21.5 or 27 inch iMac?

[AndrewMRiv]

I just got my first iMac in the mail late last week. I was also a bit unsure on if I should get the 21.5" or the 27".

At the Apple Store, it was no question that I wanted the 27". The 21.5 was beautiful as well, but I wanted the extra screen space.

The second I opened the box to my 27" iMac, I was a bit overwhelmed. It is HUGE. I was sorta thinking "maybe I should have gotten the 21.5" one..."

It looked really huge next to my 21" Asus Monitor plugged into my Gaming PC.

After using the 27" inch, though, I have no regrets. This thing is great. When I go back to play games on my 21" monitor on my PC, it feels tiny now.

My vote is towards the 27" for everyone as long as your desk can handle it.

 

[minimalism]

I went to look at the 2 displays at best buy today. After looking at the 27 inch, it makes the 21.5 inch look a lot smaller. I really think that I will benefit from the big 27 inch display. It might be big at first, but I think I will get used to it and love it once I do. It also seems like it will be fun to edit photos on that big display to.

Now the only question I have left is what SSD size to pick. I will store mostly photos and videos on it to edit in iMovie and Aperture. I will also only have this iMac until the new 2014 models come out so maybe at most 10 months. I don't want to use an external hard drive either. I store everything on the internal drive.

I am considering the 256 or 512GB options. The 512GB is a little pricey, but it still fits in my budget.

What should I pick?

Go for the 512 option but keep in mind to backup all your media files on an external disk. SSD is good but not bulletproof.

 

[boombox15]

Alright... Merry Christmas everyone! I got a lot of extra cash for christmas so now I can use towards the purchase of the iMac. I almost have my choice made but have considered a new option

I am either thinking of a 21.5 inch iMac with:

2.9 or 3.1GHz
8GB RAM
512GB SSD
GT 750M Graphics Card

Or

27 inch iMac with:

3.2GHz Quad Core i5
8GB RAM
512GB SSD
GT 755M Graphics Card

Now what should I pick? Want to buy real soon Along with either a MacBook Air or Retina Pro 13 inch.... So hard to decide..........

 

[boombox15]

Update: I decided to order the 27 inch iMac. The price for the 21.5 inch iMac I wanted was $2199 and the 27 inch was $2299. With such a small difference, I figured just to go ahead and get the bigger one.

The configuration I ordered:

27 inch iMac
3.2GHz Intel Quad-Core i5
8GB RAM
512GB SSD
Ge Force GT 755M
Magic Trackpad

I think I made the right choice. So excited to get it!

 

[FenwayWhalers]

Which is faster- the 21.5" with the fusion drive or the 27" without?

The 5800 drive of the 21.5" worries me- but not sure i need such a big computer in the 27"

 

[jcmendes]

Alright... Merry Christmas everyone! I got a lot of extra cash for christmas so now I can use towards the purchase of the iMac. I almost have my choice made but have considered a new option

I am either thinking of a 21.5 inch iMac with:

2.9 or 3.1GHz
8GB RAM
512GB SSD
GT 750M Graphics Card

Or

27 inch iMac with:

3.2GHz Quad Core i5
8GB RAM
512GB SSD
GT 755M Graphics Card

Now what should I pick? Want to buy real soon Along with either a MacBook Air or Retina Pro 13 inch.... So hard to decide..........

I bought a 21 for two weeks, but after seeing a live 27 ", I noticed better image resolution in the 27". I managed to trade for 27 "

Despite being pleased with the 21 .... now I'm much happier with this 27. "

 

[ApplePie22]

i've had my 21.5 for 2 weeks or so, and I think i'm going back for the 27. at the store the 27 seemed a bit overwhelming but having had a 22" samsung for 6 years and now going to 21.5, i think i really would like the extra space on the 27.

 

[katpoole3]

Which iMac

Please please help me pull the trigger! I don't have money to blow, need a new computer and have never bought a MAC, but cannot wait to own one. I've read tons of posts and don't feel confident making a decision re: which iMac to get without input from others. I would truly appreciate any input.
I will be doing a lot with photos/photoshop, and basic editing of videos from iphone. I'm leaning towards 27" bc I can upgrade RAM and to Fusion/SSD in future if need be. Or, will 21.5 suit me with 16gb RAM and Fusion drive included. I'm looking at the following refurbished iMacs and am on a budget, and am open to any other suggestions:

Refurbished 27-inch iMac 3.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i5
Originally released September 2013
27-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2560-by-1440 resolution
8GB memory
1TB hard drive1
NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M graphics processor with 1GB of GDDR5 memory
Built-in FaceTime HD camera
$1529.00

OR
Refurbished 21.5-inch iMac 2.9GHz quad-core Intel Core i5
Originally released October 2012

21.5-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display

16GB memory

1TB Fusion drive

NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 512MB

Built-in FaceTime HD camera
$1569.