iMac Dual Core vs Quad Core & SSD Option, for my needs

[goodfellaNW]

Hi All,

I switched from PC about 4 or 5 years ago and have been using an iMac and Macbook Pro which I've upgraded about every 1 or 1.5 years. I'm getting ready to upgrade my 2.4ghz 24" iMac, which has 1TB and 4GB Ram (HD & Ram both upgraded myself).

I run VMWare / Win 7 and allocate 2GB Ram currently to it. It is almost always open as I am .NET developer. In Win 7, It's almost always SQL, .NET and that's about it.

In OS X, I typically am just using Mail, web, iTunes, iPhoto, QuickBooks, Office and/or iWork, etc... occasionally using Photoshop, Fireworks.

I've got up to about $2700 to spend and am considering either the i5 Quad Core or the i5 Dual Core (3.6ghz) and whether or not to get the 1TB + 256GB SSD Option. I'll probably just add 4GB Ram after market, so that I can dedicate 4GB to VMWare (or maybe just 3) and leave 4/5 to OS X.

Anyway, questions are is i5 Quad Core overkill for my apps? Is the SSD worth the price? I would do it after market, but from what I've read, that's difficulty with the iMac.

Thanks!

 

[opera57]

If running a VM a quad core would probably help, although the dual core i5 isn't exactly slow either. I think the quad core would definitely be more future proof. To be honest I think the SSD option from apple is overpriced for what you get, probably worth looking into getting one installed from a company like OWC if you really want a solid state.. although it will probably still be really fast without!

 

[goodfellaNW]

Thanks for your input!

I may just end up going with the 3.6ghz i5 then. I only tend to keep my iMac for about 1 1/2 years, so I figure by then a Quad core would be the next step... and I'll upgrade after market to 8GB ram rather than 4. Will only end up being about $1900, far below my budget which is always a good thing!