iMac now? or wait for Haswell?

Hello everyone, I'm new here!

I'm in IT, I love computers and technology as a whole, so I'm not up in the air about what hardware I want, I'm up in the air about pulling the trigger to early on an iMac.

I read HERE (mac rumors) about that it's a possibility the new iMac may have the new intell Haswells in them soon. Possibly an announcement in July. I have read up on the Haswell's and they don't provide a huge difference in CPU power, and their major influence in the world of computing will be in battery life, which obviously isn't a point for a desktop.

With having said that...I don't know if I should buy the current model - Early 2013 - or wait for a Haswell iMac. I've also read that the newer iMac could have better wifi capabilities too, much like the new macbook airs with the wireless ac. It could be very possible that if they do get the new processors, nothing else changes, as they JUST refreshed this line. It could be a possibility that they could do it quietly, and in the winter, right around 2014.

If I'm going to drop $1,800-$2,000 on a computer, I want it to be the right decision. If it's just a month, I'll wait for the Haswells. It could possibly give me better options, maybe more options with an i7 in the set up. (now there is only one). This could also make the current models a slighttt bit cheaper. If I was told today, the Haswells won't be in the iMac until December...I'd probably get one now and bite the bullet. Does anyone have any idea if even the Haswells are going in the iMac, if it'd be this summer?

Looking at getting one of these:

Option 1: Better HD, less $$$, worse graphics, only i5

27"
2.9GHz Quad-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
1TB Fusion Drive
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M 512MB GDDR5
8GB memory from OWC to bump it up to a total of 16GB

$2,049


Option 2: more $$$, worse HD, better graphics and i7

27"
3.4GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
1TB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX 1GB GDDR5
8GB memory from OWC to bump it up to a total of 16GB

$2,200


I will be using my imac for video editing (final cut, imovie), some gaming, and multimedia use. I make youtube videos for gears of war 2 and I work with a lot of video clips and render files almost always over a gig in size into one.

Thanks in advance for any of your help!

Who knows Apple keep their cards close to their chest.

The last model, and the one before that, had an eighteen month life so guess may be mid 2014.

I agree with Harry. It looks like the refresh on the iMac line is going to be more like 18 months rather than the usual 10 to 12 months as it has been in the past. But that is only my personal opinion. Who knows what Apple will do?

As far as the two iMac options listed above. When you're already spending $2000+...what's an extra $150. Just get the better one (option #2)...better cpu & better graphics.

- Nick

pigoo3 said:

As far as the two iMac options listed above. When you're already spending $2000+...what's an extra $150. Just get the better one (option #2)...better cpu & better graphics.

- Nick

Click to expand...

You're definitely right. That is way worth the $150. Thanks for the obvious point out there.

It's hard to swallow paying $2,000 + taxes, + apple care if I get that. Today after I posted this thread I found that macmall is selling macbook retinas cheap. I think they are 2012 models. Still, they are around $500-$700 cheaper than an iMac. But when I started this search all I was thinking about was "iMac iMac iMac". It's hard to ignore a huge price cut, especially one of $1,000.

Gotta get into a store and really weigh my options. So no one thinks that article has any weight as far as the iMacs just getting a processor additon? It does make sense that they wouldn't, at least not for a while. Just wanted to make sure.

Thanks for your feedback guys!

mugen828 said:

It's hard to swallow paying $2,000 + taxes, + apple care if I get that.

Click to expand...

If you don't have to have the latest & greatest model...you can get this older model 27" iMac for $1359:

Refurbished iMac 27-inch 2.7GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 - Apple Store (U.S.)

Other models available as well.

- Nick

pigoo3 said:

If you don't have to have the latest & greatest model...you can get this older model 27" iMac for $1359:

Refurbished iMac 27-inch 2.7GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 - Apple Store (U.S.)

Other models available as well.

- Nick

Click to expand...

I am literally looking into the refurbished store as I type! It seems like a no brainer to get a refurbished. I found the model I want, for $250 cheaper! Or I could just pay the amount I was going to pay, and get more for my buck with an even better refurbished option.

My one quarrel with refurbished, is looks. It could be slightly scratched or dinged. I looked at the return policy, and it says it's the same as if I bought it new? 14 day return policy to the apple store I got it? If so, I think I'll be placing an order for one of these refurbished, and if I really dislike it, just return it and then go new.

