What is the difference between flash memory and ssd memory?
Some say flash is the future, some say SSD, what do you reckon and why?
Some say flash is the future, some say SSD, what do you reckon and why?
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Caved and purchased a 27" i7
- Thread starter Big Dave
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Functionally it's the same thing. Usually (but not always) they'll use "SSD" to mean it's in some kind of enclosure, and "flash" to mean it's socketed into the board like a memory chip.
I too bought a completely maxed out one. With SSd and everything. I´ll keep this one with a smile on my face until the retina one comes out...then I´ll get that one too 
....and now that its done I can stop watching this site obsessively and instead enjoy my purchase, its a relief!
....and now that its done I can stop watching this site obsessively and instead enjoy my purchase, its a relief!Congrats on the new machine. That's the same one I bought a while back.
Now as you enjoy that wonderful new machine, you can sit back and watch the " Waiting for a new iMac " train, full of people as it runs around a circular track.
I sold a 2011 MBP to buy this 2011 27" iMac, I still have my 2007 24" iMac and use it as well. I now have 4 iMacs in the shop here and they are all used on a regular basis.
those that buy an iMac now will be happy for a month or two, but when the new iMac comes out, they'll wish they had waited.
Those of us who are waiting are merely storing away our satisfaction for a few weeks until the new machine gets released.
Those of us who are waiting are merely storing away our satisfaction for a few weeks until the new machine gets released.
I'm looking to purchase an i7 27in iMac as well but the only thing that's kind of a drawback is that it uses USB 2.0 ports instead of USB 3.0. Do you guy think the difference in speed is enough that you'd recommend me to wait until the official refresh?
Good for you! I hope you enjoy it. I know I am thoroughly enjoying my nice new iMac! I just got it a few weeks ago and caught some flak here for being a dummy supposedly with a refresh "coming for sure!" real soon now, etc. It's coming whenever Apple feels like it and nobody knows when that is.
Meantime, I am having a great time with my new iMac now! No more waiting!
Depends on how much it costs.
I am thinking of buying a 15" retina powerbook instead: the 2.3MHz. Its pretty quick, and about mac 27" prices. and then add a 3rd party monitor. Its faster than iMacs, and portable. And easy to sell when faster iMacs eventually come.
not really
a maxed out 2011 machine will still be superior to many 2012 models (if bump specs only) or if NOT SO, that means the iMac will cost much more (15'' retina)
and most people won't afford it.
to me the only very very sad point was if the day after i got my iMac, they announced the new 1, but now may and WWDC are gone
2-3+ months it starts to get reasonable (everything upgrades and changes and we gotta live with it)
One more vote for the 2011 machine. I've got a SSD maxxed out 27" with 16GB of RAM. I love the design, I love the performance. The one and only projected change for a new iMac that would have any significant performance impact would be the graphics chip. And since I mainly play Blizzard games on the mac and the rest on PS3 or bootcamp I can live without cutting edge performance for the next year or two. I play everything at native resolution and get more than adequate frame rates.
For aperture/encoding and the like the 2011 machine is still a beast.
edit: oh and if they go retina (very doubtful) it would be a negative performance bump.... just look at the new iPad and read up about what developers are doing to particle effects and things to cope with the resolution. Just maintaing parity on performance is a stretch.
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Nope. Regardless of whether a new imac comes out now or in a year doesn't alter the fact that the current imac i have is suiting my work just awesomely.
I think that for me I seem to use a computer for about 4 years before looking for an update. So I get the best I can now, over the course of 4 years things change, then its update time again. Holding off for more than 6 months as some people have done, especially those that really require an imac, and with the bucks to buy it, seems to be a bit much and I can imagine their frustration of those buyers who value slightly more bang for their buck over having a great computer to work on for months and months.
However if you don't 'really' need an iMac now and already have a suitable setup, then yes, waiting *might* be good, though taking anybody's speculations as to when the iMac might be refreshed, and following the buying advice of anyone in these forums is largely a fool's game. You know as much as they do, and a slight improvement for one person may not hold as much weight for another. If anything, i think the constant encouragement to 'wait' has led many down a path of misery, and misery loves company. These updates are incremental, no matter how much Apple tries to sensationalize them. I really see a difference in performance after a couple of years though.
