Best Mac for Affinity Apps?

[Patchwork]

I hope someone can help me out with this!

 

I love my MacBook Pro, but it's 6 years old now, and will need to be replaced as soon as possible.  I've decided I need a larger screen, and have no use for the portability of a laptop anymore, so I want to go back to a desktop Mac.  I've been glimpsing around here and there that the current iMac is perfectly fine for graphic design and illustration.  Is that true?  Does anyone else run your Affinity programs on an iMac?  If so, what are your specs?  Is there any lag at all?  Beach balls?  Even the slightest weakness, please post about here!  

 

Affinity Designer works fine on this old MBP, but of course, it's getting slower and slower, and I start losing the ability to drag layers around when things start getting too layer-heavy in a file.

 

I really need some good advice from every day users on this, as I don't really trust the wonderful intentions of anyone being paid by Apple to tell me what will work best, and I haven't really been able to find any forum topics discussing this anywhere else.  I'd love to hear from you guys on the Affinity development team!  What would you recommend?  I'm a professional illustrator, but I work freelance, so investing in something like a Mac Pro or any other super industrial strength Mac is way outside my range.  If an iMac will do the trick, I'd love to know exactly which specs you'd recommend for optimum speed!  Sounds like, as long as I pick the right model, everything I need will be onboard for doing illustration work.  I just need to know which!  :)

 

Thanks so much in advance for any help!

[Paul Bravery]

Hi Patchwork,

I'm using a late 2012 iMac, 16 GB RAM, 1TB Fusion drive, 512 MB Nvidia graphics.

Mac OS X El Capitan.

No problems so far.

[anon1]

You'll always get beach balls st some time.
But the apps sre very effective so it's also to say that you'll probably will get less beach balls than with any other software.

So it just depends on your budget.

I'd just advice you to go for 16GB RAM (you can also change this yourself after buying an iMac).
And I'd choose a SSD or fusion drive. As a photographer I need more space so I choosed a fusion drive.

[00Ghz]

Well I will make it reallyyyy eassyyy for you :)

 

Just get the most expensive config you can find. That one will work best with affinity apps and more ;)

 

If budget is a concern however then anything with an I7 + SSD will do fine.

[anon1]

AD also runs on iPad https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/7914-ad-for-ipad/ (not yet available)

and iPhone 4s https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/11726-affinity-photo-for-ipad/?p=56932

 

 

So IMO an i7 is not a must have - though I have them...and I´ve bought a used MBP so I could afford the best specs 

[00Ghz]

So IMO an i7 is not a must have - though I have them...and I´ve bought a used MBP so I could afford the best specs 

 

His issue is not just the app to run. That happens fine on his current old machine. His problem is to run fine when job gets intensive. So i7 it should be for him ;)

[Signguy]

I'd be interested in purchasing your old MBP if you don't already have plans for it. I need a good backup laptop and I have no issues running any affinity apps on my older 2008 MBP with 4gigs of memory and a ssd drive.

[anon1]

Apart from i7, i5 I'd wait for the next iteration of Intel processors which will arrive in the next monts.

 

There will probably also be an 21inch 4K iMac.

[TheRogue]

I'm using mid 2012 (Retina) MacBook Pro with 16gb and 750 gb flash drive.  Its fast!

 

When at home this is hooked up to Apple's 27" thunderbolt retina screen.

 

No performance issues at all. I just got Affinity Photo too!

[VIPStephan]

How about a Mac mini with a third-party monitor that is better than an Apple one but for a fraction of the price? Should be sufficient for the Affinity applications.

[Patchwork]

Well I will make it reallyyyy eassyyy for you :)

 

Just get the most expensive config you can find. That one will work best with affinity apps and more ;)

 

If budget is a concern however then anything with an I7 + SSD will do fine.

Budget is DEFINITELY a concern!!  XD  Thanks!

[Patchwork]

I'd be interested in purchasing your old MBP if you don't already have plans for it. I need a good backup laptop and I have no issues running any affinity apps on my older 2008 MBP with 4gigs of memory and a ssd drive.

I don't have any plans for it yet, but I don't know if you'd want to risk "moving" it.  

 

I put moving in quotes because 4 months after I bought this machine, the hard drive died.  For no reason at all.  I've never had that happen to me with a Mac, and was really shocked.  When I took it to the Apple Store to have it fixed, I was told "never move it"...y'know...a LAPTOP.  So much for being portable, and all that.  XD  I haven't had problems with it since, but the superdrive on it sucks, too.  I have to shove a disc in there 4 or 5 times to get it to accept it.  Then, the CD or DVD will just randomly pop out at any given moment, destroying most attempts to burn things or watch movies.  That's sucked since about my 3rd year owning this machine, and since I didn't renew AppleCare, I didn't bother getting it fixed.  I just get by with it for all of its dysfunction.  This is the first time I've ever had problems with a Mac that weren't age related.  Really disappointing.  Would you still want it with all these problems?...and that's not even counting shipping cost.  T_T

[Signguy]

I don't have any plans for it yet, but I don't know if you'd want to risk "moving" it.  

