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

Cancel order of 2012 iMac and wait for Refresh? Advice please.

W

wilds94

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 26, 2012
48
0
So, after waiting almost 2 months, and after an obsessive amount of surfing the net looking for answers, i've decided to get a 27" iMac. My other option was a Mac Pro, but after WWDC only announced one and didn't give the price, i was happy to go with the iMac.

But now! An analyst who has show a decent amount of accuracy in the past is reporting that he (Kuo) believes there will be an iMac refresh this month or less... https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1593052/

I've waited two months (whilst trawling almost daily for any news), whats another month?
I'm really hanging out for the update to the GPU, simply for gaming. If its going to be massive, it might be worth the wait, otherwise i'll buy now, sell around next years refresh and buy an updated iMac then. Thoughts/Advice?
 
The New haswell CPU Generation is about 10% faster than ivy Bridge. Thats Not a major upgrade. There is no New GPU Generation By nvidia. If there is a New imac in the next months then it will be a minor Upgrade with the haswell chips.
 
Last edited:
wilds94 said:
...
I've waited two months (whilst trawling almost daily for any news), whats another month?
I'm really hanging out for the update to the GPU, simply for gaming. If its going to be massive, it might be worth the wait, otherwise i'll buy now, sell around next years refresh and buy an updated iMac then. Thoughts/Advice?
Click to expand...
How long you want to wait is up to you. I'm not sure when I'll actually replace my iMac but right now I would update no earlier than the next refresh unless one of the following happened:
  • My iMac needs an expensive repair after AppleCare expires in another month or so.
  • What I am doing on the iMac changes such that my current iMac could no longer meet my needs.
Would I like a new iMac? Heck yeah. Can I justify it right now? No. And the funny thing is the recent security patch to 10.7.5 fixed a memory issue I was having making the system more responsive under heavy memory usage.
 
wilds94 said:
Are you sure there won't be a 780m in it?
Click to expand...

if and when there will be a silent refresh, you're going to kick yourself for waiting what with the tiny spec bump. you're not going to see a massive gpu upgrade. not gonna happen.
 
I've been considering these issues as well and after some reading on here, comparing benchmarks and speculating, I've decided that really the only gain to be had in the "silent upgrade" will be 802.11ac.

The benchmark below shows Haswell i7-4770 chips actually coming in lower in benchmark scores than the i7-3770 that comes in the iMac (I'm looking for an i7, so research the i5 comparitively if it's what you're after). The i5-3470 does come in a little below the i5-4570 (I presume what Apple would put in the refreshed iMac)

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html

My research (along with some corrobarating help on here) has found that the nVidia 780M is nothing more than a 680MX rebranded for mainstream mobile PC use. The 680MX actually beats the 780M in the benchmarks below, as well as not having another mobile GPU that ranks higher than it.

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

Keep in mind that these benchmarks are from multiple machines from all over the net. This indicates to me that Apple has optimized the logic boards on the iMac quite a bit. That has been evidenced since benchmarking began, in general terms. It explains how 2 identical CPUs can score so differently in benchmarks - different motherboard manufacturers optimize the boards (memory data paths, chipset distances, VRM placements, etc) differently and get different results.

I only see 802.11ac being the determining factor at THIS point in time. You never know, Apple could quite possibly unleash something new on us just like they did with the 680MX, but it'd be towards the end of the year. Only question is if you want to wait that long for something that "might" appear. If I needed it "now", I'd buy it "now".
 
What about any potential refreshes to the low-end mac? I can't really afford anything higher. How is the 640m?
 
mrkgoo said:
What about any potential refreshes to the low-end mac? I can't really afford anything higher. How is the 640m?
Click to expand...

