New imac needed : wait for silicon?

[Dupont]

I still need to replace my trusty 2007 imac, but thinks became more complicated since Apple announced silicon CPU.

Should I wait for the next imac generation ?

[des99]

Who here do you think knows enough about Apples highly secretive product development strategy and is going to give you in any way a useful answer?

 

The current one works with everything know. We don't know what the new one will or won't work with, but there will likely be some compatability issues at the beginning. Plus, it's a first new hardware generation which people are traditionally wary of.

 

On the other hand, performance may (or may not be) much better, as perhaps will the temperature/fans situation.

 

If you need something now, get something now. If you don't *need* it now, and can afford to wait, then wait and seee what happens - at which point, you can make a more informed decision as to which machine to get.

Edited September 25, 2020 by des99

[Dupont]

I've been waiting for several years in order to replace my old mac and I afraid of spending money a few months before new gen are available. When purchased my imac in 2007, the month after, the new generation was available, I was so frustrated I called back the shop owner and told him this was unfair !

On the other side, as you said, I will probably face compatibility issues with 3rd party plugins.

As in with automotive, it is not a good idea to buy the first cars when a new generation arrives.

I have just got in touch with Apple and I can get a 10 % student rebate (+ airpods as a gift), that's less than 2400 € for the standard 27 " I7 CPU (august 2020 imac), that's seems a good deal.

[KC]

Today's Macs won't stop working if they come out with a new Apple Silicone version tomorrow. You will still get the benefit of the new processor and display and everything. A new Mac CPU won't diminish that. There will be a time of transition before software catches up to the new innards.

 

I would also guess (JUST a guess) that the first Macs with the new silicone will be laptops - they have the most to gain from power/battery usage ratio. I would be very surprised if the desktops get new guts before later next year. Again - just a guess.

 

The time to buy a new Mac is when you need it. When the one you have no longer does the job you need it to do. The worst case scenario is a new, better Mac is released 40+ days after you buy yours (within 30 days, Apple will let you return it). But even that doesn't make your Mac obsolete.

 

We are past the days of huge leaps in power from one generation to the next (In some test, the iMac holds up very well against the new mac Pro). I think the biggest gain over the next few years will be in battery life.

[triplets]

I have just got in touch with Apple and I can get a 10 % student rebate (+ airpods as a gift), that's less than 2400 € for the standard 27 " I7 CPU (august 2020 imac), that's seems a good deal.

 

Remember you can upgrade the Ram on the 27-inch iMac yourself. So get the basic 8gigs, and then buy additional Ram from other vendors to save big bucks.

 

Also, there's always gonna be a better computer after you bought yours. You can never win that game.

Just buy what you need right now. You can upgrade later once Apple silicon is road-tested.

[ozinga]

I use a 2017 iMac with 4 Core which runs fine with lots of tracks, instruments and effects and almost never need to freeze tracks so I think current iMac with i9 and 10 Core should be great.

Also what I usually read is the first ARM Macs will be the smaller versions of MB Pro and iMac. 13 and 21.5 respectively. Rumors of course but makes sense. Also Apple will continue to release products with Intel chips for at least a few more years so those machines will not become obsolete that fast.

[Dupont]

I use a 2017 iMac with 4 Core which runs fine with lots of tracks, instruments and effects and almost never need to freeze tracks so I think current iMac with i9 and 10 Core should be great.

Also what I usually read is the first ARM Macs will be the smaller versions of MB Pro and iMac. 13 and 21.5 respectively. Rumors of course but makes sense. Also Apple will continue to release products with Intel chips for at least a few more years so those machines will not become obsolete that fast.

 

I red some tests who said the 400 bucks asked for I9 aren't worth and in some tests are not more powerful (sometimes worst) than I7. So I'll stick with standard I7 and Upgrade with 8Go 3rd party ram if needed (I don't use large samples libraries).

[triplets]

So I'll stick with standard I7 and Upgrade with 8Go 3rd party ram if needed (I don't use large samples libraries).

 

It doesn't matter what you're not using. Get at least 16 more gigs, since it's ok to have 8 gigs and 16 gigs in 2 pairs.

[MikeRobinson]

Since "Moore's Law shows no signs of slowing down," you simply need to buy a new unit and hope to get two or three years' service life out of it – which you will be able to do while still covered by AppleCare. I usually buy my units from the "refurbished equipment" section at Apple.Com. These units have been restored to like-new condition and are sold with the same warranty options they had when really-new. But, since they are not "new" anymore, they cost considerably less.