 

I put moving in quotes because 4 months after I bought this machine, the hard drive died.  For no reason at all.  I've never had that happen to me with a Mac, and was really shocked.  When I took it to the Apple Store to have it fixed, I was told "never move it"...y'know...a LAPTOP.  So much for being portable, and all that.  XD  I haven't had problems with it since, but the superdrive on it sucks, too.  I have to shove a disc in there 4 or 5 times to get it to accept it.  Then, the CD or DVD will just randomly pop out at any given moment, destroying most attempts to burn things or watch movies.  That's sucked since about my 3rd year owning this machine, and since I didn't renew AppleCare, I didn't bother getting it fixed.  I just get by with it for all of its dysfunction.  This is the first time I've ever had problems with a Mac that weren't age related.  Really disappointing.  Would you still want it with all these problems?...and that's not even counting shipping cost.  T_T

Sounds like it has aged before its time but I am looking for a backup laptop that I can just throw in a bag and use in a pinch.  We can discuss specifics if you are truly interested in getting rid of it.   I'll PM you with my email address.

[justwilliam]

I hope someone can help me out with this!

I love my MacBook Pro, but it's 6 years old now, and will need to be replaced as soon as possible.  I've decided I need a larger screen, and have no use for the portability of a laptop anymore, so I want to go back to a desktop Mac.  I've been glimpsing around here and there that the current iMac is perfectly fine for graphic design and illustration.  Is that true?  Does anyone else run your Affinity programs on an iMac?  If so, what are your specs?  Is there any lag at all?  Beach balls?  Even the slightest weakness, please post about here!  

Affinity Designer works fine on this old MBP, but of course, it's getting slower and slower, and I start losing the ability to drag layers around when things start getting too layer-heavy in a file.

I really need some good advice from every day users on this, as I don't really trust the wonderful intentions of anyone being paid by Apple to tell me what will work best, and I haven't really been able to find any forum topics discussing this anywhere else.  I'd love to hear from you guys on the Affinity development team!  What would you recommend?  I'm a professional illustrator, but I work freelance, so investing in something like a Mac Pro or any other super industrial strength Mac is way outside my range.  If an iMac will do the trick, I'd love to know exactly which specs you'd recommend for optimum speed!  Sounds like, as long as I pick the right model, everything I need will be onboard for doing illustration work.  I just need to know which!  

Thanks so much in advance for any help!

Budget is DEFINITELY a concern!!

 

 

Patchwork,

 

I did read that budget was definitely a concern for you, but nowhere did I see exactly what your budget was - so I’ll tell you how I worked through the same issue.

 

I had a 2010 iMac with an i3 and 256 Mb graphics memory which was no longer up to the tasks of Aperture, Pixelmator, and Perfect Photo Suite 7.5. It was quite slow and more than a few layers in pixelmator or more than a few effects in PPS caused a crash - likely not enough Graphics memory (and the i3 might share some blame). 

 

So I decided upon a new imac with 1 GB of graphics memory and an i5 or i7.  But when I priced it out I saw that I could get a 27 with those specs for about the same price (even though I have never been attracted to the 27” screen). I have for some time been  a ‘preferred customer” at the place where I buy stuff which means I was supposed to get a 15% discount on the purchase of a new machine; but when I finally had decided and went in they told me they no longer had that offer! So I bought nothing and went to another place to make my purchase.  After telling this tale of woe to the manager at this other store he offered me a 27” 5K riMac with the i7, fusion drive, and 4 Gb graphics card for the same price as the 27” I had planned to buy at the first place - the equivalent of about 2500 USD. I took it.

I have had quite a few macs since 1986 but this one still amazes me! (I got it last December) I can happily say that I have put Pixelmator and PPS behind me now and have yet to see a beachball in AD or AP on the machine which I have now.

 

OK, I hear you, 2500 is a lot of money for an iMac.  But it is not. A 15” rMacbookPro  with an i7 and an ssd will set one back about 2400. As will a non-retina 27” iMac with top specs. Even the 21.5” riMac with fusion drive, i7, 16 Gb memory, and the lowly integrated graphics will cost about 2000. (And you would not be pleased with the integrated graphics for long)

 

So here is why it is not a lot of money. You had your last Macbook for 6 years. If we say one has the new one for 5 years then the riMac I have costs 500 a year and the 21.5” riMac costs 400 per year. This is excluding the money you get when you sell it before buying a new one (which would be much more for the 5K than for the 4K; if you could find anyone to buy a 5 year old 21.5” with integrated graphics 5 years from now). So I am guessing they actually cost the same.

 

I would never recommend someone buy a mac that meets their needs today. It wouldn’t meet your needs in one or two years. But a top spec one should get you through for 4 - 6 years (buy Apple Care). So, in the end doing so actually saves money.

 

If you cannot afford a top spec machine right now, then wait until you can. If you cannot wait, then do something to make that money appear. What you do not want to do is spend very nearly the same amount of money on something that is not what you need and will not last. That costs about double because you will find yourself in a very similar situation in about 18- 24 months when you are buying again. Had I bought a high spec machine in 2010 I would have got another two years out of the machine - for an additional cost of only about 400 compared to the 2600 I shelled out recently.

 

There are those who say to get the basic iMac and trade up every two years to keep your hardware in step with the ever-increasing demands of software - that is a fools game and will cost a lot more than what I have proposed.  You are likely always going to have a computer and it is just as likely that you will always have a mac and that is why I am presenting it to you as an annual business cost rather than a purchase.

 

I did not intend for this to be such a long reply (I apologise) but I would not like to see someone who is planning on using the mac as a tool for their job (you work freelance) wasting money when what they are trying to do is earn money. This is just my opinion about what to do but I hope you consider it before making a decision or purchase.