Apple:
Apple today updated its iMac line with up to 8-core Intel 9th-generation processors for the first time and powerful Vega graphics options, delivering dramatic increases in both compute and graphics performance.
The details:
- The 21.5-inch iMac now features 8th-generation quad-core, and for the first time 6-core processors, delivering up to 60 percent faster performance.
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The 27-inch iMac now for the first time features up to 9th-generation 6-core and 8-core processors, delivering up to 2.4 times faster performance.
The 21.5-inch ranges in price from $1099 to $1499. The 27-inch ranges in price from $1799 to $2299.
All of these prices are with the default of 8GB of RAM. Before you buy, be sure to dig into the specs. Not all the RAM is the same speed.
No computer should ever be sold with less than 16GB of RAM, anyone who has ever used a Mac 8GB of RAM will agree, it’s just too little.
8GB is enough.
No. it’s not.
What do you mean when you say, “Before you buy, be sure to dig into the specs. Not all the RAM is the same speed.”?
All new models have 2666MHz DDR4 memory. In other words, they all have the same speed RAM. Is there something other than what is listed in the specs?
If you need more, you can buy. Standard 8GB is enough.
It has been a few years since I had a machine with 8GB, but I think it would be still be fine for many people, _if_ you have an SSD. I never run into problems with 16GB, and I have all sorts of things running, including Windows 10 in VMWare much of the time.
That said, I doubt 8GB will be sufficient for the lifetime of these machines. Can they be upgraded?
The spinning disk is a horrible experience from day 1. These aren’t even fusion drives!
I guess the problem I have is with the price, comparatively, for the price, it should start with 16GB, IMHO of course. Then, as you mention, the upgrading… hopefully it’ll still be a relatively easy thing to do, and yes the hard drives! 5400 RPM, seriously? A base of 16GB of RAM, and a max of say 64, plus a fusion drive at least, seems more reasonable these days.
Not for the price it’s not.
Enough for what work? Is your use-case universal?
Seeing the 5400 rpm drives as a default is disappointing.
Yes, especially when I have to justify buying Macs as opposed to PC’s, as many people do. Luckily where I am now, and was prior, this has not been an issue.
I ran my current iMac for a year or two with 8GB and found it … sufficient.
It took wanting to run VMs and bloated Firefox sessions to make me upgrade to 24GB.
He’s suggesting it’s enough for a base model, not enough to any possible usage.
(This only really matters on the non-upgradable 21″, where I agree that it’s wise to spec at least 16GB.
But … there are plenty of “just the web, thanks” use cases where 8GB is sufficient and should remain so for a few years.)
I’m disappointed not by the rotary speed, but by the way they’re not all Fusion Drives.
(But then, I don’t really know what the market for the base-ish 21″ iMac is; serious users will almost certainly want the 27″, and people on the cheap will want a Mini …)
Slower drives are a hindrance, no matter what specific form they still take.
People on the cheap will also want something less complicated, especially if they don’t already own a separate monitor.
Oh, my point being that the fusion drive cache makes a 5400rpm drive feel faster, in practice.
I’m somewhat baffled that Apple hasn’t just moved to SSDs entirely, and that their SSD pricing is so high.
(I mean, sure, the high end machines should have The Best Grade of SSDs.
But … there’s no reason to not replace that 5400RPM 1TB drive with a “commodity” SSD, even at half capacity, at least as an option.
I’d pay the extra $20 retail markup for that, or even double it.)
If you do not accept Apple prices, do not buy a Mac.
My late-2015 iMac has a Fusion Drive. I noticed the improvements as soon as I started using it. But to rely solely upon a slow hard disk? Feh.
I’ve been using Apple hardware for 30 years. They always had such a pricing and technical specifications policy.
No sweetie. I’m not claiming my own use-case is universal.
For 99% people 8GB is ok.
I have been using Apple hardware for 30 years as well, starting with the Apple IIe. I only disagree with the amount off RAM, the reasoning being that it offers the user a slower than needed experience, which does often sour some people to the Apple system.
