processor vs. ram?

[SHEESH]

Sorry if this has been posted somewhere else, I looked around but couldn't find anything.

I was considering getting a new 2.7ghz 27" i5 and upping the ram to 8gb on my own but I was wondering, if I got a refurb 3.4 GHz i7 w/ only 4 gb of ram, would that equal out the speed of the extra ram for the i5 or even be noticeably faster?

Thanks for any help you can give, I really appreciate it.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

As you can upgrade the RAM at any point in time when you have enough money to spend, but not the CPU, I would go with the i7, as it is quite a bit faster than the i5, but may not for your, if you don't need the speed.
then you can upgrade the RAM gradually.

What is a Hard Disk Drive? - measured in Bytes (B), MegaBytes (MB), GigaBytes (GB) and TeraBytes (TB)

The hard disk drive is the main, and usually largest, data storage device in a computer. The operating system, software titles and most other files are stored in the hard disk drive.

What is a CPU? - measured in MegaHertz (MHz) and GigaHertz (GHz)

The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is responsible for interpreting and executing most of the commands from the computer's hardware and software. It is often called the "brains" of the computer.

What is RAM? - measured again in MB and GB

Random Access Memory (RAM) is the "working memory" in a computer. Additional RAM allows a computer to work with more information at the same time which can have a dramatic effect on total system performance.

 

[Bearxor]

How much of a speed boost you get from increased RAM can really only be answered by you.

What are you going to be doing with it?

As a general rule, 4GB of RAM is more than enough for most people currently. Other things you can do will make a more noticeable difference in the speed of your computer. The first being a SSD, the second being a faster processor unless you're running some RAM-hungry apps.

Like simsaladimbamba kind of said: RAM is cheap and easy to upgrade. Processors in iMac's are not. If you can afford the 3.4 i7, go for it. adding an extra 8GB of RAM to your machine (for a total of 12GB) is less than $60 and easily accomplished.

 

[Dresevski]

Get the i7 without a doubt. Then spend an additional $60 and you'll have the fastest machine possible. Problem solved. Enjoy your 27"!

 

[SHEESH]

awesome, thanks for the help guys, I really appreciate it.

I do a lot of digital illustration and graphic design in photoshop and illustrator and laying things out in Indesign and I'm super impatient so whatever config keeps me from having to wait around is what I want to go with but you've sold me on the i7 and then upgrading the ram later.

Thanks again

 

[cheeba]

With the software you're running, the i7 is a no brainer. I'm a photographer and run an i7 with 16GB, and I highly recommend also installing an SSD - it works wonders for Lightroom, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.