Which Mac?

sapphire73

I have an old macbook pro running 10.5.8 OS that has some issues (battery had to be removed) and seems slower every day. So we are going to get a new mac.

The least expensive option might be a mac mini because I already have a Dell U2410 external monitor as well as an Apple keyboard and mouse. I was looking at the 2.6GHz quad-core i7 with 16GB RAM and possibly the 1TB fusion drive.

Another option would be a 21.5 inch iMac.

The third most expensive option would probably be new macbook pro - with or without the retina display. I am guessing that I would probably use it in tandem with the Dell monitor most of the time, so the retina display model may not be worth the extra expense unless there are other features that make that model a better choice.

I do a lot of photo processing of RAW images taken with a Canon 7D and have started shooting with a Canon 4ti to lighten my travel kit. I am not a pro but do have some of my photos published in non-profit print and online publications. I am using Digital Photo Professional for my initial sorting and renaming, then processing with Lightroom 3 and finishing up with PSE 9. I tend to multi-task and have multiple programs running at the same time and keep too many tabs open in internet browsers. (The latter is partly justified by my part-time job as it involves using social media for a nonprofit.) And I have two 1 TB external hard drives at present that are filling up quickly as I get behind in sorting RAW files and am just starting to save images as png rather than cr2. I watch some videos but do not edit video or use the computer for playing games.

Would I be likely to be pretty happy with any of these macs? Will a Dell U2410 monitor work with the mac mini?

Thank you,
Gretchen

sapphire73

I have read the other dgrin threads asking a similar question but the new iMacs just hit the stores and everyone has slightly different needs.

eoren1

Hi Gretchen
I was in similar shoes last year. Had a 2008 Macbook that had seen better days and was looking to upgrade.
I bought the 2011 Mac mini (i5) and was very disappointed in the speeds.
Replaced that with a 2011 27" iMac and have been very happy. I was starting to see some slow speeds recently and got an external (thunderbolt) 120 gig SSD for my new boot drive ($200) and bumped the ram to 32 gigs ($100).

As for your thoughts above, I think a 2012 Mac mini with the quad i7 and 16 gb RAM would make a much, much better machine than the 2011 dual i5 I had tried. Would recommend going with the fusion drive as SSD makes a huge difference in LR.

I'm not a huge fan of the current iMacs. No upgradeability, ridiculous Apple tax on SSD/RAM at purchase. You could still do the TB external SSD but probably easier to do the Fusion there too and the cost gets up there. I have not seen anything on the calibration potential of the new screen either. Not sure if the calibrators out there would work well with the new laminated screen or if that even matters. You could probable get a solid deal on last year's iMacs which would make for an interesting 4th option.

Macbook Pro only if want to be mobile with the setup.

Hope that helps
E

sapphire73

eoren1 wrote: »

Hi Gretchen
I was in similar shoes last year. Had a 2008 Macbook that had seen better days and was looking to upgrade.
I bought the 2011 Mac mini (i5) and was very disappointed in the speeds.
Replaced that with a 2011 27" iMac and have been very happy. I was starting to see some slow speeds recently and got an external (thunderbolt) 120 gig SSD for my new boot drive ($200) and bumped the ram to 32 gigs ($100).

As for your thoughts above, I think a 2012 Mac mini with the quad i7 and 16 gb RAM would make a much, much better machine than the 2011 dual i5 I had tried. Would recommend going with the fusion drive as SSD makes a huge difference in LR.

I'm not a huge fan of the current iMacs. No upgradeability, ridiculous Apple tax on SSD/RAM at purchase. You could still do the TB external SSD but probably easier to do the Fusion there too and the cost gets up there. I have not seen anything on the calibration potential of the new screen either. Not sure if the calibrators out there would work well with the new laminated screen or if that even matters. You could probable get a solid deal on last year's iMacs which would make for an interesting 4th option.

Macbook Pro only if want to be mobile with the setup.

Hope that helps
E

Thank you so much for giving input on this! Good point about last year's imac being another good option. When I visited the Apple store midweek, they had sold out of old and new imacs.

