21.5" - 2.7GHz 16GB RAM or 2.9GHz 8GB RAM?

[benjamwes]

I would like an iMac for video editing with Adobe Premiere and After Effects, light gaming and just general use. I was originally hoping to get a 21.5" iMac 3.1GHz i7, 16GB RAM and 1TB Fusion Drive for £1,662 but after reconsidering my budget I have to make a choice.

21.5" 2.7GHz i5, 16GB RAM, 1TB 5400rpm HDD and NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M (The cheapest model) - £1,183.20

or​

21.5" 2.9GHz i5, 8GB RAM, 1TB 5400rpm HDD and NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M - £1,173.60

OR I could just spend some extra money and get

21.5" 2,9GHz i5, 16GB RAM, 1TB 5400rpm HDD and NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M - £1,323.60

but then my problem would be my mind saying "If you're spending this much money, you may as well throw in the 1TB Fusion Drive and a 3.1GHz i7 processor and make the total cost £1,662!"

...and then I'm back to the start.

Any suggestions?

By the way, I can't afford to spend £1,662 as I'm 15, still in school and already have to take £1000 out of my savings account to pay for this!
If you have read any of my other threads (which are pretty similar) then sorry for sounding too repetitive.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Have you looked into refurbs on the apple site? You could save yourself plenty that way.

 

[keysersoze]

...but then my problem would be my mind saying "If you're spending this much money, you may as well throw in...[/COLOR]

And that, my good sir, is how Apple gets so rich off of so many of us! Masters of the upsell!

 

[benjamwes]

Have you looked into refurbs on the apple site? You could save yourself plenty that way.

Yep, I'm keeping my eye on it until a 21.5" pops up. Hoping I'll get a chance to see one with 16GB RAM and the Fusion. That would be awesome

 

[B...]

If you are in school, you might be going off to college soon. Have you thought about a 15" or 17" MBP?

 

[Santabean2000]

If you are in school, you might be going off to college soon. Have you thought about a 15" or 17" MBP?

15" MBPs are entering very expensive territory. He's on a budget.

Having said that, I think you're best buying this one:
21.5" 2,9GHz i5, 16GB RAM, 1TB 5400rpm HDD and NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M - £1,323.60
(unless you find a refurb)

 

[B...]

15" MBPs are entering very expensive territory. He's on a budget.

Having said that, I think your be best buying this one:
21.5" 2,9GHz i5, 16GB RAM, 1TB 5400rpm HDD and NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M - £1,323.60

Well, he's going to need a laptop when he goes to college. A laptop and moniter seems like the best setup for serious college work. Why not put a little more in now then buy two computers within a few years?

 

[Apple fanboy]

Yep, I'm keeping my eye on it until a 21.5" pops up. Hoping I'll get a chance to see one with 16GB RAM and the Fusion. That would be awesome

The 16GB Ram and Fusion certainly rock (see signature).

 

[Santabean2000]

Well, he's going to need a laptop when he goes to college. A laptop and moniter seems like the best setup for serious college work. Why not put a little more in now then buy two computers within a few years?

I hear what you're saying, but... it doesn't make sense to me to buy features now that will be (outdated and) not used for a couple of years.

The cheapest, entry level laptop will as powerful (if not more) than the high end machines of today.

Buy what you need today, sell in a couple of years time and get a sweet mobile solution later.

 

[mlody]

200 Mhz CPU difference between i5 2.7 and i5 2.9 is probably something you wont ever notice; however, the higher model has a bit better graphic card (still crap by any standards, but better then base) so since you had said that you would want to game a bit, that might be a deciding factor.
I am in a very similar boat as you are. I am on tight budget - originally ordered a i5 2.9 refurb with 16Gb ram and fusion drive but the screen has problems (yellow tint) and this time around I decided to go with base (still with 16gb and fusion) but purchased a brand new one in a hope that the screen will be all uniform and perfect. If this model also has a problem with screen (expected delivery next tuesday) I will reconsidering the whole mac thing as I cant seem to find acceptable to pay close to $1800 and have a half of the screen with a different color tone - crap like that is hard to find on $150 no-name monitors, yet Apple has this problem since like 2010 and yet they are not doing anything about it.

 

[benjamwes]

200 Mhz CPU difference between i5 2.7 and i5 2.9 is probably something you wont ever notice; however, the higher model has a bit better graphic card (still crap by any standards, but better then base) so since you had said that you would want to game a bit, that might be a deciding factor.
I am in a very similar boat as you are. I am on tight budget - originally ordered a i5 2.9 refurb with 16Gb ram and fusion drive but the screen has problems (yellow tint) and this time around I decided to go with base (still with 16gb and fusion) but purchased a brand new one in a hope that the screen will be all uniform and perfect. If this model also has a problem with screen (expected delivery next tuesday) I will reconsidering the whole mac thing as I cant seem to find acceptable to pay close to $1800 and have a half of the screen with a different color tone - crap like that is hard to find on $150 no-name monitors, yet Apple has this problem since like 2010 and yet they are not doing anything about it.

I've heard that's a problem on loads of new iMacs. Just keep sending them back until you get a perfect one

 

[passey]

U won't notice the difference between 2.7 and 2.9 waste of cash if ur on a budget.

Fusion drive is good but to save cash I added a 250gb external ssd running off usb3 which is the same speed as the fusion but has a bigger ssd part.

Video editing I would say u will need 16gb ram and the 21" is not upgradable after.

I play the odd game on my 640m and haven't noticed any problems. All games r playable tbh just lower the settings a little and ur fine. The difference between a 640 and 650 isn't a lot at all.