Good morning

I would like some suggestions about the optimum configurations for the purchase of a new iMac 27" since mine is on Catalina and I can not install X-Plane 12! 

I need something where I can max all settings to get the very best graphics and smoothness. It is going to be for sure my last purchase since I am 80 years old! 🙂 

Thank you for your kind attention

Reuland

You need to install, at the very least, MacOS Monterey.  Which came after Catalina.  Once you install that, post back here, and I can help you with a Mac set up. I've been running X-Plane and working on add ons for X-Plane, on a Mac setup, since 2019.

Edited September 17, 2025Sep 17 by GoranM

Ok I will give a try to install Montery. Thank you

My iMac is from late 2012!!!

Reuland

If it meets all the minimum system requirements, you should still be ok.  That is quite an old Mac you got your hands on, so I'm not sure how you'll go.  They're built extremely well, and can last many years.

Here are the system requirements for X-Plane 12.  

https://www.x-plane.com/kb/x-plane-12-system-requirements/

Edited September 17, 2025Sep 17 by GoranM

Good morning

I do remember now that by the time X-Plane 12 came out, I tried to install it but it came out that they were many incompatibilities I therefore attended to install Montery but here also it failed because hardware problems!

Conclusion: What would be an optimum brand new iMac configuration to be happy with a smooth X-Plane 12 and perhaps in a future X-Plane 13?

Thank you

Regards

Reuland. 

Here's what I suggest:

If budget isn’t an issue and you want the best Mac for X-Plane 12 (and with some headroom for X-Plane 13), here are the top options:

Absolute Best (No Compromise)

Mac Studio - M3 Ultra / M4 Max

64–128 GB unified memory

Max GPU cores available (critical for clouds & scenery)

2 TB SSD or more

Desktop cooling = sustained performance on long flights

This is the dream setup: 4K, heavy weather, complex aircraft - all smooth.

 

Best Portable Choice

MacBook Pro 16″  M3 Max or M4 Max

48–64 GB unified memory

High GPU core variant (30–40+)

2 TB SSD

Ideal if you want serious power in a portable form factor.

 

Balanced Future-Proof Option

Mac Studio - M2 Max / M3 Max

32–64 GB unified memory

24–38 GPU cores

1–2 TB SSD

Almost as strong as the Ultra, but at a more reasonable price point.

Key Takeaways

RAM: 32 GB minimum; 64 GB recommended for lots of scenery and add-ons.

GPU cores: The more, the better - this is what drives FPS in clouds and heavy weather.

Storage: Go big (1–2 TB) - X-Plane add-ons chew through space.

Cooling: Mac Studio handles heat better; MacBook Pros can throttle on very long/heavy flights.

Bottom line:

For home: Mac Studio M3 Ultra (128 GB RAM, 2 TB SSD) = ultimate setup.

For travel: MacBook Pro 16″ Max (64 GB RAM, 2 TB SSD) = best portable powerhouse.

For balance: Mac Studio M4 Max (64 GB RAM, 1–2 TB SSD) = future-proof without going overboard.

 

If you give me your budget, I can help to tailor a set up for you.

Goram,

A very huge thank you for all your kind attention and your very detailed descriptions!

I will most probably look to Mac Studio!

Have  a good day

Regards

Reuland

43 minutes ago, GoranM said:

If you give me your budget, I can help to tailor a set up for you.

First of all I will look around here in Indonesia what is really available from your bottom line

Thank you

Reuland

I went to inquire about local possibilities. They asked me if I was planning to fly a space craft to Mars!!! 🙂 

None of these specifications are available in Indonesia since they would never sell any of those machines! Import is totally out of question because import duties and tariffs.

I gave them your list of suggestions and they will call me back in few days with the closest settings available here. I will then contact you again. Thank you

Reuland 

4 hours ago, Jean Paul Reuland said:

I went to inquire about local possibilities. They asked me if I was planning to fly a space craft to Mars!!! 🙂 

None of these specifications are available in Indonesia since they would never sell any of those machines! Import is totally out of question because import duties and tariffs.

I gave them your list of suggestions and they will call me back in few days with the closest settings available here. I will then contact you again. Thank you

Reuland 

https://www.apple.com/id/

You should be able to order a build through that link.  That's the Indonesia Apple store.

Althernatively, I did some research.  You should be able to get a Mac Studio from iBox.  Digimap Indonesia, Digitalzone, Softcom, Plaza IT are also options.

 

Edited September 18, 2025Sep 18 by GoranM

4 hours ago, Jean Paul Reuland said:

I went to inquire about local possibilities. They asked me if I was planning to fly a space craft to Mars!!!

You should have told them, "Yes.  How did you know??"  😉

 

Edited September 18, 2025Sep 18 by GoranM