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Deciding on new iMac (opinions)!

J

jomirrivera

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 15, 2011
348
23
Hi!

I deciding on getting a new iMac and my budget is $2300 (including tax)

I have been considering two options:

Option 1: Maxed out 21.5

3.1 quad-core i7
Fusion Drive (5,400 RPM)
GT 650M 512 MB
16GB Ram

Option 2: Base model 27

2.9 quad-core i5
Fusion Drive (7,200 RPM)
GTX 660M 512 Ram
8GB Ram (will upgrade myself to 16 or more)


The computer will have basic use and ocasional gaming!
Fusion drive (IMO) is a must have, my concern is: should I go with an i5 or i7?

Anyways, if you think of a better configuration, let me know!
 
I need opinions, what is the best options?
Pros anc cons?
Experienced gamers, anyone?
 
Go for the 27" of the two... You'll probably have no actual use for the i7 and you'll really appreciate the screen size in the long run. :)
 
jomirrivera said:
How much of a difference will be the i5 vs i7?
Click to expand...

It depends on what you do. The Core i7 upgrade will get you more processor cache, more clock speed, and Hyper-threading; this can make a significant difference on processing video, editing and transcoding or very heavy Photoshop work. If you regularly do very CPU-heavy tasks I'd go with the i7.

However, for most general use workloads i.e browsing the Web, word processing, checking e-mail the i5 will be adequate. You really won't be utilising the power of the i7 here.

In my opinion the quad core i5 will be more than enough for you.
 
I went with the 21.5", i5, 16GB RAM, and 1TB Fusion Drive. Don't waste money on the i7 if you don't do the tasks that put the CPU to use, otherwise it'll just sit idle. The 27" was too big for my desk and I personally don't need all that real estate. Also, the 650M will be fine for gaming on the 21.5". If you game on the 27", the 660M may not be adequate for gaming at the native resolution and you may have to bump down the resolution for adequate performance.
 
MagicThief83 said:
I went with the 21.5", i5, 16GB RAM, and 1TB Fusion Drive. Don't waste money on the i7 if you don't do the tasks that put the CPU to use, otherwise it'll just sit idle. The 27" was too big for my desk and I personally don't need all that real estate. Also, the 650M will be fine for gaming on the 21.5". If you game on the 27", the 660M may not be adequate for gaming at the native resolution and you may have to bump down the resolution for adequate performance.
Click to expand...

Does bumping down the setting make the game look bad?
I have no problem doing that but only if they wont look bad!
 
jomirrivera said:
Does bumping down the setting make the game look bad?
I have no problem doing that but only if they wont look bad!
Click to expand...

Some say bumping down the resolution may make the game look blurry. To be honest, I'd rather bump down the resolution a bit and increase settings in order to get better performance. The image may blur a bit, but it won't be the end of the world. If you're coming from console gaming, it will actually be an improvement over what you are used to.
 
Mini 2.3 (faster than option 2) 799
256Gb SSD+kit (199) bigger SSD part you decide to fusion or not to fusion. You can also run everything off the SSD and use the 1Tb HD as file drive and timemachine for quick OS restores.
Dell U2713HM (599) better screen than 27 inch iMacs one.
16 Gb (80)
1 week holiday to Cancun (599)
Mouse (5) Keyboard (20) They look ugly but work better
Total 2300
Shipping in 24 hours.
 
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