What iMac Would be best for me?

[EmmanuelJB]

I am planning on buying an iMac in the next couple weeks and I am not exactly what one to purchase/ what specs I need.

I will be mostly using it for:
-A Ton of Browsing the Web
-A Ton Video Streaming
-Watching Movies (DVDs, Streaming, ETC).
-Some Very Minor Photo Editing (iPhoto)
-Quite a bit of photo storing
-Mac App Store Apps (Mostly Games)

I am also going to use parallels to put Windows 7 on it.

I REALLY want a fast computer. As fast as it can be.

I Originally wanted a 27" but I think that is going to be too big, so I am going to go with a 21.5".

This is what I was thinking.
Starting off with the more expensive 21.5 inch and adding-
-2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
-8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
-2TB Serial ATA Drive
Totaling at $2,049.00 (ouch)!

What do you think? Too much for what I need? Just enough? Please make suggestions!

Thanks!

 

[thetrumanator]

Way off

With what you mentioned that setup would be way overkill and nothing you would ever need. For that amount of dough you should probably go with the base 27" and get the ssd. Thatll give you the greatest speed bump over the i7 and the 8 gigs of ram. If you want to save money then get the stock four and add in an extra 4 later if it is not enough. Have fun with your new iMac, I know I will when I buy it from Mac connection next week

 

[Zortrium]

I REALLY want a fast computer. As fast as it can be.

Then get a 12-core Mac Pro, upgrade the processors, and pay the $6000+ for it. As the previous poster said, your list of uses is pretty light and pretty much any new Mac would do just fine. Since you mentioned games (although it doesn't sound like you're a hardcore gamer), the only thing I'd really recommend is getting a machine with a discrete GPU, but all of the iMacs fit that bill.

Furthermore, since you apparently don't care too much about the bigger monitor, I'd recommend the entry-level $1200 iMac. Maybe the next model up if you need the bigger internal drive.

 

[alust2013]

I'd probably do the 2.7 i5, SSD, upgrade RAM aftermarket. With the 2.7 you get a slightly faster graphics card (can easily run games), 1TB HDD and the ability to get an SSD. The i7 won't really boost your performance much, if at all. If you do need the 2TB, go for it, but if not right away, consider getting external storage for when you do need more. It will end up being $2099 with the SSD + 1TB, plus about 80 bucks if you upgrade the RAM to 12GB by adding 8GB.

 

[EmmanuelJB]

Ok, So I have come up with 2 new options after listening to your advice:
Standard $1,499 21.5" + Add my own 8gigs of ram after or do that model with the 1TB Hard Drive and Solid State Drive.

Is the solid state drive going to make a noticeable difference or would I be wasting $600 on it? Should the 1TB hard drive alone be enough for me, if I don't go with the solid state also?

 

[thetrumanator]

The second one

Definitely go for the solid state if you want a snappy machine. I (briefly) had the air before I got the macbook pro and the solid state made the Core 2 duo a beast. It really does make that big a difference. As long as you don't have 50 webpages open at once 4 gigs should be plenty. Good luck and welcome to

 

[EmmanuelJB]

Definitely go for the solid state if you want a snappy machine. I (briefly) had the air before I got the macbook pro and the solid state made the Core 2 duo a beast. It really does make that big a difference. As long as you don't have 50 webpages open at once 4 gigs should be plenty. Good luck and welcome to

LOL Sounds like me. I don't have quite that many but close to it. Usually 2 browsers, with 10-15 web pages each. Plus I am going to be using parrallels and other programs, so I if its only going to cost me around $80 I will add 8 more gigs of memory after I buy the imac, im going to do it.

Also you were the deciding factor, I will be getting a solid state drive. The only down side, it takes 2-3 additional weeks to delivery once you add the solid state! Will it be like this for ever? Or is it just because they are new imacs?

Thanks!

 

[Kendo]

The thing with SSD is that on a portable you notice the speed increase because you are constantly on the move and want your system booting up as soon as possible. Or accessing the files quickly in a coffee shop or a library.

With desktops, you only need to open an application once for it to stay in your RAM. So if you open iTunes once, the first time might take a few seconds but subsequent runs will open in a second.

Not sure if it is worth spending $500 just so you can open a program in an instant the first time you access it.

 

[EmmanuelJB]

The thing with SSD is that on a portable you notice the speed increase because you are constantly on the move and want your system booting up as soon as possible. Or accessing the files quickly in a coffee shop or a library.

With desktops, you only need to open an application once for it to stay in your RAM. So if you open iTunes once, the first time might take a few seconds but subsequent runs will open in a second.

Not sure if it is worth spending $500 just so you can open a program in an instant the first time you access it.

Thats also a good point! I really don't know what to go with. I probably won't be purchasing it for a couple weeks anyway, so I will have some time to decide...

 

[EmmanuelJB]

I think I am still leaning towards, the Solid State. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[crazycat]

I use my iMac exactly as you, the 20" base model would fine but i would add more RAM for optimal performance. If you have the desk space i would really look into the base 27" model, there is nothing better then watching an HD movie on it.

 

[EmmanuelJB]

I was just told be some Apple employee, that I should definitely go with the i7 processor. I asked him why and he just kept saying Faster, and Better over all performance. I asked i7 vs SSD, and he said definitely i7.

I am going to go with the SSD for sure, but do not know if the i7 is worth the extra $200 on top of the expensive SSD. From what I have heard on here it is not. Will the i7 boost the over all speed and performance?

Thanks!

 

[rupnok]

EmmanuelJB, I'm in almost the EXACT same position. Debating between the base 21.5" 2.5Ghz i5 + going aftermarket on installing 2TB HDD and 120GB SSD (Apple Certified technician quoted me $80 to do them both) vs. buying 21.5" 2.8GHz i7.

What did you decide?

 

[Psilocybin]

EmmanuelJB, I'm in almost the EXACT same position. Debating between the base 21.5" 2.5Ghz i5 + going aftermarket on installing 2TB HDD and 120GB SSD (Apple Certified technician quoted me $80 to do them both) vs. buying 21.5" 2.8GHz i7.

What did you decide?

Unless you do hardcore video editing and of major decoding and encoding a core i7 will do you no good


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