rImac, if i sum it up...

I am loving mine. No issues, beautiful screen

i5, 295x, 8GB (just added another 16GB) 512GB SSD (a no brainer - SSD rules the day. This is 2014.

I do not game except for solitaire. Quake 4 was the last game I played. Only becasue a friend needed a partner.

 

Well for me it was get the highest spec I could afford, which was the base retina with added memory from crucial.

Have no problems beyond my own ineptitude as this is my first Mac, it is fast and doesn't stutter or jerk up to now. And the screen? Amazing. Simply amazing.
My main use, once I get it set up properly and learn how to use a Mac will be photography. Having looked at many pictures on that screen, I have absolutely no regrets.

 

It feels so natural coming from a rMBP I forget how stunning that display is compared to a 2K or even 4K display. Not to mention how powerful the hardware is. Of corse the display won't be perfect until OLED becomes available, but there is no way I could wait that long

 

I'm looking a maybe a TOTL 2013 27" iMac instead or wait for the next Mac Pro maybe. I'm going to check out the Retina iMac soon though.

I think not having Target Display Mode on the Retina iMac might be a deal breaker for my setup but it's not crucial. Also I can probably find the 2013 3.5 i7 iMac used for much less than the Retina iMac. About 30% less.

There is a significant speed advantage with the 4GHz Retina iMac in single-core mode but not much when in multi-core mode vs the 3.5 i7.

But stats don't tell the whole story so little hands on for that user experience at the store is needed.

 

I have a 4.0ghz i7, 8GB RAM, m295X and a 3TB Fusion Drive. My rImac sits right next to my Core i7 2009 iMac. There's no comparison. New model is quiet, powerful and great to look at. I would, without a doubt, not hesitate to purchase this again. I even played some Diablo III in 5K and I haven't gamed on a computer for over 5 years LOL.

 

That's exactly the configuration I have on order. Happy to read that you're digging it. Looking forward to getting mine later this month.

Did you find adding the extra ram was necessary, or was it just something you did because you could, and what does it hurt?