Transparency effects in OS X or in a particular software application?
I almost never use Expose. I just did it about two dozen times and it seems to work fine.
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iMac 5k - 8/16 Gb and 290X/295X?
- Thread starter blufrog
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Transparency effects in OS X or in a particular software application?
I almost never use Expose. I just did it about two dozen times and it seems to work fine.
Hey guys,
So as to not start a new thread, I thought I'd jump in here. I'm just about to purchase this setup;
iMac 5k:
- i7 4.0 GHz
- 8 Gb RAM (To be upgraded at a later date)
- 256 Gb SSD
- M290X
- I will be accessing work files from this hdd that has been recommended in other threads.
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other World Computing/MSU37T1.0T16/
- I would like to run a second display at some point, depending on what Apple announces? Is this even realistic?
- I work freelance as a graphic designer, mainly print and web brand collateral, and I also do a fair bit of photography work, working with Raw files taken and provided by others. I occasionally use Premiere, but it's not currently a concern to base this build on exporting video. I mostly use CC Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign.
SO, would the spec above be the best option, or should I downgrade the CPU to the 3.5GHz i5 and upgrade the GFX to M295X 4GB?
Thanks for your help!
So as to not start a new thread, I thought I'd jump in here. I'm just about to purchase this setup;
iMac 5k:
- i7 4.0 GHz
- 8 Gb RAM (To be upgraded at a later date)
- 256 Gb SSD
- M290X
- I will be accessing work files from this hdd that has been recommended in other threads.
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other World Computing/MSU37T1.0T16/
- I would like to run a second display at some point, depending on what Apple announces? Is this even realistic?
- I work freelance as a graphic designer, mainly print and web brand collateral, and I also do a fair bit of photography work, working with Raw files taken and provided by others. I occasionally use Premiere, but it's not currently a concern to base this build on exporting video. I mostly use CC Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign.
SO, would the spec above be the best option, or should I downgrade the CPU to the 3.5GHz i5 and upgrade the GFX to M295X 4GB?
Thanks for your help!
If you're not going to game much, the i7 + M290X is better than the i5 + M295X for Adobe apps. Second display will run the same on both cards.
Yup, definitely keen to keep this machine for work only. I've read so many conflicting things in this and other forums, so thanks for clearing that up! i7 it is!
M290X had certain UI issues in Yosemite, but they were software related (and severely overblown at the forums here). In upcoming El Capitan it runs really smooth. As for apps like Photoshop, there were never any issues, really. Photoshop benefits from the CPU mostly, but even GPU intensive apps like Lightroom run great. It's a very powerful GPU (and, if that matters to you, it generates less heat and the fans don't ramp up as often).
A lot of people have misconceptions about GPUs and CPU roles. And somehow it's easy to blame the GPU for any issue that arises on a "5K" computer.
Anyway, if it's for work only and you have to choose between the two, the i7 is a better choice, no doubt. That's not to say that the i5 is bad by any means - because it's not. Honestly, for Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign you will not notice any difference between any of the configurations you choose - whether it's an i5 with a M290X or an i7 with a M295X. Benchmarks will show gains from upgrades, but in day to day work, you probably won't see it. But, as I said, the i7 is a better upgrade for Adobe than the GPU and is nice to have if you plan on doing any video rendering (where the difference is noticeable).
Also, while I always say "get new hardware when you need it and don't wait", there is a chance we might see new Retina iMacs in October. Just saying
I own an iMac with 5k display and the 290x and it does lag a bit at 5K. Even light stuff as Expose (Mission Control or whatever) is laggy all the time. I have played some games at 4K but is definitely a challege for this GPU.
Starcraft, for example, runs at descent stable 50 FPS in 1080p with all high settings incluiding AA. But playing it at 4K brings FPS down to 25-30 which is not very nice. Not to mention I've never even tried 5K. I'm pretty sure it won't be more than 20 FPS.
Other than that I guess its ok and have never heard my fans run higher than 1200 rpm.
Starcraft, for example, runs at descent stable 50 FPS in 1080p with all high settings incluiding AA. But playing it at 4K brings FPS down to 25-30 which is not very nice. Not to mention I've never even tried 5K. I'm pretty sure it won't be more than 20 FPS.
Other than that I guess its ok and have never heard my fans run higher than 1200 rpm.
Thanks again. Very interesting to hear about the heat of the gpu. You've pretty much cleared up all my queries in a couple of posts. Although video isn't currently my forte, I do think that I will be moving more into that field, so it's good to know I have the right build for that..
One last question.. Would I benefit from 32gb of ram, or would 16 or 24 be enough?
Cheers
One last question.. Would I benefit from 32gb of ram, or would 16 or 24 be enough?
Cheers
You could always order it with 8, buy the chips to go from 8 to 24, and decide from there. For Heavens sakes-- DON'T ORDER IT WITH 32 GB-- apple will rip you off...
Most programs mon't demand more than a gigabyte (each)--photoshop is the notable exception. So unless you run virtual machines or run one of those known memory hogs from Adobe, most of that extra RAM will end up being used exclusively for caching.
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Cheers, yeah I was planning to get 32gb from Crucial and be done with it but If I don't need all of that then I won't bother. You are not wrong, those Apple prices are ridiculous!
When I used to build PC's a long time ago, you'd run the same brand of RAM throughout and all the sticks would be of the same capacity, is this still the case?
IIRC, the only precaution you need to take is to interleave the memory. Also, many vendors will specify that their PC3-12800 CL11 sodimms are designed for the mac.
example at Amazon
example direct from Crucial
When you receive the mac form apple it should contain 2 4GB sodimms,
4 GB (apple)
empty
4 GB (apple)
empty
total 8 GB
buy a kit (a matched pair) and install the new memory in the unused slots
4GB (apple)
either 4 or 8 GB (third party)
4 GB (apple)
either 4 or 8 GB (third party)
total: 16 or 24 GB
example at Amazon
example direct from Crucial
When you receive the mac form apple it should contain 2 4GB sodimms,
4 GB (apple)
empty
4 GB (apple)
empty
total 8 GB
buy a kit (a matched pair) and install the new memory in the unused slots
4GB (apple)
either 4 or 8 GB (third party)
4 GB (apple)
either 4 or 8 GB (third party)
total: 16 or 24 GB
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I concur with what people have wrote in this thread about the El Captain and the UI lag. My i7 with the M290X runs like a champ now and I have an additional 4K 28" Dell LCD attached and a 24" Asus LCD (1920 x 1200) attached via displayport.
Using the i7 4 ghz with the 290x and two extra displays and 24 gigs of ram:
I'm running lightroom/lrtimelapse plus a of audio apps for my recording studio and yes some games (elite dangerous, xplane10 which is more a high-res aviation sim than a game, trainz etc).
Thanks for clearing that up, will be careful to space the ram properly. I'm now thinking that an upgrade to 24GB might be all I need.
Interesting to see how many displays people are running on this setup!
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