575 or 580 with i5?

[Dennis.Sweden]

Hello. I have read all threads here and still haven´t made up my mind but feel I have to do it now.

I am currently using a 2013 3,2 i5, 16GB, 755M 500Gb Flash. I don't feel anything missing except the 5K display. This iMac is completely silent 99,9% of the time and a joy to work with thanks to the Flash drive inside. I went to this from an 2011 i7 20GB and EVO 850 1TB SSD. The 2013 is miles better, cool, silent and faster (in the UI).

We have large photos library and want it fast so yesterday I put a 2TB EVO 850 SSD in a USB dock for the photos and it is massively better browsing pictures on it than on the 4TB Thunderbolt Duo Raid0.

So now for the question. =)

I am trying to decide what new iMac to buy, I have read so much I don't want to read anything more, just order a new iMac and get on with everything else.

The new iMac will have atleast 16Gb more RAM than the 8Gb it comes with, or do I need more? I often see I only have 2-3GB unused in my 2013 with 16GB.

I will select 512GB Flash but don't know if i should take the mid with 575 or the bigger with 580 and i5. The noise and heat is what makes me think.
I sold the 2011 because of the heat. A hot summer day the fans reved up even if I did nothing on it. the 2013 never reves up by the casual things we use it for.

I am thinking of the 580 because of our 11years old who also use it and plays some on it (nothing demanding for now) but the 755 i believe is no FPS monster =)

Should I settle for the 575 (2500EU in Sweden or the 580/i5 2750EU) mostly concerned about heat/noise.

Noise is OK only when using the power =)

 

[macsplusmacs]

>I am thinking of the 580

Sounds like you might add extra monitors now or down the road?

I am going with the 580 since I will be adding 2 4K monitors and my pet peeve is a slow to respond "Mission Control".

that's why I am throwing as much GPU at the thing as i can.

I -believe- unless you play games, or render video in your case, the 580 would not add that much heat compared to the responsiveness it could - should add to your new system.

Ask yourself. In one year will you be mad at yourself if you DONT buy the 580?

 

[EugW]

575 may be fine, but if the little one wants to game on it, then 580 would be an advantage.

https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT201918

Assuming I have the right chips:

2011 i7 4.2 GHz 7700K is a 91 Watt TDP chip, but the iMac idles at 71W, and the overall power used is up to 217W.
2013 i5 3.4 GHz 4670 is a 77 Watt TDP chip, but the iMac idles at 80W, and the overall power used is up to 214W.
2011 i7 3.4 GHz 2600 is a 95 Watt TDP chip, but the iMac idles at 142W and it consumes up to 200W max.

What does this mean exactly? Not sure, but something is off with that machine as it idles at 142W! No wonder you had heat related problems with it. Interestingly, the 7700K is the lowest at idle out of the three models.

What I can say is that for 98% of what I do, the 2017 i7 4.2 GHz 7700K iMac is silent. However, if I do any video encoding, then the fan ramps up.

As for Photos, based on my limited testing at home and at the Apple Store, it seems the most significant factor for UI speed is whether or not you have an SSD, cuz a MacBook Pro with SSD feels noticeably faster for UI navigation (scrolling and previews) in Photos than a 3.8 GHz i5 with Fusion Drive.

24 GB seems plenty.

So, I'm happy with the i7 7700K with 580, but if you want to be 100% sure it's always quiet, then maybe consider the i5 7600 non-K with 575.

 

[macsplusmacs]

>What I can say is that for 98% of what I do, the 2017 i7 4.2 GHz 7700K iMac is silent. However, if I do any video encoding, then the fan ramps up.

Just wondering. Are you in an Air Conditioned environment?

thx.

 

[EugW]

>What I can say is that for 98% of what I do, the 2017 i7 4.2 GHz 7700K iMac is silent. However, if I do any video encoding, then the fan ramps up.

Just wondering. Are you in an Air Conditioned environment?

Yes. Max temp may be 24-25C, but it was probably only up to 23C when I was testing out the iMac.

 

[Dennis.Sweden]

>I am thinking of the 580

Sounds like you might add extra monitors now or down the road?

I am going with the 580 since I will be adding 2 4K monitors and my pet peeve is a slow to respond "Mission Control".

that's why I am throwing as much GPU at the thing as i can.

I -believe- unless you play games, or render video in your case, the 580 would not add that much heat compared to the responsiveness it could - should add to your new system.

Ask yourself. In one year will you be mad at yourself if you DONT buy the 580?

I don't believe I will add monitors because of the limited space around my iMac =)

But if I don't get the 580 I will never know.. on the other side. Computer is mostly for Surfing, our pictures and website projects (wordpress).

 

[Dennis.Sweden]

Mid modell i5 / 575 with 512GB SSD ordered! Now I have to look what RAM 16GB to order (Sweden)...Looking forward to the new piece.

 

[CWallace]

Based on just raw specs, the Radeon Pro 580 is a fair step up from the RP 570.

As for CPUs, I always go for the i7, but for what I do, the i5 would probably be plenty and it runs a fair bit cooler under load.

 

[Falcon80]

Mid modell i5 / 575 with 512GB SSD ordered! Now I have to look what RAM 16GB to order (Sweden)...Looking forward to the new piece.

It is tough decision to make because the price between the above two configuration is pretty close, at least in my country. The CPU improvement is minimal but the GPU upgrade is quite good. Is GPU a major consideration if I want to connect to 4K monitor to the iMac in future? Or 575 should handle it well?

I am glad you are able to make your decision. I hope to make mine by end of this week.

 

[Glideslope]

Mid modell i5 / 575 with 512GB SSD ordered! Now I have to look what RAM 16GB to order (Sweden)...Looking forward to the new piece.

Best bang for the buck, IMO.