21.5 iMac 2019 Base Upgrade Options

[dmsmith90]

Apologize if this has been asked before, but couldn't seem to find an exact answer.

 

I'm currently toying around with buying a new iMac 2019, but in an effort to save money and for just "the fun of the build," I've considered buying a 4K base model and then simply upgrading it to meet my desired specs. I know the 27" CPU and ram can be upgraded, but I wanted to get some clarification that I won't run into any thermal or compatibility issues with the following build: 

 

-Worth noting, no gaming or video editting on this machine. Lots of "music creation" software - including many standalone players that utilize multiple cores and hyper threading. 

 

iMac that would be ordered from Apple: https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/imac/21.5-inch-3.6ghz-quad-core-processor-1tb#

Upgraded items:

1 TB HDD ----- Samsung 860 QVO 2TB SSD

Intel i3 8th gen  ------ Intel i9 9900K 9th Gen
8gb ram ----- 64gb (2x32) 2666MHZ Ram

 

Many thanks in advance! 

[Electronics Wizardy]

6 minutes ago, dmsmith90 said:

1 TB HDD ----- Samsung 860 QVO 2TB SSD

I dont' know if they still do it, but they used to have a special hdd temp sensor on imacs so its gonna run the fans at max speed with 3rd party drives unless you get a little sensor to override this.

 

Id just run your boot drive over usb/thunderbolt and ignore that built in drive.

 

7 minutes ago, dmsmith90 said:

ntel i3 8th gen  ------ Intel i9 9900K 9th Gen

Might run a bit toasty and thermal throttle in here, but don't know for sure.

 

 

 

And you probably know, but these aren't easy to work on.

 

 

Id personally run a hackintosh here, or get a 2012 mac pro, or just run windows, seems like a odd use here

[InFlightConsultant]

She's socketed! OMG I hadn't looked at that yet...fun. 

 

You'll probably be fine (if it works the way I'm reading now) but if Apple ships a lower end cooler in the i3 you might run into some throttling. In my experience, they don't usually do this with iMacs. The cooling systems has typically been integrated into the logic board in the past, so if they've gone to a socketed model, it's possible they've looked for efficiencies in production and are changing cooling to match the CPUs also. I'd suspect you'll be okay. 

 

I can't help but say that this could be nuked by Apple in a firmware update so I personally would only do this if I could afford to lose the iMac. Keep in mind that iMacs use the smallest power supply they can use. In the past it's been 180W or 210W PSUs (just from memory) so I wouldn't be expecting a whole lot here. It's a fun project. 

 

You might find this handy. Keep in mind the 21.5 will very likely have a smaller PSU than the 27". 

 

https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT201918

[dmsmith90]

1 minute ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

Id personally run a hackintosh here, or get a 2012 mac pro, or just run windows, seems like a odd use here

Thanks for the reply. What I do for work is a little hard to explain, it's not just running logic to make "sweet beats." Having high decent core count really helps run the multiple programs (which are often "rewired" together) and standalone players I need simultaneously. 

 

I've considered the hackintosh approach, but I'm always worried about upgrades and compatibility issues for software. 

[Electronics Wizardy]

2 minutes ago, dmsmith90 said:

Thanks for the reply. What I do for work is a little hard to explain, it's not just running logic to make "sweet beats." Having high decent core count really helps run the multiple programs (which are often "rewired" together) and standalone players I need simultaneously. 

 

I've considered the hackintosh approach, but I'm always worried about upgrades and compatibility issues for software. 

why not mac mini then? Get your own screen, easier to work on, about the same speed.

[dmsmith90]

3 minutes ago, InFlightConsultant said:

She's socketed! OMG I hadn't looked at that yet...fun. -- haha right?!

 

I can't help but say that this could be nuked by Apple in a firmware update so I personally would only do this if I could afford to lose the iMac. Keep in mind that iMacs use the smallest power supply they can use. In the past it's been 180W or 210W PSUs (just from memory) so I wouldn't be expecting a whole lot here. It's a fun project. 

 

You might find this handy. Keep in mind the 21.5 will very likely have a smaller PSU than the 27". 

 

https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT201918

Yeah, power supply was another concern of mine for sure. I really appreciate the info! Thanks! 

[dmsmith90]

2 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

why not mac mini then? Get your own screen, easier to work on, about the same speed.

That's actually the top option right now, but I wanted to at least get a feel for this option. Having worked on an 2017 iMac before, I mostly certainly know how much easier the mini would be! Thanks again! 

[InFlightConsultant]

What he said.

 

Mac mini, 6 core, 64GB RAM, whatever storage you think you need internally...buy a 35" 2K 21:9 ultrawide so those timelines are nice and wide. Sell the Mac mini when an 8 core model is out or move to Mac Pro/iMac Pro when you make the money to justify it. Thunderbolt RAID for archiving and probably editing also. SSD for capture or mixing etc. 

 

If it's work for work: stability, performance more important than 'it's a cool project'. I think you are right to be concerned about the stability of a hackintosh and don't build a 2012 Mac Pro now. This is why people still buy slow 2013 Mac Pros for editing work, stability over performance. As you say, it's the right tool to run your software. 

 

The 6 core i5 Mac mini is a build box for me and it runs great.

[dmsmith90]

26 minutes ago, InFlightConsultant said:

What he said.

 

Mac mini, 6 core, 64GB RAM, whatever storage you think you need internally...buy a 35" 2K 21:9 ultrawide so those timelines are nice and wide. Sell the Mac mini when an 8 core model is out or move to Mac Pro/iMac Pro when you make the money to justify it. Thunderbolt RAID for archiving and probably editing also. SSD for capture or mixing etc. 

  

If it's work for work: stability, performance more important than 'it's a cool project'. I think you are right to be concerned about the stability of a hackintosh and don't build a 2012 Mac Pro now. This is why people still buy slow 2013 Mac Pros for editing work, stability over performance. As you say, it's the right tool to run your software. 

 

The 6 core i5 Mac mini is a build box for me and it runs great.

I think you're right... Yeah the Mac Mini has been the front runner anyways and I think it's probably the safer route. I may try and hold out for another year or so, just to see if an 8-core version comes out, but 6 would be still be great! Thanks again, really appreciate the ideas and help!