Please Help! Imac Quad i5 Vs Mbp dual-core i7 Purchase dilemma Please help

Hello Newbie here,

I'm trying to figure out which Mac will be the better purchase.
I'm going to be using the system for mostly for home recording using Logic Studio 9 and Pro tools in the future.

I'd like a Quad core laptop but the price is to high for my budget right now. I'd like a portable laptop but its not totally required as I have a emty room soon to be converted into a small studio so a laptop or desktop will work.

I have been told the dual core i7 is comparable if not faster than the Quad i5, but I'm not sure if that is true?
It seems that Apple is moving toward the Quad processors in the future and I don't want to have a really slow one and regret the purchase. So, I'm wondering which system I should choose? Is there anything in the specs that reveal that one is faster than the other? Both Machines fit into my budget, which is $1300.

Any suggetions would be greatly appreciated.

Imac 21.5 inch 2.5GHZ Quad Core Intel Core i5
2011 version
21.5-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display
4GB memory
500GB hard drive
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics with 512MB memory

Built-in FaceTime HD camera

or


Macbook Pro 2.7GHZ dual-core intel i7
released 2011
13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display, 1280-by-800 resolution
4GB (2 x 2GB) of 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
500GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 384MB of DDR3 SDRAM

thysongbird said:

Hello Newbie here,

I'm trying to figure out which Mac will be the better purchase.
I'm going to be using the system for mostly for home recording using Logic Studio 9 and Pro tools in the future.

I'd like a Quad core laptop but the price is to high for my budget right now. I'd like a portable laptop but its not totally required as I have a emty room soon to be converted into a small studio so a laptop or desktop will work.

I have been told the dual core i7 is comparable if not faster than the Quad i5, but I'm not sure if that is true?
It seems that Apple is moving toward the Quad processors in the future and I don't want to have a really slow one and regret the purchase. So, I'm wondering which system I should choose? Is there anything in the specs that reveal that one is faster than the other? Both Machines fit into my budget, which is $1300.

Any suggetions would be greatly appreciated.

Imac 21.5 inch 2.5GHZ Quad Core Intel Core i5
2011 version
21.5-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display
4GB memory
500GB hard drive
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics with 512MB memory

Built-in FaceTime HD camera

or


Macbook Pro 2.7GHZ dual-core intel i7
released 2011
13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display, 1280-by-800 resolution
4GB (2 x 2GB) of 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
500GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 384MB of DDR3 SDRAM

Click to expand...

up front the 13 in looks slightly faster, it is hard to decide for others, you want more estate on your screen 21 is better, since you have enough room than desktop is good, laptop is easier to carry, both machines are easier to upgrade such as upgrading the ram and ssd drive.
To absolutely clear your doubt of regret, why not buy both, see which one you like then keep it otherwise return it. Chance of keep both are good, if it fits your budget.
Joking aside you can buy one then test it, then try the other within 2 weeks time.

I'd choose the iMac first. But I'm pretty sure you want to buy the MBP next. It is really nice to have both. MBP for portability, iMac for size.

I bought a MBP first because of the type of work that I have. Else, it would have been otherwise. iMac will be next target when the next gen comes out.

Thanks for the info. I wish I could buy both. The purchase is online so I can only buy one. I have a MBP 2009 core Duo with OSX Lion at home that used for school work and surfing. So I could always use that as a back up.
But, really want to know if there is a difference in Speed?

thysongbird said:

Thanks for the info. I wish I could buy both. The purchase is online so I can only buy one.

Click to expand...

In my mind the answer is pretty easy. You just have to decide whether you REALLY need the portability/mobility of a laptop or not. In your 1st post you said that..."I'd like a portable laptop but its not totally required..."

- The graphics hardware is much better on the iMac.
- the iMac has a larger display & greater resolution
- the iMac has a higher max ram limit

So just get the desktop...and move forward.

- Nick

thysongbird said:

Thanks for the info. I wish I could buy both. The purchase is online so I can only buy one. I have a MBP 2009 core Duo with OSX Lion at home that used for school work and surfing. So I could always use that as a back up.
But, really want to know if there is a difference in Speed?

Click to expand...

Go with iMac...

Quad Core vs Dual Core

Performance
Just like putting in more cylinders in a car engine provides greater speed and power, one would think that putting in twice as many processors should double the performance speed, right? Unfortunately, that is not true in case of multiprocessor chips and the speed does not double up, but is substantially higher. The reason for that is twofold. Although a dual or a quad core has multiple cores, the clocking speed does not double up as the task is not shared by the two or four processors simultaneously. However, there is an increased multitasking ability due to division of tasks among the chips. So quad cores can be fast but not twice as fast.

