iMac 1.4Ghz

[Raym87]

Just noticed that Apple have brought out a new iMac with a 1.4Ghz processor, 8Gb ram.

What are your thoughts with regard to making a suitable music server.

Initial concerns for me are not the processor speed but the obvious lack of a CD drive which Apple are happy to make you buy as an option and also the RAM. I get the impression that this is an integral part of the mainboard. Not upgradable. Is RAM user upgradable in the new iMacs?

[wwaldmanfan]

Just noticed that Apple have brought out a new iMac with a 1.4Ghz processor, 8Gb ram.

What are your thoughts with regard to making a suitable music server.

Initial concerns for me are not the processor speed but the obvious lack of a CD drive which Apple are happy to make you buy as an option and also the RAM. I get the impression that this is an integral part of the mainboard. Not upgradable. Is RAM user upgradable in the new iMacs?

 

I don't think the RAM is upgradable, but 8gb is plenty, especially if you optimize the OS. I run Audirvana Plus on my old desktop iMac with Snow Leopard and 4gb RAM, no problem.

Apple has done away with the CD drive because they want everyone to use "the cloud" (stupid, IMO), but the external CD drive is cheap enough, just cumbersome.

[Raym87]

My library is on a firewire drive and further investigation shows theres no firewire unless you use a thunderbolt adaptor, also no audio input socket if I wanted to connect a calibrated mic for instance, for IRC etc. maybe theres an adaptor for that too but I'm not going to bother to look.

I dont like the way Apple is going. I'll stick with my 2010 mini. It does everything asked of it.

For me now this is a no go.

[Paul R]

My library is on a firewire drive and further investigation shows theres no firewire unless you use a thunderbolt adaptor, also no audio input socket if I wanted to connect a calibrated mic for instance, for IRC etc. maybe theres an adaptor for that too but I'm not going to bother to look.

I dont like the way Apple is going. I'll stick with my 2010 mini. It does everything asked of it.

For me now this is a no go.

 

 

Thunderbolt to Firewire works just great, as in fact, does Thunderbolt to different video devices and as a network adapter.

 

As for using a calibrated Mic, why not use a USB or Firewire Audio connection? You won't be using it all the time, and the results are, in my experience at least, better that way.

 

-Paul

[PorkChop]

I had been wondering why iMac is never mentioned as a candidate for a media player. Do you guys think it's because that built-in monitor would put more electrical noise into the system than Mac mini with external monitor?

[orgel]

Thunderbolt to Firewire works just great….

 

+1. I store my music library on a 2TB FireWire 800 drive (soon to be a 4TB drive) hooked up to my mid-2011 mini via an Apple Thunderbolt-to-FireWire adapter. No problems, and the adapter is pretty cheap ($30).

 

As far as calibrated mics go, here's a USB model. FWIW, it's the less expensive one recommended by Dirac for use with their Live software.

 

--David