iMac 5k Retina Display

[MrSuperb]

Wouldn't a nvidia gpu with some cuda processors be better if they were aiming for content creation?

 

Afaik Linus isn't cutting,  endering or post-processing anything anyway. Also uploading now seems to be done by Nick.

[bomerr]

Well I use both platforms on a daily basis and I can say that 95% of what is said isn't the case anymore. You can not go 10 Years without significant changes.

 

I mean gaming for example on Mac OS X has made leaps and bounds since then as Steam is now available for OSX and quite a bit of the games are cross platform. I'm not going to go into it too far.

Change: Steam is available on Mac.

Same: Mac hardware still costs more than PC; OpenGL performance is worse then DirectX. 

Net Effect: No difference, PC is still better for gaming. Plus even on a Mac, Bootcamp > Mac OS X for gaming. 

 

Time changes but things have stayed the same.

[Hans Power]

Yeah, have fun with that magic mouse. Do you still have to lift the trigger finger off the left mouse button so that a right mouse click gets recognized? And that mouse acceleration - well that's fixable at least with third party tools.

[karim_9992]

The great question is : How a GPU that isn't made even for 4K works in a 5K screen?

 

And : OSX is for laptops Windows is for desktops.

[kn1ghtnsh1narmr]

This review, as expected, brings on more of this Apple vs PC bullshit.

 

where PC people grades every Mac based on gaming performance per dollar,

 

and Mac people denfends it by talking about build quality and aesthetics

 

But that is what interesting about this thread. There are corporate uses too that were actually thoughtful purchases and not aesthetic choices for an office.

 

As an aside, while typing this I got my first blue screen of death in windows in years.  I think the computer gods are trying to tell me something.

[Tredien]

Thunderbolt 1.2 limitation. Them making their own controller to make it a SST display means no TDM till 1.3 rolls around with the proper bandwidth to support a SST 5K display on its own.

It's a shame, but I see why. We won't have TDM iMacs till the 5K Cinema Display gets loosed.

 

 

That makes sense, thanks.

[Valentyn]

Well I use both platforms on a daily basis and I can say that 95% of what is said isn't the case anymore. You can not go 10 Years without significant changes.

 

I mean gaming for example on Mac OS X has made leaps and bounds since then as Steam is now available for OSX and quite a bit of the games are cross platform. I'm not going to go into it too far.

I use both daily as well, and I find that Anand's article is still extremely relevant and eye opening for many Die Hard windows users. The easiest thing to take away from it in regards to changes over 10 years if all improvements and things going better than they did back then.

 

It does not however change any of his observations, and we could clearly see how eye opening it was for him. So much so it later became his platform of choice and changed the direction of this website.

[Osga21]

I'm on the PC side, so I'll try not to make myself look like a fanboy too much, because windows also has (many) flaws.

 

1. The placement of the IO is something that would really put me off, one thing I wouldn't want to do is reach around my monitor every time I want to plug in something.
2. This is also a minor complaint, but I think that for 2500$ only getting 1TB of storage is not enough. Also, no content producer will find such small storage space enough, we all know that raw content takes up a LOT of space.
3. You are getting an R9 290x, but you are getting the laptop version, which is less powerful than a standard R9280. That to me is unacceptable, if I'm shelling out 2500$ for a computer I should be given a standard gpu. Also again, for content creation, you would want something a little beefier.
4. The lack of upgrade-ability and proprietary components is a major down point. If something breaks, I should be able to fix it myself, and in a few years, if I want to do an upgrade I can't, and the only solution is to buy a new pc. Not cool, at all.

[interslice]

 

I'm on the PC side, so I'll try not to make myself look like a fanboy too much, because windows also has (many) flaws.

 

1. The placement of the IO is something that would really put me off, one thing I wouldn't want to do is reach around my monitor every time I want to plug in something.
2. This is also a minor complaint, but I think that for 2500$ only getting 1TB of storage is not enough. Also, no content producer will find such small storage space enough, we all know that raw content takes up a LOT of space.
3. You are getting an R9 290x, but you are getting the laptop version, which is less powerful than a standard R9280. That to me is unacceptable, if I'm shelling out 2500$ for a computer I should be given a standard gpu. Also again, for content creation, you would want something a little beefier.
4. The lack of upgrade-ability and proprietary components is a major down point. If something breaks, I should be able to fix it myself, and in a few years, if I want to do an upgrade I can't, and the only solution is to buy a new pc. Not cool, at all.