[Dupont]

Since "Moore's Law shows no signs of slowing down," you simply need to buy a new unit and hope to get two or three years' service life out of it – which you will be able to do while still covered by AppleCare. I usually buy my units from the "refurbished equipment" section at Apple.Com. These units have been restored to like-new condition and are sold with the same warranty options they had when really-new. But, since they are not "new" anymore, they cost considerably less.

 

no really need for Apple care, in France product warranty is 2 years.

[BluprintZ]

I bought my Mac Pro in 2009, because i was sick of the PC letting me down when i was editing footage for clients, sometimes it would take ages to boot up.

The Mac last 10 years with no problems at all, it never let me down....until i was in the middle of some video work last November and it kept crashing.

So off i went and bought a new iMac, Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019, 3 GHz Intel core i5.

Over the moon with it and it does everything i ask of it.

So just go and get what's available, they aren't that expensive these days.

The 2009 Mac Pro cost me 3.5K with Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro bundled.

The iMac cost me 1.3K and does exactly the same as the Pro did.

[stratquebec]

Refurbished is a nice alternative too. And they come with the same one year warranty as the new ones.

[triplets]

Right now the 27-inch iMac is the machine to buy for Logic, if you like all-in-ones.

[Mania]

If you can wait two more months then wait. The new Apple silicon Mac’s are coming out for sure this is not a rumor, Apple said it itself. Then you can make a better informed decision.

[Dupont]

If you can wait two more months then wait. The new Apple silicon Mac’s are coming out for sure this is not a rumor, Apple said it itself. Then you can make a better informed decision.

yes I can, my 2007 imac can still hold my projects (EDM, techno) and run most plugins but I'm stuck with El Capitan and Logic 10.3.

Rumours say Apple will update at first 21 " imac and laptops at the end of the year and 27 " next year.

I can go for intel based Imac but I'm afraid it will quicly lost value if I want to sell it in 2 years because people will prefer second hand silicon imacs.

[Dupont]

I bought my Mac Pro in 2009, because i was sick of the PC letting me down when i was editing footage for clients, sometimes it would take ages to boot up.

The Mac last 10 years with no problems at all, it never let me down....until i was in the middle of some video work last November and it kept crashing.

So off i went and bought a new iMac, Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019, 3 GHz Intel core i5.

Over the moon with it and it does everything i ask of it.

So just go and get what's available, they aren't that expensive these days.

The 2009 Mac Pro cost me 3.5K with Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro bundled.

The iMac cost me 1.3K and does exactly the same as the Pro did.

 

I depends, Apple store US imac 27 I7 cots 2299 $, Apple store France 3020 $ !!! 30 % more expensive.

This morning only 1 imac 27, I5, on the French refurb, 3415 $, above my budget !

[JakobP]

Regarding the ARM, everymac.com has some info and benchmarks for a mini...

https://everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_mini/specs/mac-mini-developer-transition-kit-dtk-specs.html

[triplets]

I can go for intel based Imac but I'm afraid it will quicly lost value if I want to sell it in 2 years because people will prefer second hand silicon imacs.

 

Macs hold their value pretty well.

Besides, do you wanna be the guinea pig for the Apple Silicon Macs? We don't know how 3rd party stuff is gonna work.

 

What about buying an iMac from 2016?

[JakobP]

Agree with triplets, but personally I would hesitate to buy an iMac with Fusion drive or spinning HD. Edited September 26, 2020 by JakobP

[triplets]

Oh yes, FD is to be avoided for music purposes.

[Dupont]

Agree with triplets, but personally I would hesitate to buy an iMac with Fusion drive or spinning HD.

yes of course fusion drive is one of main reason why I have not yet replaced my imac.

It is a shame for a 2500 € computer in 2020 !

[skijumptoes]

Regardless of hardware, A big problem you may face is moving through to the more recent MacOS versions which will cause your current configuration to require maintenance, particularly in regards to plugins. Some of which may require you to pay for upgrades, i.e. in the case of Waves etc.

 

You may have to also face such maintenance tasks again when moving to ARM architecture - who knows?!

 

So, if you can hold on, i would wait it out a little longer. Apple will be looking to push the new hardware, and as time progress they will be employing tactics to move 'obsolete' Intel users - it's how their business model works, that there is no doubt. Just don't know how these new machines will perform - it could take years before we see i7-i9 levels of performance and reliability.

[redgreenblue]

Wow, opinions all over the map here. If I needed a new computer I'd go ahead and buy it, the Intel OS is going to be supported for a long time and I'd rather deal with a known quantity. Let other people be the canary. I love my 2018 Mini.

