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imacs...which to buy?

jasvncnt

jasvncnt

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 20, 2011
451
112
New Jersey
Just so you know im not a Mac guy. Im a PC (sorry). But my GF uses Mac at home and work, always has. She wants to get a new iMac so we went to Apple to check it out. She doesn't know which way to go so i figured id ask you all here for your opinion. She uses it for graphic design, that's her job. I cant really help her much here since i know nothing about Mac. Shes pretty sure she wants to go with the 27" but that's it. She doesn't know if she should get the 3.2GHz Intel Core i3 or the 2.8GHz Intel Core i5. Probably sounds like a silly question but I have read some things on line and some have said the is is actually better. So i have no idea. Your thoughts?
 
It would depend on whether money is an object or not. If money is not an object, than the quad-core 27-inch would be the best one to get since it has a faster processor for processor-intensive graphics programs and a large screen to see it all crystal clear. If money is an object, than I would say the 27-inch 3.2 Ghz non-quadcore iMac since it still has a huge screen, a fast processor (although not as fast as the quad-core), and is $300 cheaper. If you really need to go on the cheap I would pick the 21/5 inch 3.2 Ghz model, which saves you and extra $200, and if you really don't have money to spend, get the cheapest model.

Hope I helped you! If I did, then that's a good start for me, since this is my first post! :)
 
BugBytes said:
It would depend on whether money is an object or not. If money is not an object, than the quad-core 27-inch would be the best one to get since it has a faster processor for processor-intensive graphics programs and a large screen to see it all crystal clear. If money is an object, than I would say the 27-inch 3.2 Ghz non-quadcore iMac since it still has a huge screen, a fast processor (although not as fast as the quad-core), and is $300 cheaper. If you really need to go on the cheap I would pick the 21/5 inch 3.2 Ghz model, which saves you and extra $200, and if you really don't have money to spend, get the cheapest model.

Hope I helped you! If I did, then that's a good start for me, since this is my first post! :)
Click to expand...

Id get the i5 as it will last her a lot longer than any Dual Core (Especially as Adobe Apps are slowly becoming multi-core aware and will easily use the Quad Cores power) - Its up to you is the extra expense now worth probably an extra 2+ years of use down the line? (For just about everyone the answer is yes, itll probably take its useable life from 5 years to about 7 or more).
 
The i5 model iMac also gives you a 1 GB video card vs 512 Mb. If money is no object why not go with the 2.93 quad core i7 and another 4 gigs of RAM?
 
Last edited:
Morning all. I just wanted to thank everyone for taking the time to answer my question. Lots of great info here and i greatly appreciate it! And Congrats BugBytes on your first post! Think now I'm gonna tell her to go with the 27" i5. Also thanks for the info on not letting Apple to the RAM upgrade. For some reason i didn't even think of it. Think she should be good with the 4G for now. The imac she has now i believe only has 2G.
 
jasvncnt said:
Morning all. I just wanted to thank everyone for taking the time to answer my question. Lots of great info here and i greatly appreciate it! And Congrats BugBytes on your first post! Think now I'm gonna tell her to go with the 27" i5. Also thanks for the info on not letting Apple to the RAM upgrade. For some reason i didn't even think of it. Think she should be good with the 4G for now. The imac she has now i believe only has 2G.
Click to expand...

If you haven't ordered or purchased the iMac yet, check the online Apple Store's refurbished section (link at bottom left of the store page). All refurbished items come with the full 1-year warranty & the option to buy AppleCare.
 
When does Apple do the "refresh" thing on the computers? Im assuming they do something like that...
 
Thanks, so now maybe i should wait a month or so and see. But then I read Intel had issues with chips. Not sure if that has anything to do with anything.
 
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