i5 3.6ghz Let's come to a conclusion: Yay or Nay?

[Sammy Cat]

At $1700 is this i5 3.6ghz iMac the most overpriced e-p*n*s stroker out there, or is it really that good? (assuming that i7 is out of equation)?

Geekbench results from another post:

32bit
* i3 - 3,06Ghz - 5700
* i3 - 3,2Ghz - 6000
* i5 - 3,6Ghz - 6900
* i5 - 2,8Ghz - 6800
* i7 - 2,93Ghz - 9300
64bit:
* i3 - 3,06Ghz - 6400
* i3 - 3,2Ghz - 6600
* i5 - 3,6Ghz - 7804
* i5 - 2,8Ghz - 8000
* i7 - 2,93Ghz - 10700

Can we hear from some one who has used both i3's and i5's (including quad core)?

YAY or NAY?

Inquiring minds would like to know!

 

[xraydoc]

While I don't have either i5, my opinion is this - if you use a lot of multi-threaded apps (pro apps, video encoding, etc.), then the quad i5 would be better. If you're mainly using desktop/business apps and games (Pages, Word, Safari, email, iLife, 3D games), then the higher-clocked dual-core i5 would be better, paired with the optional graphics upgrade if you're a game player.