New 27" 5K iMac question

[Driller]

Longevity

I have had but two Macs. I now have the 5K 27 inch which replaced my 6 year old machine which was still doing everything asked of it .... just a bit slow.

I am only guessing but I think the machines only slow down because of the upgrades continually coming online. I had doubled the RAM which closed the gap for a year but then Yosemite was kind of the last straw on the elder unit.

 

[pigoo3]

You might think of Best Buy's Geek Squad extended warranty. It is actually a bit better than iCare except for the phone part. With BB if theMac goes down it is replaced by the current model if yours is not longer available.

Not necessarily a bad idea. There are places that have warranties that can be purchased that do cover accidental damage. But I think that they cost more…and in Best Buy's case…don't you have to purchase the computer from Best Buy to be able to purchase their warranty?

Purchasing from Best Buy is not necessarily a bad idea…if you're purchasing a stock configuration Apple computer. But the OP wants a custom configured iMac…and I don't think that you can get custom configured Apple computers via Best Buy. Plus many of us that have dealt with Best Buys "Geek Squad Expertise"…know that they are not nearly as good as Apple repair folks.

- Nick

 

[UglyToad]

Would you still not recommend Extended Applecare?

Hmmm... I suppose a lot depends on the psychology of the owner. Some people are just nervous. But a lot of people moving from the PC world to the Mac world have an inappropriate estimate of the reliability of computers. I'd say that the best possible source of information is the repair rate of Macs. I did find this quote referencing a Consumer Reports study:

"In the reliability ratings for desktop computers, Apple's iMac repair rate (7 percent) scored significantly better than HP (10), Dell (11) and Gateway (13)."

That's a LOT higher than I expected. It is apparent that the difference between my own experience and that of the average user definitely has something to do with my computer hygiene. Did I mention that I always wear latex gloves when touching the mouse? ;D

 

[pigoo3]

"In the reliability ratings for desktop computers, Apple's iMac repair rate (7 percent) scored significantly better than HP (10), Dell (11) and Gateway (13)."

Thanks for the numbers…very interesting! Do you know what period of time that represents?

I don't know if I would classify 7 in 100 significantly better than 10, 11, or 13 out of 100. But I haven't seen the raw data (I have a lot of statistics evaluation experience). I don't know what "confidence level" they used in the evaluation that data.

That's a LOT higher than I expected.

Are you saying that 7 percent repair rate for iMac's is higher than you expected?

One thing to consider…we would have to know what exactly counts as a "repair". A "repair" could be as little as someone scheduling to meet with an Apple "genius"…and maybe all they needed was the OS reinstalled. Or it could be as major as a logic board replacement. I have a feeling that "repairs" could be a wide range of things (could be the same thing for the HP, Dell, and Gateway numbers as well).

Did I mention that I always wear latex gloves when touching the mouse? ;D

Whenever "latex" is involved…I don't want to know about it!lol

- Nick

 

[UglyToad]

Thanks for the numbers…very interesting! Do you know what period of time that represents?

That came from 2012. Consumer Report's latest numbers are behind a paywall.

Are you saying that 7 percent repair rate for iMac's is higher than you expected?

Yes, my own experience is 0%, which I admit might be a little low. I will point out, however, that I did get a blown capacitor on the Lisa video monitor power supply once.

 

[IainD]

Hi, I am also a film editor, currently using FCPX on a MacBook Pro and will be getting a 5K Mac in the next couple of months.

The memory is easily upgradable, I use either Kingston or Crucial for my 3rd party memory and recently upgraded work's 28" iMac memory to the max and saved a few £100 pounds in doing so (I'm in the UK) by buying from Crucial.

I would recommend going for a 1Tb fusion drive and to use the savings to buy external storage for all the video files, renders etc. It slows down the drive if your operating system, applications and working files are on the same drive.

Whilst this is out of your original budget so this is for the future, we bought a 20Tb Drobo RAID array and it is quicker than the internal drive. Later I will add an SSD to it which will significantly improve performance yet again...

Hope this helps...
Iain

 

[exncite]

Another question.. is the extended Apple care worth the investment? I know laying out a lot of cash this would seem like a no brainer but now I'm creeping over my budget which I wouldn't think was possible when I started my journey earlier.

Off to research more and watch more videos..

The Apple Care isn't the cheapest but if you need it and don't have it, you'll be kicking yourself. I would also highly recommend that if you are near an Apple store to sign up for One-on-One. As a new Apple user, it will be invaluable to you. Not expensive at all and I tell everyone it's the best retail purchase I ever made.

