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Posted by Squarerigger: Fri Nov 2nd, 2012 13:15 1st Post
It would appear Apple has finally updated the iMac. New versions due in November and December. I can finally replace my 7 year old machine and process photographs in lightening fast speed. Well maybe as long as Nikon gets the pixel war under control.

Now all I have to do is convince my boss that we need a new computer. :bowing:



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Posted by jk: Fri Nov 2nd, 2012 13:22 2nd Post
Well if you get the new top end iMac with the 27" screen then you will get to process and show the images as a slideshow in record time on a superb screen.



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Posted by Squarerigger: Fri Nov 2nd, 2012 13:52 3rd Post
I am afraid my budget will limit me to the 21.5 inch model with upgraded RAM. Santa has children and grand children to tend to. :-O



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Posted by Robert: Fri Nov 2nd, 2012 15:38 4th Post
To help the budget slightly don't get the RAM from Apple, get it from Crucial or OWC.

Try the iMac without extra RAM because I have done speed tests with my Mac mini's and there is now little or any measurable difference with or without extra RAM. The way Apple have the system configured is very efficient.

It's very easy to install yourself, or was on all previous versions of the iMac, but take full anti static precautions. You will be unlikely to make the RAM unusable but it can affect the reliability of the internal circuitry of the RAM if you give the chips a static jolt.



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Posted by Squarerigger: Fri Nov 2nd, 2012 16:41 5th Post
Excellent advice as always Robert - thanks.



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Posted by jk: Fri Nov 2nd, 2012 17:04 6th Post
Yes good advice.
RAM installation is very easy and costs 1/2 the price from Apple. Then you ebay the old RAM and you have a fine upgrade!



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Posted by Eric: Sat Nov 3rd, 2012 11:49 7th Post
New computers always go faster than me when I first get them...so I never have need to upgrade them out of the box.

:-)

In the case of Windows machines I always know when it's time to upgrade or reinstall the OS, as I find the same machine now cant keep up with me.
Which explains why, as I got older, I havent needed to upgrade that regularly.

:rofl:



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Posted by jk: Sat Nov 3rd, 2012 13:56 8th Post
Eric wrote: New computers always go faster than me when I first get them...so I never have need to upgrade them out of the box.

:-)

In the case of Windows machines I always know when it's time to upgrade or reinstall the OS, as I find the same machine now cant keep up with me.
Which explains why, as I got older, I havent needed to upgrade that regularly.

:rofl:
:lol:  I think that you are just being more considered.




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Posted by jk: Sat Nov 3rd, 2012 13:57 9th Post
I notice that Apple seems to have dropped the Macbook Pro 17" from their line.
That is a great shame as it made for a fabulous portable editing machine.
I suppose that forces me to get a 15" Retina display when I come to get my next unit in a year or two.



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Posted by Doug: Sun Nov 4th, 2012 04:14 10th Post
jk wrote:
Yes good advice.
RAM installation is very easy and costs 1/2 the price from Apple. Then you ebay the old RAM and you have a fine upgrade!

Only the 27" allows user upgrades of Ram - this probably means the ram is soldered in to the 21.5 which offers performance improvements over removable ram, but is majorly inconvenient

Soldered ram better than DIMMs



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Posted by Squarerigger: Sun Nov 4th, 2012 07:28 11th Post
jk wrote:
I notice that Apple seems to have dropped the Macbook Pro 17" from their line.
That is a great shame as it made for a fabulous portable editing machine.
I suppose that forces me to get a 15" Retina display when I come to get my next unit in a year or two.

I found the missing 17" also odd. However, I was listening to a radio show with a bunch of "experts" talking about the future of desktop, laptop, and tablets. The general consensus was laptops will go away in the future and desktops as more of a server an tablets for portability.
o.O



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Posted by Andy: Sun Nov 4th, 2012 12:29 12th Post
Robert wrote: To help the budget slightly .........

