Which iMac? 21.5 Inch 2.8Ghz i7 or 27 Inch 3.4Ghz i7?

[Abcmsaj]

I'm currently rocking a 2008 MacBook and I'm looking for an upgrade. Since I own an iPad and iPhone, I think it would be silly to upgrade to ANOTHER portable computer so I'd like a beefy desktop instead this time around!

Things I do are the standard web browsing, tweeting, student work but I also run a YouTube channel and recently started playing Minecraft and Steam games so I'd need something capable of 1080P video rendering and also playing games without lagging like a BIZATCH (like my current MacBook does.)

I want an i7 processor. I also want 8GB of RAM (which I've already ordered from Crucial!) but I'm not sure whether to go for the 2.8Ghz Quad Core and 21.5 inch display or 3.4Ghz Quad Core and 27 inch display... also I think the 27 inch one comes with a better graphics chip...

The difference in price is something like £300 but I'm unsure whether it's worth the jump up? Can anyone give me some insight into a decision please? Cheers all. Much love

 

[Ubuntu]

I'm currently rocking a 2008 MacBook and I'm looking for an upgrade. Since I own an iPad and iPhone, I think it would be silly to upgrade to ANOTHER portable computer so I'd like a beefy desktop instead this time around!

Things I do are the standard web browsing, tweeting, student work but I also run a YouTube channel and recently started playing Minecraft and Steam games so I'd need something capable of 1080P video rendering and also playing games without lagging like a BIZATCH (like my current MacBook does.)

I want an i7 processor. I also want 8GB of RAM (which I've already ordered from Crucial!) but I'm not sure whether to go for the 2.8Ghz Quad Core and 21.5 inch display or 3.4Ghz Quad Core and 27 inch display... also I think the 27 inch one comes with a better graphics chip...

The difference in price is something like £300 but I'm unsure whether it's worth the jump up? Can anyone give me some insight into a decision please? Cheers all. Much love

Definitely the 27 inch. I love the screen and the extra space you get with it. I've read that some people have had headaches from using it due to the small sized fonts but you're able to return it within 14 days so there's no harm in buying the 27 inch and seeing how it is. You could even get an i5 machine if you're patient enough to test it as it might be perfectly fine for your needs - but thats just an idea. I'd definitely go with the 27 inch iMac. Know a student? They can get you a good discount (and maybe a free iPod touch if the promotion happens next week!) and free 3 year applecare as well.

 

[Icaras]

So high end 21.5" vs. high end 27"?

The only thing you need to ask yourself at this point, is if you want to spend the extra money for a substantial increase in screen real estate.

Me? Speed and performance > display size and resolution. I'll soon be downsizing my 2010 27" iMac for the high end 21.5" PLUS the SSD upgrade, which, with the improvements of day to day performance, means much more to me than just having the extra screen space. I also constantly boot back and forth between OSX and Windows so SSD is going to drastically cut down on my boot times.

But different folks, different strokes.

 

[lunchfoot]

I'm with you Icaras, the extra screen space would likely be wasted on me. I got the same version as you can't wait to get it going.

 

[Michael383]

I'd go for the 21.5 inch 2.8Ghz i7.