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2011 Base Model 21.5" Information

smelly cat

smelly cat

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 17, 2010
133
55
Hey all so I just picked up the new 2011 21.5" imac base model. I've been perusing the forums and found that most of the threads here are regarding the 27" model as a point of interest. So I've got this imac setup and ready to go with both OS X and windows 7 with a ton of games and apps installed and thought I'd like to contribute to the community here.

What i'm proposing is that if anyone would like to know more hands on information about the 21.5 incher i'll be more than happy to serve it up. Instead of wasting time uploading a whole bunch of content to the forums in an effort to guess what you want to know I think it'll be most efficient if it's done based on request; anything from live videos of the latest games running in OS X or Windows to temperatures and noise levels while doing video encoding.

So yeah if there's any specifics of the imac you'd like to know about then fire away! :apple:
 
my current highest temperature via istat is 135 degrees and it's been pretty much silent since i set it up 3 days ago.
 
Ya I bought the base model, and I agree that there is little info on anything other than the 27. I am really really happy with it. I've been gaming with it for the past couple days, encoding, photoshopping and it has been a dream. I may throw in some more ram down the road, but couldn't be happier with it.

For many (and me) the 27 is overkill. One of my buds picked one up, and he uses it more for his xbox than anything.
 
Yes!! Been wanting a thread like this. Would you do me a huge huge huge favor?

Can you please download and install the software below, OSX version please.

http://www.niksoftware.com/downloads/usa/entry.php?view=software

Afterwards can you edit a picture or two using the default options and let me know how bad the lag is when you switch between different filters? On the left side there should be presets that you can switch around, ex; 00 default, 03 realistic (strong)...when you move from one preset to another, how fast does it apply the filter onto the picture? Sluggish or pretty smooth? Finally, when you change the adjustments around (right hand side) does it perform the adjustment pretty smoothly or sluggish?

THANK YOU!
 
I'd be interested in general impressions of heat & noise during light usage (web surfing, etc).
Click to expand...

Noise has got to be the most amazing part of this machine. I don't know if it's typical of all the current imacs or maybe mine's just some freak of manufacturing - but it's dead silent. I mean SILENT. Even at full load (gaming with dead space 2, left 4 dead 2, mass effect 2) I can't hear anything from the machine even when the sound is on mute. Considering the form factor and the considerable power under the hood I found that amazing.

I remember my first iMac. The original blue iMac G3 released back in 1998... that thing sounded like a friggin' jet taking off in my room! :eek:

All of this golden silence though seems to come at the cost of running quite warm. During gaming sessions when I was leaning forward to see if I could hear any fans (I couldn't) the one thing I did notice was some serious warmth radiating from the system. wowza. overall it's noteworthy but i'm not too concerned about it. temps at idle are about 40C for the cpu, 41C for HDD, 55C for GPU. Under lights loads - web surfing with some music or youtube - the temps don't seem to rise from idle much if at all; at most another couple extra degrees hotter.
 
Can you please download and install the software below, OSX version please.
Click to expand...

i'll get on it asap :cool:

EDIT: dude there are SOOOOO many different versions of the software you just linked me to... any particular one you'd like me to use???
 
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smelly cat said:
Noise has got to be the most amazing part of this machine.

I have a timer set to a lamp in my office that makes little clicking noises I have never noticed before. My iMac is quieter than that. This was during a handbrake of Oh Brother, Where Art Thou. Oh, and it took between 15-20 minutes, I forgot to time it. Gaming is quiet as well.
Click to expand...
 
smelly cat said:
Noise has got to be the most amazing part of this machine. I don't know if it's typical of all the current imacs or maybe mine's just some freak of manufacturing - but it's dead silent. I mean SILENT. Even at full load (gaming with dead space 2, left 4 dead 2, mass effect 2) I can't hear anything from the machine even when the sound is on mute. Considering the form factor and the considerable power under the hood I found that amazing.
Click to expand...

hi!

is it the 6750M you're playing with? in which resolution?

i'm going for the base model, just want to know how it's good with games :)

Thanks
 
hi!

is it the 6750M you're playing with? in which resolution?

i'm going for the base model, just want to know how it's good with games

Thanks
Click to expand...