If you look on that video benchmark chart, you'll see that last year's iMacs that have Radeon 6750, 6770 or 6970 chipsets outperform the 2012 iMac with the nVidia 640M. If you're focusing on graphics only & have a limited budget, you might be better off getting a mid 2011 iMac from Apple or Ebay.
 
wilds94 said:
But now! An analyst who has show a decent amount of accuracy in the past is reporting that he (Kuo) believes there will be an iMac refresh this month or less... https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1593052/
Click to expand...

While Kuo is generally pretty accurate, I'm sure this will go down as a miss for him. If there is an update in the next 60 days, it wouldn't be a noticeable improvement over the model that's for sale right now, unless you have a burning need for 802.11ac wireless. As I noted in one of the other threads on this topic, if they swap the 680mx for the 780m, the estimated performance gain is about 2% ...
 
You will get a slightly faster CPU, much faster Wifi (great if you don't have a wired network) and most likely faster storage (PCI based flash). Even if they put in the 780M in there, it's basically the same speed as the 680MX. Whether waiting for all of that, and you could be waiting a couple of months, is worth it is a decision that only you can make.
 
MeatRocket said:
If you look on that video benchmark chart, you'll see that last year's iMacs that have Radeon 6750, 6770 or 6970 chipsets outperform the 2012 iMac with the nVidia 640M. If you're focusing on graphics only & have a limited budget, you might be better off getting a mid 2011 iMac from Apple or Ebay.
Click to expand...

I took a look and couldn't find the benchmarks. Not sure if VRAM was taken into account because I think the low end mac of 2011 was only 256 MB.

My concern isn't really power, I guess. Anything has got to better than my 2008 core2duo MBP!

But more just kicking myself for not getting 'free' upgrades by waiting. Worse, is if they do something like make the fusion drive standard or bumping it to 256GB.

The other thig is I have NO mac at the moment!
 
wilds94 said:
Are you sure there won't be a 780m in it?
Click to expand...

It might, but either way the 680MX currently in the top spec 27" Mac (a $150/£99 option) is virtually identical to the 780M in spec, so if all you're waiting for is the GPU, you might as well just get a current top dog 27" iMac.

Clocks are slightly different, but performance is going to be pretty much the same.
 
mrkgoo said:
The other thig is I have NO mac at the moment!
Click to expand...

I'd be giving hand jobs for cash on the corner if this was the case :D I couldn't live without a computer. I say rush out & get you a computer ASAP! Try the Certified Refurbished outlet on the Apple site. They actually have good deals & the machines have a full warranty.
 
It's still a free performance upgrade though... hmmm... but since you have no Mac I would stay stick with it. :apple:
 
MeatRocket said:
I've been considering these issues as well and after some reading on here, comparing benchmarks and speculating, I've decided that really the only gain to be had in the "silent upgrade" will be 802.11ac.

The benchmark below shows Haswell i7-4770 chips actually coming in lower in benchmark scores than the i7-3770 that comes in the iMac (I'm looking for an i7, so research the i5 comparitively if it's what you're after). The i5-3470 does come in a little below the i5-4570 (I presume what Apple would put in the refreshed iMac)

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html

My research (along with some corrobarating help on here) has found that the nVidia 780M is nothing more than a 680MX rebranded for mainstream mobile PC use. The 680MX actually beats the 780M in the benchmarks below, as well as not having another mobile GPU that ranks higher than it.

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

Keep in mind that these benchmarks are from multiple machines from all over the net. This indicates to me that Apple has optimized the logic boards on the iMac quite a bit. That has been evidenced since benchmarking began, in general terms. It explains how 2 identical CPUs can score so differently in benchmarks - different motherboard manufacturers optimize the boards (memory data paths, chipset distances, VRM placements, etc) differently and get different results.

I only see 802.11ac being the determining factor at THIS point in time. You never know, Apple could quite possibly unleash something new on us just like they did with the 680MX, but it'd be towards the end of the year. Only question is if you want to wait that long for something that "might" appear. If I needed it "now", I'd buy it "now".
Click to expand...

