How important is the graphics card in an iMac?

[ThisBougieLife]

I would really like to get the 4K 21" iMac (the 27-inch is just so BIG and I'm going to college next year and not sure how much room I'm going to have). But the fact that it doesn't allow a dedicated graphics card seems disappointing. But how much of a difference does it really make?

I'm not a gamer, but I do use Photoshop and Lightroom regularly and it seems like a 4K screen might need something a bit more powerful than Intel's integrated graphics.

Is there any kind of "sluggishness" in comparison with the 27-inch iMac or is the difference negligible for most things?

 

[Sirmausalot]

The 21" retina is a first generation of that model with a last generation chipset (Broadwell). If you want the 21", especially for school, wait until next October when the Skylake version is released with much enhanced graphics over what currently ships with Broadwell. Adobe programs will thank you for holding off.

 

[ThisBougieLife]

Thanks Yeah I probably won't be getting it until next year either way. But hopefully that will be a significant improvement.

 

[maflynn]

Thanks Yeah I probably won't be getting it until next year either way. But hopefully that will be a significant improvement.

Not for nothing, but Apple went with Broadwell because the integrated GPU is much much better on the current Broadwell chipsets that it was on the skylake chipsets. Apple decided not to use a discrete GPU on the 21" iMacs for some reason.


If you want the latest chipsets, then yes waiting is the best, but I think the current 21" iMac isn't a bad machine, though I think the 5k iMac is the best option and you get the best bang for your buck. You get the skylake chipset, dGPU, and a larger 5k display

 

[Sirmausalot]

Not for nothing, but Apple went with Broadwell because the integrated GPU is much much better on the current Broadwell chipsets that it was on the skylake chipsets. Apple decided not to use a discrete GPU on the 21" iMacs for some reason.


If you want the latest chipsets, then yes waiting is the best, but I think the current 21" iMac isn't a bad machine, though I think the 5k iMac is the best option and you get the best bang for your buck. You get the skylake chipset, dGPU, and a larger 5k display

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought when they released the iMacs in October, there were no Skylake chips with iGPUs appropriate for the iMac.