Would you buy a 2010 iMac now?

PilotBrad

A few months ago Apple updated their iMacs to include Thunderbolt ports and Intel's Sandy Bridge chipset, along with a few other less meaningful (to me) upgrades.

That being said, there are some really attractive deals to be had right now on the 2010 models. So my question is this... do you think the inclusion of Thunderbolt and Sandy Bridge is worth it to spend roughly $300-750+ more for the 2011 model?

My main concern is that if I opt to go for a 2010 model, is that in the long-term I am limiting myself to USB2.0 and Firewire 800. At this point I am just not sure how big of an issue that is to me. With regards to the chipset; Other than better performance (now), I am not as clear about what if any benefits it will provide long-term.

BTW, yes I know about Apple's refurbs, but I'll keeping that out of the discussion for simplicity's sake.

eoren1

Brad
I just upgraded from a 2007 Macbook to the 2011 27" iMac (i5 model) and had some of the same thoughts prior to purchase. I also strongly considered (and actually bought) the new Mac Mini to use with my current screen.
The mini didn't quite cut it in the end.
One of my concerns about buying this year's iMac was that ivy bridge would be faster still and would likely feature usb3.
Did some real world benchmarks with the mini while I owned it and realized that HDD are basically limited to 100MB/sec transfer rates. FW800 maxes at 85MB/s. At the present moment, TB and USB3 are overkill for mechanical HDDs.
That being said, the Sandy Bridge CPUs are much better/faster than the prior generation i5/i7.
If you are looking to own this machine for the next 3-5 years (as I am), thunderbolt is very likely to become much more useful as SSDs drop in price and can be put in a nice, fast enclosure.
I think the 2011 iMacs provide a large enough boost in performance to justify buying them. I ended up getting mine from BHphoto of all places and was shocked to get a price only $70 higher than the refurb one (no tax and free shipping made a huge difference). That being said, I did get one that had a recalled Samsung HDD and was very fortunate to be able to exchange it at the local Apple store. If you can talk to someone at BH first and insure the iMac inventory has been cleared of the recalls, I would consider getting it there. Their AppleCare is also very cheap!
Hope that helps

PilotBrad

eoren1 wrote: »

Brad
I just upgraded from a 2007 Macbook to the 2011 27" iMac (i5 model) and had some of the same thoughts prior to purchase...

Thanks Eyal. Yes, I read your posts with great interest.

This has been an excercise in scope creep. At first I was just going to keep my current monitor and build a new PC to replace my 5-yr old Dell, but when I found that I could buy a brand new 2010 27" iMac for just a little bit more, I started down the iMac path. Now the 2010 iMac is looking less attractive long-term and I am now leaning towards a 2011 model(s). You are right, with 20MB raw files I am hating life living in USB2.0 world, and while there are no affordable Thurderbolt devices right now, it sure would be nice to have that flexibilty down the road, especially when I read that the 2011 iMacs are near impossible to upgrade. I can see Thunderbolt providing me with the ability to connect additional working storage (as opposed to archive), where I am not sure if FW800 will provide the same flexibility or utility.

eoren1

Brad-
I must say my FW card reader is awesome and allows me to transfer at the rated card speed of 45MB/sec! Can't get much faster without a faster CF card...
Also, don't discount upgradeability of the iMac. There are reports of folks putting in SSDs without issues.
That being said, there are good studies showing SSD is of little benefit for LR use. I find my iMac with Lion wakes from sleep almost too fast (I almost wonder if it even went to sleep - it did).
Buy you are right. By the time SSD comes down in price, so will the TB enclosures and that will make for a perfect upgrade option.

Richard

I wouldn't worry too much about the latest and greatest CPU--you always will pay a considerable premium for what turns out to be about six months of bragging rights. Memory is usually a much better investment for photo processing than increased CPU performance.

