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New 5k ordered, but should I have gotten i7?

H

HalfOnWhole

macrumors member
Original poster
May 23, 2011
75
29
So I'll be using my new 5k mostly for photo editing in LR and Photoshop. Some 4k video stuff here and there. I opted for 16gb ram and SSD, but was torn on whether to choose the 395x 4GB graphics upgrade or the i7. I ended up going with the bigger graphics card, thinking the i5 3.3 would be plenty fast. Wondering if I should have done the other way around? I couldn't stomach getting both. The machine was already extremely expensive!

In addition to video editing here and there, I just couldn't help but assume the bigger graphics card would help push all those pixels around. I'd hate to see laggy UI anywhere.

Any thoughts? I'd rather not delay my order, but if the i7 will make the bigger difference over graphics, I probably should.
 
For anything but gaming I would recommend the i7 as the better upgrade than the GPU, but Lightroom actually uses the GPU to do a lot of tasks, so you probably chose the better option. The good news is that both combinations will be killer fast, so don't worry about it. i7 will benefit specific tasks like video encoding and rendering, but in most apps, like Adobe CC apps, the difference will be marginal. The GPU, however, will be nicer for games and demanding 3D apps.

As I said, either will be a good choice and don't worry about UI lag - as of El Capitan it is non-existent on all iMac 5K GPUs (last years and the new ones as well). Basically, both will be great, so don't worry about it. Enjoy your new iMac!
 
Everything related to rendering need a i7 + m395x 4gb. Otherwise, I don't think you buy a iMac for gaming. Money is money, the more you spend the more you get. But don't expect to get that money back unless you get paid for using that iMac.
 
huffy15 said:
Everything related to rendering need a i7 + m395x 4gb. Otherwise, I don't think you buy a iMac for gaming. Money is money, the more you spend the more you get. But don't expect to get that money back unless you get paid for using that iMac.
Click to expand...

It doesn't "need" those, they are just faster. It's not like you can't do rendering on an i5 - you can. Also, the GPU upgrade is not required for CPU rendering at all. But I guess everything must be maxed out on these forums. I wonder how I get any work done on my i5/M290X iMac.
 
aevan said:
It doesn't "need" those, they are just faster. It's not like you can't do rendering on an i5 - you can. Also, the GPU upgrade is not required for CPU rendering at all. But I guess everything must be maxed out on these forums. I wonder how I get any work done on my i5/M290X iMac.
Click to expand...

At least, it helps a lot :). I personally don't need an i7 but I know you'll save a good amount of rendering time for the bucks you pay.
 
Thanks guys! I ended up swapping the graphics upgrade for the i7. I think it will benefit me more as I don't do 3D rendering or game. :) One extra day until i get it though!
 
I'm still struggling to press the button!

I have a late 2008 MBP which struggles to get through YouTube videos at 720, NFL GamePass and other flash videos. I also have pretty poor performance when I try and run VMs. I work in IT so sometimes I need up to 2/3 VMs running at the same time and whilst it is possible on my current MBP, its a pain :(

I kinda deserve a little present for myself (turned 30 this year) but it seems like so much animosity on this site since he upgrade! My plan is for:

27", 4.0GHz, M395x and 512SSD.

I am going for fully maxed so I can use it for the next 5 years or so. I will aso be getting an initial 32GB from Crucial or OWC of RAM. It's around £2400, but comes down to around £2200 as I have 10% off from my workplace, either way it is a lot of money. I have been looking at Windows builds but I love OS X to be fair. I just don't want to get screwed over like I did with my iPad 3 which I brought a few weeks before the 4 came out ha

I don't know why I cannot seem to press the buy button!
 
Last edited:
MecPro said:
I'm still struggling to press the button!

I have a late 2008 MBP which struggles to get through YouTube videos at 720, NFL GamePass and other flash videos. I also have pretty poor performance when I try and run VMs. I work in IT so sometimes I need up to 2/3 VMs running at the same time and whilst it is possible on my current MBP, its a pain :(

I kinda deserve a little present for myself (turned 30 this year) but it seems like so much animosity on this site since he upgrade! My plan is for:

27", 4.0GHz, M395x and 512SSD.

I am going for fully maxed so I can use it for the next 5 years or so. I will aso be getting an initial 32GB from Crucial or OWC of RAM. It's around £2400, but comes down to around £220 as I have 10% off from my workplace, either way it is a lot of money. I have been looking at Windows builds but I love OS X to be fair. I just don't want to get screwed over like I did with my iPad 3 which I brought a few weeks before the 4 came out ha

I don't know why I cannot seem to press the buy button!
Click to expand...
Sounds like an amazing machine. I just turned 30 last week and this is my gift! :)
 
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