"dude i've got a pentium 4."
"pff. i've got a pentium 4 TURBO!"
"aah man. your computer's so much better than mine."
Seems a bit ridiculous? same story here.
As another poster said, a maxed out 2011 iMac is likely to outperform the next revision in any event.
little bit of perspective.
Its still the best Apple offers. You can buy a Dell that has Ivy Bridge processors and probably pay a whole lot less. You are then stuck with Windows and a machine that is not really faster than the current iMac. So 2011 Apple tech at 2011 prices is still relevant.
I also couln't wait for the new iMac to come out, so ordered:
27-inch iMac
3.1GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
1TB Serial ATA Drive+256GB SSD
AMD Radeon HD 6970M 1GB GDDR5
MAGIC MOUSE+MAGIC TRACKPAD-Z
With student-discount
It will be my first mac-experience!
27-inch iMac
3.1GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
1TB Serial ATA Drive+256GB SSD
AMD Radeon HD 6970M 1GB GDDR5
MAGIC MOUSE+MAGIC TRACKPAD-Z
With student-discount
It will be my first mac-experience!
Huh?! A maxed out 2011 iMac may outperform a 2012 base spec iMac, yes, but a maxed out 2012 spec iMac will definitely outperform last years model.
The bottom line is the 2011 iMac is a perfectly good machine. The 2012 model will be better. If you desperately need an iMac, get one of the current ones - if you don't, wait a little because a refresh is right around the corner.
That is what the waiters say to justify their silly 'waiting game'.
The last MBP I bought it was rumored that an update was forthcoming. I was told I was crazy to buy then, that I should wait. My friend decided to wait, I did not.
16 days later the new model dropped.
My friend the 'waiter' was upset because a feature that was in my 15" MBP was REMOVED from the new model.
I " Mr Buy It Now " was very happy, my friend " Mr Waiter " was not so happy.
He ended up buying a 15" MBP Refurb!
So there you go ..... wait .... wait .... wait ..... and when it comes and is not what you want, will you continue to wait?
You guys don't get it
The Ivy Bridge IMac will be released in July along with Mountain Lion.
Why help spike sales now, they may decide to postpone a new release if they think they can hold out and get rid of old stock. My wife is darn near forcing me to buy one in July if the new ones aren't released. I'm trying to get her to understand why waiting makes sense. I won't wait till 2013 but I truly believe we are very close to an upgrade. I think there is also a good chance that you will see retinas on the high end of the 21 inch iMac but probably not the 27 inch. If so
The Ivy Bridge IMac will be released in July along with Mountain Lion.
Why help spike sales now, they may decide to postpone a new release if they think they can hold out and get rid of old stock. My wife is darn near forcing me to buy one in July if the new ones aren't released. I'm trying to get her to understand why waiting makes sense. I won't wait till 2013 but I truly believe we are very close to an upgrade. I think there is also a good chance that you will see retinas on the high end of the 21 inch iMac but probably not the 27 inch. If so
I too bought a completely maxed out one. With SSd and everything. I´ll keep this one with a smile on my face until the retina one comes out...then I´ll get that one too
I also couln't wait for the new iMac to come out, so ordered:
27-inch iMac
3.1GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
1TB Serial ATA Drive+256GB SSD
AMD Radeon HD 6970M 1GB GDDR5
MAGIC MOUSE+MAGIC TRACKPAD-Z
With student-discount
It will be my first mac-experience!
They're clearing out the inventory, boys! Wait for it . . .
I also couln't wait for the new iMac to come out, so ordered:
27-inch iMac
3.1GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
1TB Serial ATA Drive+256GB SSD
AMD Radeon HD 6970M 1GB GDDR5
MAGIC MOUSE+MAGIC TRACKPAD-Z
With student-discount
It will be my first mac-experience!
Same as mine. It rocks! Do yourself a favour though and upgrade the memory straight away. Stick a couple of 4Gb simms in the 2 free slots to give yourself a total of 12Gb.