advantage of a 10-core GPU over an 8-core GPU in a new 24 Mac (M3 chip). I use Photoshop. No video.

Hey there!

I would suggest upgrading to the higher-tier model! The extra GPU cores may be helpful when working with graphical content, and the extra upgrades with that model will certainly be useful. As mentioned by others, you'll get 2 extra Thunderbolt 3 ports, a gigabit ethernet port, and a keyboard with Touch ID.

And it's a good idea to get at least 16GB of memory. I see from this thread your current Mac already has 16GB of memory. While Apple silicon unified memory is far more efficient than traditional RAM, if you can, I'd suggest looking at the 24GB option. You can never have too much memory; the extra memory will allow you to go even further in your creative work without your Mac breaking a sweat. But either way, the memory amount will be an upgrade over your current Mac.

I hope this helps!

-Jack

That extra $200 also gets you 2 more USB ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port ($30 value)and a TouchID keyboard (-$200 value since it’s overkill and also a hassle). Enjoy…

There are things that may matter more than the number of GPU cores:

RAM

Adobe recommends at least 16 GB of RAM. Stock models of the iMac include only 8 GB of RAM. Since you can't expand RAM after purchase, I would recommend custom-ordering 16 GB of RAM (24 GB if you do lots of complex work in Photoshop), or finding an Apple Authorized reseller who carries iMacs with more than 8 GB of RAM.

Ports

The entry-level version of the iMac that comes with 8 GPU cores lacks the two extra USB-C (USB) ports, and the Ethernet port, found on the higher-end versions. With just two USB4 / Thunderbolt ports, and a headphone jack, you might find yourself running out of ports – and needing a USB-C or Thunderbolt hub/dock – very quickly.

Keyboard

If you buy the entry-level iMac, you don't get the keyboard with the Touch ID feature. That's not as important as other things, but I thought I'd mention it.

If you aren’t satisfied with the 24” display size then consider a Mac Mini or a Mac Studio. No real downside on either and you can add the display you want.

Congratulations on the new Mac!

And regrettably, you cannot use your old iMac as a display.

-Jack

Jack-19 wrote:

Hey there!

I would suggest upgrading to the higher-tier model! The extra GPU cores may be helpful when working with graphical content, and the extra upgrades with that model will certainly be useful. As mentioned by others, you'll get 2 extra Thunderbolt 3 ports, a gigabit ethernet port, and a keyboard with Touch ID.

Sorry, but that's not right. The higher-end models have two extra USB-C ports – but these are single-purpose USB-C ports that only support USB 3.x ("up to 10 Gbps"). They're not Thunderbolt 3 ports.