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ShizumiAoki

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 19, 2019
52
14
Australia
Hello, I was looking at replacing my iMac 2014, and l think of either going with a new iMac or a Mac Mini + an EGPU And was wondering what you all though it.

The main thing I want to use the mac for are; graphic designer, motion graphic, video editing and 3D program. I also use bootcamp (win 10) with some gaming on the side. (At either 1080p or 1440p)

Mac mini: - $5627 (AUD) (Self upgraded ram) (keyboard/mouse/monitor not included in price)
  • 3.2GHz 6‑core 8th‑generation Intel Core i7 processor (Turbo Boost up to 4.6GHz)
  • 32GB of 2666MHz DDR4 memory
  • Razor Core X + Radeon RX 5700 XT 8GB
  • Intel UHD Graphics 630
  • 2TB of SSD storage
  • Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet using an RJ-45 connector)

iMac Specs (27-inch 5k) - $6234 (AUD) (Self upgraded ram)
  • 3.6GHz 8-core ninth-generation Intel Core i9 processor with Turbo Boost up to 5.0GHz
  • 32GB of 2666MHz DDR4 memory
  • Radeon Pro Vega 48 with 8GB of HBM2 memory
  • 2TB of SSD storage

I did not want to buy two for both work + gaming so I thought the mac Mini + EGPU would work best for this giving better FPS compared to the iMac Vega 48 card.
(At either 1080p or 1440p)

Out of the two computers what would you say work the best?

Thank you for your time,
Shizumi.
 
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frou

macrumors 65816
Mar 14, 2009
1,287
1,786
iMac seems better value-for-money, because you get a really nice Retina-grade monitor as part of it. Since you're already used to 220 DPI, it's not pleasant to go backwards.

The iMac is due for an update soon, so it will probably not be using Vega GPUs for much longer. Vega was made for "compute" and has always been a bit inefficient at gaming.


Indeed I don't think getting any GPU less powerful than a mid-range Navi (5500/5600?) would be wise, if you're planning to be gaming during the coming years.
 
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