New iMac 2.7i5 vs 3.1i5 vs 3.4i7 (also gfx)

Avicenna said:

Hi,
I am about to get my iMac. I am stuck between 2.7i5, or to go with 3.1i5 or 3.4i7. What the performance difference? is it worth the price difference?

Also the 6770M with 512MB vs 6970M with 1GB, is it a noticeable difference?
Thanks.

Click to expand...

There's a pretty large difference in performance if you game. If you don't, I wouldn't bother upgrading.

Geekbench

http://www.primatelabs.ca/blog/2011/05/imac-benchmarks-mid-2011/

Barefeats

http://www.barefeats.com/imac11b.html

Between the 2.7, 3.1 and 3.4, the 2.7 or 3.4 are the only ones I would really consider.

The 3.1 seems to be quite a weak CPU relatively speaking, the 2.7 bests it in a number of instances due to its turbo frequency being higher and the 3.4 batters it to death.

If you're really struggling to make a decision a 2.93 refurb is a great option and it's probably cheaper than all three of those candidates - it's still the second fastest iMac in terms of overall performance.