Which 5K 27" iMac?

I'm looking to finally upgrade my iMac after 10 years and I'm debating between the late 2014 27" w/ 1tb older fusion (with 128gb of flash), 3.5ghz quad i5 processor, 8gb ram, MF886LL/A, vs the current 2015 least costly 27" model, with 1tb 7200rpm drive, 3.2gb ram etc...MK462LL/A

They would both run about the same price, actually the older one is slightly more. My main thinking is that the older version has the better fusion drive and doesn't give anything else up. Is there really anything different about the later model? If I wanted to go with a used one I could get the 2014 model even cheaper, in fact there are a few listed on eBay local to me. Unfortunately they all had a slight chip in the front glass that would just drive me crazy after spending the money.

As you can see from the specs on the left of my current machine this would be a huge upgrade. Luckily I also have a business MB Air so I'm relatively up-to-date on that one.

Given that you are used to the SSD speeds of your current iMac and MBA, I think the Fusion Drive option is the best one for you in either machine you're considering, though of course I think getting the newer one with a Fusion Drive would be a better idea.

The only reason I ask is because the newer fusion drives, at least the 1tb version, only have 24gb of flash storage vs. the 128 of the older one. Otherwise the machines appear to be spec'ed pretty much the same, in fact the older machine has a faster processor, although the newer processor might have some tweaks that make it better. I'll check the benchmarks.

Edit: I checked the benchmarks and the 4690 3.5ghz CPU of the late 2014 model is ranked higher than the 6500 3.2ghz of the late 2015 that is current. So even processor is ever so slightly faster. Looks like the late 2014 machine is better for the price since they are discounted.

Because of the 24GB flash limit my order for a new iMac will be 512GB flash storage. From what I have read is the 24GB is for quick start up and shut down, instant wake from sleep and not system files.


http://9to5mac.com/2015/10/13/retina-imac-fusion-drive-flash-lol-are-you-serious/

I went through the same process myself recently (though I haven't bought a Retina iMac yet).

What I finally concluded FWIW is I keep my Macs forever, and the most likely part to go bad in one is the spinning HD, so I would pass on any iteration of Fusion drive and go with either the 256 or 512GB SSD

Edit: I checked the benchmarks and the 4690 3.5ghz CPU of the late 2014 model is ranked higher than the 6500 3.2ghz of the late 2015 that is current. So even processor is ever so slightly faster. Looks like the late 2014 machine is better for the price since they are discounted.

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Don't overlook the fact that the 2015 model has better graphics. Take that into consideration before you make a decision.

What I finally concluded FWIW is I keep my Macs forever, and the most likely part to go bad in one is the spinning HD, so I would pass on any iteration of Fusion drive and go with either the 256 or 512GB SSD

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Good advice. I have already decided that my next iMac will have a pure SSD rather than a Fusion drive (which by the way have been troublesome for a number of folks). Do some digging in the Apple Public user forums for more info on problems with Fusion drives.

Yes just been through this too. In the end I went for the 512 flash and also upgraded to the M395 GPU which included a slightly increased processor speed as well for £80 pound more and reduced the cost of flash storage over the standard fusion drive.

I also had academic discount so count myself very lucky.

It flies and runs Win10 in BC well if I need it. I have moved away from a PC for the last 10 years or so. Man I am sick of Windows updates, bloating, slowing down and constant virus and adware rubbish..


Regards

Jerry

Ultimately I've made up my mind and will go for the latest model. I'll probably get the M390 GPU version with 256gb of flash. External drives are easy to add for additional space and are cheap. I realized too that I can get the student discount when ordering from Apple direct, so that helps with the price, plus there is a price guarantee so that I could order now and still get any post-holiday discounts if there are any. I'm not in any rush though, they'll always be available and my 10 year old iMac keeps chugging along (except in the summer when it overheats in the un-airconditioned room it is in.)

Although you can add fast storage with external SSD if you are thinking of running BC and Windows, 256GB of flash would be better upgraded to 512GB. Although fast connected via TB/USB 3.0 I think the internal SSD will be a bit quicker though other more experienced posters can confirm.

PS Just tried Blackmagic Disk Speed Test and I get twice the speed using my internal iMac 512GB SSD over my external 512GB LACie SSD. Interesting the LACie is a little faster when connected via USB3 over TB2 ?

PPS Note with academic discount you get a FREE 3 year hardware warranty uplift and full Apple Care (if you want the phone support too) is only £46 on academic discount in the UK

Jerry

I pulled the trigger today and am now writing on a 27", 3.3ghz i5, M395, 2tb fusion drive, 8gb iMac. I decided to go for a stock machine, and this one just seemed like the way to go. Everything else seemed like it was a bit of a compromise, and I didn't need the i7. I'm hoping it lasts as long as the last iMac did, from 2006. I'll have to update my signature specs.

