The new iMacs

[swifty]

Sooo... Apple updated their iMacs as expected on Tuesday.
With my aging MacBook Pro struggling to keep up with my PP needs I'm in the market for a new comp.
Since space is a premium in my apartment and Apple just updated these puppies, it seems logical to go for iMacs over Mac minis or Mac Pros.
The question is, for a photo editing rig what configuration would be best bang for my buck.
For RAM I'll be maxing out to 16Gb aftermarket regardless of which config so that's irrelevant for the purpose of this discussion.
Would it be more worth it to go from the 27" i5 to the i7 or would the money be better spent on the very expensive SSD option.
How bout an upgrade on the video card. I've heard future versions (if not already) of editing software may offload a lot of processing to the graphics card from the CPU.

[JM Tran]

Harrrooo Dave!

Ive been using SSD in my MBP with twin external monitors for the last 8 months, and I can never go back to a normal HDD ever again. The speed and efficiency of the SSD is very beneficial to opening photos and programs, running them, load/boot times, not to mention better protection in the laptop as there are no moving parts to damage - thus I can use the laptop at all angles even upside down. But for desktops it is a moot point, however it will be less prone to mechanical failure, and produces no extra heat or noise.

I have never been a fan of the iMac monitor for editing, great to look at and viewing things, but for editing with the gloss surface is hard, even if reflections in the glass kept to a minimum, its hard to judge true blacks accurately even after calibration. But everyone has their preferences.

[crf529]

Gawblimey! Just had a look at the on-line store to check out the Macs and see what you could get a good machine for (the from $1399 price was inviting).....but I nearly fell off my chair when the final price for my choice came in at $3,979.

In your case for editing I'd recommend upgrading to the i7 as PS is beginning to make use of HT. I wouldn't worry too much about the GPU, the HD 6970 is a more than capable card in 1Gb guise, even more so that this is not a gaming machine. But for $120 it could be nice (nice being for Apple pricing), all depending on your budget as always.

And an SSD is a great option, but man Apple are ham fisted, 256Gb is BIG for SSD's right now and that's alotta cash when a 64Gb would be adequate. As always, how big is your budget?

[soulman]

I would go for the SSD. I use one as the boot drive in Mac Pro and, like JM and everyone else, I would never go back to spinning rust now. The SSD will give you far better value than the extra processing power. It is disk access times that slow us down these days for most things.

[swifty]

Hmmm.. Thanks folks.
I'm keen on the SSD option but at $600 it's an expensive option. Might need to pop into an Apple store for a demo to see if it's worth it. From i5-i7 it's another $350 so that's a cool grand more without me upgrading RAM.
It's a pity they don't have the $250 128GB SSD option like on the MacBook Pros since I'd only need it as a boot and working files disk. The rest can be archived onto the HDD.
Then there's the glossy screen problem that Jackie and others on the net have complained of. My down lights at home might play havoc with the screen.
Maybe I need to wait for the quad core Mac Mini update and get myself a matte Dell IPS panel LCD. Or go with a MacBook Pro + external monitor.
Choices...chooces.

[JM Tran]

Or do what I did last night Dave, just bought 2 Dell 2311H IPS Ultrasharp monitors along with a Matrox Dualhead2go to upgrade from the old monitors, so I can run 2 external monitors from the laptop at the same time for editing at high res. I took advantage of the $249 each sale for the monitors before it ended and the Matrox another $250 for the unit.

At a total cost of $750 I think it is great value for money for the extra working space and colour accuracy at a cheap price - much better than an iMac screen. The Dell U2311s are not HDMI, but I dont like editing on HDMI as the it makes the images look too crisp and sharp, not an accurate representation IMO.

[swifty]

Jackie: that'd solve one of my probs. The mrs needs a big screen for when she's working at home (which is most nights). And I can use it as a second monitor in portrait mode when I get either a MacBook pro, iMac or if they update a Mac mini. Only prob is I dunno if I cam fit a 27" and a 23" monitor on my desk.
Also I went to the Apple store just then. No SSD rigs on display and it's a 4-6weeks wait. Gives me some time to decide I guess. Perhaps SSD supplies are also constrained by recent disasters in Japan.