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New iMac - Debating before pulling the trigger.

I

iMacJunkie

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 7, 2011
188
51
This is my first Mac and I'm just about to pull the trigger on it. Been a PC user for 15+ years and feel it's time for a change. I know I want the 27" but I'm on the fence about the 27" model I want. Is the top end model really worth $400 more? It will eclipse my PC obviously, but what about the $1699 model? Currently I do web design (a lot of graphics with Photoshop, etc.), some video editing (Premiere Elements), light gaming, watching videos (Netflix), and of course E-Mail, browsing the internet, and some word processing.

Currently, I own a PC, 2.8 GHz, 8GB RAM, 23" monitor, 1GB Video Card, 1TB HD.

If I upgrade, the following models are what I'm on the fence about. Obviously I can upgrade the RAM. But Apple allows no CPU configuration options for the $1699 model. Why?? Why can't I just upgrade the CPU or the video card? Anyway, will the lower model, while saving me $400, be just fine? Is the performance difference betwen a 512MB Video Card and 1024 MB card worth spending an extra $400+ on the $1999 model and upgrades?

My other question is what's the performance gain on over my PC that I will experience on the first model compared to the second model? Should I wait until I can afford the $2k+ model or will the $1699 iMac suit me just fine when I upgrade to 16GB of RAM?

2.7 GHz Quad-Core i5
4GB RAM (plan on upgrading to 16 GB from NewEgg)
1 TB HD
AMD Radeon 512 MB
$1699.99

3.4 GHz Quad-Core i5
4GB RAM (plan to upg to 16GB)
1 TB HD
AMD Radeon 1GB
$2000+

Thank you in advance for your help.
 
What are the specs of your PC? There are plenty of 2.8GHz CPU and GPUs with 1GB of VRAM so you need to be more specific.

Refurb is always a good option since you get the $1999 model for $1699. Leaves you with no regrets.
 
Hellhammer said:
What are the specs of your PC? There are plenty of 2.8GHz CPU and GPUs with 1GB of VRAM so you need to be more specific.

Refurb is always a good option since you get the $1999 model for $1699. Leaves you with no regrets.
Click to expand...

Wow that was fast!

Oops! Sorry about that...here are the full specs of my PC:

CPU Intel Core i7 860 2.8 GHz
VGA Sapphire HD5570 1GB Video card
8 GB GSkill F3-12800 RAM
HD 1TB Samsung
DVD Burner LITE-ON IHAS-324-98
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit
 
iMacJunkie said:
Wow that was fast!

Oops! Sorry about that...here are the full specs of my PC:

CPU Intel Core i7 860 2.8 GHz
VGA Sapphire HD5570 1GB Video card
8 GB GSkill F3-12800 RAM
HD 1TB Samsung
DVD Burner LITE-ON IHAS-324-98
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit
Click to expand...

Both of the new iMacs should be faster then. However, 27" iMac has resolution of 2560x1440 which requires quite a lot of horsepower in order to run games smoothly, so you might experience lower FPS when gaming at 1440p on iMac compared to e.g. 1080p on your PC.

I think it boils down to how important gaming is for you. For casual gaming, the low-end is fine but for the latest shooters, the high-end is definitely worth it. Again, consider the refurb, you get the high-end for the price of low-end.
 
Hellhammer said:
Both of the new iMacs should be faster then. However, 27" iMac has resolution of 2560x1440 which requires quite a lot of horsepower in order to run games smoothly, so you might experience lower FPS when gaming at 1440p on iMac compared to e.g. 1080p on your PC.

I think it boils down to how important gaming is for you. For casual gaming, the low-end is fine but for the latest shooters, the high-end is definitely worth it. Again, consider the refurb, you get the high-end for the price of low-end.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the info on the refurb! I will probably end up considering going that route. That looks like a sweet deal. :D
 
The refurb price on the base 27" is good too. Again like HH said, it comes down to gaming. One nice thing about the base 27" is that it has a 65w TDP instead if 95. So it runs cooler and draws less power. Personally I am awaiting delivery of a 27" ordered on Monday. I went with the 2.7 base 27" but configured it with a SSD/HDD combo. For me the VRAM and 3.1/3.4 variants weren't money as well spent as the OS and App speed of the SSD.

But I was also lucky enough to get a discount and I have a 24" iMac that will help me recoup some of it too.
 
roland.g said:
The refurb price on the base 27" is good too. Again like HH said, it comes down to gaming. One nice thing about the base 27" is that it has a 65w TDP instead if 95. So it runs cooler and draws less power. Personally I am awaiting delivery of a 27" ordered on Monday. I went with the 2.7 base 27" but configured it with a SSD/HDD combo. For me the VRAM and 3.1/3.4 variants weren't money as well spent as the OS and App speed of the SSD.

But I was also lucky enough to get a discount and I have a 24" iMac that will help me recoup some of it too.
Click to expand...

Well, I play very few games and the games that I do play I play on my XBox 360 rather than on PC. BTW, can someone explain to me how the following specs on the iMac i5 below work out to be faster than the specs of the PC i7 below it? Being that it's my first iMac I really don't get how lower specs = faster????

2.7 GHz Quad-Core i5
4GB RAM (plan on upgrading to 16 GB from NewEgg)
1 TB HD
AMD Radeon 512 MB
$1699.99

CPU Intel Core i7 860 2.8 GHz
VGA Sapphire HD5570 1GB Video card
8 GB GSkill F3-12800 RAM
HD 1TB Samsung
DVD Burner LITE-ON IHAS-324-98
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit
 
My last Windows PC had an i7 960 3.2GHz, which is a bit faster than the i7 860.

The Geekbench benchmark scores were about the same between the 960 and the imac’s i5 3.4GHz.

I guess it is due to better architectural design, been one generation newer.
 