Gretchen

eoren1

You'll likely need to go to a reseller or keep an eye out for refurbs on the Apple store

sapphire73

eoren1 wrote: »

You'll likely need to go to a reseller or keep an eye out for refurbs on the Apple store

I think they may get more of the old and new imacs - but we'll see. Haven't checked availability online for the older imac.... Thanks again!

bike21

Adding on to the discussion ... is the retina display really worth it? Looking to replace my 2009 MBP maybe in the spring and not sure if it's worth the expense. I'm not a full time pro and currently only edit on my MacBook. Thinking if adding on an external display at a later point if I don't go retina. Hmm..

postfranksa

yeah,i think so, You'll likely need to go to a reseller or keep an eye out for refurbs on the Apple store

cmason

eoren1:

tell me more about your mac mini experience. I have an old 2006 27" iMac, so anything will be faster. I am considering a mac mini with dual monitors as a replacement. No matter what, i7 is what I will go with, so from that standpoint, the mini and new imac have the same processor. My biggest worry is the graphics card: I don't need it for Lightroom, but occasionally it might be handy, though I don't know yet what for.

What were your experiences? was it all down to the i5?

eoren1

cmason wrote: »

eoren1:

tell me more about your mac mini experience. I have an old 2006 27" iMac, so anything will be faster. I am considering a mac mini with dual monitors as a replacement. No matter what, i7 is what I will go with, so from that standpoint, the mini and new imac have the same processor. My biggest worry is the graphics card: I don't need it for Lightroom, but occasionally it might be handy, though I don't know yet what for.

What were your experiences? was it all down to the i5?

I think it was an i5 issue more than anything else. Lightroom seems very CPU sensitive and I now wish I had gotten an i7 even for the iMac. That being said, an SSD has turned out to be a surprisingly nice boost for LR which I did not expect.

Here are some thoughts from when I first bought and then exchanged the Mac Mini: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1201654

If I were to buy today, I might try the i7 mini - especially given how 'locked down' the new iMacs are

cmason

Thanks. It seems odd that two machines with i5 would be that different, and I suspect its the SSD that is the most impactful. Heck folks are finding LR runs great on a 13" Mac air!

Anyway, the 2012 iMac turn me off, with form far over function, though I do want to see the new screen (less reflecty) in person. I have a 24" screen now, but the new 27" is less than 3" wider than I have now, so two screens are what I want. Yes I can add a screen to an iMac, but something about that looks 'off'...I prefer two of the same screen...maybe that's very OCD of me, not sure. That's why I am looking critically at the mac mini, but worried I would give something up for the benefit of two identical screens. At least the mac mini is more upgradeable than any iMac, ever.

eoren1

The ssd was actually a very recent upgrade. Out of the box, the iMac i5 crushed the i5 mini.

I think the new minis and especially an i7 one is the way to go.

Dual monitor is awesome. I have an old 20" in portrait next to the iMac now for browsing.

sapphire73

I have been having a hard time making a decision! Pros and cons with each option. I don't like the cost of the MacBook Pro with retina display but am realizing that I may put a higher priority on portability when I have a knee replacement sometime in the next year....

I'd be interested in hearing from anyone with a new MacBook Pro about how it is working out for them? I tried to do a quick comparison of browsers that were and weren't optimized for retina display (at the Apple store) but it was hard for me to see a big difference there. Any thoughts on this? As more apps and programs are optimized for retina display, will having this be a higher priority for folks? We seem to replace our computers about once every 4 or 5 years so I am taking my time with this decision. Thanks!

sapphire73

sapphire73 wrote: »

I have been having a hard time making a decision! Pros and cons with each option. I don't like the cost of the MacBook Pro with retina display but am realizing that I may put a higher priority on portability when I have a knee replacement sometime in the next year....

I'd be interested in hearing from anyone with a new MacBook Pro about how it is working out for them? I tried to do a quick comparison of browsers that were and weren't optimized for retina display (at the Apple store) but it was hard for me to see a big difference there. Any thoughts on this? As more apps and programs are optimized for retina display, will having this be a higher priority for folks? We seem to replace our computers about once every 4 or 5 years so I am taking my time with this decision. Thanks!

I purchased one of the new macbook pros with the retina display. Still working on transferring software and files over. Will post something when I have a chance to see how it all works out.

Thanks for giving input on this!

Gretchen