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3.33ghz or i5/i7 for gaming....

M

mrmicp

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 5, 2009
74
0
Trying to get my head round this but seem to be getting more confused :confused: so hoping that somebody could help shine some light on the situation...

My assumption is that for gaming its the speed of the processor that matters and not the number of cores, if this is indeed the case would I be better off going for the 3.33ghz over the i5/i7 ?

I'm aware of the turbo boost feature on the i5/i7 which would take the speed upto 3.4ghz on the i7 but for 0.1ghz it doesn't seem worth the extra cash to me or is there more to it than that? Having said that the 3.33ghz with the HD4850 is slightly more than the i5....

Also would the i5/i7 produce more heat than the 3.33ghz C2D?

I should also add that I will be going for the HD4850 upgrade option and I ready and waiting to make my purchase and get in the ever growing queue :D
 
Right now the i5 is the best for gaming, as the i7 doesn't provide a benefit. Soon the i7 will be better.

Upgrading the cpu and graphics card is a bad idea.

If you can afford it the i7 is your best bet. But the i5 is very good option.

Just remember the 4850 is not a powerhouse, so you will not be able to run most games at the native resolution of the 27inch. As long as that doesn't bother you, the imac can play games.
 
GHzs matters too but almost all new games can use 4 cores where quad core CPU will give you a huge benefit.

I would get the i7 if your wallet allows you to, it's worth it in the long run
 
You have to realize the i5 and i7 are not just quad cores when compared to the core2duo, they are an evolution in intel cpu architecture. Stuff like how they manage memory bandwidth and command pipelines are all more efficient with the advent of the new "nehalem" architecture they bring. Even the new lynnfields boast some improvements over the 1st generation 920s for their lack of triple-channel memory.
Stuff like this is why the new lynnfields would be a better choice for gaming, and gaming benchmarks should be a decent clue of their superiority..
 
TMRaven said:
You have to realize the i5 and i7 are not just quad cores when compared to the core2duo, they are an evolution in intel cpu architecture. Stuff like how they manage memory bandwidth and command pipelines are all more efficient with the advent of the new "nehalem" architecture they bring. Even the new lynnfields boast some improvements over the 1st generation 920s for their lack of triple-channel memory.
Stuff like this is why the new lynnfields would be a better choice for gaming, and gaming benchmarks should be a decent clue of their superiority..
Click to expand...

According to Wikipedia, Nehalem boosts single-threaded performance by x 1.25 and multi-threaded performance by x 2.

Also clock-for-clock performance should be up to 20% better compared to Penryns
 
The i5 would be perfect for gaming--the i7 would get bottlenecked by the GPU.
 
Simple one.. i7 is 4cores.. / plus 4 hyper threaded (i7 will show as 8 core)

i5 just 4 core no hyper threading
 
mrmicp said:
Sorry, don't understand what you mean by this....
Click to expand...

Going from the 3.06 to the 3.33 is a waste of money. So is changing the 4670 to the 4850.

You are either happy with the standard 27inch, or you should go with the i5/i7 version. But that is just my opinion.
 
SiliconDioxide said:
Going from the 3.06 to the 3.33 is a waste of money. So is changing the 4670 to the 4850.

You are either happy with the standard 27inch, or you should go with the i5/i7 version. But that is just my opinion.
Click to expand...

I agree. If you are upgrading it (especially for the 3.33), you should get the i5 at least.
 
Badger^2 said:
mac games or PC games?
Click to expand...

Mac games where I can like WoW, but sadly may have to BC into windows for Aion.

I know people always say get a PC for games, well the thing is I have a PS3 and Wii for games, but for MMORPG the consoles don't cut it... where as a playing these on a 27inch iMac will be immense :)

I got my first iMac 3 years ago and what do they say....... once you try mac you don't go back :)

@ SiliconDioxide - I get you now :) i7 it is!
 
I'd get 27.5" Core i7 iMac @ 2.8GHz, ATI Radeon 4850 512MB, AppleCare, Mighty Mouse (not the magic mouse),
wired keyboard + numpad, 1TB HD, 4GB RAM (upgrade to 8GB from OWC if you need it, or just buy 8GB (4x2GB) if you can't be bothered),
IMO that's the best setup, but everyones different :D

Just a note, I think the 4670 GPU has only 256MB of memory.
 
MythicFrost said:
I'd get 27.5" Core i7 iMac @ 2.8GHz, ATI Radeon 4850 512MB, AppleCare, Mighty Mouse (not the magic mouse),
wired keyboard + numpad, 1TB HD, 4GB RAM (upgrade to 8GB from OWC if you need it, or just buy 8GB (4x2GB) if you can't be bothered),
IMO that's the best setup, but everyones different :D

Just a note, I think the 4670 GPU has only 256MB of memory.
Click to expand...

Done it !except went wireless keyboard and went for the magic mouse (it can't be any worse than the mighty mouse) Also went for the apple care as a student you get a very good deal! Also got a printer for £9.99 (after the rebate) which I can sell on ebay for £40-50 Esitmated dispatch date 4 December :( I may have burst by then.......
 
Ah great, enjoy it :)
Done it !except went wireless keyboard and went for the magic mouse (it can't be any worse than the mighty mouse)
Click to expand...
I prefer a full keyboard but if the wireless works for you go for it, however the magic mouse can be worse than the mighty mouse, I'll give credit where it is due, the magic mouse looks very cool and the touch scrolling is cool too,
however I tried one and it feels uncomfortable (to me anyway, a mighty mouse user), you also cannot activate Expose, Spaces or Dashboard from it (unless they update it), I have the middle button for Expose and side buttons as Desktop Expose, couldn't live without them :p

Have fun :D
 
mrmicp said:
Trying to get my head round this but seem to be getting more confused :confused: so hoping that somebody could help shine some light on the situation...

My assumption is that for gaming its the speed of the processor that matters and not the number of cores, if this is indeed the case would I be better off going for the 3.33ghz over the i5/i7 ?
Click to expand...

Get the i5. It will be cheaper than buying a 3.33 with 4850 upgrade.
 
I'd recommend saving your money and getting the i5 over the i7. For gaming, there will be no perceivable difference. If you want to save even more cash, you can get the 3.06 C2D and upgrade ONLY the video card. But I'd say the best value for money is the i5.
 
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