Advice on New Editing Setup

[Mads Nybo jørgensen]

Hey Glenn,

As you are coming from a 2013 iMac, any of your 3 suggested choices will work for you.

If budget is an issue, I would for now prioritize memory and storage – 1TB SSD should be enough, but if Apple allows you to put in a 2TB SSD, then that would be better.
You can always “hang” 4TB external SSDs on the back of the unit.

(Drives and Cloud Storage can get really expensive, particularly if working in 4K/6K. And, as video tapes does not exist anymore, this is a hidden expense that no-one talks enough about in the economy of Post Protduction and archieve.)

Sadly, the Apple “eco-system” is made to lock you in and not allow you to open the box and add or swap components.

Again, coming from the 2013 version, think functional and work-horse for your needs.

And, if this is succesful for you, put money away weekly/monthly/each-job for the next “upgrade”.

Apple makes money out of making new Apples (Macs) – whatever you shoose from their shelf was old yesterday. But with your 2013 box, you are the proof that Apple can last the distance.

Atb
Mads

[Glenn Payne]

Thanks so much for the reply and sharing your thoughts! I’ve been a little worried I’d buy a mini or studio and then next year they’d release a 27-32″ imac, and I’d be mad at myself, but I feel like it may be a year or longer before they do, IF they do, so I’ll probably go ahead and get something now.

Two last questions for anyone that’s up for answering (I’ve gathered this info from some of you already)…

1. Which would you consider a better buy?
* Mac mini M4 – 32GB Ram – 10, 10, 16 core = $1,200
* Mac mini M4 Pro – 24GB Ram – 12, 16, 16 core = $1,400

2. Would you recommend any specific third party monitors that are over 27″? Maybe 32-40″.
ViewSonic VA2756 UHD is on my radar for 27″, but curious about slightly larger.

Thanks so much, as always!
Glenn

[Devrim Akteke]

I have been waiting for a new 27 iMac for years but have lost hope. Go for the PRO version. I don’t think a screen bigger than 27 inch would be good. Both for the eye health and ease of use. Too much space in a very close range. And screen quality probably would be worse as it gets bigger. Good for viewing the video but bad for the interface and text.

[Eric Santiago]

Well I wouldn’t say its that bad considering I am daily with a slew of 30″ screens at most of my workstations. You can scale the icons up or break the native resolution and have everything larger.

I still have 3 Apple Cinema 30″s at home and work with 30″ Dells at day job/studios.

[Devrim Akteke]

Maybe I am getting older, I cannot see displays clearly without glasses anymore. What I actually mean is TV screens; 27 or 30-inch computer screens are ok but I am not happy to use TV screens bigger than 30-inch as a computer display.