iMac now or later?

[David Roth weiss]

Between now and May how much ROI (return on investment) can you get on a new machine?

ANSWER: You can probably pay for the machine with one good job.

And, I can pretty much assure you, there’s almost assuredly nothing so momentous that will be in the May version that it will change your editing life dramatically or “render” an immediate purchase of a current version of the iMac a wasted expense.

David Roth Weiss
ProMax Systems
Burbank
DRW@ProMax.com
http://www.ProMax.com

David is a Creative COW contributing editor and a forum host of the Apple Final Cut Pro forum.

[Reid Alt]

Well, they just came out with a revision to the iMacs in mid 2011, so I can’t imagine that they are in too big of a hurry to update again, considering that it’s not their line of computers that people are gobbling up right now (mostly their portable line, of course). I’m running off an identical system as the one you described, and I can’t see any reason to avoid upgrading at the moment. This thing is a monster.

Of course, the iMacs only go up to 16GB of RAM at the moment. Just thought you should be aware of that before you buy any additional RAM that you don’t need.

[James Disch]

https://buyersguide.macrumors.com/

If your current machine can hold on for a few more months it might be wise to wait.

http://www.rapidlightproductions.com

[Tapio Haaja]

I think only big difference to buy now or later would be if Apple starts using Nvidia CUDA Compatible Graphic Cards. There are some rumours flying next MacPro will have Nvidia CUDA Compatible Graphic Card as default so maybe high end iMac could also have one? Just wild guess. I have absolutely no information. Anyway this would be big thing for at least people using Adobe Premiere, Davinci Resolve and some other softwares.

Best
Tapio Haaja

On-Air Promotion Producer
https://avseikkailuja.blogspot.com/

[Mark Dobson]

The advice on Macrumors is to hold on – don’t buy now. They say it’s 292 days since the last update and the average is 273.

However David Roth Weiss is right to say that if it’s going to produce good revenue buy it now.

I’ve been hanging on for a long time now for the new MacPro and whilst my present 2008 Mac is getting on a bit it is still a pro quality machine that I can rely on even if it isn’t the fastest in the world.

Either way you are going to get a substantially better machine than the one you have got now.

[Mark Slocombe]

Cheers – the leasing company that will supply the iMac
I’d get is offering 32gb ram as an upgrade – one of the reasons I’m more positive about the iMac now.

Mark Slocombe
https://www.creationvideo.com
London, England

[Rick Lang]

Lots of helpful comments. Not sure if the Mac Pro is noisy due to the fans or a complaining hard disk which of course could be serious. Relying on a 6 year old machine may be a risk factor. No harm done buying a tricked out iMac now.

You could consider the SSD option for maximum performance. If you decide to wait a few more months, Mountain Lion will be installed, you will possibly have seen updated Mac Pros to compare to the iMacs, the iMacs could see an upgrade as well which most importantly may be significant upgrades to the GPU as others have noted. Apple may increase the maximum memory limit as occasionally even 16 GB can be exhausted. The SSD options in a few months may be larger and faster than today. The CPU may see a modest increase. The internal hard disk will likely go to 3 TB since they have offered 2 TB since 2009. So if course if you wait you get more for your money but in the mean time you may be risking a failure on the 2006 Mac Pro and lost productivity. You can’t go wrong with today’s iMac if you don’t need multiple GPUs or other internal I/O cards. You even adapt to seeing the glossy screen so it doesn’t seem a big deal that matte is missing. You can always attach a couple of external monitors if needed. I still use an Apple 23″ Cinema HD Display which works well with my HDV video.
Good luck.

Rick Lang

iMac 27” 2.8GHz i7 16GB

[Neil Goodman]

Jost got one a couple months a go to replace my mac pro. Other than the fact I’m still waiting for a good i/o thunderbolt device, to replace my declink extreme 2, I’m loving this machine. FCP 7 and MC reworking better than ever under 10.7.2 and it definitely feels way faster than the old box and 8 core mac pro i use at work.

Im pretty sure tho it caps out at 16gb ram.

Neil Goodman: Editor of New Media Production – NBC/Universal

[Mark Slocombe]

Thanks for all responses – as I’ll be leasing (3 years) rather the buying (for the first time in 18 years of Mac-purchasing), the fact that the leasing company are flexible about upgrading during the contract also leans me toward replacement sooner rather the later.

Mark Slocombe
https://www.creationvideo.com
London, England

[Lemur Hayop]

There’s always a “new release around the corner” according to rumors. Conversely, the same rumor sites say there are delays. But I think there’s a good chance there will be new releases across the entire computer line within a year. Thus, if you buy something new now that can aid in profitability, also consider its resale value within the next year while it’s still under warranty. I’m taking such an approach with the MacBook Pro, where rumors fly like bats. I’ll probably buy the best I can afford in case I utlimately prefer to keep it.

https://www.k9sound.com