iMac Core i7 or Core i5 for Gamers?

Which CPU do you suggest to buy, if you want to use the iMac as a Game machine as well ?

Core I7 or Core I5 for the new iMAc ?

Of course the necessary upgrade is the GeForce 680 MX - but interesting question is the CPU.

Is the Core I7 with Hyperthreading worth the upgrade for Gamers ?

Not really as I'm *almost* positive no game on the market has or would use more than the i5.

At present the difference is not noticable. I do see some dx11 demos now where hyperthreading with quad cores makes a bigger difference (unigine), but by the time quad core-hyperthreading *might* make a noticable difference in games, 680MX will most likely struggle anyway. If you look at i3 CPUs (dual core), hyperthreading makes a big difference.
I got the i7, mostly because I ordered the SSD option, and the machine was already very expensive. The i7 is definately not necessary for gaming.
There's a new Playstation (and Xbox?) on the horizon btw, and they could promt more use of hyperthreading. But at present 4 cores (i5) is plenty for the most demanding games out there.

So the i7 is only recommandable for faster Video transcoding; right ?

E.g. Handbrake or EyeTV...

CPU's are never fully utilized in games. GPU is 100% utilized. It makes no sense to get an i7 unless u enjoy wasting extra dollars. All u need is the 680MX.

cap2013 said:

So the i7 is only recommandable for faster Video transcoding; right ?

E.g. Handbrake or EyeTV...

Click to expand...

Well, there are quite a few apps where the hyperthreading comes into play, but in many cases the difference is not as pronounced as it is in things like video encoding.

The i7 is a little more "future proof" so, as time goes on and hyperthreading works its way into more and more apps (and games) then you might get a little more longevity from the i7 vs the i5.

For the software out there right now, if gaming is your priority it is very hard to recommend the i7 over the i5.

i7 option on iMac is a silly way to spend $200 if you're looking it as a gaming machine.

Yet again, 680MX is not that great for the money you're gonna spend for an iMac.
Yep, same old story, custom build gaming box gets you more for the same $$. You don't need to get a high end 27" model to build a machine with desktop GTX 680 or even 690

Yeah, macs are only great for basic gaming, nothing graphics intensive and its really a waste of money to get a high-end to only perform okay compared to a PC.

Imo, get a PC for hardcore gaming. I dont play MMORPGs anymore which demands high specs to perform and look beautiful so an imac is great for me. I like the space it saves and the screen is a beaut.

iSayuSay said:

i7 option on iMac is a silly way to spend $200 if you're looking it as a gaming machine.

Yet again, 680MX is not that great for the money you're gonna spend for an iMac.
Yep, same old story, custom build gaming box gets you more for the same $$. You don't need to get a high end 27" model to build a machine with desktop GTX 680 or even 690

Click to expand...

Well the desktop 680 is about $450 and only 35% faster than the 680MX. The MX is a helluva card in the iMac for a measly $200.

Don't buy a mac for gaming, not only do a small fraction of games even come out for it, the ones that do run worse on Mac. I have a fully speced out late 2012 iMac, but that's just for audio/video editing


my gaming is done on PS3/360/WiiU, and PS4 later this year

jmpage2 said:

Well the desktop 680 is about $450 and only 35% faster than the 680MX. The MX is a helluva card in the iMac for a measly $200.

Click to expand...

680MX chip alone does not cost $200. I don't know how you pull the number but I assume you might talked about $150 extra for GPU option?

Bear in mind that it's an upgrade cost from the base 675MX, not for the chip itself. You still paid $2000 for the stock machine and another $150 to have the 680MX.

While $450 gets you a full retail desktop GTX 680, right from nothing. Not a fair comparison, I might say.