IMac 4k noise level and other questions?

[emadmoussa]

Hi there,

First, apologies if I have posted this thread in the wrong section. A newbie here...

Second, I'd like an advise on my first Imac. And again, apologies if my coming questions had been asked before.

I currently have an Macbook pro retina, and also a high-performance desktop PC. I however use the desktop far more than the laptop simply because I feel more comfortable with desktops and prefer big displays (previously a graphic designer/web developer), and use laptops only for work outside the house. Since I a million times prefer the Macbook for writing, and also love the desktop set-up, and above all can no longer cope with that humming sound my PC produces (and it's supposedly a quiet one), I thought an Imac is the best of both worlds if:

1. Silent or at least quiet..and I'm quite fussy about the noise level. My home office is pretty quiet and my PC is, in my opinion, noise pollution par excellence.
2. Provides the same feel as the Macbook Pro when it comes to writing and multi-tasking (I write A LOT!).

Also, want to ask about whether it's worth upgrading to 16GB to future proof the machine? I don't use Photoshop or After Effects professionally anymore...just the occasional casual jobs here and there.

So, what do you guys think? Is the IMac near-silent? Is the retina worth it on a bigger display?

Thanks!

 

[chscag]

The iMac series (even older ones) are about as silent as you can get for a desktop. Apple as of 2012 uses one fan in the iMac series and you can barely hear it. As for memory, if you plan on buying the 21.5" model, the memory modules are not user upgradeable; in other words, you can not add more memory. It's best to order it with the maximum amount of memory offered. The 27" model, however, is user upgradeable for memory. With that model, the minimum amount is preferable since you can add more memory yourself which is much less than the costly Apple memory. And yes, the retina display is worth the extra cost.

 

[emadmoussa]

Thanks for the tips. I guess the 27-inch is out of the question, although tempting. It'll be too big I think.

 

[Slydude]

Are you anywhere near a vendor where you can take a look at the 27" in person (Best Buy etc)? I just moved from a 2008 MacBook Pro that had a 24" Samsung monitor attached to the 27" iMac (5k). I love having the extra few inches of screen real estate. Might not be a big deal in your case (if it's a budget buster) but worth a look if you can swing it.

 

[emadmoussa]

I actually thought about the 27", and still am. But when I saw it in the Apple Store, I started to have second thoughts as it looked quite a beast. My previous work set-up was 2x samsung 24" monitors, which I often used only one of them at a time when I didn't need to use both programming and designing simultaneously. But now, since I no longer want to work in IT, probably a 27" won't be a priority. Having said that, the ability to upgrade the RAMs when needed on the 27" is still a massive plus.

Anyway, like I mentioned, my major concern is the noise level as I have a degree of hyperacusis. I will probably max up the RAM to 16GB and get a 1TB fusion drive, and hope the IMac will be future proof for another 4-5 years.

Slydude, I think the 4K 21.5-inch IMac, becuase of the ultra high resolution, also provides a generous screen space for, say, multi-tasking. I find this quite useful on my Macbook Pro Retina, and it's only 13-inch.