[Ashermusic]

Wow, opinions all over the map here. If I needed a new computer I'd go ahead and buy it, the Intel OS is going to be supported for a long time and I'd rather deal with a known quantity. Let other people be the canary. I love my 2018 Mini.

 

I have been considering one of those 2018 Minis, but I hear reports of in bigger more demanding projects, they throttle the cpu sometimes. Have you experienced that?

[redgreenblue]

I am not 100% sure, it is possible I had some heat throttling, there was other issues with my music configuration that might have been causing my pinwheeling. But I do now have it sitting on top of a server grade fan to force more air in to it and it has been great.

[Ashermusic]

I am not 100% sure, it is possible I had some heat throttling, there was other issues with my music configuration that might have been causing my pinwheeling. But I do now have it sitting on top of a server grade fan to force more air in to it and it has been great.

 

I can buy a refurbished one from the Mac store for $1199 and get 64 GB RAM from OWC for $308. Tempting.

[scottkrk]

By the end of year we should get an idea of how Apple Silicon can boost LPX performance, potentially a large leap in performance if Apple can leverage Apple Silicon for DSP duties.

 

Everyone's circumstances are different, but I am looking to replace my 2012 iMac and 2015 MBP, hopefully with a 14" Apple Silicon MBP next year, given I already have a 32" monitor because I have to WFH with a Windows Laptop, it would be ideal to have one Mac rather than two.

 

I have used Logic for 25 years, got to love the fact Apple develops LPX, macOS, Mac Hardware and now Apple Silicon

[Dupont]

By the end of year we should get an idea of how Apple Silicon can boost LPX performance, potentially a large leap in performance if Apple can leverage Apple Silicon for DSP duties.

 

Everyone's circumstances are different, but I am looking to replace my 2012 iMac and 2015 MBP, hopefully with a 14" Apple Silicon MBP next year, given I already have a 32" monitor because I have to WFH with a Windows Laptop, it would be ideal to have one Mac rather than two.

 

I have used Logic for 25 years, got to love the fact Apple develops LPX, macOS, Mac Hardware and now Apple Silicon

 

I don't think a very huge boost of performance will be helpfull for me.

If I replace my 2007 Imac by a 2020, the boost will still be huge. I could probably run 10 times (at least) more tracks or plugins in LPX than with my 2.4 Ghz core2duo CPU.

What if I could run 100 times more plugins with a silicon CPU ? It does not matter because I will never make a project with 500 tracks and 300 plugins !

I also wonder how will be the design of the silicon macs ? WIll the 2020 imac look outdated after this ?

I wanted to buy a macbookpro but I was told it was not adviced to run a large monitor for a long time because the graphic card will not last for long.

[triplets]

Agree with triplets, but personally I would hesitate to buy an iMac with Fusion drive or spinning HD.

yes of course fusion drive is one of main reason why I have not yet replaced my imac.

It is a shame for a 2500 € computer in 2020 !

 

The new 2020 iMacs are SSD only now.

[scottkrk]

By the end of year we should get an idea of how Apple Silicon can boost LPX performance, potentially a large leap in performance if Apple can leverage Apple Silicon for DSP duties.

 

Everyone's circumstances are different, but I am looking to replace my 2012 iMac and 2015 MBP, hopefully with a 14" Apple Silicon MBP next year, given I already have a 32" monitor because I have to WFH with a Windows Laptop, it would be ideal to have one Mac rather than two.

 

I have used Logic for 25 years, got to love the fact Apple develops LPX, macOS, Mac Hardware and now Apple Silicon

 

I don't think a very huge boost of performance will be helpfull for me.

If I replace my 2007 Imac by a 2020, the boost will still be huge. I could probably run 10 times (at least) more tracks or plugins in LPX than with my 2.4 Ghz core2duo CPU.

What if I could run 100 times more plugins with a silicon CPU ? It does not matter because I will never make a project with 500 tracks and 300 plugins !

I also wonder how will be the design of the silicon macs ? WIll the 2020 imac look outdated after this ?

I wanted to buy a macbookpro but I was told it was not adviced to run a large monitor for a long time because the graphic card will not last for long.

 

After 30 years of buying Macs, I have learnt that Apple are pretty brutal with transitions, remember they have only promised two years of support for Intel, so don't be surprised if you can't run the latest version of LPX in a few years on Intel Macs

 

This may not be an issue for you but I like to stay on the latest version of macOS and LPX and want to buy hardware that can do this for 7+ years.