Which iMac refurb for web design?

[cariosity]

Hi,

I'm studying web design in college and it's time to upgrade from my PPC white imac. After much research, I've decided a 27" i5 or i7 refurb would fit my needs the best but I'm still a little unsure of which refurb to get: the 2009 i7 at $1699, the 2010 i5 at $1699 or the 2010 i7 at $1899?

I'll be using CS5 extensively for graphic design/photography (I'll probably be running photoshop, flash, in design and dreamweaver everyday, throughout the day, at the same time, etc.), very light video editing (mostly vacation videos for web use; nothing professional) and occasional gaming (The Sims and casual games; nothing too taxing on system resources).

The big question is which feature is more important for my situation: the hyperthreading capability of the i7 or the video card (4850 vs. 5750)? If hyperthreading is the most important feature, is the better graphics card and ghz in the 2010 i7 worth the extra $200 or will the 2009 i7 suffice? If the video card is more important, will the 2010 i5 suffice or should I go for the 2010 i7 for hyperthreading and more ghz? Obviously, if they're of equal importance, I'll be shelling out $1899 for the 2010 i7.

I'd like to save the $200 if at all possible because I have to pay tax and get Applecare (eventually). Ideally, I want to choose between both $1699 models but if I must, I will pay for the $1899 model.

Thank you!

 

[vistadude]

Well, i think that the video card is not super important for web design, as long as it's not too low end like an integrated graphics card. I know people that do a lot of web design using adobe suites and photoshop and they are not using high end computers. The main thing I would try to guess is how long do you want to keep the computer before buying a new one. I would go for a newer model since the hard drive and lcd bulb is more likely to last longer, as well as better specs usually.

 

[jbyun04]

CS5 is more GPU based so yeah graphic card is going to play a decent role. 4850 and 5750 are more or less the same card but 5750 is built on newer architecture and is more power efficient, don't know about the mobile cards though.

I'm in the same situation as you (minus Flash) where at least 2-3 CS programs are open at a time and my 9600m does okay with it.

I think you would be happy with either to be honest with you. The 4850 should be perfectly fine for what you need to get done.

 

[cariosity]

I plan to keep the new computer for about 4 years. It looks like hyperthreading isn't really important in my case so the 1899 model is out. The 2009 i7 would suit my needs but the 2010 i5 has better specs for the same price so I think I'll go with that one.

Thank you for the help!