In the market for a new iMac

[Binky]

Hi guys,
I've googled and read forums, reviews and news items until I'm blue in the face and I'm still not much closer to choosing which iMac to get. Would love some anecdotal evidence or stories of joy to help me choose!

(Hi btw, I'm new here).

Basically I have a nice pile of redundancy money to choose a new mac with. At first I was going to upgrade my 2006 macbook for a new macbook pro, but the more I think of it, the more I have leaned to wards grabbing an iMac instead and having the security of a desktop for all my photos/music etc.

I've whittled the mac choice down to either:

1. 3.6ghz i5 (21 or 27)
2. 2.8ghz i5 quad core

I will mainly be using for photo editing, the odd bit of video and possibly some games (although the xbox takes care of that normally).
I want the machine to last us for quite some time, as I'm not normally in the position to splurdge such a huge amount on a computer. I'm also (hopefully) going to take along my student sister and take advantage of the NUS discount if I'm lucky.

So my question is this. Which of those 2 machines is going to be fastest, for longest?

I've looked at geekbench results and read other posts but I'm still none the wiser. Help me mac forum hive mind, you're my only hope!

Thanks.

 

[bobtomay]

Apps like Finder, Aperture or iPhoto, even iTunes will benefit from the faster processor.

If you plan on getting into "any" video encoding, the quadcore shows times up to 3x faster with apps like Handbrake.

As other apps are upgraded to make use of the multiple cores, they will only become faster.

My money would have to go with the quad core. As money is getting close to the max expenditure and the $100 means the difference in being able to get an external drive for back up or not, then I'd suggest the dual core and an external drive.

If I had to back down from the quad core for money's sake though, I really don't believe the 3.6 is worth $200 more than the stock i3 3.2. Handbrake is 2x faster than the dual core i5. While the i5 shows a speed bump up to 15% in some apps, the average is only about an 8% bump in speed for apps that are helped by the raw processing power.

 

[Binky]

Interesting stats there comparing the i5 to the i3, didn't realise that there was not a lot of difference between them. I'd also read that stat about Handbrake taking a lot longer on the i5, but wondered if that was more down to a dodgy DVD Drive?

It does sound like the i5QC is the one that will last longer though. Right?

 

[Raz0rEdge]

The general wisdom is to buy the biggest, most powerful processor you can afford with the money you have to spend. That way, it will end up lasting the longest. Buying something that's "just adequate" one might make it less so very soon..

Regards

 

[Binky]

Oh, I completely understand that logic. My problem the last few days has been trying to determine which of those 2 machines is actually the best!

 

[Raz0rEdge]

I'm going to assume that the your #1 option is actually the i3 and so between your 2 options the i5 is definitely way better being quad core. Also realize that not a lot of programs right now use the full capability of the quad core processors, so as SW evolves you'll still be in a position to leverage the processors capability..

That was my whole reasoning for going for the i7 instead of the i5..I'd rather spend a good chunk of money once and have something that lasts for a while as opposed to be required to spend almost the same amount twice or more in shorter periods..

Regards

 

[CrimsonRequiem]

Hi guys,
I've googled and read forums, reviews and news items until I'm blue in the face and I'm still not much closer to choosing which iMac to get. Would love some anecdotal evidence or stories of joy to help me choose!

(Hi btw, I'm new here).

Basically I have a nice pile of redundancy money to choose a new mac with. At first I was going to upgrade my 2006 macbook for a new macbook pro, but the more I think of it, the more I have leaned to wards grabbing an iMac instead and having the security of a desktop for all my photos/music etc.

I've whittled the mac choice down to either:

1. 3.6ghz i5 (21 or 27)
2. 2.8ghz i5 quad core

I will mainly be using for photo editing, the odd bit of video and possibly some games (although the xbox takes care of that normally).
I want the machine to last us for quite some time, as I'm not normally in the position to splurdge such a huge amount on a computer. I'm also (hopefully) going to take along my student sister and take advantage of the NUS discount if I'm lucky.

So my question is this. Which of those 2 machines is going to be fastest, for longest?

I've looked at geekbench results and read other posts but I'm still none the wiser. Help me mac forum hive mind, you're my only hope!

Thanks.

If you want future proofing you need to buy the fastest processor that you can afford. Not sure what you mean by the "security of a desktop" for photos/music.

If it has moving parts it's prone to wear and tear. IE the HDD. Even SSD can fail.

 

[Binky]

By security, I mean a central hub computer that isn't being moved about every 5 minutes like my macbook is.

As for fastest processor, that's the question I'm trying to ask. Which is faster? A faster clocked dual, or a slower clocked quad?

 

[lenina1234]

Buying imac 27" 2.8GHz Intel Core i5

Hi guys,

It;s been a few months since I finally decided on a new iMac as I own a MacBook Pro, which is a work one and it is fantastic!! I absolutely love it!

Anyways, last Wednesday I placed an online order for the 3.2GHz Intel Core i3 one and then changed my mind and cancelled the order. Somehow, the funds in my credit card are still blocked. I've been told by Apple that it may take up to 3 working days with credit cards, which is past the deadline already. I am not worried about the money itself as it is in my account anyway. It's just I don't have access to it somehow and I really wanted to place a new order. Has anyone had similar problems to mine?

