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A couple of days ago, Apple announced new iMacs which promise performance that will simply destroy any Intel based iMac based on the performance that I saw on the M1 based MacBook Air. But you have to be careful about how you buy this iMac when sales start later this month, otherwise you might limit your options in the future. Thus here’s my suggestions for how to buy it:
- Skip the base model: The base model is a complete and total waste of your time and money. It only comes with a 7 core GPU which means that there will be a hit in performance. But the bigger issue is that it only comes with two Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 ports. Every other model comes with those ports and two USB 3 ports. That will limit what you can connect to it. On top of that, you won’t get the option for Gigabit Ethernet built into the power adapter. And as a result it limits your flexibility as to connecting to the Internet via Ethernet or WiFi. Then there’s the fact that Touch ID is available only on the 2 higher end models. If you care about upping your security game, that’s a factor to consider. Finally, only 4 of the available 7 colors are available on the base model. For reference, the next step up in the lineup has 6 of the available 7 colors. Finally the top end option has all 7 colors available. What’s weird is that the US has all 7 colors available in the top two models. So if you are in a location other than the US, you might want to keep an eye out for that. The bottom line is that unless you can’t afford to go up to at least the next step up in the iMac food chain, you should skip this model.
- Get 16GB of RAM: Seeing as like the other M1 Macs you can’t upgrade the RAM after the fact, getting 16GB of RAM is a must. That way you future proof your iMac and will ensure that you can run anything as your needs evolve.
- Get the most amount of storage that you can afford: 256GB is really not enough storage and like the RAM you cannot upgrade later. I would recommend 512GB or more as that too will future proof your iMac and will also ensure that you can run anything as your needs evolve. Here’s my rule of thumb:
- If you currently have a computer with 256GB of storage, get 512GB.
- If you currently have a computer with 512GB of storage, get 1TB.
- If you currently have a computer with 1TB of storage, get 2TB.
Hopefully that helps you to configure the right M1 based iMac for your needs. If you still have questions, email me and I will help you as best as I can.