These benchmarks are great, thanks! The important thing to remember is the 675mx in the iMac is NOT the same in these benchmarks...its is actually a 680m renamed 675mx just for apple. a look at cuda core count verifies that...so the imac 675mx and 680mx are only 800 points apart...which explains the small upgrade price to the 680mx
 
MeatRocket said:
I'd be giving hand jobs for cash on the corner if this was the case :D I couldn't live without a computer. I say rush out & get you a computer ASAP! Try the Certified Refurbished outlet on the Apple site. They actually have good deals & the machines have a full warranty.
Click to expand...

Heh, yeah thanks!

Nah there're no iMac refurbs on our local online store (and we don't have apple stores here) so I might just get a new low-end. I might spring for one upgrade, either the fusion (more likely) or extra 8GB ram.

I'll get the super drive too.
 
mrkgoo said:
Nah there're no iMac refurbs on our local online store (and we don't have apple stores here) so I might just get a new low-end. I might spring for one upgrade, either the fusion (more likely) or extra 8GB ram.

I'll get the super drive too.
Click to expand...

The certified refurb store is here...
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

I wouldn't get a superdrive, to be honest. I'd get a blu-ray writer that does it all for a little extra and has a USB 3.0 connection.

http://www.amazon.com/Aluminum-Exte...=UTF8&colid=QDTSGG5IRLEH&coliid=IOCAL5LGUSEMA
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
And what about the PCIe SSD in the new Air's coming to the iMac refresh? Unlikely? Its so stressful, and i'm the kind of person that would not handle in the slightest if the refresh was anything significant in the coming months.

But. Regardless, an iMac is in the mail as we speak and i have no computer at the moment, (using my iphone/parents comps).
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
Way more interested in improved colour performance/retina panel than 'more more more' speed personally......the top specced current 27" is super quick!
 
autacraft said:
Way more interested in improved colour performance/retina panel than 'more more more' speed personally......the top specced current 27" is super quick!
Click to expand...

I'am doing my best to hold out for a retina iMac display, luckily I own a macbook 15 inch with a retina display which is fantastic computer by the way. But enough ruffling in response to the thread it depends when you need a computer. If you are like me and have access to a laptop use that until 2014, with improvements to thunderbolt and usb 3.0, better graphics maxwell, and following the wallpaper leak we might see a thunderbolt retina display this year to go along the Mac Pro, 9 to 5 has confirmed this rumour.

I would say a retina iMac is just around the corner, and we are luckily to it in next years iMac should Apple update its thunderbolt display this year. However the iMac might miss out on a retina display like the macbook air due to costs, but i putting all my money down for 2014.
 
It took me a while to feel like this but I found the best way is to know that as soon as you buy something you're already counting down to the next refresh date. I bought my 27" iMac in April this year and regardless of whether there's a refresh soon or not, it has all the power I need for playing games in Boot Camp and for doing my work in OS X. I love this iMac. As some people have said, buy one if you need one. Obviously if there's a keynote quick approaching then hold off but otherwise you'll lose months refreshing rumour sites and waiting for the new one, only to be disappointed x months after you get that when there's another refresh... :p
 
eattherich said:
It took me a while to feel like this but I found the best way is to know that as soon as you buy something you're already counting down to the next refresh date. I bought my 27" iMac in April this year and regardless of whether there's a refresh soon or not, it has all the power I need for playing games in Boot Camp and for doing my work in OS X. I love this iMac. As some people have said, buy one if you need one. Obviously if there's a keynote quick approaching then hold off but otherwise you'll lose months refreshing rumour sites and waiting for the new one, only to be disappointed x months after you get that when there's another refresh... :p
Click to expand...

I think this is what i'm going to do, i find it hard to believe that Apple would bring out a big refresh so soon after their long delayed launch of this iMac. Anyone want to back me up in thinking that they would hardly make a change to this generation when most people only got theirs around dec/jan? Only 6 months ago?
 
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