i9 or Vega 48 ?

[Harmonie]

Hello everyone

I would like to buy the 27" iMac 2019, however I'm not sure yet what options should I choose.

Here's what I plan to do with this iMac :

- Mostly Digital Paintings, photo editing/manipulations, I'll probably work for Print creations too.
For that, I'll use Photoshop + Indesign, and maybe Lightroom.

- Video editing on Final Cut Pro X (GoPro'svideos or iPhone's videos for the moment) and then I would like to work on After Effects (I have to learn first). I plan also to buy a better camera for quality videos

- A bit of gaming (Smite) but that's not really the main thing at all, it's just a bonus

- - - - - - -
Here's what I'll buy for sure with the iMac :
- SSD 512
- 8 go RAM (I plan to add 32 RAM after)

That being said, I spend some moments to read informations about the i9 and the Vega 48 choices, and I still can't decide if it really worth the price.

I've read that most of Apps don't use what the i9 can offers, and that the Vega 48 is not that much better than the 580x. But with what I said that I plan to do with this iMac, maybe it worth to add at least the i9 or the Vega 48. I don't think I can afford both

What do you guys think I should do ?


Thanks in advance

 

[macduke]

Hello everyone

I would like to buy the 27" iMac 2019, however I'm not sure yet what options should I choose.

Here's what I plan to do with this iMac :

- Mostly Digital Paintings, photo editing/manipulations, I'll probably work for Print creations too.
For that, I'll use Photoshop + Indesign, and maybe Lightroom.

- Video editing on Final Cut Pro X (GoPro'svideos or iPhone's videos for the moment) and then I would like to work on After Effects (I have to learn first). I plan also to buy a better camera for quality videos

- A bit of gaming (Smite) but that's not really the main thing at all, it's just a bonus

- - - - - - -
Here's what I'll buy for sure with the iMac :
- SSD 512
- 8 go RAM (I plan to add 32 RAM after)

That being said, I spend some moments to read informations about the i9 and the Vega 48 choices, and I still can't decide if it really worth the price.

I've read that most of Apps don't use what the i9 can offers, and that the Vega 48 is not that much better than the 580x. But with what I said that I plan to do with this iMac, maybe it worth to add at least the i9 or the Vega 48. I don't think I can afford both

What do you guys think I should do ?


Thanks in advance

If I were forced to decide, personally, I would go for the i9. It's easier to upgrade in the future to a faster eGPU than it is to pry it apart and do a CPU upgrade. But I also know that FCPX is GPU accelerated, and I don't do as much with video so I'm not sure, so it's a tough call. eGPUs also cost a lot more, but things like the enclosures have been dropping in price lately as they become more popular. The Vega 48 is also more compute optimized for the 580X with faster memory. The gaming difference might not be as big, but I think raw compute is a bigger difference and that's what regular apps can utilize. But there is my two cents. I probably just made it more complicated, lol.

 

[Harmonie]

Thank you for your answer

Well ok I think I see what you mean, so with all what I plan to do, it's better to have i9 right ?
I thought maybe that the Vega 48 was maybe more important because I do mostly graphic things, but I have to say I don't know about technical things like that haha, it's just assumption

Or maybe I don't need either i9 nor Vega 48, and I will be fine with i5 and 580x for what I plan to do ?

 

[mikehalloran]

so with all what I plan to do, it's better to have i9 right ?

Yes.

The 580x vs Vega 48 is a separate choice as either is available on the i9 when you customize your BTO. You don't seem to be aware of that. The 48 is a $450 upgrade but available only on the 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor with Turbo Boost up to 4.6GHz, i5 or i9.
https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/...-processor-with-turbo-boost-up-to-4.6ghz-2tb#

I use multiple monitors. For that, the Vega is the better choice depending on the monitors you chose. This Apple support bulletin gives more info—click on the links to learn even more.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206587

You can opt for the 580x and add the BlackMagic Vega 56 later but that's $1,100.

One of the reasons that I went with the iMac Pro over the i9 is that my GPU choices were Vega 56 or Vega 64. For what I needed, the iMP was actually priced less than an i9 with a V-56 eGPU.

 

[poematik13]

i9 for sure. It's a huge performance upgrade (2 extra cores). Vega 48 is nice too but the 580X is already a decent GPU, has the same amount of VRAM, and down the road you can always buy an eGPU with the newest AMD card available. You can't do this with a CPU, it's locked in.

 

[Harmonie]

Hmm ok I see, thank you for all this informations guys!

You are right, it's better to choose i9 because you can't change it after that's true; If the 580x is not good enough (but tbh I'm sure it will be good), I will probably buy an eGPU even thought I don't know how to install it haha

I think I'll buy my i9 iMac very soon now, thanks again !!

 

[AppleFan360]

I agree. Go with the i9. It will keep you futureproofed for a while and the extra cores will speed up your rendering time in FCPX.