 

1) this is actually something ive not heard much complaining from mac users about. to me its not really a big deal but i guess i could see the annoyance for some people. after getting a little more familiar with the mac its pretty easy to blindly reach around for the io ports and the power button is almost impossible to miss (which linus made it seem like was a bigger deal than it is). could always get a hub if its that annoying to you though.

2) you can bump it up to 3tb, but frankly if its a professional machine it will likely be using external storage (raid, NAS, etc) anyway. if it was me i would probably go with a 256 or 512 ssd and use exclusively external for hdd storage.

3) totally agree and frankly its always bothered me that with the exception of the mac pro, ever apple computer is using a mobile gpu. if you look inside the 5k imac its not even like they ran out of space.

4) with the new imacs its not even the proprietary components that are the biggest issue. the mac is literally glued shut. yes its possible to open but it is a bitch. but then again is there any all in one that you can just swap out a mobo? i still say replace it every few years, sell the old one for 75% of the original cost and you can get a new one for ~$700 every thee years.

[7850OC]

someting to keep in mind 

 

is that the GPU inside the Apple 5K "is not Tahiti or Hawaii"

 

all old complains of temps (and performance) are "on the Tahiti and Hawaii line" (and this is not Tahiti or Hawaii)

[DildorTheDecent]

That display is a higher resolution than the video. Video editor will love it. 

[JDS]

I'm most surprised that Apple but an AMD product (M290x) in their products.  Haven't they predominately used Nvidia in the past?

[TheRetiredSlave]

The great question is : How a GPU that isn't made even for 4K works in a 5K screen?

 

GPU power is only really important in gaming. Since Mac OS doesn't have DirectX you're not going to be doing much gaming anyway, so the GPU is going to spend most of its time drawing 2D desktop applications.. The M295X is based on the Tonga core, which has more than enough compute power for GPU acceleration in workstation tasks even if it doesn't have anywhere near the performance or VRAM to game at 5K.

 

It can output that high of a resolution because Apple designed custom display controllers that can manage it correctly. 

[oreozzy]

Not sure if anyone else has seen it, but Linus posted on his Instagram account that he's upgrading the RAM inside the iMac.

I really don't think he should be doing any sort of upgrades for this "iSwitch" video series as the average (in before you other Mac users try and defend it) iMac user wouldn't even know about RAM upgrades, let alone actually go out and do/get one.

[interslice]

Not sure if anyone else has seen it, but Linus posted on his Instagram account that he's upgrading the RAM inside the iMac.

I really don't think he should be doing any sort of upgrades for this "iSwitch" video series as the average (in before you other Mac users try and defend it) iMac user wouldn't even know about RAM upgrades, let alone actually go out and do/get one.

so wrong. this is a baseless claim. ram upgrades have been a part of macs for pretty much forever, and only recently with things like the macbook air and retina macbook pro has it been removed as an option. furthermore ram upgrades are one of the configuration options when you buy the thing and with externally accessible ram slots its clearly meant to be something anyone can do.

[interslice]

I'm most surprised that Apple but an AMD product (M290x) in their products.  Haven't they predominately used Nvidia in the past?

they go back and forth constantly. seems like pretty much every year or two they switch.

[7850OC]

GPU power is only really important in gaming. Since Mac OS doesn't have DirectX you're not going to be doing much gaming anyway, so the GPU is going to spend most of its time drawing 2D desktop applications.. The M295X is based on the Tonga core, which has more than enough compute power for GPU acceleration in workstation tasks even if it doesn't have anywhere near the performance or VRAM to game at 5K.