OTOH, I wouldn't consider buying a new machine without very fast I/O ports. In my case this is likely to be USB 3, as I don't have a need for Thunderbolt in the foreseeable future and don't want to pay the cost premium. There just aren't very many Thunderbolt enabled peripherals out there yet. I've read about possible Thunderbolt to USB 3 adapters, but AFAIK, none has hit the market yet. I know Apple doesn't sell one. Thunderbolt may take over the world someday, but given the slow rate of adoption we've seen so far, I think it's not likely to be in the lifetime of my next machine. Maybe the one after that, dunno.

LRussoPhoto

Just to comment on oeron's point about buying from b&h and saving, I just bought a new iMac from the apple store. I also looked at b&h although the b&h price is slightly less and there is no tax or shipping, the apple store had some insentives, including a $100 app store gift card. So in the end it worked out that I only paid slightly more at the apple store then I would have paid from b&h. I feel more comfortable buying at the apple store in case there are any problems in the furture.

PilotBrad

Thanks everyone... I've made up my mind, I am going to buy a 2011 model. Now the only question is which one.

I've made myself a spreadsheet and I am finding that I am coming out $250-350 ahead when purchased through B&H (including AppleCare). In some configurations, I am even coming out ahead of Apple's refurb prices.

QuadRacer041 brings up question though... If bought from somewhere other than Apple, does that have any impact on the support Apple will provide through the Apple Store(s)?

eoren1

It shouldn't
I would definitely check with one of their support specialists that you will not get a recalled iMac
Check serial here: http://www.apple.com/support/imac-harddrive/
If there are issues with the iMac, you might be able to bring it to your local store. The 800-Apple people will tell you to take it up with where you bought it. Of course, at some point (maybe after the first 14 days?) you would be expected to go to your store for AppleCare stuff.

PilotBrad

eoren1 wrote: »

It shouldn't
I would definitely check with one of their support specialists that you will not get a recalled iMac
Check serial here: http://www.apple.com/support/imac-harddrive/
If there are issues with the iMac, you might be able to bring it to your local store. The 800-Apple people will tell you to take it up with where you bought it. Of course, at some point (maybe after the first 14 days?) you would be expected to go to your store for AppleCare stuff.

Will do, thanks!

LRussoPhoto

I was told that products would be warrentied but the warranty period starts from then the computer was purchased from apple not when you purchase it from the store, So if B&H bought computer 3 months ago the warranty period started 3 months ago.

PilotBrad

QuadRacer041 wrote: »

I was told that products would be warrentied but the warranty period starts from then the computer was purchased from apple not when you purchase it from the store, So if B&H bought computer 3 months ago the warranty period started 3 months ago.

Sorry, but that's not right. Apple's web site states the warranty begins when purchased...

How long is my iMac covered by Apple’s warranty?
Your iMac is covered by Apple’s One-Year Limited Warranty. Warranty service for eligible repairs is available at no charge for twelve months from the date of original retail purchase (”date of purchase”).

Since B&H is an Authorized Reseller, the warranty would start the day it was ordered.

pathfinder

You guys make me feel like a piker

I am still using a MacPro from 2008 with an 800Mghz bus, but with a USB 3.0 card, 1 GB video Ram, and 20 Gb Ram I am still working quite happily

I have been considering an SSD boot drive, but so far I am resisting that siren call.

BradfordBenn

How do you think I feel, I am using a MacBook Pro from 2007.... 4GB of Ram, 256MB or VRam, 800Mhz bus, FW800 internal. I consider it my forced moments of zen.

pmaxwell

pathfinder wrote: »

You guys make me feel like a piker

I am still using a MacPro from 2008 with an 800Mghz bus, but with a USB 3.0 card, 1 GB video Ram, and 20 Gb Ram I am still working quite happily

I have been considering an SSD boot drive, but so far I am resisting that siren call.

Pathfinder,
SSD's are a wonderful thing at increasing speed, but for a photographer that means one large enough to hold the photos you are currently working on as well as the boot drive. Just the boot drive will give you fast start up and shut down. Having the pics on drive as well will allow fast opening of CS5 etc, fast saves, really all disk related activity.