As to your comment “they always had such a pricing and technical specifications policy”, that statement isn’t entirely accurate. Pricing, and technical specifications have always, and will always, change. The ratio to which must change as well, depending on the current economical climate as well as so many other factors.
But, the gist of my comment is as I mentioned initially here.
It’s enough for everything except for virtualization. I am a professional editor and 8 GB is enough even for editing complicated films. It is not a problem.
I have been for years, usually refurbished or used. But, that is not my point. I expect more from Apple, of course, you don’t have to.
“Everything”? Oh, sweetie.
It’s not enough for large-document work in InDesign, and not enough for working on substantial images or illustrations.
Good thing I’m not the one who’s claiming my own use-case is universal.
What’s next? Your personal definition of what constitutes “real work”?
8GB is enough for almost any task.
16GB is better, but so what?
Yeah, I think 5400 RPM drives is a bigger problem than 8GB of RAM. 8GB is going to impact some people some times. A 5400 RPM drive is going to impact everyone all the time.
It certainly would’ve helped the roomful of people using old base-model Mac minis I once observed working with nothing more than Office apps. Many routinely complained how slow their machines ran.
Over the years, my personal experience of course, with many people I help with computers, that just is not what I find. Too often people mention how slow their iMac, Mini, what have you is. I ask them to check the configuration, they get back to me with ”4GB of RAM” or “8GB of RAM”. I always suggest they go to 16GB. Every time they report back how much smoother it runs. What can I say? That is my experience plus, it helps “future proof” them, and with any apps that may require more RAM. With applications requiring more and more memory, why not add the extra RAM to begin with? In my opinion, it’s very little cost and a much better customer experience. Remember when a 4GB HD was huge? It doesn’t take long for that to change, in any aspect, this one happens to be an easy, and relatively inexpensive way to go, so why not?
Plus, let’s not forget, a Mac is always supposed to be better.
Maybe you and I have been working in a field using InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop (dare I say Quark! 🙂 ) too long? But really, as I mentioned to Steven Fisher above, I have frequently encountered people where a simple upgrade of RAM made for a much better experience.
Thanks, I was just going to ask this question as well. Can you elaborate Dave?
I had a 2012 Mac Mini with a 1TB Fusion Drive and then moved to a late 2015 iMac with a 1TB Fusion Drive and it was like going from an SSD to a standard HD. For some strange reason Apple reduced the performance of the 1TB Fusion Drive and I can only guess that it was too fast for the price.
Agreed.
For many years, the #1 midlife upgrade for a Mac was to add RAM. Now, since many machines aren’t upgradable, I tell everyone who asks my advice to future-proof their purchase by buying more. Macs now have a potential useful lifespan of at least 6 years. 8GB might be “fine” now for some people, but who thinks that will still be true in the mid-2020s?
I don’t know about that. Starting price for the iMac was as low as $799 at one point.
The low-end 4K iMac is $1299 for an i3 with 8GB and a spinning disk, which is a shitty compromised computer that nobody should buy.
A good iMac (16GB + SSD) is an extra $400. 50 bucks more for the trackpad.
This is really testing the limits of the Mac OS premium
As I write this, I’m using just over 9GB of memory. But that includes two browsers, Slack, Photos and the App Store (in addition to the apps I mean to have open, like Xcode and the iOS Simulator).
9GB of memory used on an 8GB system isn’t a big deal unless you have a 5,400 RPM drive.
I would never tell someone not to upgrade to 16GB, but 8GB is still a fine base.
But we both know, real RAM is much faster than any HD though. Everyone’s experience is different of course, but in my experience with other people, this one thing really did make a big difference.
Also, as I wrote before, I am thinking of the future too. Luckily Macs last, which is a goods thing, but morte RAM will be used as time goes by, and it’s expected. I just don’t see why not to do it really.
It is, but most things that go into RAM come from disk anyway. More RAM controls how much can be loaded, but the drive speed controls how fast it gets there.
Until you get into the area where swapping becomes an issue, disk speed is more important than total RAM. And even then, disk speed is a huge factor.
I certainly wouldn’t get a machine with 8GB that can’t be upgraded, though! Definitely get 16GB if you can’t upgrade later. 🙂