Thinking about a Mac: I have been using a Toshiba laptop, but trying to edit photos on it drives me a little nuts: small screen (and my eyes are getting older!), limited graphics...

aikiboy

I have been using a Toshiba laptop, but trying to edit photos on it drives me a little nuts: small screen (and my eyes are getting older!), limited graphics capabilities, etc. I have no experience with Apple products, but Costco has this on sale, and the 5K screen is pretty amazing:

New Apple iMac 27" - Intel Core i5 3.0 GHz - 8GB Memory - 1TB Fusion Drive - 4GB Radeon Pro 570X Graphics At $1729, not cheap, so it better be worth it.

https://www.costco.com/new-apple-imac-27%22---intel-core-i5-3.0-ghz---8gb-memory---1tb-fusion-drive---4gb-radeon-pro-570x-graphics.product.100484366.html

I primarily use Lightroom and have just started to learn Photoshop, both of which are beginning to run a little slow. Luminar 4 shows significant lag.

Has anyone had experience with this computer and how do you regard it's suitability for photo editing and DAM? Any other thoughts about it, good or bad? It seemed like the RAM and graphics card were a little limited for something this expensive, but as I said, I don't know Apple.

Thanks in advance.

Fred Harwood Loc: Sheffield, Mass.

The 27-inch iMac is awesome. I'll be getting another in a month.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

aikiboy wrote:

I have been using a Toshiba laptop, but trying to ... (show quote)

You might consider a 21.5", they are plenty big enough, I have both and kinda liked the smaller one better with the exception of my 27" has 3X the Drive capacity and 3X the amount of ram as the smaller computer, if they were equally accessorized I would probably use the smaller one for my primary computer. I think that you can get more for your money by staying small.

I will say that you really need to do a little research on how easy it is to upgrade, RAM for instance on some Macs is as simple as opening a small door and loading new cards, on others it requires complete disassembly of your computer.

dick ranez

Any IMac will be an improvement. Coupled with the Adobe suite you should have all the computer capability you'll need.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

aikiboy wrote:

I have been using a Toshiba laptop, but trying to ... (show quote)

You’ll need to add aftermarket memory (to 16GB minimum, 32 is better) from a company like OWC, and add at least a 500GB SSD for the OS and applications. The memory is easy to add, but if they sell the SSD option, I’d definitely spend the money for that. If not, you can add it as externally thunderbolt connected, but then you’ll have to move the O# and aps from the Fusion drive to the SSD and change the boot order - just easier to buy it that way. You’ll then need to add an external drive for photo storage. The net-net is that this is a pretty basic IMac and will need some additions unless you are willing to spend lots of time waiting in the machine.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

I'm not an Apple computer owner. But, it has enough RAM, an 8th generation i5 CPU. And 1 TB of Fusion storage. I never heard of Fusion Storage? Only HDD and SSD. The price? It's a Mac, isn't it. Expect to pay more.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

mas24 wrote:

I'm not an Apple computer owner. But, it has enough RAM, an 8th generation i5 CPU. And 1 TB of Fusion storage. I never heard of Fusion Storage? Only HDD and SSD. The price? It's a Mac, isn't it. Expect to pay more.

Fusion is not much different than a hard drive, it does incorporate a small SSD drive where your operating system and application programs may be stored for faster access, not so sure that it really means anything, my big Mac has a 3TB Fusion and I am always told that were I to switch to SSD things would be faster, I really don't need that much speed as I am strictly a hobbyist.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

mas24 wrote:

I'm not an Apple computer owner. But, it has enough RAM, an 8th generation i5 CPU. And 1 TB of Fusion storage. I never heard of Fusion Storage? Only HDD and SSD. The price? It's a Mac, isn't it. Expect to pay more.

8GB is just not enough to prevent paging to disk in many situations, and that will kill the performance. As far as the Fusion drive, it’s a conventional hard drive with a small amount of SSD as a cache. It helps performance IF the data is cacheable, but nowhere near the performance of an SSD, which can make a HUGE difference in overall system performance. With the rapidly dropping cost of SSDs (~$100 for 500GB), there’s just not much excuse for going with anything else for the OS and applications.

MrBob Loc: lookout Mtn. NE Alabama

27" is wonderful; you will never go back. Start off with at least 16 GB of memory and make sure the 16 GB is on 1 card, not 8 GB on each; saves Toal replacement of mem. if upgrading in the future.

aikiboy

The amount of memory and lack of an SSD were definite concerns, and though I think adding memory might be fairly simple, since the computer only comes configured with the fusion drive I think trying to add an SSD might be hard. Part of my worry was that I might get that lovely screen without the performance to go with it, but without having experience with the Apple OS I had hopes that it would not take much of a hit due to limitations of the installed hardware vs my experience with Windows. Based on the replies here, this is likely not the case and I would have to upgrade memory and put in an SSD (Costco does not offer this option). It sounds like I may be better of putting together a PC and buying a better screen. Kind of a shame, though, as I like Costco because you can return electronics within 90 days making me feel a lot more secure. Thank you everyone who replied, your advice is much appreciated! This was a big help in making my decision, and I will probably be posting for advice on which screen to buy in near future.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

TriX wrote:

8GB is just not enough to prevent paging to disk i... (show quote)

After giving it a second thought, you are correct about the RAM storage. I'm still stuck under 2012 standards for computers. Lol. Thanks for the explanation of the Fusion Drive.

aikiboy

Likewise: I thought that a fusion drive provided much more SSD than it apparently does.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

Blurryeyed wrote:

Fusion is not much different than a hard drive, it does incorporate a small SSD drive where your operating system and application programs may be stored for faster access, not so sure that it really means anything, my big Mac has a 3TB Fusion and I am always told that were I to switch to SSD things would be faster, I really don't need that much speed as I am strictly a hobbyist.

Thanks for the explanation of the Fusion Drive..I just learned something new today. Uhh members come through again. Another uhh member offered an explanation too.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

aikiboy wrote:

I have been using a Toshiba laptop, but trying to ... (show quote)

I've been using Mac equipment for over 30 years and would own nothing else. Love the iMac. You might consider taking a class on how it operates as you will find it very different from a PC.

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

aikiboy wrote:

I have been using a Toshiba laptop, but trying to ... (show quote)

Great machine. I use it with Lightroom and PS. You will want to upgrade the RAM which is very easy to do to at least 16GB or more. Had Windows and never looked back.