RAM or Clock Speed

[kingdavidd]

I'm down to picking between an i7 or an i5 top tier iMac. The difference is $200. Should i use that $200 towards increasing my Memory (additional 16 for a total of 24) or get the i7 instead??

the iMac is going to replacing a 2011 i7 iMac with 32gb RAM. will be mainly used for photography specifically stitching 80MB files and HDR processing. With the occasional 4K editing from iphone/GoPro.

your thoughts are much appreciated.. thanks!

 

[HiFiGuy528]

My decision to go with 16GB RAM and i5 CPU was heat on my 2017 27" iMac. One fan isn't really enough to cool the CPU so the i7 may throttle down anyways.

 

[Arline]

Definitely go with more RAM.

 

[SaSaSushi]

One fan isn't really enough to cool the CPU so the i7 may throttle down anyways.

I can assure you the 2017 i7 iMac's fan is more than up to the task of cooling the CPU so lets not spread that misinformation.

Now, whether or not your usage of the machine is processor-intensive enough to get the fans running enough to be annoying (and whether the additional performance is worth any additional noise) is another question.

I've heard the fan on my i7 4.2GHz about 5 times total since I took delivery 7 weeks ago and I do push it. The fan, when I do hear it, is quieter than the Late 2013 iMac it replaced.

 

[kschendel]

Or you could buy the 16 Gb add-on RAM from a 3rd party (e.g. datamemorysystems.com) for $140, and put the $60 difference into your pocket.

 

[snowtrooper1966]

Think the option of just opening the RAM access port and inserting a set of sticks when finances allow is preferable than getting the 3.8GHz and finding you need more.
I'd prefer the port option vs teardown...

 

[jlseattle]

Hard drive selection is more important on these macs than ram or processor. Upgrade to the ssd over other choices. The fusion drives are slow and will slow down even the i5 chips. That's where I would put my money.

 

[kingdavidd]

thanks everyone! decided on the clock speed upgrade, thanks @snowtrooper1966 i dont upgrade often, last iMac was form 2011, using it for 7 years, its easier to upgrade memory down the road, vs a processor.

Think the option of just opening the RAM access port and inserting a set of sticks when finances allow is preferable than getting the 3.8GHz and finding you need more.
I'd prefer the port option vs teardown...