Advice on an iMac
Thread poster: cloudhunter (X)
cloudhunter (X)
cloudhunter (X)  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 13:16
English to German
+ ...
Feb 12, 2018

Hello everyone,

we are in need of a new computer and we do like the new iMac. The question is- is it now possible to use Trados and MemoQ on iOS or would we still have to boot Windows?

Also, how about newer computer games? Is it worth buying an iMac or would it be too complicated?

Thank you!


 
Nelly Keavney
Nelly Keavney  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:16
Member (2017)
Bulgarian to English
+ ...
My personal choice of a CAT tool on a MAC Feb 12, 2018

Hi Monika,

I have the latest iMac which I bought last summer and I am copy/pasting my comment from a previous post below:

I am a Mac user and would never go back to using Windows. Up until last summer, I wasn't using any CAT tools and we all know that CAT tools are a must if you are a professional translator.

2 years ago, during an SDL Trados seminar I met a translator who had Mac and was running Parallels and Trados Studio without any issues. There was no
... See more
Hi Monika,

I have the latest iMac which I bought last summer and I am copy/pasting my comment from a previous post below:

I am a Mac user and would never go back to using Windows. Up until last summer, I wasn't using any CAT tools and we all know that CAT tools are a must if you are a professional translator.

2 years ago, during an SDL Trados seminar I met a translator who had Mac and was running Parallels and Trados Studio without any issues. There was no need to divide the Mac and Windows in Bootcamp. This sounded promising.

However, I still wasn't convinced that this was a good idea. It all looked a bit surreal - virtual machines during Windows...1 year ago, during a different SDL seminar I met again the same translator and asked her if she had any issues with Mac when running Parallels or Trados Studio. She never had any major issues ("sometimes Parallels was a bit slow" was the only drawback).

Last summer, after extensively reading various materials I decided to purchase SDL licence and asked the customer service guys, what they would recommend me if I am using MAc. The guy advised that Parallels works perfectly fine with the latest Mac.

And here I am 9 months later, using Trados Studio through Parallels. I constantly switch between the 2 screens (Parallels and Mac). In fact you can work with "picture in picture" where the 2 screen overlap. Just amazing.

The only issue I encounter sometimes is that the Trados is a bit slow especially if I have worked continuously for 7-8 hours. But have in mind that I do take breaks and just leave the Mac's display to power off. For me an occasionally slow Parallels is not a problem.

I have heard people saying that running virtual machines (like Parallels and Vm ware) damages the Mac, but I don't understand how an application can damage the powerful OS that Mac has. To top it all up, I had to re-install my Mac OS after accidentally pulling the plug during an update. After the OS re-installation, I didn't lose a single bit of information and all my Mac desktop icons were where I left them, including the icon to access my Parallels.

I will give you some food for thought. The Mac OS is so much better that it can run Windows without major problems (both through a virtual machine and through Bootcamp). No Windows machine will be able to run Mac OS, or at least I haven't heard about it.

Personally, I love having the best of both worlds. Having Mac and being able to use my Trados SDL.

P.S. I did spend about 10 days trying to learn the different features for Parallels and which ones where the best solutions to suit my needs.

Many thanks,

Nelly
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Hans Lenting
Hans Lenting
Netherlands
Member (2006)
German to Dutch
Best of two worlds Feb 12, 2018

Monika Gromm wrote:

we are in need of a new computer and we do like the new iMac. The question is- is it now possible to use Trados and MemoQ on iOS or would we still have to boot Windows?


Install VMware Fusion (https://www.vmware.com/nl/products/fusion.html ) or Parallels and then Windows. Use SDL Studio or memoQ. Yes, you'll have to boot Windows while working on macOS. Windows will be running inside a window on your Mac desktop.


Also, how about newer computer games? Is it worth buying an iMac or would it be too complicated?


For games it is better to use Boot Camp: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201468 . This will turn your Mac in a 'real' Windows PC. You'll have to buy an additional Windows license.

BTW: Personally I use CafeTran Espresso 2018 on my iMac. It doesn't need Windows, while perfect compatibility with memoQ and SDL Studio is guaranteed. It's great software from Poland.

