iMac Buying Advice Needed

[rwc00]

I currently own a mid-2015 MacBook Pro. I am considering trading it in for a 2019 iMac. I was wondering if I could get some advice as to what configuration I need. I've read about the different options but am wanting opinions from people who have a bit more experience than I. I would get the 21.5-in with retina 4K display. A little about me: I use my laptop for normal things--banking, surfing, a few documents, and photo editing--no gaming or anything that would require hard use of certain elements. I do store a lot of photos on my MacBook as I have a cooking blog.

Processor: I've read that the i7 processor is only about 10% faster than the i5. Even though my current Macbook has the i7, I think I would be fine with the i5. What do you think?

Memory: My current Macbook has 16GB. Would I be okay with the base option of 8GB?

Graphics: Would I be okay with the base option of the Pro 560x? I'm assuming so, since I don't game.

Storage: My current Macbook has 251gb of storage, and I still have 193fb available, so I think I would be fine with the base of 256gb. Yes?

Magic Mouse or Trackpad? I'm obviously used to the Trackpad but grew up on a mouse. Is one better than the other for ease of use?

Any other advice?

Thank you for all replies!

 

[Just_Me_D]

If you’ll be doing the same thing on your iMac that you’re currently doing with your MacBook Pro then yea, the iMac with an i5 should be more than sufficient, in my opinion. Although, I think you would also be fine with the 8 GBs of RAM, part of me suggests you stick with 16.

 

[nikkisharif]

I agree with D as far as RAM goes. Since you are doing photo editing, 16GB would be a better option,especially since the 4K iMac doesn’t have user upgradable RAM without voiding your warranty.

Also...if you’ve never used a Magic Mouse before, there’s definitely a learning curve, but you’ll get use to it pretty fast. There are a bunch of gestures that make using it much easier. On the other hand, I hear the trackpad is pretty amazing. I don’t have one for my 4K iMac, but at some point I plan to get one.