 
Unfortunately for my bank account Robert has converted me to using Mac so I'll be looking for a second hand MacBook Pro on ebay for christmas



Posted by Eric: Sun Nov 4th, 2012 13:55 13th Post
Squarerigger wrote:
jk wrote:
I notice that Apple seems to have dropped the Macbook Pro 17" from their line.
That is a great shame as it made for a fabulous portable editing machine.
I suppose that forces me to get a 15" Retina display when I come to get my next unit in a year or two.

I found the missing 17" also odd. However, I was listening to a radio show with a bunch of "experts" talking about the future of desktop, laptop, and tablets. The general consensus was laptops will go away in the future and desktops as more of a server an tablets for portability.
o.O

If they add a stylus (like galaxy note) to the iPad and up it's processing power, it may be possible to edit photos on a tablet. But I suspect we will all be doing editing on desktops for some time. ( you hear this from the man who was present at the 1974 launch of Hula Hoops snack food in the UK, and predicted"they will never sell")
:rofl:



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Posted by Robert: Sun Nov 4th, 2012 14:37 14th Post
Andy wrote:
Robert wrote: To help the budget slightly .........

 
Unfortunately for my bank account Robert has converted me to using Mac so I'll be looking for a second hand MacBook Pro on ebay for christmas

Sorry! But you do like it? ;-)



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Posted by jk: Sun Nov 4th, 2012 16:05 15th Post
Andy, once you buy you will love. The initial conversion problem is identifying which programs to get for the Apple you will find that there is less need for loads of extra programs as the programs are better designed and have more functionality.

Ask and we will help you.
Windows program name ?. ====> Apple equivalent.



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Posted by Dave Groen: Mon Nov 5th, 2012 14:28 16th Post
There doesn't seem to be much difference in performance between the new and old iMacs. Both max out with a 3.4 GHz quad-core i7.

The major difference is that the new ones are thinner, don't have a Superdrive, and have some different I/O ports (no more FireWire).

I'd consider getting an older one depending on your I/O needs. Here are the specs:

Was and Still is: Configurable to 3.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Was: Configurable to 2TB HD or 256GB SS second drive; Now: Configurable to 3TB HD or 768GB SS second drive
Was: Max RAM 16GB;  Now: 32 GB
Was and Still is: Two Thunderbolt ports on 27-inch iMac
Was: Mini DisplayPort  (none mentioned on new iMac)
Was: One FireWire 800 port  (none mentioned on new iMac)
Was: Four USB 2.0 ports; Now: four USB 3.0 ports
Was: SDXC card slot  (none mentioned on new iMac)
Was: Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive; (none mentioned on new iMac)
Was and Still is: Gigabit Ethernet

Edit: Max RAM on the old iMac (Mid-2011) can supposedly be bumped to 32 GB. The value of doing so is questionable.

I have 12 GB in my 27" 3.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 and it's plenty fast (standard 4GB + $40 8GB module from Crucial). I threw some Photoshop Liquify filters at a 100 MB D800 file and it took it only a few seconds. Then I up-rezzed the file to make it stupidly large and did some more Liquifying and it only took a few more seconds. Finally, I did an Oil Painting effect on the stupidly large file and that took 40 seconds, not really all that long considering it was creating jillions of fake brush strokes.



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Posted by Doug: Mon Nov 5th, 2012 15:41 17th Post
Dave Groen wrote:
There doesn't seem to be much difference in performance between the new and old iMacs. Both max out with a 3.4 GHz quad-core i7.

The major difference is that the new ones are thinner, don't have a Superdrive, and have some different I/O ports (no more FireWire).

I'd consider getting an older one depending on your I/O needs. Here are the specs:

Was and Still is: Configurable to 3.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Was: Configurable to 2TB HD or 256GB SS second drive; Now: Configurable to 3TB HD or 768GB SS second drive Doug says - and Fusion Drive*
Was: Max RAM 16GB;  Now: 32 GB Doug says - 27" Only - User upgradeable, the 21.5 only offers 16GB max as a factory option*
Was and Still is: Two Thunderbolt ports on 27-inch iMac
Was: Mini DisplayPort  (none mentioned on new iMac) Doug says - Thunderbolt IS mini displayport*
Was: One FireWire 800 port  (none mentioned on new iMac) Doug says - Still available via Thunderbolt adapter/hub etc - this is a non issue*
Was: Four USB 2.0 ports; Now: four USB 3.0 ports Doug says - Yay
Was: SDXC card slot  (none mentioned on new iMac) Doug says - SDXC card slot (in awkward rear location!).*
Was: Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive; (none mentioned on new iMac) Doug says - No Superdrive in these models - Optical is the new Floppy, if you need it buy an external or share the drive from another Mac*
Was and Still is: Gigabit Ethernet