 

It can output that high of a resolution because Apple designed custom display controllers that can manage it correctly. 

plus that, all Tonga have a true 4K decoders 

[SNK]

Interested in the upcoming videos. I admit they look nice but my girlfriend has had top-spec £1800 iMac sitting on the desk beside me for nearly a year now and all she does it run windows on it. I'd love to give OS a go and really get into it.

[oreozzy]

so wrong. this is a baseless claim. ram upgrades have been a part of macs for pretty much forever, and only recently with things like the macbook air and retina macbook pro has it been removed as an option. furthermore ram upgrades are one of the configuration options when you buy the thing and with externally accessible ram slots its clearly meant to be something anyone can do.

I didn't say it can't be done, or that it would be hard to do. Just that the average iMac user wouldn't do it.

Every person I've ever known (outside of forums and other such interwebs) that have owned an iMac, wouldn't have the slightest idea what RAM is or what it actually does (apart from the age old "it makes it better"), and they sure as hell haven't even considered upgrading it.

You're on a Mac Pro (according to your signature), and I take from that, you're a very different Mac user to the, as I said before, average iMac user.

 

I still don't believe Linus should do any hardware upgrades to the iMac itself (peripherals permitted), not only because of my prior argument, but also because it's an AIO or even "pre-built". And who buys a pre-built or AIO and THEN UPGRADES IT THEMSELVES? Generally speaking, when someone buys an AIO or pre-built machine, they expect it to work out of the box.

If you knew you were going to upgrade a computer (straight away), you would usually price it and build it yourself, would you not?

[interslice]

I didn't say it can't be done, or that it would be hard to do. Just that the average iMac user wouldn't do it.

Every person I've ever known (outside of forums and other such interwebs) that have owned an iMac, wouldn't have the slightest idea what RAM is or what it actually does (apart from the age old "it makes it better"), and they sure as hell haven't even considered upgrading it.

You're on a Mac Pro (according to your signature), and I take from that, you're a very different Mac user to the, as I said before, average iMac user.

 

I still don't believe Linus should do any hardware upgrades to the iMac itself (peripherals permitted), not only because of my prior argument, but also because it's an AIO or even "pre-built". And who buys a pre-built or AIO and THEN UPGRADES IT THEMSELVES? Generally speaking, when someone buys an AIO or pre-built machine, they expect it to work out of the box.

If you knew you were going to upgrade a computer (straight away), you would usually price it and build it yourself, would you not?

this is still very wrong. for starters your tiny sample size is not an indication of mac users as a whole. in addition, the average windows user doesnt have a clue what the components inside their computer do either. that doesnt mean everyone in the world is using a base model machine. apple is notorious for charging a lot for pre configured ram upgrades. so much so that almost any google search along the lines of "apple ram or 3rd party" will mention that apple ram is over priced and you should buy the minimum amount and upgrade it 3rd party. (seriously this is like massively well known). this means anyone who does any research before dropping 2500 bucks would come to this conclusion. furthermore it is also often recommended by the people selling the mac. micro center employees, best buy employees, even apple store employees themselves often recommend upgrading 3rd party to save money. all of which could lead someone who cant explain ddr3 to upgrade their ram 3rd party. in fact id bet you that windows or mac, most people who buy ram upgrades at all couldnt explain exactly what ram is or how it works. (would love to see some stats on that.) the idea that people interested in a mac would simply build their own pc instead rather than order some 3rd party ram is folly.

 

and even if all of that was totally wrong (it isnt), this is linus tech tips, not do what your grama would tech tips. the ability to upgrade ram is well within the grasp of a lot of users and it would be silly for linus to ignore this feature just because he didnt configure the higher ram amount initially.

[msmafra]

You guys there are lucky to buy an iMac for $ 2,500. Here in Brazil it costs R$ 13.999.00, which converted to US dolars is $ 5,468.764!!!! Yes, five thousand!!!
 

I have being using Macminis since 2009/2010. OS X learning curve is easy. Just some peculiarities (unbelievable ones) of some versions like Leopard and Snow Leopard, where Finder DIDN'T HAVE CUT & PASTE functionality (!!!), the option was greyed on the menus. Only from Lion and above they implemented, very elegant solution I might say, which I find better than Ctrl + X and Ctrl +V, that is you copy using Command + C then you decide if you are going to paste, Command + V, or move, Command + Option + V.

