iMac vs MacBook real world comparisons

[Imerictoo]

Hello. Trying to get real world comparisons and wondering if anyone can help. I have a late 2011 Mbp, 2.4, i7, 8gb. I am looking at an iMac 21.5 2.9 i5 8gb or 3.1 i7 8gb. Would there 1-be a huge difference from the Mbp to the iMac 2.9 i5 and 2-a large jump in performance from the i5 to i7 iMac? Also, would,graphics performance be much better on the iMac?

The display size alone would definitely be a huge jump, but I want to make sure all other items would be a good jump in performance.

Thanks in advance,
Eric

 

[yjchua95]

Hello. Trying to get real world comparisons and wondering if anyone can help. I have a late 2011 Mbp, 2.4, i7, 8gb. I am looking at an iMac 21.5 2.9 i5 8gb or 3.1 i7 8gb. Would there 1-be a huge difference from the Mbp to the iMac 2.9 i5 and 2-a large jump in performance from the i5 to i7 iMac? Also, would,graphics performance be much better on the iMac?

The display size alone would definitely be a huge jump, but I want to make sure all other items would be a good jump in performance.

Thanks in advance,
Eric

GPU performance would be a significant jump on the iMac, but not so in CPU performance. The 2.4GHz i7 in your 2011 MBP performs at almost identical levels compared to the 2.9GHz i5 (proof: http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench3/compare/506382?baseline=489409 )

Compared to the 3.1GHz i7, however, that's a different story only in multicore performance. Proof: http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench3/compare/611544?baseline=489409

If you're doing tasks that are multithreaded (audio production, video editing, rendering, running VMs), then go for the i7. Otherwise just stick back to the i5.

What really makes a computer feel fast or slow actually lies with the hard drive. If you opt for a Fusion Drive or an SSD, it will boot up in a matter of seconds and apps will launch instantly (say goodbye to apps bouncing in the dock several times).

 

[Pieterr]

I have a late 2011 Mbp, 2.4, i7, 8gb.

The display size alone would definitely be a huge jump, ...

Hi Eric,

Did you also consider as an alternative to upgrade your MacBook Pro:
- increasing the RAM to 16GB
- replacing the HD with a SSD (512GB or 1TB)
- using an external monitor for "huge jump" in display size?

E.g. something like the Dell U2515H (2560x1440):
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/dell_u2515h.htm

 

[yjchua95]

Hi Eric,

Did you also consider as an alternative to upgrade your MacBook Pro:
- increasing the RAM to 16GB
- replacing the HD with a SSD (512GB or 1TB)
- using an external monitor for "huge jump" in display size?

E.g. something like the Dell U2515H (2560x1440):
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/dell_u2515h.htm

I wouldn't really recommend him to perform any upgrades to his MBP, because:

1. Radeongate
2. Lack of USB 3
3. Anaemic GPU by today's standards

 

[Pieterr]

I wouldn't really recommend him to perform any upgrades to his MBP, because: 1. Radeongate

That is a indeed a valid point.
http://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro-videoissues/

(His MBP does have Thunderbolt so the absence of USB3 may not be a complete dealbreaker.)

 

[Imerictoo]

Thanks everyone for all of your replies - definitely helps. I did upgrade the laptop to 8gb and that was a huge help from the 4gb. I store a lot of photos, so I swapped out the DVD drive for another HDD - not an SSD, but it does work fine.

I store tons of photos, but only print them - barely doing any post processing - part of the reason is how slow iPhoto can be. Same for iMovie. That being said, I assume going from 8 to 16gb, i5 to i7 and standard drive to fusion drive would all be good upgrades in choosing an iMac? Currently on my MBP, the time to launch an app or open a file doesn't really bother me as it is not that bad at all. If yes, but I think that is more due to syncing the folders to what I have in my iPhone/iPad? Making all of those 3 upgrades ups the cost to ~$2,100, from ~1,500 - which is a nice chunk of change.

Thought about adding an external monitor, but wanted to have one device to share with my fiancé vs swapping out each of our laptops to an external monitor. Also, we do like the look of the iMac monitor.

 

[yjchua95]

Thanks everyone for all of your replies - definitely helps. I did upgrade the laptop to 8gb and that was a huge help from the 4gb. I store a lot of photos, so I swapped out the DVD drive for another HDD - not an SSD, but it does work fine.

I store tons of photos, but only print them - barely doing any post processing - part of the reason is how slow iPhoto can be. Same for iMovie. That being said, I assume going from 8 to 16gb, i5 to i7 and standard drive to fusion drive would all be good upgrades in choosing an iMac? Currently on my MBP, the time to launch an app or open a file doesn't really bother me as it is not that bad at all. If yes, but I think that is more due to syncing the folders to what I have in my iPhone/iPad? Making all of those 3 upgrades ups the cost to ~$2,100, from ~1,500 - which is a nice chunk of change.

Thought about adding an external monitor, but wanted to have one device to share with my fiancé vs swapping out each of our laptops to an external monitor. Also, we do like the look of the iMac monitor.

My home iMac (21.5" i7/16/256 SSD/750M) flies in everything, even light 4K editing and medium-heavy 1080p editing.

For your use case, the 2.9/8/1TB Fusion Drive/750M model should do you well. Even the 2.7GHz variant with 1TB FD will suit you.

 

[Imerictoo]

My home iMac (21.5" i7/16/256 SSD/750M) flies in everything, even light 4K editing and medium-heavy 1080p editing.

For your use case, the 2.9/8/1TB Fusion Drive/750M model should do you well. Even the 2.7GHz variant with 1TB FD will suit you.

Thanks again for the advice!! Much appreciated. One other question - what do you use for storage outside of the desktop. Since I have a laptop and would still use it, would need to easily sync data. I can use icloud for some docs, but I wouldn't want to dump all my photos there. I have an airport with time capsule, so I guess maybe keep as a time capsule and then attach an external drive to it?

 

[yjchua95]

Thanks again for the advice!! Much appreciated. One other question - what do you use for storage outside of the desktop. Since I have a laptop and would still use it, would need to easily sync data. I can use icloud for some docs, but I wouldn't want to dump all my photos there. I have an airport with time capsule, so I guess maybe keep as a time capsule and then attach an external drive to it?

I use a Synology NAS to keep files accessible across all the Macs that I have at home.

 

[Imerictoo]

I use a Synology NAS to keep files accessible across all the Macs that I have at home.

Thanks again! Eric