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CaptainProton

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 1, 2017
1
0
Hey, guys! Mac noob here.

I'm strongly considering changing allegiances, mainly because I'm a designer and want to use Sketch.

The questions I have are as follows:
  1. I have two Dell U2713HM 27" monitors with 2560x1440 WQHD resolution. If I buy the new iMac with 27" 5k screen, I would also want to retain a similar setup and have another 27" screen along with it. Does this second screen also need to be 5k? Can both monitors be balanced so that the application sizes look the same on both screens, regardless of different pixel densities?

    For example, I would not like to drag a window from one to another screen and have it zoom in and out because of the difference.

  2. The mouse that I use and am in love with is Anker vertical mouse (click to visit the product page) because it single-handedly solved my Carpal tunnel syndrome issues. However, if you look at the link, the thumb buttons that I use all the time are not supported. Is this definitive, or are there any other ways these buttons can be activated using some 3rd party programs?

  3. How effective is fusion drive as opposed to going full SSD? I don't feel the need to have every file open in a split second. What I do want is to have the OS boot from the SSD, as well as my programs. I also intend to go with 3 TB version, so the 128 GB SSD should be more than enough for my needs.

    My friend, however, convinces me that SSD is still a better option. Given that I will mainly use this computer for graphic design with Sketch, and not some high-level video or audio editing, do you still think that going full SSD is worth it?

  4. Since I will be mainly doing graphic design, and potentially or eventually work with an additional UHD screen, is it worth going for a version that has Radeon Pro 580 with 8GB video memory? Doing design AND having an extra 27" UHD screen probably takes a lot of graphics card power, so is this something I should even be considering? I'd hate it if the sole presence of another giant 27" UHD monitor sucked out all the power that I need for doing the actual work.
Those would be all the questions I can think of right now. Thanks everyone!
 

MacNeto

macrumors newbie
Jan 12, 2016
29
46
  • [*]I have two Dell U2713HM 27" monitors with 2560x1440 WQHD resolution. If I buy the new iMac with 27" 5k screen, I would also want to retain a similar setup and have another 27" screen along with it. Does this second screen also need to be 5k? Can both monitors be balanced so that the application sizes look the same on both screens, regardless of different pixel densities?
    [*]

    [*]For example, I would not like to drag a window from one to another screen and have it zoom in and out because of the difference.
    The 5k iMac displays everything as 2560X1440 normally (unless the user specify full 5k), so your other monitor should display things at the same size (other 5k iMac users, do correct me if I'm wrong).
  • [*]
    [*]How effective is fusion drive as opposed to going full SSD? I don't feel the need to have every file open in a split second. What I do want is to have the OS boot from the SSD, as well as my programs. I also intend to go with 3 TB version, so the 128 GB SSD should be more than enough for my needs.
    [*]

    [*]My friend, however, convinces me that SSD is still a better option. Given that I will mainly use this computer for graphic design with Sketch, and not some high-level video or audio editing, do you still think that going full SSD is worth it?
    If SSD is an option for you, buy it. With 2,000MB+ read/write speed for the new M.2 SSD and the fact that the entire system loads from it, anyone who can afford it should get it. I would get the smallest SSD, and use an external hard drive for archiving -- one less mechanical thing which requires opening the entire iMac to fix if broken, future-proof speed (SSD) for the next maybe 5 years.
  • [*]Since I will be mainly doing graphic design, and potentially or eventually work with an additional UHD screen, is it worth going for a version that has Radeon Pro 580 with 8GB video memory? Doing design AND having an extra 27" UHD screen probably takes a lot of graphics card power, so is this something I should even be considering? I'd hate it if the sole presence of another giant 27" UHD monitor sucked out all the power that I need for doing the actual work.
    Again, if it's an option to consider, YES. On a fixed computer like the iMac, things hard or impossible to upgrade later should be maxed out (as much as possible) at the beginning. Pick the best storage and graphics, upgrade Ram later as you need. If you plan on keeping the computer for a long time, it's a no brainer. On the plus side, if you decide you need windows 10, you can install that on your 5k iMac and it would also benefit from upgraded hardware. It's like upgrading two expensive 5k computers for the price of one. Good luck!

2016 5k iMac
i7, M395X, 500GB SSD, 32 GB ram
El Capitan for pictures and video
Windows 10 for gaming
 
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