Buying a new iMac advice

SketchUp Computer Advice
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1

Hello, I am in the process of buying a new iMac to support a design build construction company. I currently operate on a MacBook Pro Mid 2015 with the following specs:

  • Processor: 2.5 GHz Quad Core Intel Core i7
  • Memory: 16GB 1600 MHz DDR3
  • Graphics: AMD Radeon R9 M370X 2GB / Intel Iris Pro 1536 MB

Overall, I have been pleased with the performance but there is some lag. I am looking to upgrade performance that better supports the Sketchup and Layout platforms. I currently hold a 2018 Sketchup Pro license. Specifically, I utilize the workflow developed by Nick Sonder and Matt Donley in the book “Sketchup & LayOut for Architecture”. Graphics are super important as well as speed. I am not great with hardware specs but can get a basic understanding given some tips. My overall budget for a new iMac is around $3k.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

2

Well then your closest choice is the best 27" iMac starting at 2,300 (w/ 8GB RAM)

Upping the RAM to 32GB is at 2,900.

Look at the SSD storage and decide if you’d like to double that to 1TB for another 200.

3

thank you Dan. Is it worth upping the budget for a better graphics processor or core processor?

4

Unless you are in a hurry, it might be wise to wait a bit. The rumor mills believe Apple is going to release new iMac models perhaps as soon as later this month.

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5

great thanks. I remember a friend saying the same thing a little while back. Hard to wait but probably worth it.

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6

What I linked was the top of the line both w CPU and GPU.

If what Steve says comes true, the prices on the old line may drop.

7

got it. thanks.

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8

Waiting for the new iMac means having to run the Monterey OS on it and I thought Sketch Up isn’t supported by Monterey?

9

Even the latest update to SketchUp was a month before Monterey was released. It can be risky to claim support for macOS when it’s still in beta. I would expect the next update to mention Monterey.

Meanwhile, 2019 and later seem to work ok in Monterey.

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