1 thousand but willing to go up to 15000.

I need you to tell me which one is better!

I need a product for my uni course, I am a film student so I need one to work well with photoshop final cut ect, one where I can edit lots of footage and work with videos.

I dont mind about being portable I wouldnt like to take a nice mac book out and about like that anyway.

So I need something eith enough space to run all this smoothly, I wand one with a DVD reader too if that is possible. One where I can upgrade the memory in the future, because I think on some that isnt possible.

And I dont know too much about memory on these things so please help is 8G good or enough?

Please link if possible.
 
Joined
Apr 30, 2012
Messages
463
Reaction score
14
Points
18
Location
Wales, UK
Your Mac's Specs
I Mac 27-inch 3.2 GHz Intel Core i5 24GB ram. MacBook Pro 13-inch 2.5GHz dual-core Intel i5 16GB ram
From what you say I think you need a 27" imac.
This would work well with the programes you mentioned and you could add more ram at any time.
Dont get the ram from Apple though at it is very expensive.
You would also have to buy a DVD drive as the new iMacs dont have one, but they are inexpensive.
 
C

chas_m

Guest
I concur with docx.

When you say "space" you mean RAM (aka "memory"). "Space" usually refers to storage (hard drive or SSD space).

When it comes to RAM, you want as much as you can afford. I'd suggest at least 16GB given your stated uses. I'd also suggest at least two large-capacity external drives -- one for your projects and the other to backup your projects. You can use the internal drive for this too but you would still need at least one external drive for backup.
 
Joined
Mar 15, 2013
Messages
46
Reaction score
0
Points
6
get a 27" imac... i promise you it will blow you away,
i got mine tuesday and tbh yes there are little nuances that will irritate you but thats only because you're used to doing things the "windows" way, once you open your mind to learning "apple's" way everything becomes alot easier.... and to be honest i am already finding the mac's ui is ALOT more intuative than windows.

just dont buy your memory from apple they charge way too much

(my mac specs btw are 3.2ghz, 32gig ram, 1tb fusion drive everything else is standard)
get one you wont look back
 
M

MacInWin

Guest
I read a review of the new iMacs that said memory is no longer upgradeable by users. On the old models, there was a panel on the bottom of the screen, two screws, that covered the memory modules. Easy to swap. The review said the new models, with the thin edge, no longer have that access. If that's the case, then get as much memory as you can afford when you buy it, as it won't be upgradeable later.

Can anyone with a new iMac confirm or deny the review I read?
 

Raz0rEdge

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Messages
15,745
Reaction score
2,071
Points
113
Location
MA
Your Mac's Specs
2022 Mac Studio M1 Max, 2023 M2 MBA
I read a review of the new iMacs that said memory is no longer upgradeable by users. On the old models, there was a panel on the bottom of the screen, two screws, that covered the memory modules. Easy to swap. The review said the new models, with the thin edge, no longer have that access. If that's the case, then get as much memory as you can afford when you buy it, as it won't be upgradeable later.

Can anyone with a new iMac confirm or deny the review I read?

The new 21.5" iMacs come by default with 8GB of memory and can only be upgraded to the max 16GB during ordering. The 27" iMac on the other hand comes with 8GB and can be user upgraded to 16GB or 32GB through the panel that has been available in all previous iMacs..
 
Joined
Mar 15, 2013
Messages
46
Reaction score
0
Points
6
The new 21.5" iMacs come by default with 8GB of memory and can only be upgraded to the max 16GB during ordering. The 27" iMac on the other hand comes with 8GB and can be user upgraded to 16GB or 32GB through the panel that has been available in all previous iMacs..

+1 i can confirm that the 27" memory is user upgradable via a port at the back
 
OP
S
Joined
Mar 20, 2013
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Thanks everyone for your help!

So I think the 27 will be fine. I will try and upgrade it at a later date, but to start with the 8g will be fine to start with?

Would you guys go for the iMac for video editing, rather than a Macbook Pro?


P.s can anyone link me to the Memory upgrade to buy? Not the apple one as everyone says that is too expensive.
 

Raz0rEdge

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Messages
15,745
Reaction score
2,071
Points
113
Location
MA
Your Mac's Specs
2022 Mac Studio M1 Max, 2023 M2 MBA
The 27" is great and the 8GB should be good to start. If you feel you need more..OWC and Crucial are two places that most of us buy memory from..

Choosing between the MBP and iMac depends first and foremost on your need to be mobile. You could probably equip a MBP to match the iMac's power, but at a higher cost (I'm guessing without having actually configured it on Apple.com/store, but you can try that)..
 
Joined
Apr 30, 2012
Messages
463
Reaction score
14
Points
18
Location
Wales, UK
Your Mac's Specs
I Mac 27-inch 3.2 GHz Intel Core i5 24GB ram. MacBook Pro 13-inch 2.5GHz dual-core Intel i5 16GB ram
in my opinion the iMac would be better for both video and photos due to the screen size. I have both an iMac and a MacBook Pro and always edit on my iMac.
Got my memory from Crucial at a fraction of the cost of Apple charge.
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2012
Messages
24
Reaction score
0
Points
1
I concur with DocX, if you budget can stretch, then have a MacBook pro too as well as the 27 incher, the iMac being your first purchase. I run my wife's media needs for her online company the has editing, filming and web maintenance requirements and wouldn't be without either bits of hardware.
Ramp your RAM up on a iMac and you will just fall in love with the editing speeds, even now it still blows my mind, Crucial are a great company, and they know there shizzel, always eager to help and very reasonable. You need to think about storage, not to soon though, but when settled, I recommend LaCie, there drives are great and with Thunderbolt, great transfer speeds. Some guys don't advocate them and some do, do your homework and buy what's best for you. Either way, your going to have a great time, welcome to our party!
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2012
Messages
24
Reaction score
0
Points
1
DOCX you just edit from your iMac, I need to edit on the fly, using my MacBook Pro with a LaCie Rugged is great, but I have experienced the beachball and it's a bit jittery, both on my MacBook Pro and weirdly on my iMac....Any thoughts?
 
C

chas_m

Guest
Thebutchersboy: you're saying the drive is a bit slow? Are you connecting it buy USB2, if so that's your answer. USB2 = not very good for video editing. Use FW800 if you can, I don't know what ports your LaCie Rugged has available.
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2012
Messages
24
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Hi Chas, my connection is Thunderbolt. I wouldn't use USB2.0 or even 3.0 can be iffy. I haven't had an issue in the past, this is a new thing. Would the video footage be an issue. Because the footage that I am trying to edit is from multiple sources from the USA. I wasn't present at the time of shooting, and the quality isn't so great!
 
C

chas_m

Guest
You may want to convert all the footage into a single format, preferably Apple Intermediate Format or ProRes so that quality does not suffer. This should make editing smoother for you. Also, is the LaCie TB drive 7200 rpm? Do you have any USB items on that same Thunderbolt "chain"?
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top