Ya know? Why not TRY and save $200?

mugen828 said:

My one quarrel with refurbished, is looks.

Click to expand...

Not with Apple refurbished products. In almost all cases that I've heard of...the product looks just like brand new. The only diference is it comes in a "plain brown box" instead of the "fancy" box with the Apple graphics.

Same return policy...same 12 months of included Applecare.

mugen828 said:

Ya know? Why not TRY and save $200?

Click to expand...

I'm not 100% sure of the refurbished model you are thinking of. But if you are only saving $200...it better be pretty close in specs to one of the latest models you were initially considering.

For me...saving $200 on a new/refurbished computer that costs around $1800 (+/-) may not be enough to go refurbished. If you were going to go with the example I listed ($1359)...then that would be a nice savings over the $2000 model (as long as you were ok with the specs of the $1359 model).

Just food for thought.

- Nick

pigoo3 said:

Not with Apple refurbished products. In almost all cases that I've heard of...the product looks just like brand new. The only diference is it comes in a "plain brown box" instead of the "fancy" box withthe graphics.

Same return policy...same 12 months of included Applecare.



I'm not 100% sure of the refurbished model you are thinking of. But if you are only saving $200...it better be pretty close in specs to one of the latest models you were initially considering.

For me...saving $200 on a new/refurbished computer that costs around $1800 (+/-) may not be enough to go refurbished. If you were going to go with the example I listed ($1359)...then that would be a nice savings over the $2000 model (as long as you were ok with the specs of the $1359 model.

Just food for thought.

- Nick

Click to expand...

Yeah that model you linked me too isn't what I'm looking for. Thank you though.

The one I was looking at is this:

Refurbished 27-inch iMac 3.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 - Apple Store (U.S.)

Which a refurbished one is listed at $1849 - After tax it's $2,000

If I got it new, it'd be $2,199 - After tax it's $2,352

So basically I lied before haha. Whoops, my mistake. It's a $250 difference before tax, and after it's a $352 difference. That's a nice savings if you ask me. You have a point. It's a huge purchase, it's something I'm investing in, so new is more secure. It has the same warranty, and apple care could be bought even, and I'd still be saving money. I've read reviews for the past hour and watched unboxings of apple refurb products, and they look good. If for some reason I was shaky with the refurb, I could always return it and buy the new one.

$352 though. That's more ram, apple care, and an external cd drive haha!

mugen828 said:

Yeah that model you linked me too isn't what I'm looking for. Thank you though.

Click to expand...

No biggie at all! That was just an example of the lowest cost you could get a 27" iMac for (new or refurbished). That's why I mentioned that there were other (better) refurbished models as well.

mugen828 said:

The one I was looking at is this:

Which a refurbished one is listed at $1849 - After tax it's $2,000

If I got it new, it'd be $2,199 - After tax it's $2,352

Click to expand...

If it's exactly the same model...and refurbished is saving you $250...then I personally would have not problem whatsoever getting the refurbished unit. You get the:

- same return policy
- same 12 months of included Applecare
- same ability to purchase Extended Applecare for a total of 3 full years
- looks & works just like a new unit

I say under these circumstances...getting the refurbished unit is a "no-brainer"!

Plus like you mentioned...that $250 savings could go towards more ram, Extended Applecare, and if you need it...an external optical drive.

Go for it!

- Nick

pigoo3 said:

No biggie at all! That was just an example of the lowest cost you could get a 27" iMac for (new or refurbished). That's why I mentioned that there were other (better) refurbished models as well.



If it's exactly the same model...and refurbished is saving you $250...then I personally would have not problem whatsoever getting the refurbished unit. You get the:

- same return policy
- same 12 months of included Applecare
- same ability to purchase Extended Applecare for a total of 3 full years
- looks & works just like a new unit

I say under these circumstances...getting the refurbished unit is a "no-brainer"!

Plus like you mentioned...that $250 savings could go towards more ram, Extended Applecare, and if you need it...an external optical drive.

Go for it!

- Nick

Click to expand...

I think I will! Going to go in the apple store today to mess around and look at their products one last time before I place the refurbished order (hopefully tonight).