[Edited at 2018-02-12 09:22 GMT]


 
Darrel Knutson
Darrel Knutson  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 13:16
Member (2010)
German to English
Get plenty of RAM Feb 12, 2018

Make sure the iMac has at a min. 8 GB of RAM, better would be 16 GB or more. Virtual machines can eat up memory quickly, which why my Macbook Air with only 4 GB was eventually unable to deal with more recent versions of bloated and slow TM software. (I now translate almost only on a PC laptop and keep doing everything else on my Mac.)

Tom in London
James Muir
 
Vladimir Pochinov
Vladimir Pochinov  Identity Verified
Russian Federation
Local time: 14:16
English to Russian
SDL Trados Studio on Mac under Parallels Desktop - Easy Journey since 2009 Feb 17, 2018

I have been using the above combination since 2009 in various hardware and software setups, such as iMacs, MakBooks, Mac minis + different versions of macOS, Parallels Desktop, Windows, and MS Office.

Current setup:
iMac 27" Retina 5K (4.2GHz Intel Core i7, 64GB RAM, 1TB SDD, Radeon Pro 580 8GB) + macOS High Sierra (10.13.3) + Parallels Desktop 13 for Mac + 64-bit Windows 10 Pro + 32-bit Microsoft Office 365 Business Premium + SDL Trados Studio 2017.

I don't remem
... See more
I have been using the above combination since 2009 in various hardware and software setups, such as iMacs, MakBooks, Mac minis + different versions of macOS, Parallels Desktop, Windows, and MS Office.

Current setup:
iMac 27" Retina 5K (4.2GHz Intel Core i7, 64GB RAM, 1TB SDD, Radeon Pro 580 8GB) + macOS High Sierra (10.13.3) + Parallels Desktop 13 for Mac + 64-bit Windows 10 Pro + 32-bit Microsoft Office 365 Business Premium + SDL Trados Studio 2017.

I don't remember any major problem affecting my use of SDL Trados Studio in the last five years.

For good gaming experience, you will need more RAM and a higher-end GPU.
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Amal Ibrahim
Amal Ibrahim  Identity Verified
Germany
English to Arabic
iMac 27 -inch 5K Retina, Core i5 3.8GHz/8GB/2TB Fusion Aug 5, 2018

Hello everyone,

I am considering buying the above model, but I read some negative reviews about the Fusion drive being slow.

Does anyone have a positive experience with the above configuration? Is an SSD and a 16GB a must have even if I intend to use parallels only for SDL Studio and some dictionaries?

If I were to upgrade after the warranty period, which brands (SDDs and RAMs) for this model could I buy? There are no Apple stores here, only authorised de
... See more
Hello everyone,

I am considering buying the above model, but I read some negative reviews about the Fusion drive being slow.

Does anyone have a positive experience with the above configuration? Is an SSD and a 16GB a must have even if I intend to use parallels only for SDL Studio and some dictionaries?

If I were to upgrade after the warranty period, which brands (SDDs and RAMs) for this model could I buy? There are no Apple stores here, only authorised dealers giving a 3 month warranty on such hardware.

Thank you very much in advance!!

[Edited at 2018-08-05 13:24 GMT]
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Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:16
Member (2008)
Italian to English
RAM Aug 5, 2018

Darrel Knutson wrote:

Make sure the iMac has at a min. 8 GB of RAM, better would be 16 GB or more.


Yes and get it up front because one of greedy Apple's stupidest decisions of recent years is that extra RAM (or anything else) cannot be added to Mac hardware.

And it'll cost you because Apple RAM is a lot more expensive than anyone else's.

*****OR***** (added later)

You might want to think outside the box and get an overall much better result.

Watch the video and consider.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Za_ui8dJEo&frags=pl,wn

I am using exactly the same computer shown but with 16MB of RAM (from Crucial, not Apple) that I installed myself and a 600 GB SSHD (again, Crucial, not Apple) that my local Mac workshop installed for me (because it's quite complicated to do).

Display is a wonderful (because it isn't GLOSSY) 27" BenQ GW2760HS 27-inch LED Monitor currently costing only about £150 from Amazon.

I don't use Parallels so I can't say how it would run on this setup. But I can tell you that a 2012 MacMini is the best Mac anyone can buy - even today!

I have no plans to upgrade to anything else. Until Apple gets rid of Tim Cook and starts focussing on computers again instead of stupid stuff like phones, watches, AppleTV and being the biggest company in the world.

