To buy or not to buy...

[Silvereel]

So, I really like the new iMacs. They're expensive, but it looks like a beautiful, capable machine, and I would love to use OS X for a chance. On the other hand, my current system isn't really giving me any problems - it's going on 4 years old, but I can play most games I want at fairly high settings (I'm playing Skyrim at around high, with a few settings, like shadows, turned down to medium, and I use GIMP and productivity software a lot), and I never have any problems with any of my serious problems. Still, I like the OS and the design.

I don't really follow hardware or how it's developing, so I was wondering if someone who's more in the know on these things than I am could compare my system to the new iMac design I've picked out, and let me know if they think it's a decent upgrade?

Here's my current system:

Processor Intel® Core™ i7 CPU 950 @ 3.07GHz
Memory (RAM) 9.00 GB
Graphics ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series
Gaming graphics 5371 MB Total available graphics memory
1TB HD

Here's the iMac I'm looking at:

3.4GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
1TB Fusion Drive
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX 2GB GDDR5

I've also been told by some people that I should wait for Intel's next chip revision, and that there will probably be a new iMac by mid-2013. On the other hand, I've also read that Haswell is mainly going to be a streamlining release, rather than a more powerful chip, and that it will mainly just benefit laptops. So... what do you think? Should I hang on to what I've got a while longer, or make the plunge?

 

[mchoffa]

your current system isn't far below the iMac and if you can wait, then wait, but don't expect Haswell in iMacs in June... I'd guess next October at earliest, but maybe later (we had to wait double the usual time for this one!)

 

[Spink10]

Wait - unless you got the money to burn.

 

[Silvereel]

I definitely don't have money to burn, and mine isn't really feeling sluggish. It's more just about wanting a Mac (I use my iPad and iPhone all the time, so it seems natural), and the fact that my parents' computer is on death's door and I generally pass my old machine on to them. And it'd also be nice to get a little spec bump and OS X to sweeten the deal. On the other hand, I could just let them tough it out a while longer

I'm just wondering how big of a leap the next generation of iMacs could be, and if it would end up being cheaper in the long run to just let them buy their own machine, or to go ahead and replace mine and pass this one along. I'm going to end up replacing this one eventually, anyway. But you're right, it does pretty much everything I need right now.

 

[Spink10]

It is a wonderful thing to be able to help your parents out. I highly commend you for this. It would be hard to give a recommendation with that factor in play.

From strictly a computer stand point - it would be best to keep using your machine.

But from other perspectives (parents, wanting to go Mac, available funds) would be a good enough reason to go with the 2012 iMac.

 

[Silvereel]

It is a wonderful thing to be able to help your parents out. I highly commend you for this. It would be hard to give a recommendation with that factor in play.

From strictly a computer stand point - it would be best to keep using your machine.

But from other perspectives (parents, wanting to go Mac, available funds) would be a good enough reason to go with the 2012 iMac.

That's what I wanted to hear

One question I do have, though. I've asked this a couple of places and got completely different answers, lol, but do you (or anyone else, for that matter) have any idea of the Haswell chips will be that big of a difference? Like I said, mine handles most things that I do fairly well as it is now, but if waiting another year makes a big difference...

 

[Spink10]

That's what I wanted to hear

One question I do have, though. I've asked this a couple of places and got completely different answers, lol, but do you (or anyone else, for that matter) have any idea of the Haswell chips will be that big of a difference? Like I said, mine handles most things that I do fairly well as it is now, but if waiting another year makes a big difference...

I dont know - my (small) understanding of Haswell is that it is mainly going to help power consumption. Which would be more for laptops. Rarely does 1 year put a computer out that much...technology isn't changing that fast (normally).