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So it is clear that ssds will be slowed down when working with hdds. In that case the ssd will only be usefull to open the application faster. Just that. And this is some useful info for many people.
Sdds are more reliable than hdd ok but Unless your data isnt in the ssd you cant take advantage of the ssds speed.

If you're talking about having a single HDD for system and data vs SSD for system and HDD for data, it's night and day difference in speed for everything. Not just because of the SDD. If you had two HDDs with one for system and one for data, you would see a huge speed increase over a single drive for everything. ... and no, partitioning one drive into several is not the same thing. That has zero benefit. Having your data on a separate drive means that the drive head is not constantly switching positions between the system files and data files. Also, the smaller the drive, the faster the access. Although a second HDD would work, it just makes sense to use the SDD, as it's faster and more stable.
 
It's pretty clear who has owned a computer with an SSD before. Those that have, wouldn't even consider going back to the slow days.
 
It's pretty clear who has owned a computer with an SSD before. Those that have, wouldn't even consider going back to the slow days.

I'd love an SSD but would need at least 256Gb or a 512Gb which are way too expensive, I can only just afford a 27" iMac right now and would rather put my money into a bigged HDD to serve my needs.

I figure get the HDD now, in 3 years when the Apple care has ended and prices have come down look at upgrading the storage then. The should have 2Tb SSD in 3 years right?
 
I'd love an SSD but would need at least 256Gb or a 512Gb which are way too expensive, I can only just afford a 27" iMac right now and would rather put my money into a bigged HDD to serve my needs.

I figure get the HDD now, in 3 years when the Apple care has ended and prices have come down look at upgrading the storage then. The should have 2Tb SSD in 3 years right?

2TB SSD in 3 years? Yes probably, but it'll be expensive like the 512GB is now. You've got a little more time before the new iMac arrives...pinch some pennies and save up that extra bit! That's what I'm doing anyway....the lure of a SSD just tickles my fancy. :D I've never used a computer with one.
 
Novice needs advice and info.

All this "when does new iMac come out?" controversy.
I plan on using it almost exclusively for film editing with AVID Media Composer 6.
How may this application be affected pro or con.
Also, advantage of 27' top of line v. 21.5' bottom (and is 2560x1440 really necessary?
Thanks for any advice or info you can supply.
 
I use 3 macs currently one with a ssd+hdd , hdd+raid and just hdd. I do a lot of intensive video work from motion graphics cgi to full program or feature editing. From my experience the raid wins hands down. But the point of debate lies on the ssd+hdd vs hdd and i cant notice any real difference in speed besides opening closing applications. It may be more stable but its speed, more than anything that makes an ssd more atractive than an hdd. unfortunately until ssds reach bigger sizes/cheaper prices, for the work i require to do i dont see much benefit now.
 
Personal preference. The 27' is about right for Times Square, and the 21.5' for Yankee Stadium.

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Also, advantage of 27' top of line v. 21.5' bottom (and is 2560x1440 really necessary?

I've got an LG LCD right now the same size and pixel count at the base iMac, I really want a 27" for the extra screen space.

Okay dumb question about the i5 v i7. We know the Ivy Bridge CPUs with be a bit faster but I noticed there is about a 25% performance increase with the optional i7. Outside of video editing will I notice the speed difference in day to day work web surfing and such? 25% seams like a lot for a relatively small increase in over all price, $240.
 
Macbook Pro

I have a lot of developer friends and as someone who does a lot online on occasion I would like to see BIGGER displays - or at least the OPTION of bigger displays for the new Macbook Pro coming out.

I know my friends who are developers are really disappointed as well.
 
I've got an LG LCD right now the same size and pixel count at the base iMac, I really want a 27" for the extra screen space.

Okay dumb question about the i5 v i7. We know the Ivy Bridge CPUs with be a bit faster but I noticed there is about a 25% performance increase with the optional i7. Outside of video editing will I notice the speed difference in day to day work web surfing and such? 25% seams like a lot for a relatively small increase in over all price, $240.

Everything related to web, has nothing or very little to do with the specs of a machine. That means a professional Mac-pro all specd' up will open websites at the same speed as a bottom line macbook. Thats because internet speed is tied to the speed your ISP (Internet Service Provider) gives you.

And for general tasks, you will not notice the difference. Even if you encode some movies you will only be a couple of seconds faster.
 
Thats because internet speed is tied to the speed your ISP (Internet Service Provider) gives you.

True, but internet speed != perceived web-surfing speed. Javascript, flash, java, etc will all benefit with more CPU/RAM.

It all depends on what you do day to day that affects it. I get beach balls in Safari a lot on my 2008 MBP (though less so in the Safari 6 developer preview). In my case, I have a lot of stuff open at any one time, so my slowdowns are very much computer-based rather than internet speed.
 
Everything related to web, has nothing or very little to do with the specs of a machine. That means a professional Mac-pro all specd' up will open websites at the same speed as a bottom line macbook. Thats because internet speed is tied to the speed your ISP (Internet Service Provider) gives you.

And for general tasks, you will not notice the difference. Even if you encode some movies you will only be a couple of seconds faster.

I know that, I was talking about the over all experience, playback of video (after they load) and Java related things.

I know with my G5 even scrolling can be jumpy at times and video playback isn't smooth most of the time and I'm on a fast Internet connection now.

I'll also be using the iMac for Photoshop, CS3 to start with, upgrade later when I can afford it. I'd also like to do some video encoding and other more taxing tasks so I guess the i7 would be the good choice to speed things up over the i5. Just waiting to see what Apple offers on the next update in a few weeks, with luck. :)
 
Also, advantage of 27' top of line v. 21.5' bottom (and is 2560x1440 really necessary?

burrus1206, the 27' offers you a faster processor, so if you're exclusively using it for video editing I'd suggest getting the best machine you can by. You can save some money on RAM by buying 4GB then adding more yourself from a site like Crucial. That will boost performance too. I would strongly recommend putting those saved dollars towards an SDD + HDD set-up as well, as you can see has been discussed recently. If you're using Avid, you may want to add this keyboard cover: Avid Media Keyboard Cover
 
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burrus1206, the 27' offers you a faster processor, so if you're exclusively using it for video editing I'd suggest getting the best machine you can by. You can save some money on RAM by buying 4GB then adding more yourself from a site like Crucial. That will boost performance too. I would strongly recommend putting those saved dollars towards an SDD + HDD set-up as well, as you can see has been discussed recently. If you're using Avid, you may want to add this keyboard cover: Avid Media Keyboard Cover

Macsales has better ram and is right for the system. to be honest, it may be abit more but you know its quality, I've only had bad ram from crucial to be honest. 4 sticks dead from them.
 
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Macsales has better ram and is right for the system. to be honest, it may be abit more but you know its quality, I've only had bad ram from crucial to be honest. 4 sticks dead from them.

I've had good results with Crucial, but I'll definitely weigh my options with my next Mac purchase. Thanks for the input!
 
With all the pissing and moaning about the optical drive, and people wanting it gone because supposedly no one uses it anymore, I expected to see more people vote for its removal.
 
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