The incredible replace functionality, more a mistake (dangerous one) than functionality: in the old system if copy/cut a folder from one place and at the paste you paste inside a place with a folder of the same name, the system would replace the folder with the copied one, not merge the files like any other normal.

The use of the Command key instead of the Ctrl key making it confuse for those that use... well all the other operating systems available.
The necessity of enable the secondary click manually is annoying (Ctrl + click is not practical at all). For some functionalities, which you get attached very easy, you must have apple magic mouse or trackpad. The non bluetooth keyboard is shitˆ$#t, is expensive (at least here) lasts nothing for an Apple product. I am on my second keyboard and (third if I count with my bluetooth one that I gave to a friend), as with the first one, I take all the care I can take and one keys is already strange.

 

The OS X system is fluid, stable, using the mouse or the trackpad is very fun and very useful once you've enable the ones you need in System Preferences. I use *unix commands a lot and OS X together with some extra software make my life easier. I use it mainly for my fun but also for work. Webdev tools are very easy to config.

 

Mavericks was a very good upgrade, Yosemite I am note  not enjoying.

 

I would like to recommend some of the Apps I use:

MplayerX very good media player, VLC (the one every one knows), Alfred (kind of a replacement, with extras, for spotlight), Xtrafinder (improvements for Finder), BetterSnapTool to snap windows anywhere (paid)  or BetterTouchTool (free), Afloat to pin certain Windows and iTerm if you use command line (bash etc.)

 

Oops! Forgot the homebrew, very, very useful package manager

Edited January 4, 2015 by msmafra

[ultimategamernerd]

i actually whipped into he apple store to see this thing in person. im a hardcore believer in the flexibility of a windows PC, but apple is meant for different types of work....and FOR those types of work...this 5k piece of hardware blows anything similar out of the water, much like dropping an atom bomb on a grape. its meant to be beautiful whilst working, and its the most beautiful piece of hardware i have ever laid eyes upon. as a windows user, i would switch if i could afford one (the only downside for me...) 

[Gingy]

I do think that Mac can be pretty limited in its uses and boasts fairly modest hardware, but damn, Linus is right. That display looks amazing!

 

Most of the cost of a Mac is just for the eye candy, but you can't find anything sweeter!

 

Having the IO on the back like that would be pretty annoying though.

[Guest]

I love Mac OS but it has some quirks.

 

Two apps I can't live without that make switching and using Macs even more enjoyable:

 

Smoothmouse - Lets you disable mouse acceleration, make it like Windows, or eliminate that slight latency-feeling that standard OS X acceleration has

 

BetterTouchTool - Lets you bind keys as you wish for any number of interface devices. Bind UI functions to your extra mouse buttons and such. Also allows you to change behavior of windows and gives you that snappy-window Aero style feature where you drag windows to various parts of the screen to resize them, making window management a breeze. 

[spawnflagger]

I'm a long-time Mac user (in addition to Windows, Linux, Solaris, Irix, BeOS).

I like VMware Fusion better than Parallels.  VirtualBox is a solid open-source alternative to either of those.

 

I'd like to see them test BootCamp - just to see if the Windows drivers are there for the 5K display - also so you could benchmark something at 5K.

If BootCamp doesn't work, then you can still install Steam - I bet older games like Half-Life 2 will run fine at 5K.

 

Not sure if it'll fit the new iMac, but these are a great idea - http://www.bluelounge.com/products/jimi/

 

Also, it's worth noting that Apple chose 5K because it's exactly 2x2 the resolution of their previous gen 27" iMac, 27" Cinema Display and 27" Thunderbolt Display.  The way Mac OS X handles HiDPI resolutions is to fool older apps into thinking the coordinates are still 2560x1440, but newer apps that are "HiDPI aware" can render at the higher res.  I think this is a good compromise, and better than the way Win 7 and 8.1 handle DPI scaling for "retina" style displays (sooo many old Windows apps are broken when you scale 150% or 200%.)