About to purchase 27" iMac, a few config questions

[retta283]

I wasn't planning on this at all, but a friend of mine offered to help me pay for this computer as a thank you for helping him move. I was going to wait until redesign, but figured why not go with the time proven design while it is still current.

First question, how much better is the Radeon 575x than the 570x? If the difference is noticeable I will go for the mid spec, might as well get the better processor and ability for 64GB RAM.

Second, what RPM is the HDD part of the Fusion Drive on the 27"? 7200rpm is not bad, but if it's 5400rpm I will just get the 512GB SSD.

Third, what RAM do you recommend I get? For now I will probably get 32GB RAM, but not sure who has the best deal on RAM, it's been a long time since I bought RAM.

Finally, will I be able to install Mojave on a secondary partition? I can imagine the latest version of Mojave has everything I need, but Apple might have put a block in place that I am not aware of.

Thanks to anybody who replies, I haven't purchased an iMac from Apple since fall of 2008, and the last time I configured one was when the Core 2 Duo models came out. I believe I upgraded the video card to 256MB...

 

[Conutz]

I’ll give my couple of cents worth:
-Go light on the RAM from Apple (8GB) and upgrade yourself. RAM can be upgraded at any time, so for now, maybe 16GB is good and in 3 years’ time you can go to 32GB or whatever approach suits.
-The slim iMac’s storage is not easy to upgrade and I don’t think video can be upgraded at all, so use the savings to upgrade ”fixed” items:
-Video card, as high as you can afford or might need.
-SSD instead of Fusion, irrespective of platter speed. Also, the SSD is tiny in the 1TB Fusion. I would say min. 512GB, as you mention.

 

[retta283]

I’ll give my couple of cents worth:
-Go light on the RAM from Apple (8GB) and upgrade yourself. RAM can be upgraded at any time, so for now, maybe 16GB is good and in 3 years’ time you can go to 32GB or whatever approach suits.
-The slim iMac’s storage is not easy to upgrade and I don’t think video can be upgraded at all, so use the savings to upgrade ”fixed” items:
-Video card, as high as you can afford or might need.
-SSD instead of Fusion, irrespective of platter speed. Also, the SSD is tiny in the 1TB Fusion. I would say min. 512GB, as you mention.

I don't intend to buy Apple RAM, I was wondering what third party sells the cheapest/best RAM. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

With USB 3 speeds and Thunderbolt 3 I can use external storage. AFAIK the new Music app does not allow you to work with music from external drives, which could be a big, big problem. I have over 1TB of music on an external drive. (30 years of CD purchasing and some limewire torrenting in the mid 2000s)

 

[kschendel]

I got my 2019 iMac add-on RAM from newegg. DDR4-2666 SO-DIMM, I think it was Crucial brand, CL19. Data Memory Systems is another excellent source.

570X vs 575X, I don't know. I suspect it depends on what you are doing. It's not all that big of a jump, but I can't point to any benchmarks that quantify it.

 

[TheIntruder]

I wasn't planning on this at all, but a friend of mine offered to help me pay for this computer as a thank you for helping him move. I was going to wait until redesign, but figured why not go with the time proven design while it is still current.

First question, how much better is the Radeon 575x than the 570x? If the difference is noticeable I will go for the mid spec, might as well get the better processor and ability for 64GB RAM.

There's not much difference between the base and mid-tier model. For most users, putting that money toward an SSD will being more of a palpable benefit.

There's a bigger leap with the top 3.7 model, which has a 9th gen processor and double the video memory. It's also cheaper to upgrade to SSD if you're buying CTO from Apple.

All models support 64GB, and up to 128GB unofficially.

Second, what RPM is the HDD part of the Fusion Drive on the 27"? 7200rpm is not bad, but if it's 5400rpm I will just get the 512GB SSD.

The 27" models use 3.5" 7200RPM drives.

Third, what RAM do you recommend I get? For now I will probably get 32GB RAM, but not sure who has the best deal on RAM, it's been a long time since I bought RAM.

