Which iMac for Logic and Aperture?

[alexandercairns]

I am looking at running Logic Express 8 (eventually I'll upgrade to Studio) and Aperture 1.5 on one of the new iMacs (released today). I want a 24 inch screen, so the low-end model is out of the picture. I want to know whether it's worth it to go for the top-end one with the faster processor and larger hard-drive. Will I need a TB if I am shooting raw photos and not compressing my audio? Will the slower processor make a huge difference in the long run? I'm thinking I will probably go with the 2.93 Ghz Intel Core Duo with the 640 GB hard-drive, but does anyone have any better ideas?

Thanks,
Alexander

 

[avihappy]

I am looking at running Logic Express 8 (eventually I'll upgrade to Studio) and Aperture 1.5 on one of the new iMacs (released today). I want a 24 inch screen, so the low-end model is out of the picture. I want to know whether it's worth it to go for the top-end one with the faster processor and larger hard-drive. Will I need a TB if I am shooting raw photos and not compressing my audio? Will the slower processor make a huge difference in the long run? I'm thinking I will probably go with the 2.93 Ghz Intel Core Duo with the 640 GB hard-drive, but does anyone have any better ideas?

Thanks,
Alexander

You want the 1TB drive if you are storing RAW and uncompress music. The 2.93 Ghz should do you fine. If you will be doing video work, get the Radeon 4850.

 

[micsaund]

When you're shooting RAW photos and working with uncompressed audio/video, I don't think you can ever have too much disk space. So, the 1TB may be worthwhile for you to stave-off a HD upgrade for a while.

One nice thing is that the 640GB drives (I have two in my gaming PC) are blazing fast for 7200 RPM drives due to the dual 320GB high-density platters. So, the 640GB drive may actually be faster than the 1TB by a small amount.

As for the CPU, it depends on how long you want keep the machine. I think any of the 24" will do what you need today but if you're a Photoshop pro or something, you may be annoyed by small delays, so the extra CPU will be worth it. No matter, the more CPU you have today, the longer the machine will last before it annoys you with slowness. I'd say the 2.93 is a nice sweet-spot in the line-up as the 3.06 is just a lot extra for not that much more.

Mike