Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple Releases New Sandy Bridge Quad-Core iMacs with Thunderbolt

GPU question

I just sold my previous 27" iMac and I'd like to order one of these new ones.

Can anyone tell me if I should get the 2GB GPU option considering I have an external 27" Cinema Display hooked up the iMac?

If not I'll spend it on extra RAM and a third-party SSD drive.

Thanks
 
commander.data said:
The 8800GS was actually the 8800M GTS, the second-highest model GPU in nVidia's mobile lineup at the time. The HD5750M in the previous iMac was actually a HD5850M or the second-highest model GPU in ATI's mobile lineup at that time. So Apple hasn't been skimping up to now on top-end options. Admittedly, the HD6970M is notable because it's actually the top-end mobile GPU, so we have climbed up a rung in the ladder.
Click to expand...

The issue I think most users have is not the actual chipset which Apple does pick well the complement a fast Intel CPU is how much RAM they put with it.

Really 512MB is pretty weak IMHO... 1GB should be standard across all models, while 2GB on 27" in a nice addition.
 
Did I miss something or the new iMacs don't support input from other mini display ports, say... Macbook Pros? I know that the 2010 model did this, but I don't see any mention about this in the new ones.

I was looking to buy a 27 and sometimes hook it up to my MBP.
 
how do i reclaim the normal clocked speed of the CPU and GPU?

u know apple underclock and things like that
 
Thunderbolt to Mini Display

I have an external Mac display cerca 2008 with a the apple display port that I hook to my Macbook. When I got a revamped mac book I had to buy a mini display adapter to use it.

I want to get a the new iMac, and want to use my external display still. But I haven't been able to find info on Mini/Display port to Tunderbolt.

I know half the charm of these thunderbolts is running HD video from an external drive and separate monitors. But I haven't found what I'm looking for.

Thoughts?
 
Just ordered mine, can't wait as my 2008 model is starting to struggle, especially with some of the photo editing software that plugs in to Photoshop, and Premiere Pro CS5 dies a death when trying to do anything remotely exciting!

3.4GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
2TB Serial ATA Drive
AMD Radeon HD 6970M 2GB GDDR5
Apple Magic Mouse
Apple Wireless Keyboard

As with Zomberunner, I will upgrade memory to 16GB at a later date from Crucial.
 
Just ordered mine!

3.4GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
2TB Serial ATA Drive + 256GB Solid State Drive
AMD Radeon HD 6970M 1GB GDDR5
 
Westyfield2 said:
Apple's SSDs are always overpriced and slower than third-party ones anyways.



Just seems mental how the iMacs are now on second generation Core i processors, yet the Mini is still on C2D.
Click to expand...

Mini is on C2D because wasn't room (in case or pricepoint) for dedicated gpu.

Now that SB is out with an integrated gpu on par with the 320M you'll see it in the Mini soon enough.
 
Caution: Specs don't mention IPS panel like with previous models. You never know.


Ok I see IPS mentioned under Features/Screen Appeal.
 
UNMENINU said:
I have an external Mac display cerca 2008 with a the apple display port that I hook to my Macbook. When I got a revamped mac book I had to buy a mini display adapter to use it.

I want to get a the new iMac, and want to use my external display still. But I haven't been able to find info on Mini/Display port to Tunderbolt.

I know half the charm of these thunderbolts is running HD video from an external drive and separate monitors. But I haven't found what I'm looking for.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

If I understand you correctly, you want to plug a mini-Display port on your MacBook Pro to the Thunderbolt port on your iMac. All you need is a mini-Display Port to mini-Display Port cord. Thunderbolt uses the same connectors.
 
trip1ex said:
Mini is on C2D because wasn't room (in case or pricepoint) for dedicated gpu.

Now that SB is out with an integrated gpu on par with the 320M you'll see it in the Mini soon enough.
Click to expand...

