Photolady2014 Loc: Southwest Colorado

So my husband may be in need of a new computer. I was thinking of giving him my computer and going for a new Mac with the M chip.

First things I noticed is the screen is now 24” not a 27? I like my 27”…..

Next I currently have 4TB storage, 3TB is already used. I only see the option of 2TB of storage on the new ones. Am I missing where you can get more storage? I like having my photos for at least the last few years on my main computer as opposed to an external hard drive.

My computer is the last before the M chips. Is the M chip that much better if I can find one with more storage?

Thanks and not super computer geek, so simple terms are best…..
Beth

azted Loc: Las Vegas, NV.

I am in the same boat as you. I have a 27" iMac from 2012. It works, but the world around it does not accept it too much! So I bought an HP laptop a couple of months ago, but it just is not the same. The answers to your questions will help me also.

billmck Loc: Central KY

Last night, Apple introduced a new M3 iMac. I haven't read all the specifications yet, but check out the new ones.

Bill

Shellback Loc: North of Cheyenne Bottoms Wetlands - Kansas

It appears you are looking at the iMac system - there are other systems available - and there are various monitors available… The big question is - how much do you want to spend? Mac’s are not cheap but for graphics work, they are awesome. The Studio and Pro series are some serious systems - both have excellent monitors. For space savings - the Mac Mini is great - with up to 32GB memory and 8TB storage, partnered with the Studio display - it’s an excellent system for photo work…

I use the MacBook Pro 32GB and 1TB storage - I have two 4TB external drives that are backed up remotely. I have minimal work on my system (current PP work only) so if (or when) it is stolen or lost, I lose the hardware and not all the data - but that is my personal preference… I use a 24" external monitor which I’ve had since my HP days - works great for my use as I’m only doing photography as a personal hobby...

Here is a quick snapshot of the systems…. Mac - Apple for more info -
Hope this helps - good luck in your search...

iMac
Apple M3 chip
8‑core CPU 8 or 10‑core GPU
8GB to 24GB unified memory
256GB to 2TB storage
4.5K Retina display1

Mac mini
Apple M2 or Apple M2 Pro chip
Up to 12-core CPU
Up to 19-core GPU
Up to 32GB unified memory
Up to 8TB storage

New Mac Studio
Apple M2 Max or Apple M2 Ultra chip
12- or 24-core CPU
30- to 76-core GPU
32GB to 192GB unified memory
512GB to 8TB storage

New Mac Pro
Apple M2 Ultra chip
24-core CPU 60- to 76-core GPU
64GB to 192GB unified memory
1TB to 8TB storage

hpucker99 Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

The Apple Silicon iMacs with the M1/M2/M3 chips are significant improvements over the Intel chip iMacs. Many people have been using a basic M1 for there photo editing needs.

Apple just recently announced the updated 24" iMac with the M3 chip. The faster and more expensive M3 Pro and Max chips are reserved for the laptops for now. If you are interested in going for the new 24" iMac, I would get the M3 CPU/GPU upgrade (4 ports) and the 24 GB RAM option. Apple charges $600 to get the 2 TB SSD. A larger internal SSD is not available.

If you need a 27" monitor, there is the Apple Studio and Studio Display option, either new or refurbished.

There have several discussions on UHH on the Apple M1 chips. Here is one discussing the 24" iMac versus the Intel 27" one.

https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-734495-2.html

The UHH member Burkphoto has written many good comments on the Apple Silicon system.

Photolady2014 Loc: Southwest Colorado

Ok, looks like I need to learn what some of these other things are... seem I may need to buy like a Mac Mini and then also buy a monitor? Or just accept that I have to use an external hard drive for working photos in LR.

Photolady2014 Loc: Southwest Colorado

Thank you for the info. Will check out the link and think on all this...

