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i9+Vega Vs i9+580x (Temps and Fan Noise)

Returnoftheimac

Returnoftheimac

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 21, 2019
13
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I do not need a Vega GPU.

I do want an i9 for optimal Photoshop performance now and in the future.

I really want a quiet running iMac and I understand the Vega may run cooler due to the type of ram.

I do not want to have to spend a large sum of money just to have a quieter iMac but I may have to if the alternative is a noisy computer for the next 8 years.

I want to buy the i5+580x but may be force to buy the i9+Vega if it is shown in real world test to be louder.

Any info that compare core temps or fan noise running similar tests would be great.

I know this is a tricky one but I'm sure I am not the only one trying to figure this out.

All help is greatly appreciated.
 
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Returnoftheimac said:
I do not need a Vega GPU.

I do want an i9 for optimal Photoshop performance now and in the future.

I really want a quiet running iMac and I understand the Vega may run cooler due to the type of ram.

I do not want to have to spend a large sum of money just to have a quieter iMac but I may have to if the alternative is a noisy computer for the next 8 years.

I want to buy the i5+580x but may be force to buy the i9+Vega if it is shown in real world test to be louder.

Any info that compare core temps or fan noise running similar tests would be great.

I know this is a tricky one but I'm sure I am not the only one trying to figure this out.

All help is greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Buy the imac pro. It is the most quiet computer I have ever owned, and guaranteed to be quieter than the imac.
 
I have three concerns.

1. The i5 9th gen may run nearly as hot as the i9 due to similar power consumption. (95w?)

2. Pugetsystems recommend the i9 as the most optimized chip for Photoshop ( See attached benchmarks).

3. Pugetsystems also say that once you go above 4gb of vram on your GPU the gains from the GPU are not significant. So the Vega would be overkill for me and it is money I could put into a ram upgrade.
0a88f7e80059b180017ec81b02f152b6.jpg
 
Voyageur said:
why don't you consider i5 with vega 48?
Click to expand...
I have three concerns.

1. The i5 9th gen may run nearly as hot as the i9 due to similar power consumption. (95w?)

2. Pugetsystems recommend the i9 as the most optimized chip for Photoshop ( See attached benchmarks).

3. Pugetsystems also say that once you go above 4gb of vram on your GPU the gains from the GPU are not significant. So the Vega would be overkill for me and it is money I could put into a ram upgrade.
7bbe74d6692e20426488294dd6bff73f.jpg
 
I totally agree with you, you got your priorities right.

The Vega20 is not worth $400 more over the 580. Unless you really really need those 20% GPU improvements. You are better off with more RAM, particularly if you are a photographer.

The only question here, which is the one you asked... Will the extra heat from the 580 make the i9 performance noticeably worse or not? My guess is no, I doubt there will be any extra throttling. But we have to wait and see until reviews are out.

I got an order for i9,8GB,512GB SSD - will upgrade to 64GB ram.
 
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richinaus said:
Buy the imac pro. It is the most quiet computer I have ever owned, and guaranteed to be quieter than the imac.
Click to expand...

I would love one (great machine) but cost his a limiting factor for me. Also I could not then get the education discount on the refurb store (A new one would not be runner price wise).
 
Just FYI: Puget System benchmarks are based on CPU chips that's in traditional computer cases with proper cooling. The CPUs are also not power limited. So performance numbers will differ in a tight enclosed iMac space.

Even a high-end entry GPU class like 1050 Ti is good enough for Photoshop. Once you go above GTX 1060/RX580 class and above it's very hard diminishing return.

As of now, get the i9 and 580X for photo editing. We need to see how the CPUs and GPUs react to each others heat.
 
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I'm in a similar boat and am curious about the i5+580 config but I realize most who are the type to run benchmarks are going to step up to the i9+Vega so I may be waiting for much feedback. Pushing the cost over $3K with tax for the I9 and/or the Vega isn't value for my needs.
 
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jsmitty said:
I'm in a similar boat and am curious about the i5+580 config but I realize most who are the type to run benchmarks are going to step up to the i9+Vega so I may be waiting for much feedback. Pushing the cost over $3K with tax for the I9 and/or the Vega isn't value for my needs.
Click to expand...

Similar situation here. I just one to upgrade one of both things, and more inclined towards the vega 48 and leave the i5 as it should even enough for my needs as I Don't do any high end rendering and such, and vega runs cooler, but if i5 = 580x runs well enough, saving those almost £800 quid can be very helpfull for a future upgrade down the line
 
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sparkhill said:
I have a couple of i9+580X iMacs being delivered Monday, but won’t be able to test until Wednesday or Thursday.
Click to expand...

Ah, hopefully that will still be in time. I'm going to Spain on Wednesday for 2 weeks and wanted to buy it there as the standard guarantee is 2 years rather than the 1 year you get in the UK. Wanted to order ASAP to make sure I get it in time to bring back with me.

Hopefully, when you do the review it will still be in time. Really appreciate your offering :D
 
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I have had the i9+Vega 48 since Thursday and it runs fairly cool and quiet and I have been trying to push it. I've only had the fans ramp twice on macOS and it only lasted a minute or two each time. It only seemed to get to a medium speed compared to the louder high end 2017 iMac I had for a while at work before changing jobs. In Windows I was able to get the fans to come up some running Apex Legends at near max settings at 1440p at around 60fps vsync but they never got "loud" and I could barely notice them over the game and not at all when using headphones. I used to build PCs back in the day so I know what loud is, lol.
 