Thanks again for your feedback, and quick responses guys!

One last thing: as you've pointed out, the Haswell's big advantage is power savings, which is only really meaningful for portables. As such, it's QUITE possible that Apple will be in NO rush to put these chips in iMacs for a long time, since from a desktop perspective you don't gain much of anything (and OS X Mavericks, which has other power-saving features, isn't coming out until fall anyway).

Bottom line: I could of course be wrong, but I think the iMac would logically be the last unit to get the Haswell and other bumps (802.11ac for example), not the second. So I'm guessing that we'll get Haswell MacBook Pros before that happens.

Really it depends on what you're doing with the computer, but unless your needs are very different than most people's, the iMac that's selling right now today is going to utterly wow you for years to come. Get the refurbished or a new one, but I wouldn't wait around when there's no obvious benefit in doing so.

I mostly agree with your post chas, but since Apple is a "green" company and been in the forefront of green technology with their devices, I expect we will see the Haswell chipset in the next iMac. I personally would love to buy a 27" iMac right now but since I already own a 21.5" model, I'm willing to wait for the Haswell 27" models to appear.

In the meantime, I have my eye on an 11" MBA.

chscag said:

In the meantime, I have my eye on an 11" MBA.

Click to expand...

I think that you had your eye on a 15" MBP as well!

- Nick

If the price was right, you bet! But I think you convinced him of the error of his ways Nick. Oh, well, the 11" MBA right now is really what I need for those trips away from home.

chscag said:

If the price was right, you bet! But I think you convinced him of the error of his ways Nick.

Click to expand...

If you're following that thread...I'm not so sure I did!

He keeps saying..."I'm not going to sell the 15" because I got it as a gift." But then in the same breath says..."I may sell it to get the cash for the 13" retina MBP."

??????...can't have it both ways...?????? I'm confused!!!

- Nick

CPU's have sort of hit a ceiling with regards to clock speed due to so much energy being lost to heat (physics 101 there lol) so that's why we've seen a big push from Intel and AMD lately in CPU efficiency and power usage. That and battery operated "post PC" devices such as tablets and phones have proliferated so much in the market, CPU manufacturers are focusing more on them.

The Haswell line is incredibly efficient which is why it gets better battery life but Haswell chips also have much better integrated graphics cores on them. This is a moot point with iMacs though because iMacs already use dedicated graphics cards which run circles around even Haswell's cores. I would be more interested in the refreshed graphics card line in the new iMacs as well as an appearance of DDR4 RAM which is expected to premier late this year or early next year. DDR4 would give a substantial boost in performance.

Adric said:

CPU's have sort of hit a ceiling with regards to clock speed due to so much energy being lost to heat (physics 101 there lol) so that's why we've seen a big push from Intel and AMD lately in CPU efficiency and power usage. That and battery operated "post PC" devices such as tablets and phones have proliferated so much in the market, CPU manufacturers are focusing more on them.

The Haswell line is incredibly efficient which is why it gets better battery life but Haswell chips also have much better integrated graphics cores on them. This is a moot point with iMacs though because iMacs already use dedicated graphics cards which run circles around even Haswell's cores. I would be more interested in the refreshed graphics card line in the new iMacs as well as an appearance of DDR4 RAM which is expected to premier late this year or early next year. DDR4 would give a substantial boost in performance.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the information! Had not even thought about DDR4.

Placed an order yesterday for my iMac!!!!! Here is what I got
Estimated delivery date July 12th!

Refurbished 27-inch iMac
3.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
8 GB memory
1 TB HD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX 1GB of GDDR5

Total $1,869 - came to almost exactly $2k w/ taxes.

Also purchasing:

Super drive - Amazon.com: External USB DVD+RW, RW Super Drive for Apple MacBook Air, Pro, iMac, Mac OS, Mac mini: Computers & Accessories

8 GB (4GB x 2) additional memory - 8GB Kit (4GBx2), 204-pin SODIMM, DDR3 PC3-12800 upgrades for Apple iMac (27-inch, Late 2012) Desktop/PC, CT4206177 from Crucial.com

and probably the apple care as well. Holding off on this stuff until a few days after seeing if I really love the iMac.

Thanks for all the help guys! Might need some more since this will be my first mac computer that is all mine.