Shellback Loc: North of Cheyenne Bottoms Wetlands - Kansas

The Mac Mini is an excellent choice and you have many options for a monitor - it doesn’t necessarily have to be a Mac monitor. There are a lot of monitors our there that are designed for graphical type work - some are excellent and very inexpensive - do some homework for them. Various system configurations to think about, and when ready, you can build your system on the site - or multiple systems with various options for chips and memory - this will give you the pricing for the different options you are thinking about. And, the holiday sales are coming up along with the new chips hitting the streets - the current systems may have reduced pricing… Again, more homework
Good luck in your search.

PhotoMono123 Loc: Houston, Texas

I replaced my 2017 iMac 27 with the Mac Studio M2 and the Studio 27" display. This is the de facto replacement for the iMac 27. It can be configured with almost any combination of memory and SSD you wish. It has lots and lots of ports, and is absolutely "whiz-bang" fast. Have fun building one!

Ednsb Loc: Santa Barbara

Because the M* chip machines have a totally different architecture than the old Intel machines they are limited in they can not be upgraded after purchase.

All of the M* chips are quite a bit faster than most of the Intel machines by a factor of 2 for the M1 and 4 for the M3 (the max etc chips are even faster).

So you have a few choices:

M2 Mac Mini up to 28GB unified memory and up to 2TB SSD
M2 Pro Mac mini with up 32GB and up to 8TB SSD
Note: I have a M1 Mac Mini with 8GB and 1TB and it runs all of my software without issues including Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere plus On1 , Topaz Studio and Topaz Studio 2.

iMac 24 inch
M3 chip with up to 24GB unified memory and 2TB SSD

MacBook Pro

14 inch
M3 - up to 24GB and 2TB
M3 Pro - come standard with 18GB. Configurable up to 98GB (wow) and 4TB SSD
M3 Max - comes with 36GB standard up to 128GB with up to 8TB

16 inch
M3 Pro - 18GB or 36GB standard - up to 36GB up to 8TB SSD
M3 Max - 36 to 48GB standard - up to 128GB up to 8TB SSD

so you do have choices for more storage just not in the iMac

Ednsb Loc: Santa Barbara

more

MJPerini

Re new Macs.
The new Apple Silicon M chips are crazy fast, and their latest displays are also extremely good.
These systems, particularly the higher spec'd ones come into their own with Video editing.
The truth is, compared to video editing the demand that regular Photo editing makes is relatively small.
Photo editing will be fast on any of them. Having said that, when you buy a new computer you are usually better off buying something above the most stripped down model.
Apple does charge a considerable premium for SSD storage, but with Thunderbolt 3 and a premium external drive, speeds are just as fast as the internal drive like OWC's 4TB NvMe drive @$399, then all your pictures are in one place and your internal can be smaller. I do this myself.
Additionally, Apple limits internal drive size on some models. I think the entry level 24" iMac is limited to 2TB.
Not all software has been optimized for Apple Silicon, although nearly all are 'compatible'. So the speed you see can in some instances be impacted. These are very nice machines.

tomc601 Loc: Gilbert, AZ

I think you have a couple of choices. First, the new IMac with 2TB storage and in time you'll get used to the slightly smaller screen. (Wouldn't be my first choice.) Second, the MAC Studio Where you can get up to 8TB storage. Then you can opt for either the Studio Display or another monitor. I have the MAC Studio with a Samsung 32" 4K monitor that also is a TV so I switch back and forth using it as a computer and a spare TV.
On piece of advice I would give you is go for the 1TB storage which is plenty and opt for an external drive(s) for storage. I have two 4TB drives for my photos, one is just a backup of the first. I also have a 1TB drive for Time Machine. I had a 27" iMac intel machine and I lost a ton of photos when it crashed and I didn't have sufficient backup. That's why I use two externals. External storage is cheap and easily replaceable.

rleonetti Loc: Portland, Oregon

If $$ are an issue, and if the iMac 24 screen is too small, I would look at driving your existing 27" with a Mac Mini with the new M chips.

azted Loc: Las Vegas, NV.

Just how do you do that? Do you still use the intel mac for storage?