iMac 27" 5K retina (late 2014)

[colinreid]

I just upgraded from my current non retina 27" iMac (late 2012) to the 27" retina 5K iMac (late 2014). Specs below:

iMac 27" non retina(late 2012)
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

iMac 27" 5K retina(late 2014)
4.0GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 4.4GHz
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
1TB Flash Storage
AMD Radeon R9 M290X 2GB GDDR5

Think it was worth the upgrade or should have waited another generation or 2?

 

[pigoo3]

Think it was worth the upgrade or should have waited another generation or 2?

What was the reason for upgrading (hopefully not just emptying the bank account)??

- Nick

 

[colinreid]

What was the reason for upgrading (hopefully not just emptying the bank account)??

- Nick

I think it was due to the fact that there was a newer machine out..But I'm going to try and sell the current one on Ebay.

 

[RavingMac]

If that gorgeous Retina display doesn't do it for you, than probably not worth the upgrade IMO.

 

[colinreid]

If that gorgeous Retina display doesn't do it for you, than probably not worth the upgrade IMO.

That was one of the main reasons and I thought since I watch a lot of Youtube it will be a huge benefit for me.

 

[pigoo3]

I think it was due to the fact that there was a newer machine out..But I'm going to try and sell the current one on Ebay.

The reason why I asked was. If you just got it to "get it"…this really isn't a solid reason to upgrade a computer.

I could (and maybe you could)…make a iist of reasons to justify purchasing or upgrading to a newer computer. But I'm not going to make this list for you to choose from…because I wanted you to tell us (unprompted) why the upgrade was made.

Of course folks all the time just "upgrade to upgrade"…with no serious or logical reason (just want the latest & greatest). And this is perfectly fine (especially of someone has the budget to do it).

I'm only responding because you asked in post #1…"Think it was worth the upgrade or should have waited another generation or 2?"

To me personally…spending £2,839.00 ($4243) to purchase a newer computer with no real solid reason to purchase it is a waste of money. Even if a portion of the purchase price is offset by selling the previous computer…and factoring in that computers in general depreciate at an alarming rate.

- Nick

 

[pigoo3]

That was one of the main reasons and I thought since I watch a lot of Youtube it will be a huge benefit for me.

If you thought this…then why didn't you list this as a reason for purchasing the computer when I asked earlier??

What are the "main reasons" for getting this computer?? That's what my question was earlier.

- Nick

 

[colinreid]

The reason why I asked was. If you just got it to "get it"…this really isn't a solid reason to upgrade a computer.

I could (and maybe you could)…make a iist of reasons to justify purchasing or upgrading to a newer computer. But I'm not going to make this list for you to choose from…because I wanted you to tell us (unprompted) why the upgrade was made.

Of course folks all the time just "upgrade to upgrade"…with no serious or logical reason (just want the latest & greatest). And this is perfectly fine (especially of someone has the budget to do it).

I'm only responding because you asked in post #1…"Think it was worth the upgrade or should have waited another generation or 2?"

To me personally…spending £2,839.00 ($4243) to purchase a newer computer with no real solid reason to purchase it is a waste of money. Even if a portion of the purchase price is offset by selling the previous computer…and factoring in that computers in general depreciate at an alarming rate.

- Nick

I suppose your right. But the new iMac will last me for 3/4 years for sure.

 

[pigoo3]

I suppose your right. But the new iMac will last me for 3/4 years for sure.

You're older 2012 27" iMac would/will probably last another 3+ years as well. Especially since we do not know what you use your computers for. If you use your computers for mostly email, internet surfing, and watching You Tube videos. I can almost guarantee your 2012 iMac would have been fine for at least 3+ more years.

£2,839.00 ($4243) is a LOT OF MONEY to spend on a new computer without serous reasons/needs for getting it. That 1 terabyte of flash storage was a pretty pricey upgrade by itself.

But again. If spending this sort of money is not a problem…and you just wanted the latest & greatest iMac computer…that's ok too. But then don't be concerned about whether you should have upgraded now…or waited.

