Another 21" vs 27" iMac doubts thread. Resolution + graphic card questions.

[thebigmeowski]

Up to recently I was almost 99% sure to get 27" iMac in this config:

i5 3.2 GHz / 8 GB RAM (self upgrade then) / 1 TB Fusion / GTX 680 2 GB

but even though I think I will be very pleased with its very high resolution for some tasks I will have to switch to 1920*, and I've read numerous threads about the blur situation that would be happening then. I know it happens every time when running in no native res, but with the gap that big [2550 vs 1920] (I've never owned such a big monitor before, it'd be my first so I don't really have any experience) is it noticeably bigger? I mean, I know some people like overreacting esp. when discussing Apple products, but it really makes me wonder now...How is the "blur" pixelation or whatever people call it while gaming on non naive res 1920*?
I know GTX 680 is quite powerful even though it's a notebook chip so it's presumably possible to play on the native res, but I'd like to save some frames if possible..

All this fuzz made me think again of 21.5" iMac, but then I got creeped out by the 512mb GT 650M. After seeing benchmarks and some youtube vids I see it's ok with today's games etc. but when buying a computer like this I'd like to be somewhat save for a couple of years...
With 21" I'd go for:

i5 2.9 GHz / 16 GB RAM / 1TB Fusion

I won't be using it mainly for gaming, obviously. On a daily basis I work with high res photos in Photoshop, and I was just hoping to combine the great display Apple offers in the iMac with somewhat powerful specs to do some gaming after hours...
What do you think?
Thanks so much, and sorry for my chaotic message, I know I have got quite a few questions.

 

[tuxon86]

Up to recently I was almost 99% sure to get 27" iMac in this config:



but even though I think I will be very pleased with its very high resolution for some tasks I will have to switch to 1920*, and I've read numerous threads about the blur situation that would be happening then. I know it happens every time when running in no native res, but with the gap that big [2550 vs 1920] (I've never owned such a big monitor before, it'd be my first so I don't really have any experience) is it noticeably bigger? I mean, I know some people like overreacting esp. when discussing Apple products, but it really makes me wonder now...How is the "blur" pixelation or whatever people call it while gaming on non naive res 1920*?
I know GTX 680 is quite powerful even though it's a notebook chip so it's presumably possible to play on the native res, but I'd like to save some frames if possible..

All this fuzz made me think again of 21.5" iMac, but then I got creeped out by the 512mb GT 650M. After seeing benchmarks and some youtube vids I see it's ok with today's games etc. but when buying a computer like this I'd like to be somewhat save for a couple of years...
With 21" I'd go for:


I won't be using it mainly for gaming, obviously. On a daily basis I work with high res photos in Photoshop, and I was just hoping to combine the great display Apple offers in the iMac with somewhat powerful specs to do some gaming after hours...
What do you think?
Thanks so much, and sorry for my chaotic message, I know I have got quite a few questions.

Buy the 27" and get a secondary 1920x1080 monitor. Use the second one for 1920x1080 material without any scalling of the picture.

 

[Georgio]

Just game at the native rez and be done with it. If necessary turn off some eye candy but I think you're under-selling the power of the 680MX.
Once you get used to that big fat 27" screen anything smaller seems like a compromise.

 

[LouisLeLou]

If you're using Bootcamp to game, I believe you can turn off resolution scaling (meaning if you lower resolution, it won't stretch and "blur" the image, but run it at the correct resolution with black space around it) in the Nvidia Control Panel. I have no personal experience with this setup, but I did it on my 2008 Macbook Pro and it was a nice treat for my eyes.

 

[Robster3]

Just game at the native rez and be done with it. If necessary turn off some eye candy but I think you're under-selling the power of the 680MX.
Once you get used to that big fat 27" screen anything smaller seems like a compromise.

After having a 15" mbpr for a month my 27" iMac doesn't get much use. The imac is a compromise compared to the mbpr.

The 21" is better for full screen video, tv and webcasts than the 27", we have both.

 

[thebigmeowski]

Thank you all for your answers .

First of all, I don't think I can actually justify buying two displays... I mean, I understand what would be the point: to have the best from both worlds, but it would be too much financialwise and considering the work I do. I think I have to stress out that iMac 27" will be enough of a splurge alone.

After having a 15" mbpr for a month my 27" iMac doesn't get much use. The imac is a compromise compared to the mbpr.

Sometime ago I was actually thinking 15" retina vs iMac, but having 13" retina I don't think it would make much sense to buy another laptop as thr mobility is not such a big issue anymore.
What's more, then an external display would be a must! (It would be so much easier if they released the new thunderbolt maybe I could somehow buy the display and in some time to buy the computer).

The reason for external display is not only the size. It's the Retina as well.
I still can't get used to working on some stuff using Retina; it's truly great for big photos (I'm very pleased with the space I have; it's really a lot especially considering it's only 13" computer) but when I have to work with some small graphics, like let's say 500px it can be a real nightmare (I know it's just another feature of the Retina display, so no real whining there). This is the similar thing I dread about 27" as well, that it would be just to big to work on some smaller files.

I would get 21" no problem, it seems like a good compromise for my needs, but then BOOM. I still can't understand the graphic chip they used, I just don't see it playing a decent game in a 1-2 years as it does kind of struggle already (or at least from what I saw checking benchmarks and yt vids).

Thank you guys for your fast replies and sorry for any possible mistakes, English is my second language. Cheers!

 

[2Turbo]

After having a 15" mbpr for a month my 27" iMac doesn't get much use. The imac is a compromise compared to the mbpr.

How so? Doesn't seem to make any sense. The iMac should win if mobility isn't a concern.

The 21" is better for full screen video, tv and webcasts than the 27", we have both.

Can anyone else confirm this? I've heard it before and it's probably true because 1080p content must be upscaled. Lower quality streaming video will probably look super bad.