2011 vs. 2015 iMac 2.7

[tommytime555]

I know there are bound to be some major differences between an older iMac vs. New but in terms of running Adobe CC apps would I notice a pretty big difference in performance when comparing an older 2010/2011 iMac (2.7 Ghz) to a new 2015 (2.7 Ghz)? Both i5.

Any clarity or feedback appreciated.

T

 

[pm-r]

You can checkout the Geekbench speed scores and see if you'd consider the difference worth it, but you'll probably notice that there isn't such a 2015 2.7GHz i5 model, and you might want to check the differences here:
Apple iMac Specs (All iMac Tech Specs) @ EveryMac.com

 

[Lightcraftsman]

You didn't give us enough information to provide good answers. Which Adobe CC apps do you use? If you're working with video or routinely have Lightroom convert 500 RAW files to TIFF then, yes, you will see a significant performance difference. If you're putting together web pages or editing small digital files then, no, there will not be much difference. I am assuming at least 16GB RAM in each computer.

 

[tommytime555]

You didn't give us enough information to provide good answers. Which Adobe CC apps do you use? If you're working with video or routinely have Lightroom convert 500 RAW files to TIFF then, yes, you will see a significant performance difference. If you're putting together web pages or editing small digital files then, no, there will not be much difference. I am assuming at least 16GB RAM in each computer.

Sorry about that.... To be more specific:

Current System:
iMac 27" - (Mid 2010)
3.2 GHz Intel Core i3
16GB Memory

System I'm considering:
27.0” 5K retina - (Late 2014)
Quad-Core i7 4.0Ghz
Fusion Drive 1TB - 16GB RAM

The apps I primarily use is Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign and a few one-off Video/After Effects projects.

My current Mac is actually doing pretty dang good for being a 2010 but again, I'm feeling the urge to upgrade but just can't decide whether or not it's absolutely worth it... If it'll make a big enough difference then I'll pull the trigger.

Thanks again.

 

[Lightcraftsman]

You probably won't see a major gain in processor speed unless you're working with large PhotoShop files. If you upgrade you will see a huge difference in disk access times, especially with USB 3 and Thunderbolt ports on the new iMac.

If your current computer gets the job done then stick with it. If you need faster access to external drives then the new computer would be worthwhile. I'm getting 500 mb/sec throughput on my external TB striped drive. You cannot get near that with Firewire.

 

[tommytime555]

You probably won't see a major gain in processor speed unless you're working with large PhotoShop files. If you upgrade you will see a huge difference in disk access times, especially with USB 3 and Thunderbolt ports on the new iMac.

If your current computer gets the job done then stick with it. If you need faster access to external drives then the new computer would be worthwhile. I'm getting 500 mb/sec throughput on my external TB striped drive. You cannot get near that with Firewire.

Awesome! -- So, would you have any suggestions for speeding my current drive? I mean... Do they make an SSD or something that might work better than what I have?

Details:

Available: 900.91 GB (900,913,090,560 bytes)
Capacity: 999.35 GB (999,345,123,328 bytes)
Mount Point: /
File System: Journaled HFS+
Writable: Yes
Ignore Ownership: No
BSD Name: disk0s2
Volume UUID: BA341307-28AC-32F6-9B00-9D5EF695FBF5
Physical Drive:
Media Name: ST31000528AS Media
Medium Type: Rotational
Protocol: SATA
Internal: Yes
Partition Map Type: GPT (GUID Partition Table)
S.M.A.R.T. Status: Verified

 

[Lightcraftsman]

Because your current iMac lacks USB 3 and Thunderbolt the only way to significantly improve disk access times would be to install an OWC hard drive upgrade kit.

OWC HDD Installation tools & SMC Compatibility... in stock at OWC

You can choose whatever drive you want, but if you're going to the trouble you may as well get a 1TB SSD and use your current drive as a backup in an external enclosure.

 

[harryb2448]

Of course there is going to be a difference with improved graphics and faster memory. pm-r mentioned GeekBench tests. The 2010 i3 comes in with a score of 6004 compared to the i7's 15,465 which is a 250% difference. This will make a big boost to Photoshop etc.

