Best iMac Configuration

[me43]

What is the best imac configuration based on both performance and value.

 

[archer75]

go to the apple store and pick the most expensive stuff. There's your best performance.

It really depends on what you need to use your computer for. Some people need greater performance than others. So it all depends.

 

[patp77]

The question you ask should be: Which upgrades are worthwhile and which ones aren't?

The answer (from my perspective):

Things that apply to all models:

• Don't buy the RAM upgrade, buy your RAM separately for cheaper
• Choose between Magic Mouse or Trackpad according to your tastes
  
  I have both and mostly use Trackpad for browsing but I imagine a gamer would want the mouse​
• Choose between wireless keyboard w/o numpad or wired keyboard w/numpad
  
  I have used both and will probably switch back to wired as I want the numpad back and hate having to replace batteries​

For the base 21" model, you get:

• 2.5GHz Quad-Core i5
• 4GB RAM
• 500GB HD
• RADEON 6750M

For the high-end 21" model, you pay $300 more (25% price increase) and you get:

• 2.7GHz Quad-Core i5 instead of 2.5GHz (roughly 10% performance boost)
• 1TB instead of 500GB HD (capacity to store more videos, pictures, music but negligible impact on performance)
• RADEON 6770M instead of RADEON 6750M (roughly 15% performance boost)
• Option to buy 2.8GHz Quad-Core i7 for $200 (13% price increase and roughly 17% performance boost)

For the base 27" model, you pay $200 more (13% price increase) and you get:

• 27" instead of 21" screen
• Native resolution capable of 2560 X 1440 instead of 1920 X 1080
• 2 Thunderbolt ports instead of 1
• No upgrade options for CPU

For the high-end 27" model, you pay $300 more (17% price increase) and you get:

• 3.1GHz Quad-Core i5 instead of 2.7GHz (roughly 10% performance boost)
• RADEON 6970M w/1GB VRAM instead of RADEON 6770M w/512MB VRAM (roughly 85% performance boost)
• Option to buy 3.4GHz Quad-Core i7 for $200 (10% price increase for roughly 40% performance boost)
• Option to upgrade video card from 1GB VRAM to 2GB VRAM for $100 (5% price increase for no real performance gain yet but potential future-proofing)