+1 eventually mac mini will be updated same goes to white macbook also

White Macbook with i5 CPU is nice upgrade, one tuesday at a time ... :D
 
grahamnp said:
It annoys me too but it works out pretty well for Apple and I'd much rather pay extra for the i7 than not have the option at all. Look at the latest MBPs compared to the previous ones, Apple bumped the GPUs up significantly but charged $200 more and yet everyone is happy.
Click to expand...

True, but I've always had the sense that MBP owners are just used to paying a lot more for a machine than most everyone else.

Eidorian said:
I strongly suggest against a refurbished model of older revisions. It is similar to purchasing a Core 2 model. The base 21.5" Sandy Bridge once it hits refurb would be tempting at ~$999.
Click to expand...

Agreed about the Core2 models, but I still think it would depend on the price of the refurbed. There's a 3.33GHz core 2 duo on there for $1040, and a 3.06GHz Core i3 for $930; same GPU different HDD size. The i3 would be the better choice if one weren't able to get the extra $200 or so for a new model.

This is the first worthwhile iMac solely based on the stillborn potential of Thunderbolt and the quad on the base models. It only took 5 years.
Click to expand...

QFT. My initial post in this thread mentioned the Old Skool Apple because at the very least we've got iMacs that don't offer 80% laptop parts with a nice screen. I'd say we are at 40% laptop parts now.
 
rmwebs said:
You'd have to be a fool to order that from Apple. Their upgrade prices on SSD's are a joke! It'd probably be cheaper to wait it out a couple of months and get an external thunderbolt one - it'll be just as fast if not faster!
Click to expand...

The prices are way too high but upgrading yourself is a task most people don't want to attempt (removing the glass is a bit daunting). External thunderbolt would be nice but I don't think there's any enclosures for sale yet.
 
Digital Skunk said:
I was looking to verify that . . . it blows now that I know. I didn't want to have to spend the extra $200 for HT.
Click to expand...

Hyperthreading hardly matters. It's already a quad core designed to shut off two of the cores for better performance. The minor boost to the i7 is almost always going to be attributed to the higher clockrate and the 2MB additional L3 cache.

There are some very specific scenarios and synthetic benchmarks that will use 8 threads effectively, but very few real world users will notice any benefit from Hyperthreading. Most everyone will notice a higher clock rate and more L3 cache. It's probably more fruitful for people to decide if $200 is worth 300more Mhz and 2MB additional L3, I would say those factors alone is worth around 11 - 13% performance boost, and constitutes a 10% higher cost.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Bridge#Desktop_processors

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/sandy-bridge-core-i7-2600k-core-i5-2500k,2833-16.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/sandy-bridge-core-i7-2600k-core-i5-2500k,2833-15.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/sandy-bridge-core-i7-2600k-core-i5-2500k,2833-18.html
 
Nothing out of the blue but meh, quite surprised at how good at that low end 27" iMac is! I'll have to buy one when I'm next in town.


Oh hey... question! Can I buy a "built to order" iMac from the store? Well I'd like that stock model, but I'd also like that touch panel thing and not the mouse (already got a Razer mouse). Just I get a discount from my local Apple Store that'll save me quite a bit!
 
Extra Displays

If I'm not mistaking I believe I read on Intel's site that you could actually run two displays off of TB. I believe that one of them would be the built-in display. But, in theory, I believe you could run an additional 3 on the 27". Can anyone verify this?

Thunderbolt technology has arrived — and Apple computers are the first to have it. With one tiny port, you get lightning-fast transfer speeds and huge expansion capabilities. Two 10-Gbps data channels per port mean you can transfer data up to 12 times faster than with FireWire 800. And don’t worry about a single drive or peripheral tying up the Thunderbolt port: You can daisy-chain as many as six devices plus a display. The 27-inch iMac includes a second Thunderbolt port for even more expansion possibilities. Connect up to six more devices or a display or two.
Click to expand...

If you read this carefully, I believe it says the same thing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back