Which imac should I get?

Pick whatever screen size you want. Then add on 16GB if getting a 21 or 32 if getting a 27 inch. Personally I would do a SSD and a Thunderbolt scratch disk. Otherwise, you could get a hybrid drive to ensure great speed.

Personally, if you can swing the 27" iMac then go for that - its a gorgeous screen.

I'd go for the 27-inch: 3.2GHz with 16Gb of ram

A scratch disk is a drive where temporary files go when working on photos or videos. By default, a computer will use the drive that the program is installed on as a scratch drive. It is important on large files to have scratch space. For instance, if I was working on an advanced Photoshop document with many layers and complex graphics, then Photoshop will use the scratch disk as swap space.

maflynn said:

Personally, if you can swing the 27" iMac then go for that - its a gorgeous screen.

I'd go for the 27-inch: 3.2GHz with 16Gb of ram

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You mean the 3.4GHz i5-4670, don't you?

Since he does video, I think he should use an i7 instead. The hyper threading capabilities of the i7 will be useful in video.

The ergonomics of the 27" may not be the best though. I suggest a maxed out 21.5", pure SSD.

The i7 would definitely be a nice boost in power. However, the i5 is no slouch by any measure. I have used both iMacs and I personally like the 27", but everyone has their own preference. In my opinion the 24" they used to make was the sweet spot.

Altemose said:

The i7 would definitely be a nice boost in power. However, the i5 is no slouch by any measure. I have used both iMacs and I personally like the 27", but everyone has their own preference. In my opinion the 24" they used to make was the sweet spot.

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Here's how the i5-4670 stacks up against the i7-4771: http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/437/Intel_Core_i5_i5-4670_vs_Intel_Core_i7_i7-4771.html