Edit: Max RAM on the old iMac (Mid-2011) can supposedly be bumped to 32 GB. The value of doing so is questionable. Doug says - if by questionable you mean advantageous for some, pointless for many**

I have 12 GB in my 27" 3.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 and it's plenty fast (standard 4GB + $40 8GB module from Crucial). I threw some Photoshop Liquify filters at a 100 MB D800 file and it took it only a few seconds. Then I up-rezzed the file to make it stupidly large and did some more Liquifying and it only took a few more seconds. Finally, I did an Oil Painting effect on the stupidly large file and that took 40 seconds, not really all that long considering it was creating jillions of fake brush strokes.

*More Info here
http://macperformanceguide.com/blog/2012/20121023_2-new-iMac.html
and here**
http://macperformanceguide.com/blog/2012/20120725_3-MacPro-80GB-memory-Photoshop-usage.html



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Posted by Andy: Mon Nov 5th, 2012 16:09 18th Post
jk wrote: Andy, once you buy you will love. The initial conversion problem is identifying which programs to get for the Apple you will find that there is less need for loads of extra programs as the programs are better designed and have more functionality.

Ask and we will help you.
Windows program name ?. ====> Apple equivalent.
Got an IBook G4 from ebay and its just got me hooked....



Posted by Squarerigger: Mon Nov 5th, 2012 16:50 19th Post
Quick question, all my photography files are backed up on g-tech raid system. It has esata, usb2.0, and firewire connections. The new iMac does not appear to have any of those connections. Do I have to get a new raid??



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Posted by Robert: Mon Nov 5th, 2012 17:50 20th Post
Sonnet and maybe OWC do an adaptor from thunderbolt to firewire I think, maybe also eSATA, eSATA would be my choice.

For backup USB2 would be OK into USB3 but I am not a fan of USB for hard drives. Most of my external drives are 'G' Tech, using USB has a serious impact on speed compared with FW but for backup it wouldn't matter.

This is one link:

http://www.lacie.com/us/products/product.htm?id=10574

That would allow you to plug in two eSATA drives I think. I am getting behind with this technology!



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Posted by jk: Tue Nov 6th, 2012 03:33 21st Post
There is a adapter from Sonnet and also other manufacturers have seen the opportunity. I expect to see a flood of Thunderbolt to eSATA,SATA, USB, Firewire adapters coming soon.



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Posted by Squarerigger: Tue Nov 6th, 2012 07:02 22nd Post
Robert wrote:
Sonnet and maybe OWC do an adaptor from thunderbolt to firewire I think, maybe also eSATA, eSATA would be my choice.

For backup USB2 would be OK into USB3 but I am not a fan of USB for hard drives. Most of my external drives are 'G' Tech, using USB has a serious impact on speed compared with FW but for backup it wouldn't matter.

This is one link:

http://www.lacie.com/us/products/product.htm?id=10574

That would allow you to plug in two eSATA drives I think. I am getting behind with this technology!

Thanks Robert, my mind is at ease and the planets are all back in alignment. I was very concerned my G-Tech Raid system was already obsolete. This technology train is going way too fast nowadays. Or maybe as I get older I am slowing down more and just don't care to keep up with the tech party.



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Posted by Squarerigger: Tue Nov 6th, 2012 07:03 23rd Post
jk wrote:
There is a adapter from Sonnet and also other manufacturers have seen the opportunity. I expect to see a flood of Thunderbolt to eSATA,SATA, USB, Firewire adapters coming soon.
Good news indeed Jonathan.



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