Congrats! I hope you enjoy it.

chas_m said:

Congrats! I hope you enjoy it.

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I would enjoy it if it hadn't gone black screen on a reboot after updating el Capitan.

Support told me to return it, a real pita since I bought it in Manhattan and took the subway.

When you get that problem resolved you'll probably love that machine. I got that same model a bit more than a month ago and it runs circles around my 2008 MacBook Pro. Just to give you some idea of the speed difference, here are the results of a little test I ran.

I took a video file of just over 12 GB and used Handbrake to convert that file to .m4v format using the Apple TV presets. I ran the file from the same external hard drive on both machines just to make things fair. Here are the results I discussed during a Sunday Video Chat: On the new iMac Handbrake converted a 12.08 GB m2t to 5.13 m4v in 1:39:40 with conversion parameters set to the Apple TV 3 preset. The 2008 MacBook Pro took 11 hrs. 22 min. to perform the same conversion.

I didn't compare boot times on the two machines but that's not a big issue for me since I rarely shut the machine completely down. I'd like to have opted for an SSD in place of the Fusion drive but that would have stretched the budget farther than we were willing to go.

Slydude said:

When you get that problem resolved you'll probably love that machine.

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I sure hope so. The thing was staring me in the face with a black screen this morning. My guess is a gpu problem, but that is worrisome. I thought their QC was better than that. I tried booting it off an external drive that I had with a Yosemite image on it, but it doesn't even get to that point to recognize the boot drive. It just hangs on the graphics right from the start.

I'm going to bring it to the store, exchange it for another and have them update it there. And I'm NOT going to wait for 2 hours at their support desk.

That is the same as the one I just got but I swapped out the FD 2TB for a 500GB SSD. At least the 2TB one has a 128GB SSD so you should be sorted. Sorry to hear about the update and failed GPU. I just tried mine and the update seemed to work ok.

Mine arrived a week before Christmas and I note they have extended returns to 20/1/16 for all late Nov/Dec purchases

I doubt it will be going back though I love it!

Jerry

zacster said:

I tried booting it off an external drive that I had with a Yosemite image on it, but it doesn't even get to that point to recognize the boot drive. It just hangs on the graphics right from the start.

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That machine will not boot from Yosemite since it shipped with a newer OS (El Capitan(. That's usually the rule. You must boot a machine with either the OS it came with or something newer.
I know it can't boot from Yosemite I tried it because I forgot that little rule.

I know it can't boot from Yosemite I tried it because I forgot that little rule.

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LOL, rule number one is to never forget the rules. Quoted from that famous fellow who lives in Northern Louisiana. ;P

I have the new machine all set up, Apple swapped it and it took maybe 10 minutes. No subway to lug it around this time either, I drove and parked just down the street, which in Manhattan is nothing short of a miracle.

It is blazing fast of course, the video is spectacular. I also called my ISP and doubled my speed to 56mbps/25mbps, just to make sure I have enough bandwidth for 4k when it starts getting more mainstream. What I've seen so far is just amazing.

One question: This computer is 5k, but the most out there is 4k video. How do I set YouTube and all the rest so that it displays 4k in a 4k window, without interpolation to 5k so that I can watch native resolution? Not that it looks bad at 5k, just so I can it that way.

Glad you got a new one with min hassle. Hopefully now you can enjoy it.

Let us know how you get on

I must admit I find the keyboard strange (I may swap it out) after my big clunky PC one I have at home and work.

I tend to just play 4K vidoes full screen and let the Mac sort it out. There is one 5K one on youtube that works amazingly though it runs better in Chrome than Firefox. It seems a pre-requisite for all new Mac 5K owners lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRt4Duf7GoI

PS wish I knew what the music was its very beautiful/haunting. Ah its in the description Music By TOLO Song: Crimson Hope lol


Jerry

Hmmm, I just tried that video in both Safari and Firefox, and got an error on both when I switched to 5k. I'll have to install Chrome. I'm still catching up on installing all the software that I may want, especially since my old hardware didn't support a lot of it so I never bothered. My MBA is now corporate controlled so I don't put much on that one either.

I do find the keyboard cramped. Why put a tiny keyboard in front of a huge screen? (Why put a 5400 HD in a blazing fast computer, too? To sell upgrades of course!) I have a wired Mac keyboard with a 10 key from the old one that I'll use instead once I'm done with the other computer. It is the same style except full sized. I like the Magic Mouse 2 though, no battery compartment lid that keeps falling off. At least they KB/Mouse came fully charged and I didn't have to wait for a charge to get started.

But overall I'm very happy so far. I was on this thing for 4 hours straight before my wife got home, and then was on it again for another 3 hours yesterday. It's a shame I have to go back to work next week.

Edit: It works in Chrome.