gemlenz Loc: Gilbert Arizona

Was looking at one of these for photo editing. I currently have a PC with Intel I5, 20gb ram, 2TB storage (really only 1.5 usable due to recovery partition).

This is the model I'm considering Apple - 21.5" iMac® - Intel Core i5 (2.7GHz) - 8GB Memory - 1TB Hard

Would it be powerful enough to handle LR and PS editing tasks fast? Seems like I'd be giving up memory and storage.

jethro779 Loc: Tucson, AZ

You need to realize that you will not ever be able to add RAM to that iMac. To add RAM you need the 27". As of right now it(27) is still upgradable after purchase. You will also need a DVD/CD external drive as the iMac no longer comes with them. As of right now it would do a FAIR job.

teesquare Loc: USA

There is more parody than ever before - when you compare an Apple/Mac with a PC.

They now both use extremely similar architecture, - and Intel processors.

The Apple operating system is ...."smoother" - and less prone to being "cranky" like Windows products.

But, I own both because I need both for work. If the cost difference is not an issue..the Mac is engineered extremely well, in that their parts generally are built to tougher specs.
In the real world - I don't think you will gain much with the Mac you describe - over the PC you have, unless the PC is "junked up" - and that can be remedied - cheaply...like free.

kwbybee Loc: Oklahoma City

I have an iMac 21.5 with 16GB of RAM, just order it that way when you buy it.

Jbat Loc: Charleston, SC

This is not an easy question to respond to but I will offer some thoughts. And the answer might be, it depends. It would make a substantial difference whether you are shooting a D800 like me which produces approx. 50 mb images in RAW which I shoot or you are shooting a 20 mp camera and taking jpegs instead of RAW. I have a MacBook Pro and it is i7 with 16 GB of memory and even with this machine, editing in Lightroom is not fast as a speeding bullet but it is well within the range of what I think is acceptable. If it were me, I would never purchase less than 16 GB of memory but if you are shooting jpegs and don't plan on going to RAW, maybe the i5 will work alright.
In regard to the hard drive, I put my photos on separate remote hard drives. I keep two of them. One has the photos and the other is a complete backup of the photo drive. These drives are not very expensive now and save the space on your computer hard drive plus give you the security of a compete backup of your photos.

cmc65

I have the IMac 27" I7 with 3T fushion hard drive and just upped the ram to 16g. I will definately be maxing it out to 32g as soon as I can. I'm lucky in that this model allows me to do that. I would NEVER go back to a pc again. This machine is smooth as silk no matter what I throw at it.

catalint Loc: oslo

This subject Mac vs PC never get's old. It is fair to say this is just old now. Based on the fact that both uses Intel architecture is just a matter of optimizing your computer and enviroment.

Since i've been using win7, my computer runs as smooth as any MAC i've seen. And i do have co-workers using MAC's also. I am using an I5 cpu with 20GB ram , 4GB ram VGA,and 256GB SSD system disk attached to a 6TB NAS, providing one iSCSI drive for my computer with gigabit link between computer-NAS. My transfer rates NAS -PC is pretty much constant 50MB/s. And this is max i can do with normmal 3.5 HD 7200rpm. Still this kicks the hell of USB 2.0 which which in most cases peaks at 25MB/s. SSD external disk performs better on USB2.0 and up than normal 3.5' HD/7200rpm. But for now i cant invest in big SSD drives. And from my experience , I am finished using single HD storage. Redudancy is a must these days, and people can argue on this matter as much as they want, but you will never have better performance, backup, and redundency then NAS/SAN or RAID solutions storage. When SSD drives will be affordable (1TB and up of course), i will be able to increase my IO even more. AS for now , i don't suffer of CPU load , and can't see myself running to upgrade it right now. A huge advantage is also having a better VGA card with GPU.

By all means , if gold is not a subject , then I wouldn't think about it. if you would like to spend more cash on the photo equipment, then use half the money to invest in NAS storage.

In conclusion, it's up to you. I can see the burning desire to move over to MAC, just don't do it on false statement. Comparing your PC today to the new MAC you looking at, i cant see how you will benefit more from it. I keep reading "My MAC is better, never back on PC", based on what? Smooth is not enough argument for me. My Windows is smooooooth as silk also.
:)

queencitysanta Loc: Charlotte, North Carolina

I have the 27"and 32 GB of memory. I'm glad I did.

sueyeisert Loc: New Jersey

I feel the same way about my MacBookPro having used a PC for more than 20 yrs a Mac is a pleasure. A big difference is the is customer service. No waiting foe 30 min to get help on the phone. It took me a few hours to get used to the OS.

Opus Loc: South East Michigan

27 " iMac with 32 GB is the best computer I have ever owned. Get all the memory you can afford.

jcwall396 Loc: Roswell, GA

Jbat and Cmc65 are spot on - I have an iMac 27" with a 3TB fusion drive and 32GB of memory just like Cmc65 and it works beautifully. If you're shooting full frame RAW, you need to stuff as much memory as possible into any system you buy. These files are huge, even more so if you do any post processing. As far as Apple - you just can't beat their systems.

greymule Loc: Colorado

Personally, I'm so glad to be rid of Gates' BS. I love my 27" iMac with 16 GB Ram. I didn't get the retina display because I don't know of any printer that could resemble it, and I was afraid my PP would be skewed. Probably just my lack of understanding.

wmontgomery Loc: Louisiana

The Intel I5 processor has been around a long time, I would get the I7 processor.

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

I would go for more memory. Max it out.

I am also a speed freak and would prefer the i7 chip. But that is just me. Many get along just fine with the i5. It just depends on how complex your edits are and how large your images are.

Also important is the video processor. The better -> the better as much of the processing is handed off to the video card.

I would go for the 2 TB HD, maybe one with some SSD components. This would also leave your a huge scratch disk. Store all your images on external Thunderbolt hard drives. Friends say they are as fast as an internal HD.

greymule Loc: Colorado

I have 2 LaCie Thunderbolts. Amazing.