The second reason why the increased speed of the quad core due to greater multitasking ability is not useful is the incompatibility of software programs being run on them. The software that is being run has to have a multithreading facility. That is, it should be programmed to be able to use the four cores at a time! Very few software products can do that currently, but the trend is changing now. Developers of operating systems and other software programs realize the potential that multicore processors offer. This includes Microsoft's Windows operating system and Apple Mac OS X, whose recent versions are designed to make better use of multiple cores through parallel processing.

If you run Adobe Photoshop on a quad core, which has a multithreading facility, you will see the application zooming fast compared to that on a dual core computer. Though the clocking speed is not substantially higher than dual core processors, quad processors offer phenomenal multitasking ability which surpasses any other processors, if the software being run on them has the ability to wield their power. Video and graphic rendering, as mathematical simulations are easily amenable to multithreading and therefore are known to run faster on quad core processors, compared to dual core processors. As more software programmers get on the multithreading bandwagon, opting for quad core processors makes increasingly more sense.

Gaming
If you make a comparison between dual core and quad core processors, in terms of 3D graphic intensive gaming, the quad processors are clear winners. Due to their higher multitasking ability and the multithreading capacity of 3D gaming software programs, quad processors can easily handle graphic intensive gaming. Most game programmers are now designing their software to work with multicore processors and especially quad core processors. This means that opting for a quad core processor, over a dual core one, makes sense, if you are a gamer. Still, a dual core processor with a high clocking frequency works just as well. However, if you don't want to upgrade your computer for the next two to three years at least, the natural choice is a quad core.

There are six cores processors out in the market too, but they would be overkill even for gamers. Besides, the Intel core i7 six core processors like 990X are expensive. Buying an Intel core i5 quad core processor with a high clocking frequency makes sense. AMD is far behind in terms of technology right now and it's highly recommended that you go for an Intel processor instead, as it will certainly provide better performance.

Quad Core Vs Dual Core Processors - Verdict
The future is quad core and six core processors. In terms of performance, the quad core wins hands down over the dual cores in terms of multitasking ability. Provided, the software run on it can use the two extra cores. More and more software programs are catching up and being upgraded with multithreading ability. That essentially means that buying a quad core is sound investment for the future. Once you upgrade to a quad core, you won't have to upgrade for a long time for sure! Some of the best quad core processors from the Intel stable are Intel core i5 680 (4 MB, 3.6 GHz) and Intel Core i5-650 Processor (4MB Cache, 3.20 GHz).

If you already have a dual core processor with a high clocking frequency, opting for a quad core processor with lower clocking frequency doesn't make sense. So if you are planning to upgrade, go for a quad core with clocking frequency in excess of 2 GHz. That should serve you well, for all your basic computing tasks, 3D gaming, as well as other intensive tasks like video editing.

Hope this quad core vs dual core comparison helps you in arriving at a decision about whether you need a quad core upgrade. My advice is that you should go for the quad if it's within your budget reach. It puts phenomenal computing ability at your hands and it's particularly well suited for gaming and heavy duty computing! What is more, once you go for a high-end Intel quad core, there is no need for you to upgrade your PC for quite a few years in the future.

i7 vs i5

With the hyper threading option, the i7 Intel processor has several advantages over the i5. The i7 is able to work faster. In case you are involved with 3D activities on your computer or you have to deal with any heavy graphic work, you will never have any problem with the work once you have the i7 Intel processor on your computer. If you do not deal with stuffs like this, you may not really notice the difference.
General acceptance
The i5 had been discovered to be highly accepted by all and sundry in comparison with the i7. This is because of its quad core, which makes it possible for the i5 to muster more speed for your operations. The turbo boost in it also makes it possible for the i5 to muster more speed.

Thanks! I think I made my choice Imac Quad i5 it is !!! Thanks for all your comments.

Songbird, they are releasing new iMacs and MBP any day now. You may want to wait to see the specs for those

"any day now" translated as "I don't actually know this for a fact at all" and "could be anytime from tomorrow to the end of August maybe, but likely to be closer to now"

If you really really need it. Get it.
If you can wait. So wait.

chas_m said:

"any day now" translated as "I don't actually know this for a fact at all" and "could be anytime from tomorrow to the end of August maybe, but likely to be closer to now"

Click to expand...

Bloomberg is reporting that MBP at WWDC, plus some Geekbench benchmarks have been released for the new MBP and iMac. I'm not just pulling stuff out of thin air Chas, there's information leaking out that all points to new models very soon.

Release at WWDC?

IvyBridge Apple benchmarks

That's NOT information, that's SPECULATION.

We do NOT know, nor does Bloomberg know, when any new machines are going to be released.

Do I *think* it will likely be soon? Yes I do.

Do I *know this for a fact*? No I don't, neither do you, neither does Bloomberg or anyone outside Apple.

It's disappointing that people today don't seem to be able to distinguish between "things I know for a fact" and "things I believe/wish/hope are true."