Top end 21.5 Imac Vs Bottom end 27: Performance

[magus90]

Hey There,

So i decided on getting an Imac recently. Was going to get another Macbook but i figured this was the better choice for my needs.

I can't decide between the 21.5 or the 27 inch at this point. The specs for each are below.

Ideally i would like the 27 inch, but at the specs below i am worried it will perform less than the 21.5 because of the big 5k screen it has to power even though it has a better GPU.

I won't be doing anything too crazy, just some 1080 video editing in Final Cut Pro X and maybe some light gaming.

It only comes down to a $200 difference after the student discount, and accounting for that the 27 i can upgrade ram for cheap myself where on the 21.5 it will cost $200 extra.

21.5
4k Retina Screen
I5
Radeon 560 4 Gb
8Gb
256 SSD

27
5k Retina Screen
I5
Radeon 570 4Gb
8Gb
256 SSD


Thanks so much

 

[pigoo3]

If the difference in price is only $200...the answer to me is easy...get the 27" iMac!

- Nick

 

[Slydude]

I have to agree. I bought a late 2015 27" iMac in part because a wanted the exrtra screen real estate and in part because I wanted to be able to do the memory upgrade myself. I started with 8 GB but adding additional memory would have been expensive from Apple. A few months later I found an additional 8 GB at a very low price and snapped it up. I think I paid about $50 US for what would have cost $200 ate the time I purchased the machine.

Some memory modules do not play nice with Macs so either purchase from a vendor that knows Macs such as Crucial or OWC MacSales. Good memory can be had elsewhere but make sure you understand the vendor's return policy just in case there's an issue.

 

[magus90]

Thanks guys.

I am going with the 27 inch. It just makes sense, and they are more in demand anyway. God forbid i ever had to get rid of it or it didn't work out.

I have a custom build PC that is a beast, but i really love using Macs, and think FCPX is way better than premiere for what i need it for.

Maybe i will just sell the PC. It is pretty much overkill for anything i do.

 

[harryb2448]

Your big plus is you can upgrade the memory on the 27" via the rear access door and not on the 21.5". Consider going up to 16GB of memory from Crucial or OWC.