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1.6 dual vs 2.8 quad
- Thread starter snagnyou
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Likely not, however you should max out RAM to 16GB and at an absolute bare minimum get a Fusion drive.
If all your gonna do is web browsing and email 1.6 will be fine. If you were to upgrade something get the fusion. That one will make a huge difference.
Also you won't need 16 GB of RAM. 8 will be more than enough.
Also you won't need 16 GB of RAM. 8 will be more than enough.
1.6GHz dual core CPU and 5400rpm hard drive are ancient components and really make my eye hurt! If your budget is limited, why not build a $1000 PC instead? You could get i5 and SSD. Maybe a decent graphic card for gaming...
I would get a Fusion drive over a 5400 spinner. The post is about the proc, _not_ the storage or gaming. All hardware in Apple products are ancient. Also what normal person would buy a iMac for gaming?
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It is not true. I think the 27-inch iMac with r9 m395 graphics simply worth the price. Skylake is brand new hardware and Tonga is the latest gen GPU. A PC with similar build (with 5K display and win 10) would cost you $2500+. Many people that I know of play AAA title games on iMac with Windows 10.
However same cannot be said for the 21-inch base model iMac. It is terrible value for the price. You could build a much much better PC for the same price. Windows 10 is not bad. It will age well in the next few years. The base model iMac should be avoided at any cost.
If I was looking for a gaming machine and price wasn't an issue I wouldn't be looking at an iMac. This thread is not about gaming and Windows ? Lets stay on topic here.
What's the best bang for your buck iMac for basic use like browsing, email etc.
you don't need to max out the ram or get a fusion drive.8gb of ram and a hhd is fine for simple task
Have you considered getting the same configuration in a a portable device?
http://www.apple.com/macbook-air/specs.html
The imac you're looking at is, almost literally, a laptop on a stick.
http://www.apple.com/macbook-air/specs.html
The imac you're looking at is, almost literally, a laptop on a stick.
Well the differences are huge on the one hand you have a 15W ULV dual core mobile processor and HD5000 graphics and the other hand a 95W quad core desktop processor with IRIS pro graphics. Wewther that will make a dfifference to you only you can decide.
Back to your original question, I really don't see how the 1.6 GHz CPU wouldn't be enough for mails and browsing.
The only reason why I would even consider a 21.5" FHD model is if I really wanted an AIO running OS X but wouldn't have any requirements beyond that. Otherwise, there are either cheaper or better options available.
Don't need an AIO? Get a Mac Mini. Don't care about OS X? Get a PC. Having more requirements? Get a 27" or whatever is applicable.
Once you buy some upgrades, the price gets closer to the 27" models which offer much more versatility (and most likely resale value) which puts the 21.5" in an awkward market position. Either rather inferior hardware or paying a price for which you could almost have gotten quite a bit more.
The only reason why I would even consider a 21.5" FHD model is if I really wanted an AIO running OS X but wouldn't have any requirements beyond that. Otherwise, there are either cheaper or better options available.
Don't need an AIO? Get a Mac Mini. Don't care about OS X? Get a PC. Having more requirements? Get a 27" or whatever is applicable.
Once you buy some upgrades, the price gets closer to the 27" models which offer much more versatility (and most likely resale value) which puts the 21.5" in an awkward market position. Either rather inferior hardware or paying a price for which you could almost have gotten quite a bit more.
My mom uses the 1.4GHz 21.5" iMac and it's perfect for her usage. She browses the web, checks her email and sometimes browses photos in Photo (no editing though). She has the 5400rpm HDD and she hasn't complained to me about slowness. If you can swing it though get the pure SSD or the 2TB Fusion (with the 128GB SSD).
Is it worth it? Yes.
The 200 (1049 to 1249) dollars gets you the quad core like you mentioned, plus upgrade from the HD Graphics 6000 to the Iris Pro 6200.
Do you NEED it? Obviously not for basic task.