Base 27" vs High 21.5"

[iNickk]

I have a dilemma. I'm gonna get a new iMac probably when the iPod promotion is running, but i'm not sure which one to go for.

I thought i'd settled on the high end 21.5" one, but then decided that I wanted to go for the 27". My worry is that games and movies will not look as good on the base 27". For games it might not have the processing power and video card to run on high quality, and videos might look ugly being stretched out so much. Thoughts?

 

[Faux Carnival]

Don't forget that 27" is a 2560*1440 display and running games on that kind of resolution requires a serious amount of graphics processing power.

 

[Icaras]

It's very simple. Games will perform better on the 21.5". They use the same exact graphics card with same amount of VRAM but the 21.5" will push less because it has a lower native resolution.

For movies, if I'm not mistaken anything you watch full screen will be blown up to 1440p, but unless you spend most of your time watching movies right up close on your desk, you may not notice any difference in quality sitting farther back. I currently own a 27" and I think 1080p content looks great up close but I think this issue is definitely more subjective than than the games issue.

I intend to pick up the 21.5" myself, for the fact that games will run better and look natural as intended at native resolution.

 

[iNickk]

It's very simple. Games will perform better on the 21.5". They use the same exact graphics card with same amount of VRAM but the 21.5" will push less because it has a lower native resolution.

For movies, if I'm not mistaken anything you watch full screen will be blown up to 1440p, but unless you spend most of your time watching movies right up close on your desk, you may not notice any difference in quality sitting farther back. I currently own a 27" and I think 1080p content looks great up close but I think this issue is definitely more subjective than than the games issue.

I intend to pick up the 21.5" myself, for the fact that games will run better and look natural as intended at native resolution.

Thank you, that's what I wanted to hear. 21.5" it is!

 

[Icaras]

Thank you, that's what I wanted to hear. 21.5" it is!

Sure thing Not to confuse any bit further however, but some users do like to just downscale the resolution on their games on their 27" iMacs, of course however, just like movies, they won't be playing on their native resolutions. So depending on if you don't mind downscaling in games for better performance, and upscaling in movies for full screen effect, I should reiterate that this is really all very subjective of course.

There is strength in a 27" display outside of games and movies. All depends on your usage!

 

[Warbitrary]

The 6770 is very capable of running at native res on a 27" screen:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1149742/

 

[MythicFrost]

It's very simple. Games will perform better on the 21.5". They use the same exact graphics card with same amount of VRAM but the 21.5" will push less because it has a lower native resolution.

Actually, the base 27" and high end 21.5" uses a 6770M whilst the base 21.5" uses a 6750M. The difference shouldn't be great, though.

 

[Faux Carnival]

The 6770 is very capable of running at native res on a 27" screen:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1149742/

For now.

 

[Kendo]

I'd go for the base 27" iMac if you have the option between the two. If gaming is your main concern, you can get an absolute beast of a gaming PC for $1500 which would probably play Battlefield 3 maxed out or at high settings. Using that much money towards a 21.5" iMac is a bit of a waste. The way I look at it, the best bang for your buck is either the base 21.5" model or the base 27" model. The top end 27" model is less bang for the buck but you definitely get top tier technology for the price you pay which makes it worth it.

Don't let the high resolution screen deter you. Movies will look great on it regardless of the increased resolution. As for gaming, it might sound like a good idea now to get the high end 21.5" iMac but you might not even game much on it. And if you find yourself mostly browsing the web, then you wasted the extra cash when you could have gotten a 27" screen with all that real estate for a little bit more.

 

[Icaras]

I'd go for the base 27" iMac if you have the option between the two. If gaming is your main concern, you can get an absolute beast of a gaming PC for $1500 which would probably play Battlefield 3 maxed out or at high settings.

So let me get this straight:

You are recommending the OP to buy the base 27" which would cost $1700.

And on top of that, you're recommending a separate PC gaming rig for $1500.

For a total cost of $3200...

........

What's more of a waste of cash? Buying one machine thats just not the "best" at playing games or buying two machines, one for internet and media usage, and one for games?

In all seriousness, this just goes back to those ridiculous "hardcore gamer" arguments. Unless the OP is lusting for 10 more FPS in his games, I hardly think the hassle and extra cost justify themselves.

 

[Kendo]

So let me get this straight:

You are recommending the OP to buy the base 27" which would cost $1700.

And on top of that, you're recommending a separate PC gaming rig for $1500.

For a total cost of $3200...

........

What's more of a waste of cash? Buying one machine thats just not the "best" at playing games or buying two machines, one for internet and media usage, and one for games?

In all seriousness, this just goes back to those ridiculous "hardcore gamer" arguments. Unless the OP is lusting for 10 more FPS in his games, I hardly think the hassle and extra cost justify themselves.

No I'm saying, if you're going to spend $1500 for gaming, he is probably better off buying a gaming rig.

But if he is more into the OS X experience with iLife and browsing the Internet and using iTunes, I say just go for the 27" base model.

Obviously life is about compromise so you have to decide whatever takes higher priority. I just wanted to warn him of the possibility that he is drooling about games now, but what happens when he gets the iMac and barely uses it for games at all. Then that extra cash went to waste when it could have gone to a glorious 27" screen.

 

[iNickk]

I just wanted to warn him of the possibility that he is drooling about games now, but what happens when he gets the iMac and barely uses it for games at all. Then that extra cash went to waste when it could have gone to a glorious 27" screen.

That's a brilliant point. I mean I have an xbox for games. I don't really have that many games for mac. I have a few for steam but that's all. Yeah, i think i'm gonna go with the 27" version. Thanks very much Kendo.