Yeah it's the 6750M and I've gotta tell you that this chip is surprisingly robust. I've so far run the following games: Amnesia, CS:S, Left 4 Dead 2, Bioshock 2, mass effect 2, and dead space 2. Still in the process of installing more but all of these already installed titles run buttery smooth at 1920 x 1080 with maxed settings with the exception of AA (a setting I never bother to enable anyway unless a game does it in a default preset like dead space 2)

Granted, the games I've been playing so far aren't the most demanding (still haven't installed crysis 2) I could throw at it but nonetheless I didn't expect a chip with only 480 stream processors to be so capable
 
smelly cat said:
Yeah it's the 6750M and I've gotta tell you that this chip is surprisingly robust. I've so far run the following games: Amnesia, CS:S, Left 4 Dead 2, Bioshock 2, mass effect 2, and dead space 2. Still in the process of installing more but all of these already installed titles run buttery smooth at 1920 x 1080 with maxed settings with the exception of AA (a setting I never bother to enable anyway unless a game does it in a default preset like dead space 2)

Granted, the games I've been playing so far aren't the most demanding (still haven't installed crysis 2) I could throw at it but nonetheless I didn't expect a chip with only 480 stream processors to be so capable
Click to expand...

How much FPS are you getting playing those games?

May I know what model of Hard Drive is in your iMac?
 
So the base 21.5'' model will handle Windows Parallel/VMware fusion with ease? Will video editing be smooth with an external monitor?
 
smelly cat said:
i'll get on it asap :cool:

EDIT: dude there are SOOOOO many different versions of the software you just linked me to... any particular one you'd like me to use???
Click to expand...

O yah, sorry, thought it linked directly to it. It should be called "HDR Efex Pro™"
 
How much FPS are you getting playing those games?

May I know what model of Hard Drive is in your iMac?
Click to expand...

definitely a constant 30+ fps on all those games listed with the exception of dead space 2. There have been 1 or 2 intense moments in dead space 2 where the frame rate drops noticeably.

Not to say that the gameplay in dead space 2 ever gets "choppy". However there are points where I can tell the frame rate has dropped significantly as the game's mouse acceleration properties begin to change (not sure if other gamers notice this). I might try disabling V-sync next time I play.

I've got the absolute stock base model btw. 500GB drive. 300GB for OS X and 200GB for Windows.

So the base 21.5'' model will handle Windows Parallel/VMware fusion with ease? Will video editing be smooth with an external monitor?
Click to expand...

Although it should be noted that I'm using Virtual Box myself - virtual machine performance flies for the most part. The only point of concern I have is that if you are going to do a lot of VM work you may want to consider a RAM upgrade from stock. Sandy Bridge itself though seems to have more than enough muscle for the task.
 
smelly cat said:
definitely a constant 30+ fps on all those games listed with the exception of dead space 2. There have been 1 or 2 intense moments in dead space 2 where the frame rate drops noticeably.

Not to say that the gameplay in dead space 2 ever gets "choppy". However there are points where I can tell the frame rate has dropped significantly as the game's mouse acceleration properties begin to change (not sure if other gamers notice this). I might try disabling V-sync next time I play.

I've got the absolute stock base model btw. 500GB drive. 300GB for OS X and 200GB for Windows.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. Was wondering what is the model of the drive, Western Digital or Seagate.
 
Have you felt any hiccups so far?

I'd like to know more about the speakers. Is there a subwoofer?
 
Afterwards can you edit a picture or two using the default options and let me know how bad the lag is when you switch between different filters? On the left side there should be presets that you can switch around, ex; 00 default, 03 realistic (strong)...when you move from one preset to another, how fast does it apply the filter onto the picture? Sluggish or pretty smooth? Finally, when you change the adjustments around (right hand side) does it perform the adjustment pretty smoothly or sluggish?
Click to expand...

on jpeg images of modest resolution there isn't really any noticeable delay at all. I took some RAW files from my pop's camera and applied the same adjustments though and indeed there is some delay though only momentary. Overall I would say the photo editing speed is definitely snappy.

