iMac 24 replace

[pietrov]

Hi guys, my old 24'' core2 extreme imac is getting really old and slow.
So I'm thinking to change it with a new one.
Note that I actually have a 13'' rMBP i7.
I use my 24'' as an always on machine, able to rip dvd/cd heavily downloads and so on.
I've seen that there are some 21.5'' iMac in refurbished, but I only see machines with a 5400 rpm disk (the standard) and a 27'' iMac in refurbished with a 7200 rpm disk.
No fusion/ssd machines there, unless I allow an i5 processor.
Generally the 21 and 27 have 8 Gb RAM.
Should I prefer an i5 with a fusion drive or an i7 with a normal drive (5400 seems odd to me, and the possibility to replace the drive seems difficult too, according to ifixit)?
Or should I consider a new and totally configured machine?

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Hi guys, my old 24'' core2 extreme imac is getting really old and slow.
So I'm thinking to change it with a new one.
Note that I actually have a 13'' rMBP i7.
I use my 24'' as an always on machine, able to rip dvd/cd heavily downloads and so on.
I've seen that there are some 21.5'' iMac in refurbished, but I only see machines with a 5400 rpm disk (the standard) and a 27'' iMac in refurbished with a 7200 rpm disk.
No fusion/ssd machines there, unless I allow an i5 processor.
Generally the 21 and 27 have 8 Gb RAM.
Should I prefer an i5 with a fusion drive or an i7 with a normal drive (5400 seems odd to me, and the possibility to replace the drive seems difficult too, according to ifixit)?
Or should I consider a new and totally configured machine?

For most general use, I would say that Fusion/SSD with a slower processor will run rings around a HDD (any speed) with a faster processor. That would be things like launching apps - editing photos - running Safari - word processing - etc. plus it simply starts up and shuts down faster.

But, there are exceptions - ripping a DVD for example is much more processor-intensive than disk-intensive. So if your primary use is hands-off lengthy processor-intensive tasks where you're not actually sitting at the machine, then the drive speed probably won't affect you much at all.