What I'm also suggesting is. If you wanted a newer computer…but didn't have any seriously solid reasons for the upgrade. You could have saved a bunch of bucks getting a newer non-retina iMac.

- Nick

 

[colinreid]

You're older 2012 27" iMac would/will probably last another 3+ years as well. Especially since we do not know what you use your computers for. If you use your computers for mostly email, internet surfing, and watching You Tube videos. I can almost guarantee your 2012 iMac would have been fine for at least 3+ more years.

£2,839.00 ($4243) is a LOT OF MONEY to spend on a new computer without serous reasons/needs for getting it. That 1 terabyte of storage was a pretty pricey upgrade by itself.

But again. If spending this sort of money is not a problem…and you just wanted the latest & greatest iMac computer…that's ok too. But then don't be concerned about whether you should have upgraded now…or waited.

What I'm also suggesting is. If you wanted a newer computer…but didn't have any seriously solid reasons for the upgrade. You could have saved a bunch of bucks getting a newer non-retina iMac.

- Nick

Yeah, it's mostly used for internet surfing such as social networks, youtube, random sites, iTunes and MS office work and I do like to have the latest and greatest and that's probably where I'm going wrong..

 

[pigoo3]

Yeah, it's mostly used for internet surfing such as social networks, youtube, random sites, iTunes and MS office work and I do like to have the latest and greatest and that's probably where I'm going wrong..

Please don't get me wrong. I'm not "judging" if you should or shouldn't have gotten this computer. If you can afford it…go for it!

But this high-end 5K 27" iMac is something many professional folks (photographers, video editor's, graphic artists, etc.) dream about getting! So you've got a lot of computer there (which you should for £2,839.00)!!!

I only jumped in on the conversation since you had a concern about if you you should have upgraded now or waited. And all things considered:

- reasons given or not given for the computer upgrade
- typical computing tasks the computer is used for on a daily basis

…I personally think you would have been perfectly fine with your 2012 27" iMac. But if I could afford a 2014 27" retina iMac (and that would not be missed in any way)…I'd probably have one too!

- Nick

 

[IWT]

@colinreid

You've a lot of serious Apple kit according to your below-signature specs. So, you must enjoy using them. Why not? If the 5K iMac gives you real pleasure; the ownership, the usage, the fun and all the rest—your question becomes superfluous. Of course it was the right thing to do! Each to their own. Enjoy.

As a passing thought, and I could well be wrong, but I doubt that YouTube delivers a high enough resolution to be noticeably better on a 5K monitor than on your previous one. Anyway, why not use the opportunity the 5K gives you to get into photography in a more serious way? Or video?

Best of all; just enjoy!

Ian

 

[pigoo3]

As a passing thought, and I could well be wrong, but I doubt that YouTube delivers a high enough resolution to be noticeably better on a 5K monitor than on your previous one.

This is one area I was going to mention a well…so great additional thought. Many or most You Tube videos probably won't look any better on a 27" 5k retina iMac.

- Nick

 

[pm-r]

This is one area I was going to mention a well…so great additional thought. Many or most You Tube videos probably won't look any better on a 27" 5k retina iMac.

- Nick

It seems that many won't be seeing any 4K videos from Youtube or even others for quite a while yet, and I doubt that many will even be able to receive good HD quality and definitely not some of the advertised "view now" 4K (Ultra HD) unless they have the equipment but more importantly, a VERY FAST access download speed.

From Google's own page:
"YouTube adjusts the quality of your video stream from standard definition (such as 240p or 360p) to high definition (720p or 1080p), based on the speed of your Internet connection (bandwidth). This is why you may notice that the quality of your video changes as you watch videos. …"
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/91449?hl=en

But more important, this:
YouTube Is Experimenting With Ultra High Def, Ultra Smooth Video Playback
Go ahead, give them a try and see.

Heck, most can't even get close to high definition now, even with a good high speed connection.

Give it a try and click the youtube cogwheel when viewing and see what the best viewing options actually are.

But I will admit, that even some more normal settings are still pretty impressive for viewing some videos.