Help me decide which i5 iMac to go with - for software development

[Rilind Krasniqi]

Hey guys,
A bit about my needs, I am a software developer building mainly web applications but nothing too heavy. I do not play video games or do anything graphic intensive besides maybe the odd video editing on iMovie but really amateur stuff just for fun. I just ordered a new iMac 27 Retina with the following specs:
- I intend on upgrading RAM myself with third party hardware -

Choice 1.​ 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display​ With the following configuration: 3.0GHz 6-core 8th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.1GHz 8GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory Radeon Pro 570X with 4GB of GDDR5 memory 512GB SSD storage​

I am still however really anxious on whether I made the right decision or if I should have gone with the following spec for an extra £300(~375$USD) for further future proofing with higher base GHz, a newer generation chip, and better graphics:

Choice2.

• 3.7GHz 6-core 9th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.6GHz
• 8GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory
• Radeon Pro 580X with 8GB of GDDR5 memory
• 512GB SSD storage

I would really appreciate advise on if I am missing out a lot on too much with the better graphics and CPU. I also do not want to over pay on hardware that will not make a tangible difference on my user experience.

Thanks!

 

[jerwin]

You can't "future proof" with the 2020 imacs right around the corner. Supposedly, the 9th generation intel chips guard against "some" spectre and meltdown exploits.

 

[ninja2000]

In all fairness you won’t really notice much of a difference going from 1 i5 to the other, they are both 6 core 6 thread, and the extra few MHz won’t really be noticeable for your work load. You made the right choice

 

[Rilind Krasniqi]

In all fairness you won’t really notice much of a difference going from 1 i5 to the other, they are both 6 core 6 thread, and the extra few MHz won’t really be noticeable for your work load. You made the right choice

Thanks for reading the question and answering constructively unlike most people who are like: “blah blah blah wait for the new one”
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You can't "future proof" with the 2020 imacs right around the corner. Supposedly, the 9th generation intel chips guard against "some" spectre and meltdown exploits.

Not really a useful answer to my question. Thanks for taking the time but I was asking about 2 specific machines and would of much rather appreciated you sharing any knowledge that you have on the topic instead of this snobbery. I need this computer now and these are the 2 options I am considering.
thanks anyway

 

[jerwin]

would of much rather appreciated you sharing any knowledge that you have on the topic instead of this snobbery.

Here is my reasoning. The 580x is simply a faster version of the 570x. The Vega48, by contrast, has new architectural features that could be useful for non-game programming (machine learning) The current macbook pros have 5x00 parts-- essentially the follow on to the Vega type cards.

The 3.0GHz 6-core is a previous generation to the 3.7GHz 6-core. There's a series of bugs in intel software that can be exploited by malware, but patching systems to mitigate some of these attacks entails a performance penalty on 8th generation chips, but not so much on 9th generation chips.

 

[Rilind Krasniqi]

Here is my reasoning. The 580x is simply a faster version of the 570x. The Vega48, by contrast, has new architectural features that could be useful for non-game programming (machine learning) The current macbook pros have 5x00 parts-- essentially the follow on to the Vega type cards.

The 3.0GHz 6-core is a previous generation to the 3.7GHz 6-core. There's a series of bugs in intel software that can be exploited by malware, but patching systems to mitigate some of these attacks entails a performance penalty on 8th generation chips, but not so much on 9th generation chips.

Thanks, very useful stuff, I am really stuck in limbo as my current MacBook Pro 2014 is performing terribly and I need to upgrade to desktop with my job now being work from home. I really need a computer but also want to wait for the 2020 visions. I am just worried the new ones won't allow us to upgrade the ram ourselves like the 2019 version, thus having to spend an additional 4-500 to get apple integrated RAM. I am really tempted to cancel my order as it is showing 5 weeks shipping date anyway. Do you think 2020 imac will be released soon since you said previously they are around the corner...

 

[anthony13]

You've already made the smartest move by going SSD. After that I'd prioritize the GPU over the processor first. It is worth noting this problem might solve itself; if the iMac is upgraded in the next month (which some say is likely) you'll have time to return/exchange it for the newer model.

 

[ninja2000]

Thanks, very useful stuff, I am really stuck in limbo as my current MacBook Pro 2014 is performing terribly and I need to upgrade to desktop with my job now being work from home. I really need a computer but also want to wait for the 2020 visions. I am just worried the new ones won't allow us to upgrade the ram ourselves like the 2019 version, thus having to spend an additional 4-500 to get apple integrated RAM. I am really tempted to cancel my order as it is showing 5 weeks shipping date anyway. Do you think 2020 imac will be released soon since you said previously they are around the corner...

I also couldn’t wait for a 2020 so ordered a 2019 top spec at a decent discounted price. As I said earlier you really won’t notice a difference in the cpu over the 8th gen and the vulnerabilities are massively overblown so that shouldn’t be a reason to upgrade to the 9th gen i5.

I only ordered the top spec 2019 because:
1. I wanted an off the shelf as I get much better prices. I ordered the top spec to get the 580x (for blender and unity) and I wanted the fusion drive as I will rip out the 2tb hard drive to install a 2tb ssd. Also ram is upgradable.
2. I like that I can install an i9 later if I need more cpu (8 core 16 thread is a worthy upgrade over an i5 but my current work load doesnt call for this yet)
3. I am worried The 2020 will be expensive, non upgradable and may be a long time coming. If they release a home run I can easily sell mine and upgrade once i have seen a few real world reviews