Buying an iMac 27", couple questions

[IanB]

Hi guys. Sorry about the newbie topic. :/

Actually this will be my very first computer... how have I survived this long? Anyways, I'm probably going to be ordering a iMac 27" pretty soon here, but I'm not really the most computer literate and there are couple things I'm unsure of.

I was planning on getting the Intel Core 2 Duo with 8gb ram. However, I am wondering what kind of performance differences I would experience if I instead bought the Quad Core with 4gb ram? (I can't go over 2 grand). Programs I will be primarily using are the Adobe CS4 suite, Maya and Zbrush. I keep all my gaming to consoles, so I'm not worried about that. I also don't plan on doing any video editing.

Also, I had a question about the Mini Display Port, as I have heard different things about it. I would like to hook my game console to it. I know that's not possible at the moment, but I have heard that a cable (from Belkin I believe) for doing this is in development. Is this true?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Raz0rEdge]

Regardless of which processor you go with, stick with the base 4GB from apple and do the upgrade to 8GB yourself later on (you'll save money and it's VERY easy to do).

Now as far as the processor goes, with your $2K budget, you can get the i5 with 4GB and that will be quite a bump in performance from the Core2Duo.

The benchmarks I saw (been waffling between the 27" i5 and i7 myself) has shown the Core2Duo to be around 4600, i5 to be around 7500, and i7 to be around 9000. So the i7 is nearly 2x faster than Core2Duo with the i5 nearly 1.5x faster..

The other thing you need to think about is how long you're going to keep the iMac. Core2Duo (the faster processor speed) is definitely good for now and a few years, but soon applications will truly start to use the full potential of the quad core and you'll benefit from being future-ready..

I imagine that CS4 and perhaps Maya may already benefit from this right now..

I've always tried to get the MOST power I can get for what I have to spend..so my humble opinion would be to go for the i5 with 4GB..

And yes Belkin is apparently making something to connect consoles to the iMac, but beyond having read that in another post here I don't know much else..

Regards

 

[bobtomay]

Belkin and a couple of others have been reported to have cabling on the way.

Am guessing it is more complicated and will require conversion along with HDCP capability and is not going to be inexpensive when/if they hit the market.

 

[goaler]

I am also new but considering the iMac 27" but i do a lot of virtualization of machines, windows and linux, would a base model with RAM work or is the quad the way to go?

Thank oyu in advance.

 

[Raz0rEdge]

The extra RAM will definitely help virutalizations, since you can give enough memory to the VM and retain enough for the Host Mac to be useful as well. For virtualizations alone, processor power matters a lot..so the 3.33 Ghz Core2Duo would work good..

Regards

 

[IanB]

Thanks Raz0r, that helps a lot. Is there any specific RAM you would recommend?

 

[Raz0rEdge]

I upgraded my Mac Mini with RAM from Performance Upgrades; FireWire USB SATA Storage; Memory, more at OWC and it worked great. They have a 4GB upgrade package for the iMac for $110 while Apple is charging around $200 for that upgrade..

You can also grab memory from Micron Technology, Inc., - Welcome to Micron.com or once you figure out EXACTLY which RAM to buy from NewEgg..but I went the lazy route..

Regards

 

[~Darkseeker~]

sorry to temporarily borrow thread

but do you think apple will eventually bring back the 24" size?

21.5 wouldnt be big enough for me (i like bigger screens) but theres no way 27" would fit in the space on my desk (shelves above it too low down)