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Returnoftheimac said:
I do not want to have to spend a large sum of money just to have a quieter iMac but I may have to if the alternative is a noisy computer for the next 8 years.
Click to expand...

Returnoftheimac said:
Pugetsystems also say that once you go above 4gb of vram on your GPU the gains from the GPU are not significant. So the Vega would be overkill for me and it is money I could put into a ram upgrade.
Click to expand...

If you’re hoping to use this iMac for the next eight years, bear in mind that you can upgrade the RAM in a 27-inch iMac at any time. Once you choose your GPU, however, you’re stuck with it.

If you choose the 580X now, and then a few years down the road find yourself wishing you had the extra VRAM and compute power of the Vega 48, you’ll be out of luck. You might want to consider future-proofing your iMac by getting the Vega 48 now and then upgrading your RAM over time.
 
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macduke said:
I have had the i9+Vega 48 since Thursday and it runs fairly cool and quiet and I have been trying to push it. I've only had the fans ramp twice on macOS and it only lasted a minute or two each time. It only seemed to get to a medium speed compared to the louder high end 2017 iMac I had for a while at work before changing jobs. In Windows I was able to get the fans to come up some running Apex Legends at near max settings at 1440p at around 60fps vsync but they never got "loud" and I could barely notice them over the game and not at all when using headphones. I used to build PCs back in the day so I know what loud is, lol.
Click to expand...
Any other games you play, and do you have Antialiasing on?
 
macduke said:
I have had the i9+Vega 48 since Thursday and it runs fairly cool and quiet and I have been trying to push it. I've only had the fans ramp twice on macOS and it only lasted a minute or two each time. It only seemed to get to a medium speed compared to the louder high end 2017 iMac I had for a while at work before changing jobs. In Windows I was able to get the fans to come up some running Apex Legends at near max settings at 1440p at around 60fps vsync but they never got "loud" and I could barely notice them over the game and not at all when using headphones. I used to build PCs back in the day so I know what loud is, lol.
Click to expand...

Do you think the i5 + vega would be able to run things like apex at 60fps? How about if instead we do I9+ 580x? Really trying on which of the two upgrade, and gaming is part of it.
 
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Rockadile said:
Just FYI: Puget System benchmarks are based on CPU chips that's in traditional computer cases with proper cooling. The CPUs are also not power limited. So performance numbers will differ in a tight enclosed iMac space....
Click to expand...

I asked this question and the poster seemed to indicate Puget Systems does not override BIOS defaults on air-cooled i9-9900k machines and set them for unrestricted thermal output: #90

The manufacturer would have to go into the BIOS advanced power settings, disable the 95W TDP limit, set this to 250w, infinite, etc, then support that for all shipped systems, inc'l warranty and technical support.

There are manufacturers of specialized gaming systems that do this (plus overclock) for liquid-cooled machines, and they offer post-sales support. But so far I haven't seen any do this for i9-9900k air-cooled business-class machines.
 
kaintxu said:
Do you think the i5 + vega would be able to run things like apex at 60fps? How about if instead we do I9+ 580x? Really trying on which of the two upgrade, and gaming is part of it.
Click to expand...
For gaming, the GPU is always more important than the processor.
 
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Colonel Blimp said:
If you’re hoping to use this iMac for the next eight years, bear in mind that you can upgrade the RAM in a 27-inch iMac at any time. Once you choose your GPU, however, you’re stuck with it.

If you choose the 580X now, and then a few years down the road find yourself wishing you had the extra VRAM and compute power of the Vega 48, you’ll be out of luck. You might want to consider future-proofing your iMac by getting the Vega 48 now and then upgrading your RAM over time.
Click to expand...

You'd be better off buying another iMac in 4 years. 8 years is a long long time to keep a computer. Too long imo, especially if doing intensive tasks.
 
gusping said:
You'd be better off buying another iMac in 4 years. 8 years is a long long time to keep a computer. Too long imo, especially if doing intensive tasks.
Click to expand...

Except with an iMac it would be like buying a new eight hundred dollar computer each year if you did it every four years. I have my 2013 and I am still debating the upgrade, $3400 for something with the little more performance than the little Asus GR8 i7-7700, 16g 512SSD (m2) 1060GT that I picked up for $900 last June for a dedicated windows game system.

Right now I am still debating buying an i9/V48 iMac or wait to see what the "modular" Mac Pro will be. I like my 2013 but don't see the value anymore so it comes down to just wanting it.
 
sparkhill said:
I have a couple of i9+580X iMacs being delivered Monday, but won’t be able to test until Wednesday or Thursday.
Click to expand...
Thank you ! would be wonderful to hear .

I'm actually decided (99%) to get the i9 with the 580 .
I don't really need the extra power of vega so can't justify for myself to spend extra hundreds of dollars just for a bit cooler machine .
Maybe I'm naive but I hope that Apple isn't stupid and tested all of the sets so the I9 with 580 shouldn't be too bad if the tests show it run fine with the vega .
 
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