Since iMacs are quite expensive, I guess, it's a very careful decision to finally decide on one!

Guys, I've read a few posts about the the 27" screen blackouts, yellow tint and all. It's end of september now and has the problem been resolved by apple in the end? Does anyone have any negative experience with Apple products?

Thanks for any possible replies!!

Lenina

 

[clive12]

Hi guys,

It;s been a few months since I finally decided on a new iMac as I own a MacBook Pro, which is a work one and it is fantastic!! I absolutely love it!

Anyways, last Wednesday I placed an online order for the 3.2GHz Intel Core i3 one and then changed my mind and cancelled the order. Somehow, the funds in my credit card are still blocked. I've been told by Apple that it may take up to 3 working days with credit cards, which is past the deadline already. I am not worried about the money itself as it is in my account anyway. It's just I don't have access to it somehow and I really wanted to place a new order. Has anyone had similar problems to mine?

Since iMacs are quite expensive, I guess, it's a very careful decision to finally decide on one!

Guys, I've read a few posts about the the 27" screen blackouts, yellow tint and all. It's end of september now and has the problem been resolved by apple in the end? Does anyone have any negative experience with Apple products?

Thanks for any possible replies!!

Lenina

Once they have processed the refund its then in the hands of your bank to get it back into your account. They may process in a day but it might take your bank up to five days to credit your account. These will be working days so you may find its in there tommorow.

I have had credits go back in which take a day and then others which take a full five days from the same company. Theres no standard to it but it should be back in five working days maximum.

 

[JP-ME]

You don't state in your posts what you really use your computer for or why you seem obsessed by speed?

Just to give you some perspective regarding speed and processors. I used to be hung up on the CPU speeds game. Exactly three years ago I purchased a Quadcore all singing and dancing Windows PC. It has turned out to be the biggest waste of money ever. I am now ready to replace the PC (with Apple) and to date I have yet to make use of all those extra cores. I have rarely seen the CPU meter flick above 0.9 in all the time I've had it. I don't play games or edit video and for the most part just use MS Office apps for working from home, pictures, music and YouTube. I have now gone completley the other way and am going to make do with a Mac Mini. I really don't like the iMac shiny displays and much prefer my own mat finish 24" screen.

It sometimes helps to have a different perspective on things.

 

[the8thark]

You don't state in your posts what you really use your computer for or why you seem obsessed by speed?

Just to give you some perspective regarding speed and processors. I used to be hung up on the CPU speeds game. Exactly three years ago I purchased a Quadcore all singing and dancing Windows PC. It has turned out to be the biggest waste of money ever. I am now ready to replace the PC (with Apple) and to date I have yet to make use of all those extra cores. I have rarely seen the CPU meter flick above 0.9 in all the time I've had it. I don't play games or edit video and for the most part just use MS Office apps for working from home, pictures, music and YouTube. I have now gone completley the other way and am going to make do with a Mac Mini. I really don't like the iMac shiny displays and much prefer my own mat finish 24" screen.

It sometimes helps to have a different perspective on things.

I agree with you 100%. But the catch is most people keep their Macs for 5 years + And will that mini you bought still serve you well in 5 years time? It very well could but that's something you really need to be thinking about. I happen to agree with you, that PC you bought is total overkill for what you use it for. And the Mac Mini, with 7200 speed Hard Drive and faster cpu might just suit your needs.

 

[Zoolook]

As for fastest processor, that's the question I'm trying to ask. Which is faster? A faster clocked dual, or a slower clocked quad?

It really depends on what you're doing and how good the software is at using multiple threads. OS X is pretty good at making use of more cores (so is Windows 7 to be fair) so these days, outside of gaming, a slightly slower Quad is a better bet than a slightly faster dual. Not only that, but most i5's and all i7's have turbo boost, so if 3 cores are not being used, one will overclock automatically to give you optimum performance. You don't get that on an i3.

If it were me, I'd get the i5 quad - you can bet that the next version of OS X is going to really lean heavily on more cores, more threads and the GPU.

 

[KevinH]

It really depends on what you're doing and how good the software is at using multiple threads. OS X is pretty good at making use of more cores (so is Windows 7 to be fair) so these days, outside of gaming, a slightly slower Quad is a better bet than a slightly faster dual. Not only that, but most i5's and all i7's have turbo boost, so if 3 cores are not being used, one will overclock automatically to give you optimum performance. You don't get that on an i3.

If it were me, I'd get the i5 quad - you can bet that the next version of OS X is going to really lean heavily on more cores, more threads and the GPU.

HI
Apologies but I don't have an answer as I am in a similar position, would you mind if I ask a few questions on which Imac to buy?

 

[JP-ME]

I agree with you 100%. But the catch is most people keep their Macs for 5 years + And will that mini you bought still serve you well in 5 years time?

I know exactly what you are saying and the point you are making. However, I've never made use of the Quad in the last three years and if I keep it another two (which I probably will) I doubt I will have made use of them by then either. Now you could argue that I was a man ahead of my time with the purchase I made. However, I have looked back at my other PC purchases over the years and I think if I'm being honest I've always done the same trick by over specifying for my needs and paying through the nose into the bargain.

 

[Zoolook]

HI
Apologies but I don't have an answer as I am in a similar position, would you mind if I ask a few questions on which Imac to buy?

What do you want to use it for?