i5 is the sweet spot, bump the RAM up to at least 8GB though. i7 will never reach its potential without an SSD.
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i5 or i7 - can't decide!
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i5 is the sweet spot, bump the RAM up to at least 8GB though. i7 will never reach its potential without an SSD.
My i7 is completely silent. I never ever hear it unless I'm encoding stuff (Handbrake, lots of photos in LightRoom/Photoshop etc). If the room is cool, my CPU is usually running at around 33C idling. This morning it was running at 28C idle (I leave my system running 24/7).
I would say 99.9% of the time my CPU is in the mid 30s, with the fan running at its slowest speed. So noise/fan speed is NOT an issue with the i7 at all.
benchmarks that I've seen for current programs show that there is almost no difference in performance between the i5 and i7. That's with current generation programs though; as more programs take advantage of quad cores, you'll notice more of a difference between the two.
If you're doing very CPU intensive computing, rendering or whatnot, you might want to splurge for the i7, or if you plan on owning it more than 4 or 5 years when the programs available will showcase the difference. If you're doing just about anything else and plan on upgrading again within the next 4 or 5 years, you'll be totally fine with the i5
If you're doing very CPU intensive computing, rendering or whatnot, you might want to splurge for the i7, or if you plan on owning it more than 4 or 5 years when the programs available will showcase the difference. If you're doing just about anything else and plan on upgrading again within the next 4 or 5 years, you'll be totally fine with the i5
The i7 might get hotter by virtue of a higher clock speed and turbo boost overclocking, but that's mostly it. Both cpus are exact same architecture, die size and tdp. The lynnfields are also very excellent in terms of power consumption and idle heat compared to other quad core cpus, they do a great job of dynamically underlocking when you're doing basic tasks.
A typical lynnfield i7 will run at 1200mhz while doing simple tasks like internet or word processing.
Handbrake or other video encoders WILL take advantage of the hyperthreading and WILL max your cores out, but the cpu fan will never reach above 1500 rpm (barely noticeable), to keep your cpu under 70 degrees celcius.
A typical lynnfield i7 will run at 1200mhz while doing simple tasks like internet or word processing.
Handbrake or other video encoders WILL take advantage of the hyperthreading and WILL max your cores out, but the cpu fan will never reach above 1500 rpm (barely noticeable), to keep your cpu under 70 degrees celcius.
If you plan on keeping your machine for a while then go for the i7. With the price difference you can justify it. If you can't afford that price difference, go for the i5 (a very capable machine) and enjoy your new iMac. Good luck! 
Thanks for all your suggestions.
There were good arguments towards both options but in the end I decided to go with the i7.
If later down the line hyperthreading starts making significant performance increases to the apps I'm using, I'll regret not having spent the little bit extra.
Can't wait to get it! Just hoping it doesn't having any of the 'problems'
There were good arguments towards both options but in the end I decided to go with the i7.
If later down the line hyperthreading starts making significant performance increases to the apps I'm using, I'll regret not having spent the little bit extra.
Can't wait to get it! Just hoping it doesn't having any of the 'problems'
Thanks for all your suggestions.
There were good arguments towards both options but in the end I decided to go with the i7.
If later down the line hyperthreading starts making significant performance increases to the apps I'm using, I'll regret not having spent the little bit extra.
Can't wait to get it! Just hoping it doesn't having any of the 'problems'
Did you end up buying it brand new or did you get a refurb i7?
I would go for the i7 because the turbo burst mode goes higher then the i5.
I don't think Hyperthreading would help with Handbrake encodes.
I don't think Hyperthreading would help with Handbrake encodes.
Went for a new one because after the educational discount and the printer rebate, there wasn't much in it. Plus, if there's a problem with it I'd prefer a replacement rather than a repair.
I had a hard time making that decision too...
Went for the i7 at that time cos the waiting time for it and the i5 was the same. However, if u are getting it retail, the i5 will be sufficient. If you're getting online, then go i7 cos the price diff is actually negligible when compared to the full price.
My neighbor has an i5 (bought one after playing around with mine), dun really see much difference in performance even in handbrake.
Went for the i7 at that time cos the waiting time for it and the i5 was the same. However, if u are getting it retail, the i5 will be sufficient. If you're getting online, then go i7 cos the price diff is actually negligible when compared to the full price.
My neighbor has an i5 (bought one after playing around with mine
), dun really see much difference in performance even in handbrake.