Which IMAC of 27" to buy???

[ptlinda]

2GB GDDR5 SDRAM???

Ok, I've been out of the market for a lot of years but am ready to trade in my antique PC for a new 27" screen imac. I'm a photographer (exhibiting) and need speed + storage. I look at the list of specifications and am totally lost. I don't need any of the specialized gaming bells and whistles. Can someone help guide me through the alphabet maze to know which of these features would be important?

I'm in the NW and was planning to get it through Mac Store (any previous experience of anyone with that store would be appreciated too.
Thanks.///

 

[Hellhammer]

The base 27" should be fine then. Unless you game, the beefier GPU isn't worth it.

 

[darknite38]

The cheapest iMac at 1699 will be the perfect one for you. If you don't mind spending an extra 300 dollars for a computer that will last you about ~5 years, then go ahead and treat yourself to the 1999 iMac.

Both computers will fit your needs well, you mention you don't play games. So if I were you and I was wanting to save some money, buy the baseline iMac for 1699.

 

[Jswoosh]

I have the basic model of the iMac and its been great for me no complaints so far.

 

[csjcsj]

Disagree with the others. If you are manipulating hi-res, large files, the more computer you have, the better. It's not so much storage size as it is processor speed and memory. Even basic Photoshop filters will be faster (though either Mac will seem lightning fast compared to what you have now).

 

[duncanapple]

And in case you dont know, apple is very expensive for RAM upgrades. I just bought a 27in iMac - they all come with 4gb standard. To get to 8gb apple wanted $200 and to get to 16gb they wanted $600. I got 16gb through crucial(.com) for $130 shipped. It took all of 5 minutes to install and it doesn't void any warranties at all. Apple even provides instruction on how to do it.

My take on what you should get as a photog is this; the additional processor power from one model to the next is not going to be overly significant or noticeable to you. However you 100% should max out the ram and at $130 that's a super cheap option that you will notice (esp with 64 bit apps like CS5 and Aperture 3).

Having said all that, I also know to a pro time is money. If a faster machine pays for itself in increased productivity, its not really a question - max the processor out. I am coming at this from a hobbyist standpoint after all.

 

[talmy]

If you use or desire to use Aperture, it will take advantage of the higher end graphics processor as well as the better CPU in the i7 BTO option. As a pro, time is money, so there is plenty of reason to go with the top end.

However I agree with others about do-it-yourself RAM upgrades. Only takes a few minutes and saves hundreds of dollars.