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albertdros

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 4, 2012
35
12
Hey guys,

simple question. Is the 240$ upgrade worth it on the high end model?
 
Not a simple question as it depends on what you're doing and what the rest of the specs for your iMac will be.

With regards to the processor only, it's a noticeable increase. The 3.8GHz non-hypethreaded i5 (i5-7600K) has about a 30% deficit over the hyper-threaded 4.2GHz i7 (i7-7700K).

It also depends on the rest of the specs. Pure Flash/SSD over Fusion will give the illusion of better real-world performance, even with a less powerful CPU. More RAM will allow more multitasking. Furthermore it depends on what you'll be using your iMac for. A better processor won't really benefit you if you're just doing light browsing. It definitely will if you're using resource intensive applications.

Many people would be completely unable to see the benefit on sinking $10,000 for a dual Xeon monolithic workstation, yet for others it's nothing but necessary for their workflow. You can't objectively say whether or not something is 'worth it'. The value of the $240 upgrade depends almost exclusively on what you'll be doing with your iMac.

TL;DR: what will you be using your iMac for?
 
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Not a simple question as it depends on what you're doing and what the rest of the specs for your iMac will be.

With regards to the processor only, it's a noticeable increase. The 3.8GHz non-hypethreaded i5 (i5-7600K) has about a 30% deficit over the hyper-threaded 4.2GHz i7 (i7-7700K).

It also depends on the rest of the specs. Pure Flash/SSD over Fusion will give the illusion of better real-world performance, even with a less powerful CPU. More RAM will allow more multitasking. Furthermore it depends on what you'll be using your iMac for. A better processor won't really benefit you if you're just doing light browsing. It definitely will if you're using resource intensive applications.

Many people would be completely unable to see the benefit on sinking $10,000 for a dual Xeon monolithic workstation, yet for others it's nothing but necessary for their workflow. You can't objectively say whether or not something is 'worth it'. The value of the $240 upgrade depends almost exclusively on what you'll be doing with your iMac.

TL;DR: what will you be using your iMac for?

will use the SSD and 32 GB ram. Using it mainly for video/photo editing
 
will use the SSD and 32 GB ram. Using it mainly for video/photo editing

the i7 7700k is totally worth it for your purpose.
in terms of realtime performance nothing beats this cpu today, its a beast!
depending on what you do, the i7 can be up to 50% faster and even more because the i5 lacks Hyper-threading,
then there is bigger cache, higher base clock, higher single turbo, higher all core turbo....
and resell value ;)

i have to add the i5 7600k isn't a bad cpu at all, it will get your work done as-well.
 
Last edited:
the i7 7700k is totally worth it for your purpose.
in terms of realtime performance nothing beats this cpu today, its a beast!
depending on what you do, the i7 can be up to 50% faster and even more because the i5 lacks Hyper-threading,
then there is bigger cache, higher base clock, higher single turbo, higher all core turbo....
and resell value ;)

i have to add the i5 7600k isn't a bad cpu at all, it will get your work done as-well.

Thanks everyone. Will pick the i7 definitely :)
 
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