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Macmamamac

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 21, 2015
222
208
Hi, does anyone know how the M290 is going to perform in the new cheaper model iMac retina?

Im really tempted buy the cheaper model as a stop gap as I can't sit around for major refresh any longer, and was just curious as to what people think of the GPU?

A lot of people are complaining about the GPUs in the 2014 retina iMac, and I can't imagine an even less powerful GPU is going to help.

Although, people are saying heat issues is only with the 295X, and the lesser 290X does not have the heat issues, so maybe the 290 will be a help even though it less powerful?

I'm really not knowledgable in these areas at all, so any help would be very welcome.
 
Hi, does anyone know how the M290 is going to perform in the new cheaper model iMac retina?

Im really tempted buy the cheaper model as a stop gap as I can't sit around for major refresh any longer, and was just curious as to what people think of the GPU?

A lot of people are complaining about the GPUs in the 2014 retina iMac, and I can't imagine an even less powerful GPU is going to help.

Although, people are saying heat issues is only with the 295X, and the lesser 290X does not have the heat issues, so maybe the 290 will be a help even though it less powerful?

I'm really not knowledgable in these areas at all, so any help would be very welcome.

To me the graphics question is irrelevant. You're going to not spend $200 upfront, and in return get a worse GPU and a spinning hard drive in 2015 instead of a fusion drive... why?
 
To me the graphics question is irrelevant. You're going to not spend $200 upfront, and in return get a worse GPU and a spinning hard drive in 2015 instead of a fusion drive... why?


No, I will change to 256 ssd. I have friend who repairs electronics so the change will be a lot cheaper than if I paid for apple to do it. So I will be paying about £1690 for the machine with ssd. Which is £160 cheaper than the model up with fusion. This is £310 cheaper than the base model retina iMac from just a few days ago. So very attractive option at this point.

Like I said it's a stop gap because I am sure there will be much better refresh and redesign maybe within the next year. I'll resell and take a hit.

But just want to make sure the cheap model will not be plagued with problems with this even less powerful GPU.
 
It's probably slightly lower clocked, won't be a huge deal IMO. I still think that most problems (other than heat) are all software.
 
First articles claim the 290 is just a bit slower than 290X so it's probably just an underclocked Pitcairn chip. Anyone has more info?
 
I think you should wait until you finally know what M290 is. This will be very soon.
 
I don't really get what the point of this new cheaper iMac is. If you get the same 1tb hard drive to make it comparable to the imac with the m290x, it's only 100$ less. Meanwhile, it has a slightly slower cpu anyway. So, it's basically the same price for a downgrade from m290x to m290..
 
I don't really get what the point of this new cheaper iMac is. If you get the same 1tb hard drive to make it comparable to the imac with the m290x, it's only 100$ less. Meanwhile, it has a slightly slower cpu anyway. So, it's basically the same price for a downgrade from m290x to m290..

Well, the more expensive models can often offer more bang for buck. However, for people who just aren't willing to spend more than $1999, it doesn't matter what a few extra 100s may bring. However, if you do plan to upgrade to the Fusion Drive, than yeah, makes more sense to just buy the high-end iMac.

But, yeah, there were cases before where you could custom build something that actually costs more than just picking up the next tier. For example, if I remember correctly, you could get a lower-end Retina MBP, upgrade the CPU and RAM to the level of the high-end Retina and end up paying the same amount of money, but not getting the dedicated GPU!
 
No, I will change to 256 ssd. I have friend who repairs electronics so the change will be a lot cheaper than if I paid for apple to do it.

Just checking whether you realise that the drive isn't designated by Apple as being user-replaceable - and that doing what you've described will have warranty implications for your brand new Retina iMac?

"Do Not Make Repairs Yourself
Your iMac doesn’t have any user-serviceable parts, except for memory, which is user-replaceable in 27-inch models only. Do not attempt to open your iMac. If your iMac needs service, contact an Apple Authorized Service Provider or Apple for service.
If you open your iMac or install items other than memory in 27-inch models, you risk damaging your equipment. Such damage isn’t covered by the limited warranty on your iMac."​
 
I don't really get what the point of this new cheaper iMac is. If you get the same 1tb hard drive to make it comparable to the imac with the m290x, it's only 100$ less. Meanwhile, it has a slightly slower cpu anyway. So, it's basically the same price for a downgrade from m290x to m290..

As I have mentioned before, it would be a good buy if it comes with an SSD/Fusion drive standard, or $200 cheaper price.

Sadly, Apple seems to think these still come with Snow Leopard, but the reality is that not having an SSD on Yosemite makes for a somewhat slow experience. Someone paying $1999 for an iMac should not get a slow experience.

And they also seem to think it's ok to charge Snow Leopard-era prices for an SSD upgrade in 2015... :eek:

Just my thoughts on the low-end Retina iMac, I agree the next model up is a better buy for an extra $100.
 
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