I’m trying to figure if upgrading to the i9 from the i7 is worth it for me. Im planning on getting the new 27 inch iMac specd with the 16gb 5700xt, will upgrade to 64gb ram myself, 10gb Ethernet, 1tb ssd and am sticking with the normal screen. I do work in photoshop and will be editing 4K drone footage in final cut. I also want to be able to render maps and do 3d Modeling. Would also like to run boot camp to game on. I’m thinking that the extra money I would have sticking with the i7 would allow me to get a 2tb ssd or upgrade to 128gb ram. I’m not opposed to spending the money on the i9 but don’t know if my money would be better spent elsewhere. I would rather not spend $500 if on something that won’t help my usage too much
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i7 vs i9 (8 core vs 10 core)
- Thread starter JDubzzz
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I’ve watched that video but I don’t feel it’s a good comparison for my situation as the vram and ram specs are totally different. Thanks though!
Gotcha
you kind of hit all four “needs categories” between RAM, storage, CPU, GPU
drone footage: GPU, storage needed
bootcamp gaming: i7 is better, higher clock speed, storage needed, GPU
maps rendering: more ram, i9 is probably better
Depending on how often you render maps, i9 might not be necessary and sounds like 128GB RAM might be overkill (but these maps might be large)
If you render maps infrequently then going with the i7 will give you better clock speeds and game performance
I edit videos as well and saved money by going with 1TB + 2TB external NVMe over USB C (more than fast enough for 4K edits). Although if you have many games you’d have to mess with formatting to make game storage available on the external drive
you kind of hit all four “needs categories” between RAM, storage, CPU, GPU
drone footage: GPU, storage needed
bootcamp gaming: i7 is better, higher clock speed, storage needed, GPU
maps rendering: more ram, i9 is probably better
Depending on how often you render maps, i9 might not be necessary and sounds like 128GB RAM might be overkill (but these maps might be large)
If you render maps infrequently then going with the i7 will give you better clock speeds and game performance
I edit videos as well and saved money by going with 1TB + 2TB external NVMe over USB C (more than fast enough for 4K edits). Although if you have many games you’d have to mess with formatting to make game storage available on the external drive
Thanks and yeah that makes total sense. I guess I’m wondering is whether or not it’s worth spending the $500 on the i9. 70% of my usage is currently photo and video editing and 30% is mapping and 3d modelling. As my business grows I’m hoping that I will be doing much more mapping and/or modelling down the road(it pays a little more and I really enjoy doing it). I want something that will grow with my needs and a set up that I won’t regret purchasing a year down the road(hindsight is always 20/20). I do plan on doing some gaming on it but this is first and foremost a business purchase. I’m also well aware that the new Apple silicon will be coming out shortly but need a computer now and am worried about becoming an early adopter of the upcoming iMacs. I’m thinking I’d be using the current model for 3 years or so
Business use would be an instant upgrade for me personally, if the machine will be chugging along with map models and where time is money (thanks for that context).
yeah with ARM macs coming out soon the performance leap will most likely insubstantiate any i7 or i9 discussions we're having at this point and it'll feel like missing out at least for a year or two
also there might be software issues with the modeling tools on ARM, also goodbye Bootcamp (even though it doesn't sound like a priority)
yeah with ARM macs coming out soon the performance leap will most likely insubstantiate any i7 or i9 discussions we're having at this point and it'll feel like missing out at least for a year or two
also there might be software issues with the modeling tools on ARM, also goodbye Bootcamp (even though it doesn't sound like a priority)
Let me put it this way... the 5700XT will have a bigger effect on overall system performance than the extra 2 cores. I would get the 8 core with the 5500 upgraded to a 5700.
If the mapping and 3D modeling business improves for you. I hope it does. Then in a year or two you may be looking at a Mac Pro instead.
I wouldn't look at it as possibly regretting the purchase in a year. It should be seen as a reason to celebrate. That business improved so much that you need a faster computer. The iMac you purchase now will have paid for itself and you'll just need something better.
As for the i9 vs the i7. The i9 is faster. But the differences between the two aren't that big. If you reach the point where the i7 is not fast enough. The modest increase of the i9 likely won't be fast enough either. While with GPU tasks there is a definite advantage to the faster GPU. If it's an either or proposition. I'd probably take the GPU upgrade over the CPU upgrade.
As for i9 vs more SSD. You can get external SSD storage for pretty cheap. USB 3.1 Gen 2 with an NVMe SSD is likely more than fast enough. Plus you can just put your current projects on the internal and others on the external or use the internal for the scratch disk and so forth. So, I'd take the i9.
Since it is a business expense. $500 isn't really $500 anyways. As it is tax deductible. The real cost is the cost after you factor in how much it reduces your taxes. Of course you can further complicate it by factoring depreciation and residual value.