I've decided to make my decision relatively simple.

I'm getting the 27" almost maxed out iMac, 3.4 GHz, 4GB RAM (upg. to 12 or 16 from NewEgg), 1TB HD (don't need the 2TB), 2 GB Video Card.

Pulling the trigger today. OMG I can't WAIT to get it!!!!! :D :D :D :D
 
iMacJunkie said:
I've decided to make my decision relatively simple.

I'm getting the 27" almost maxed out iMac, 3.4 GHz, 4GB RAM (upg. to 12 or 16 from NewEgg), 1TB HD (don't need the 2TB), 2 GB Video Card.

Pulling the trigger today. OMG I can't WAIT to get it!!!!! :D :D :D :D
Click to expand...

Good choice. This could also be used for great gaming.... HD videos should also be no problem. COD goodness for you. As well, the web design should take advantage of the RAM. I suggest getting the 16GB of RAM to prolong the life of this machine. Should last you a good 6-10 years depending on your needs and mileage.
 
iMacJunkie said:
Well, I play very few games and the games that I do play I play on my XBox 360 rather than on PC. BTW, can someone explain to me how the following specs on the iMac i5 below work out to be faster than the specs of the PC i7 below it? Being that it's my first iMac I really don't get how lower specs = faster????

2.7 GHz Quad-Core i5
4GB RAM (plan on upgrading to 16 GB from NewEgg)
1 TB HD
AMD Radeon 512 MB
$1699.99

CPU Intel Core i7 860 2.8 GHz
VGA Sapphire HD5570 1GB Video card
8 GB GSkill F3-12800 RAM
HD 1TB Samsung
DVD Burner LITE-ON IHAS-324-98
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit
Click to expand...

The i7 860 in your PC is a 1st gen i7. The i5 in the iMac is Sandy Bridge which brought very large performance gains clock for clock.

The 2010 2.66ghz 1st gen i7 MacBook pro is slower than the new 1.7Ghz sandy bridge i5 MacBook Air in terms of CPU speed.
 
Well I did it!!! OMG I can't believe I'll have it later this week. Just ordered:

27" iMac
3.4GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
1TB SATA HD
8GB RAM (Yeah yeah I know...)...I'll double it to 16 via new egg...
AMD Radeon HD 6970M 2GB GDDR5

I can't stand it. LOL :D:D:D:D:D:D
 
Why don't you play with 8 GB of RAM with your iMac before upgrading? 16 GB of RAM is quite a lot, and I know your using Photoshop, etc, but I think playing with 8 GB of RAM would be a considerable option before buying extra RAM. Who knows? Maybe 8 GB is enough...

Just a thought. :rolleyes:
 
Tech Elementz said:
Why don't you play with 8 GB of RAM with your iMac before upgrading? 16 GB of RAM is quite a lot, and I know your using Photoshop, etc, but I think playing with 8 GB of RAM would be a considerable option before buying extra RAM. Who knows? Maybe 8 GB is enough...

Just a thought. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's a good idea...I'll play with my 8GB of RAM. Buwahahahahaha.

:D :D :D ;) ;) ;)
 
BTW, is it normal to keep refreshing the status under Apple.com's "My Account" every 20 seconds? :D:D:D:D:D:D
 
Serious question - anyone know if it's possible to request Apple to install OS X Snow Leopard instead of Lion?
 
iMacJunkie said:
Serious question - anyone know if it's possible to request Apple to install OS X Snow Leopard instead of Lion?
Click to expand...

I asked this on the livechat. Didn't sound like you can as the operator basically said it's by luck.

I'd imagine by the time your iMac ships considering its a BTO Lion's iMac bugs will have been patched, if that's any consolation.
 
iMacJunkie said:
8GB RAM (Yeah yeah I know...)...I'll double it to 16 via new egg...
Click to expand...

Light gaming and multimedia processing?

Jesus, if you have the money to buy more pointless RAM then be my guest, you will achieve no higher performance with 8GB's then you will with 16GB's. It's the matter of not all applications that you will use will be optimised at that hardware level, yes you will be booting in a 64bit configuration, but even then applications that you use most frequently run in 32bit.

That's my opinion anyway, if you're running any servers then that is another matter.
 
Actually they will upgrade you

You need to be in touch with the high end sales team.

PM me and I will provide details, toll free numbers etc.

I can't post here, but she is happy to help referral from me :)
 
Macman45 said:
You need to be in touch with the high end sales team.

PM me and I will provide details, toll free numbers etc.

I can't post here, but she is happy to help referral from me :)
Click to expand...


Thank you sir! I appreciate the referrals. Already placed my order though. Can't wait. :D
 
Also, is Apple online open on the weekends and do they process orders Saturdays and/or Sundays?
 
iMacJunkie said:
Also, is Apple online open on the weekends and do they process orders Saturdays and/or Sundays?
Click to expand...

And, is there anything I should be doing in preparation for my new machine of awesomeness in terms of unboxing/setup? :D
 
.md said:
Light gaming and multimedia processing?

Jesus, if you have the money to buy more pointless RAM then be my guest, you will achieve no higher performance with 8GB's then you will with 16GB's. It's the matter of not all applications that you will use will be optimised at that hardware level, yes you will be booting in a 64bit configuration, but even then applications that you use most frequently run in 32bit.

That's my opinion anyway, if you're running any servers then that is another matter.
Click to expand...

Why are you so riled by someone wanting to spend THEIR OWN MONEY on something? If he wants to buy oodles of RAM, then it's entirely his prerogative. Perhaps his needs will change in the future, and he'll need the extra RAM. Perhaps his financial circumstances will change in the future, and he won't be able to afford it.

Incidentally, the plural of GB is GBs, not GB's. That's assuming you want to use an "s" to indicate plurality of GB at all.
 
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