I am thinking of purchasing a iMac 5K next week. The specs that I am going with are:
4.0GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 4.4GHz
8 gigs of ram - will upgrade that on my own
AMD Radeon R9 M295X 4GB GDDR5
What I am not sure of is the fusion drive. How does it compare to a full on SSD? I understand what it does, but compared to an SSD, is the speed similar or close? Currently I have a rMBP with 512 SSD and I am hooked on the speed, so I do not want to step down in that department.
The pure SSD feels a bit faster than a Fusion drive, but not by a lot in my experience. However, if you're used to a pure SSD setup, you will notice the Fusion drive being a tad less responsive than a pure SSD setup, so for you in your own words, you probably don't want one.
For apps and files that you use often, the difference won't be huge. However, in the case where you don't use a program for a while it will likely be pretty slow to launch in comparison.
There's similar issues with databases, it would seem. If you have a large Outlook database, some parts won't be stored on the SSD (from what I've seen), leading to beach balling while it retrieves it.
The main uses are Adobe Indesign, Illustrator and some photoshop now and then, main use is all indesign. I use Apple Mail as well. Is this something that can be upgraded later? So if I found a good deal on a large SSD I could have it put in at a later date?
I think I am just going to go with the 1TB flash drive. I am so used to the speed in everything I do, I do not think I could go back. Looks like I will be ordering a completely maxed out iMac 5K today!
It's nice that you have a company and can most likely write off most of the $4,000.00± cost for that iMac. I'm jealous. Most of us old retired users would no doubt love to have such an iMac all decked out like that.
You can use any sized SSD to make your own fusion drive, you can even use external drives to do it. Hell you can technically make your own fusion drives using 2 HDDs or 2 SSDs or whatever combo you want. However, I wouldn't suggest making your own to everyone as the only way I know to do it involves the terminal and that can be intimidating/scary for some people.
you can also buy a fusion drive and separate the HDD from the SSD and just manage the storage yourself
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