Choosing an iMac for photo editing

Apple doesn't sell 27" iMacs any more – just 24" ones (successors to the old 21.5" models).

The current 24" M3 iMacs use the same 'base' M3 chip as some of the entry-level 14" M3 MacBook Pros. For this chip, the RAM choices are 8 / 16 / 24 GB, and for both systems, there's a limit of one external display. Since Adobe recommends 16+ GB of RAM for Photoshop, Lightroom, and Lightroom Classic, I would not get only 8 GB if I knew, right off the bat, that I might be making heavy use of Adobe photo processing programs.

Systems based on higher-end M2 and M3 chips may offer different RAM choices, more ports, and support for more displays. For example,

• The M2 Pro version of the Mac mini has 16 or 32 GB of RAM
• The M2 Max version of the Mac Studio has 32, 64, or 96 GB of RAM

You may find that things like

• Port selection,
• Maximum number of displays, and
• The nice 4.5K Retina screen on the 24" iMac

weigh into a decision more than the question of whether to get 24 or 32 GB of RAM.

You also might decide that for your intended usage, 16 GB would be "good enough."

The ‘stock’ models of the iMac only have 8 GB of RAM, and those are the models that many retailers carry.

You can get more RAM by custom-ordering a new Mac from the online Apple Store. There are also a few retailers (like B&H Photo Video) that sometimes stock models with extra RAM.

Any of the new Macs should be fine. With the Unified memory, just get the largest available. Apple Silicon is much more efficient with memory.

I am wanting to buy an IMAC for photo editing with enough RAM to run photoshop and Adobe lightroom. I understand 16-32GB is suitable. How does this relate to the new iMacs with unified memory and faster chip capacity. Do I still need 32 GB - I can't seem to find an IMAC this big.

If you're using Photoshop/Lightroom, then 16GB would be the minimum choice. If you do a lot of batch editing, with large numbers of photos active, then you might look at the 32GB option. But otherwise, 16GB would be fine.

Thanks but I can't find a new MAc with more than 8GB Ram.

May have to go to an older version second hand, but this is always a bit risky.

If you're in the US, Macs can be ordered online direct from Apple. Also from Apple, you can shop the refurbished Macs, as they're often configured differently than base models. The advantage of either is they come with new Mac warranties.

Other sources in the USA include Best Buy and bhphotovideo.com.

I would advise against purchasing any Mac from Ebay or FB Marketplace, as all too often the seller doesn't properly prepare them for resale, and the new owner ends up with a doorstop.