Thanks for the info. Was wondering what is the model of the drive, Western Digital or Seagate.
Click to expand...

ST3500418AS 7200RPM Seagate drive

Have you felt any hiccups so far?

I'd like to know more about the speakers. Is there a subwoofer?
Click to expand...

No functional hiccups so far. I've looked really hard with the test images on this forum and my display doesn't seem to have any apparent yellowing either. woot! i guess i can count myself lucky. I definitely wish there was more than one video out on the 21.5" though. :(

Bootcamp bugs are often a sticking point with macs. I remember the 2010 imac had a bug that often prevented windows from even installing and booting properly. My 2010 macbook pro's headphone jack doesn't output any audio in windows. this imac on the other hand doesn't seem to have any problems in windows at all.

Unfortunately the imac does not have a subwoofer. 20 watt stereo amps is all. i find this fact curious since the macbook pro has a subwoofer. :confused: The audio is just about what you'd expect from an AIO. Mids and highs are nice and clear but they lack bass.
 
Out of curiosity, do you have Shogun 2: Total War, Civilization V, StarCraft II or Dragon Age II on Boot Camp? How do those run?

Thanks for posting all those info!
 
smelly cat said:
on jpeg images of modest resolution there isn't really any noticeable delay at all. I took some RAW files from my pop's camera and applied the same adjustments though and indeed there is some delay though only momentary. Overall I would say the photo editing speed is definitely snappy.
Click to expand...

Sweet! Thank you
 
smelly cat said:
Yeah it's the 6750M and I've gotta tell you that this chip is surprisingly robust. I've so far run the following games: Amnesia, CS:S, Left 4 Dead 2, Bioshock 2, mass effect 2, and dead space 2. Still in the process of installing more but all of these already installed titles run buttery smooth at 1920 x 1080 with maxed settings with the exception of AA (a setting I never bother to enable anyway unless a game does it in a default preset like dead space 2)

Granted, the games I've been playing so far aren't the most demanding (still haven't installed crysis 2) I could throw at it but nonetheless I didn't expect a chip with only 480 stream processors to be so capable
Click to expand...

Thanks mate :)
 
hey, thanks for the post! i was wondering why there was nothing about the 21.5 inch imac- i use the 27 inch imac- 2009 at the office daily for graphics design but i really need one for when im at home and the 27 inch screen is too much for me, literally turning my head from one side to the other is kind of annoying haha.

i'm a graphics designer and i like to play games from time to time

i have no doubt about photoshop, illustrator and inDesign running like a dream on any of the imacs but i still have a little doubt in it's gaming capability so is there a chance you can post videos of you playing games like crysis, gta 4 and assassins creed through bootcamp? this would be greatly appreciated

also, most gaming benchmarks around are useless since they play everything at 16XAA and vsync on i don't see the point :S

one more thing..

im also wondering if it's worth the money to buy the higher end 21.5 inch with the corei7 cpu in it, or is the base model the best buy for it's price? :S
 
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Out of curiosity, do you have Shogun 2: Total War, Civilization V, StarCraft II or Dragon Age II on Boot Camp? How do those run?
Click to expand...

lol oh man those all happen to be games i don't have! but that's what demos are for right?? i'll try to get my hands on demo versions of those games and report back. From what I understand though, Dragon Age II has a very similar performance profile to Mass Effect 2. As I mentioned before the new imac can max that game out.

i have no doubt about photoshop, illustrator and inDesign running like a dream on any of the imacs but i still have a little doubt in it's gaming capability so is there a chance you can post videos of you playing games like crysis, gta 4 and assassins creed through bootcamp? this would be greatly appreciated
Click to expand...

sure! just gimme a bit of time and i'll be back with some vids.

im also wondering if it's worth the money to buy the higher end 21.5 inch with the corei7 cpu in it, or is the base model the best buy for it's price? :S
Click to expand...

the high end 21.5" definitely gets you get a healthy performance boost with a faster cpu and gpu. The real treat with that model though is the extra SSD and HDD options you can choose from. If you don't mind spending the extra moolah I say go for it, man.
 
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