8GB sticks have been hovering a little over $30 for a few months. 16GB sticks similar.

People have been using those modules with no issues, but if it comforts you to spend a little more on the officially sanctioned versions, opt for those instead. In all important respects, the two share the same technical characteristics.

Finally, will I be able to install Mojave on a secondary partition? I can imagine the latest version of Mojave has everything I need, but Apple might have put a block in place that I am not aware of.

The '19 models originally shipped with Mojave, so unless Apple has taken its control freak tendencies to new heights, retrograding should not be a problem.

In the end, it really depends on what you want to do with the machine. I have the 3.7/1TB, which is probably overkill for my needs, but have no regrets. It replaced a C2D model, so I wanted the headroom for the long haul.

 

[Fishrrman]

Re installing Mojave...

You won't know until you take it out of the box and get it running, whether it has Catalina on it or not.
It might still come with Mojave (and prompt you to upgrade).

If it DOES come with Mojave, just "let it be" and use it that way.

If it comes with Catalina, you could either:
a. "wipe it" -- erase the internal drive -- and install Mojave,
or
b. install Mojave on a partition or an external drive.

You could also buy an Apple-refurbished unit from their online store.
That one will almost certainly come with Mojave pre-installed.
Will save some money, too.

 

[retta283]

This is the config I have set out and ready to buy. I figured that maxing out the RAM and having an SSD will keep this thing fast for a while, GPU difference is marginal for most tasks in next few years. I don't play any modern games.

One final question, I see that there is a special offer Apple Store card for $200 that comes with the iMac. Does/can this apply to the iMac, or is it only meant for other purchases? I assume it's the latter because it doesn't seem to make a difference in final total.

 

[retta283]

Went ahead and purchased the computer. It's actually a pretty good deal because I saved $600 on it thanks to my friend. Will be a massive upgrade from what I am running now. I'll get to ordering some more RAM now.

 

[IowaLynn]

View attachment 880265
This is the config I have set out and ready to buy. I figured that maxing out the RAM and having an SSD will keep this thing fast for a while, GPU difference is marginal for most tasks in next few years. I don't play any modern games.

One final question, I see that there is a special offer Apple Store card for $200 that comes with the iMac. Does/can this apply to the iMac, or is it only meant for other purchases? I assume it's the latter because it doesn't seem to make a difference in final total.

The "Other Payment Options" is where you can use gift cards and such. May be that Apple offers the $200 after bought for use on other purchase - AirPod or whatever.

 

[retta283]

The "Other Payment Options" is where you can use gift cards and such. May be that Apple offers the $200 after bought for use on other purchase - AirPod or whatever.

Ah, good. I might pick up an iPod with that, since the base starts at $200. Just to replace my old iPhone as an iOS test device.

 

[bpeeps]

I wasn't planning on this at all, but a friend of mine offered to help me pay for this computer as a thank you for helping him move. I was going to wait until redesign, but figured why not go with the time proven design while it is still current.

First question, how much better is the Radeon 575x than the 570x? If the difference is noticeable I will go for the mid spec, might as well get the better processor and ability for 64GB RAM.

Second, what RPM is the HDD part of the Fusion Drive on the 27"? 7200rpm is not bad, but if it's 5400rpm I will just get the 512GB SSD.

Third, what RAM do you recommend I get? For now I will probably get 32GB RAM, but not sure who has the best deal on RAM, it's been a long time since I bought RAM.

Finally, will I be able to install Mojave on a secondary partition? I can imagine the latest version of Mojave has everything I need, but Apple might have put a block in place that I am not aware of.

Thanks to anybody who replies, I haven't purchased an iMac from Apple since fall of 2008, and the last time I configured one was when the Core 2 Duo models came out. I believe I upgraded the video card to 256MB...

Do not buy any computer with an HDD in 2019. If there's any upgrade you spring for get the SSD, point blank.

Edit: I commented before I read your follow-up comments. You made the right choice.