 

[MacInWin]

I'll vote +1 on dropping the Fusion drive size and getting a big USB3 external drive. The transfer speeds on USB3 are fantastic and you'll save a bundle on the iMac.

 

[Sharkz]

Wow quite a few responses since I looked.

Some more info. I currently use a standard internal TB drive on my PC for my video files. Which is almost full. So that was my thinking with going with a 3TB fusion drive. But a couple of you have suggested a smaller drive and then an external USB3 drive. Which I like the sounds of that, but will any external drive work as long as its USB3? I'm off to research them now..

Keep the suggestions coming..

 

[MacInWin]

Yes, just about any good drive will work with OS X. You don't have to buy one specifically for Mac, even though you see them advertised. Just format it for the Mac before you use it an you'll be good to go. I prefer WD over Seagate because some Seagates have a power saving function that shuts down the drive if it's not accessed for a while. OS X sees that as a disconnect and complains. I've never had that with WDs.

 

[esheard]

This is a easy question. GET THE i7 chip upgrade!! You can always get the additional memory later and do the upgrade yourself. Besides, it will be much cheaper than getting it from Apple and just a good.

 

[Sharkz]

Just format it for the Mac before you use it an you'll be good to go.

Sounds easy will just have to learn how. I've formatted several of drives for Windows. Can't be all that different right.

Good info to know about the Seagate drives before I purchase! Thanks for the tip.

 

[Sharkz]

Amazon has a WD My Book 4TB 3.0USB for $139? Good or bad? Any known issues with the My Book line and Mac?

 

[Old Rogue]

I haven't got the time right now to read this whole thread, but thought I ought to say; don't forget to budget for video editing software.
As you probably know, it ain't cheap.

 

[MyMac8MyPC]

Hoping this will last us a long time. We currently seem to buy a new computer every 2 years now and we are sick of that.

Yes, Macs last a LONG time and are not like PC's where you have to keep buying a new one every couple of years. Your new 5K will hold 32gigs of RAM and it's fairly easy to replace it yourself. However I would NOT buy the RAM from Apple. Order the i7 and install the RAM yourself, or have a computer store do it for you. Shouldn't cost more than 20.00 for the labor. Enjoy your new 5K. The picture is so sharp it's almost 3D

 

[NateS]

Yes, Macs last a LONG time and are not like PC's where you have to keep buying a new one every couple of years. Your new 5K will hold 32gigs of RAM and it's fairly easy to replace it yourself. However I would NOT buy the RAM from Apple. Order the i7 and install the RAM yourself, or have a computer store do it for you. Shouldn't cost more than 20.00 for the labor. Enjoy your new 5K. The picture is so sharp it's almost 3D

Whoa! I agree with everything you said except what I've marked in red

I would never ever let any "computer store" other than a genuine Apple store touch any computer of mine, Mac or PC! And I do not think that Apple geniuses will install 3rd party ram for you. Believe me, you are much more competent and trustworthy to install your own ram, even if it's the first time you have ever done it, than the run-of-the-mill idiots in the "repair departments" of computer stores. Many of them are reckless, careless, inattentive, and yes some of these kids even harbor malicious intent against Macs.

Best wishes, Nate

 

[NateS]

Deleted duplicate post of same message - sorry.

 

[Old Rogue]

I would NOT buy the RAM from Apple. Order the i7 and install the RAM yourself..

Couldn't agree more. Two totally reliable companies with good prices are:
Crucial Crucial.com - DRAM, solid state drive (SSD) memory upgrades for Dell, Mac, Apple, HP, Compaq, Lenovo, Acer, ASUS
and
Other World Computing aka OWC Other World Computing (OWC) - Performance Upgrades For Your Mac

 

[MyMac8MyPC]

you are much more competent and trustworthy to install your own ram, even if it's the first time you have ever done it, than the run-of-the-mill idiots in the "repair departments" of computer stores.

Yes installation is very straight forward on some Macs, BUT a few Macs are NOT user accessable. Luckily the 5K is fairly straight forward. When I said 'computer store' I did NOT mean to let some hack install it. I meant a certified A+ tech. Some people just don't feel safe installing RAM themselves and it makes more sense for them to just pay 20.00 to have it done professionally.

 

[Sharkz]

Since starting this thread these are the things I know I will be doing.....

27" iMac 5K
1TB Fusion drive with an external 3TB 3.0USB drive
8 gigs of RAM that I myself will be upgrading to at least 24 gigs. I just don't want to not use the 8gig chips that come with the system.
Using my sound system and my current 24" widescreen LED Monitor so Dual monitors
Purchasing the Extended AppleCare

Am I missing anything else? See anything that stands out?