 

[Lightcraftsman]

Of course there is going to be a difference with improved graphics and faster memory. pm-r mentioned GeekBench tests. The 2010 i3 comes in with a score of 6004 compared to the i7's 15,465 which is a 250% difference. This will make a big boost to Photoshop etc.

Of course it will, but whether that boost is significant or not depends upon the size of the files and what the OP does with them. I have many PhotoShop files that run into hundreds of megabytes in size before they are ready to print and a few that are more than one gigabyte. These will benefit greatly from improved graphics performance, and some PhotoShop filters will not even run on the 2010 iMac. Smaller files and simple filters run just fine on older hardware.

 

[chas_m]

Sorry about that.... To be more specific:

Current System:
iMac 27" - (Mid 2010)
3.2 GHz Intel Core i3
16GB Memory

System I'm considering:
27.0” 5K retina - (Late 2014)
Quad-Core i7 4.0Ghz
Fusion Drive 1TB - 16GB RAM

This is ... QUITE A BIT ... different than the specs you claimed in your initial post ...

There would be a **very** noticeable difference in performance between these two machines. A Core i3 and a quad-core i7 aren't even in the same ballpark, particularly in terms of performance on apps -- like Adobe's CC suite -- that can fully leverage multiple processors. And this is before we get into the much improved graphics system, which CC are highly dependent on.

We'll also further ignore for the moment how much higher-resolution, color-balanced and gorgeous the Retina 5K display is compared to your current iMac. And the fact that the Fusion drive will perform approximately 5x-8x better than the spinning-platter HD you are likely now using, though of course you could stick a 1TB SSD in your present machine for an even greater boost in that department.

Oh and then there's how much more RAM you can upgrade to in the newer machine ... and how much longer (four revisions longer) you'll be able to keep OS and software updated ...

In case you haven't caught my drift ...

If you're in a position where you can get the newer machine ... it's a no-brainer in my opinion, UNLESS and ONLY unless you expect to be in an even better position a year or so from now. Then (if I were you) I'd replace the HD with an SSD and carry on for a year or two, THEN get whatever 5K Retina iMac they are selling at that point.

 

[voca]

Since you have to pull the Logic Board to add the SSD, upgrade the processor to an i7 or Quad Core Xeon, its plug and play, The chip is only going to cost you around 100 bucks or less. Its a Socket 1156 / Socket H.

 

[tommytime555]

Since you have to pull the Logic Board to add the SSD, upgrade the processor to an i7 or Quad Core Xeon, its plug and play, The chip is only going to cost you around 100 bucks or less. Its a Socket 1156 / Socket H.

Why wouldn't everybody do this as opposed to spending a butt-load on a new system?

 

[voca]

Well, thats a question I can't answer you. I only can tell you, that I've done that upgrade already to more than one iMac.

 

[chscag]

Why wouldn't everybody do this as opposed to spending a butt-load on a new system?

Because it's a difficult procedure which requires disassembly of the iMac. Just getting the display off the newer iMacs is not as easy as it was with the older models. And not everyone has the technical skills to do the work. Member "voca" apparently has those skills.

Take a look at some of the disassembly instructions at www.ifixit.com and you can decide for yourself.

 

[Exodist]

I know there are bound to be some major differences between an older iMac vs. New but in terms of running Adobe CC apps would I notice a pretty big difference in performance when comparing an older 2010/2011 iMac (2.7 Ghz) to a new 2015 (2.7 Ghz)? Both i5.

Any clarity or feedback appreciated.

T

Hey T,
Well first off if you use Adobe Lightroom, you need a minimum of Intel HD4400 graphics to use GPU acceleration. My i7 Quad Core 2012 Mac MIni has HD4000 and isn't compatible. Photoshop seems fine still. I do not know about Aftereffects or Premier.

So while the CPU itself isn't a huge jump if your comparing a 2011 Quad core i7 to a newer Quad core i7, The GPU difference is however much faster. For this reason alone I am looking to get a new Mac come the first of the year. Keeping fingers crossed on a update to the Mac Pro.. But if it doesn't get updated, then a Mac Book Pro.. I just really need the better cooling, which is why I am consider the Mac Pro..