SSD vs. CPU/GPU

I think cpu and gpu upgrade. 1gb vram is a big plus for playing games. 512mb is on the way out and probably can't handle future games.

On the other hand i heard that aftermarket ssd's (if you buy one in the future) don't work with Lion's TRIM feature. I might be wrong though.

 

I'd just ugprade the GPU.

Upgrading the CPU isn't necesary for your uses, but you could always upgrade it yourself in the future (but that would, of course, require stripping the iMac almost completely apart... and making sure you have a supported CPU)

SSDs by Apple are typically overpriced. Just go third-party and install it yourself (assuming you're comfortable with that). It'd be much cheaper, probably better performance, and isn't too difficult to do.

But if you think you'd never be up for upgrading it yourself by hand, then I'd rank 'em: SSD > GPU > CPU

If you did think there was a possibility of you ever upgrading it yourself (or at a certified Apple technician place), then I'd rank 'em: GPU > CPU > SSD, since I don't believe the GPU is upgradeable and the CPU requires almost complete disassembly.

 

Couple things:

1. With thunderbolt ports, you can buy an External Thunderbolt "case" (i.e. Seagate go Flex Thunderbolt) and "bring your own" SATA when you can afford it. Then you don't even need to tear apart the iMac to install it. There are many threads about this.

2. GPU really can't be upgraded (okay I am sure some have done it, but it's a lot of work and difficult to find parts) so if you think you need a faster GPU I would recommend buying it this way

3. The iMacs are going to be upgraded soon, but I can guarantee you with what you are looking at doing you will be more GPU limited than CPU. I wouldn't get too hung up on CPU. CPU speed is really only needed for people who do a lot of Video and/or audio rendering since a lot of speed is needed for encoding.

Go with the GPU upgrade (maybe spring for the High End iMac but without the processor upgrade) and then add your own external SATA when you can afford to.

 

I bought the first one you mentioned last summer when Lion was released.

1. lower power draw, produces less heat.

2. SSD performance is worth it. I went SSD + HDD even though I have plenty external storage just to have a sizable internal drive. Apps, iPhoto, anything I have on the SSD is extremely fast, so is boot time.

3. Unless you are a heavy gamer, the GPU is a not worth the money and the CPU is going to be plenty for your needs - especially considering the new 2012 models will almost definitely have GPU bumps (I would expect the base 27" to get the 1GB VRAM card) and Ivy Bridge will bump the CPUs anyway.

 

I would go with the SSD upgrade. In any of those systems you mentioned, the hard drive will be the only bottleneck (maybe RAM, but if you have a SSD, the system will write to a much faster drive).

 

Get the better cpu and gpu. The 6970m will make a huge difference in D3 and Skyrim. Also the SSD you can put it in later yourself. For $80 you can get a 120GB SSD which is plenty for OS and apps. Good luck upgrading the cpu and gpu down the road.

 

get the cpu/gpu - upgrade. (wait, if there are new imacs with a faster gpu in the next weeks)

if you're really planning to use your machine that long, i'd rather save a little more money and max the machine out as much as possible.

also, 4gb of ram is not very much. i'd get some (cheaper) third-party RAMs and upgrade to at least 8gb (if you still want to use your computer 5 years down the road, you'll eventually want 16 gb, but it you can buy that in a few years as well). don't be afraid of upgrading ram yourself, you can do that (it's about as complicated as swapping batteries in a toy).

 

Get the CPU / GPU upgraded one.


SSD prices are still coming down, so in 3-6 months' time, you'll be able to get one, upgrade, and have the benefit of both.

Also, I'm not a big fan of Apple's choice of SSD - there are better.

(I've never fitted an SSD to that model but have to other Macs.... You may choose to pay someone.)

 

I agree - longevity dominates here....

I totally agree with the posts on this thread. While the CPU is the least important factor, and the GPU is probably "good enough" unless you are into state of the art games, the overriding factor is that you want 6-7 years of value with this machine.

For this reason, I'd recommend waiting for the upgrade next week, maxing out CPU & GPU, then down the line upgrade the DRAM and the hard drive. The hard drive you can have done by an authorized Apple dealer - one will likely exist at your school. And then you'll get a much larger SSD for the same price, even if it's an official Apple part.

(BTW, this is indeed possible. When I got first switched from PC to Mac, I thought I'd be lucky for my MBP to be useful in 2 years. But 5 years later, there's absolutely nothing limiting about my old MBP. Of course, I've constantly upgraded it, mostly the hard drive....)