RIP Steve Jobs

[Edited at 2018-08-05 15:32 GMT]


 
Hans Lenting
Hans Lenting
Netherlands
Member (2006)
German to Dutch
Nice set up Aug 6, 2018

Tom in London wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Za_ui8dJEo&frags=pl,wn

I am using exactly the same computer shown but with 16MB of RAM (from Crucial, not Apple) that I installed myself and a 600 GB SSHD (again, Crucial, not Apple) that my local Mac workshop installed for me (because it's quite complicated to do).

Display is a wonderful (because it isn't GLOSSY) 27" BenQ GW2760HS 27-inch LED Monitor currently costing only about £150 from Amazon.


Thanks for sharing, Tom. This shows that Macs don't need to be expensive. Great tip!


Tom in London
 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:16
Member (2008)
Italian to English
PS Aug 6, 2018

PS: still running EL Capitan because Sierra and High Sierra and the new OS coming along add *absolutely nothing* to my computing experience and won't run some very old software that I rely on.

Sierra and High Sierra only add a couple of extremely unimportant tweaks to the GUI and a couple of tricks that try to persuade you that you need the Cloud (and a monthly subscription to Apple). Otherwise nothing.

[Edited at 2018-08-06 09:17 GMT]


 
Amal Ibrahim
Amal Ibrahim  Identity Verified
Germany
English to Arabic
Brilliant ... :-D Aug 6, 2018

Thank you so much for sharing!!!

I was "told" that the iMac model I was considering is upgradable but Apple's warranty would be lost if I attempt to upgrade elsewhere. I wonder how important Apple warranty would be.

It is great that Mac mini can have 2 SDDs.

How do you find Apple's keyboard, mouse and magic trackpad? Worth buying?

I am not good at all at hardware, and this is my first Mac ever, so what should I be looking at when choosing
... See more
Thank you so much for sharing!!!

I was "told" that the iMac model I was considering is upgradable but Apple's warranty would be lost if I attempt to upgrade elsewhere. I wonder how important Apple warranty would be.

It is great that Mac mini can have 2 SDDs.

How do you find Apple's keyboard, mouse and magic trackpad? Worth buying?

I am not good at all at hardware, and this is my first Mac ever, so what should I be looking at when choosing between different models/prices of Mac Mini 2012, apart from it being quad core? I would most probably buy from here: https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-mac-mini-quad-core/k0. Would it be possible to change the language of the operating system from German to English?

I use 2 old 19" Dell monitors. Would these connect to the Mac mini until I get the BenQ one?

Thank you!




[Edited at 2018-08-06 13:27 GMT]
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Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:16
Member (2008)
Italian to English
MacMini Aug 6, 2018

Amal Ibrahim wrote:

Thank you so much for sharing!!!

I was "told" that the iMac model I was considering is upgradable but Apple's warranty would be lost if I attempt to upgrade elsewhere. I wonder how important Apple warranty would be.

It is great that Mac mini can have 2 SDDs.

How do you find Apple's keyboard, mouse and magic trackpad? Worth buying?

I am not good at all at hardware, and this is my first Mac ever, so what should I be looking at when choosing between different models/prices of Mac Mini 2012, apart from it being quad core? I would most probably buy from here: https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-mac-mini-quad-core/k0. Would it be possible to change the language of the operating system from German to English?

I use 2 old 19" Dell monitors. Would these connect to the Mac mini until I get the BenQ one?

Thank you!


Hi Amal

My MacMini is 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5. You can install any operating system on it. You can get El Capitan from here. It's free.

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT206886

And of course you can choose any language you want. The above link goes to the UK English version.

You can connect any monitor to the MacMini although you may need an adaptor. These cost very little if you search on eBay. I've never tried to connect 2 monitors because the BenQ is wide enough for me to have everything on one screen.

Keyboard and mouse: I am using an old Apple keyboard (Italian version) and a wired Apple Mouse because those are the ones I prefer.

If you need any help about Macs, the Apple discussion forums are excellent. Here's a link to the MacMini section. When you sign in you can ask any question and you'll get answers.

https://discussions.apple.com/community/desktop_computers/mac_mini

The Apple Warranty means nothing to me. I don't think I've ever needed it and I've been using Macs since 1994. Personally I wouldn't worry about it.

[Edited at 2018-08-06 14:30 GMT]


 
Amal Ibrahim
Amal Ibrahim  Identity Verified
Germany
English to Arabic
:-) Aug 7, 2018

Hi Tom,

Thank you for all the info! I really appreciate it.


 


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Advice on an iMac






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