BrutX said:
Has anyone done a more "fair" comparison of the x1600 performance to the 7600GT? Specifically, with the same processor speed and same amount of VRAM? It seems like most comparisons, including the one on apple.com, unfairly pit a 2.33GHz iMac / 7600GT / 256 MB against a 2.16GHz iMac / x1600 / 128 MB. Theoretically the 7600GT should be a better GPU, but I want to see some real-world numbers. I'm in a similar situation to the OP trying to decide between a 20" and 24" iMac, and I'm trying to decide whether the extra $500+ (it's a bit more than $500 because the GPU upgrade on the 24" is more than the upgrade on the 20").
I really want an apples-to-apples comparison, considering that i would probably get the same CPU speed and the same amount of VRAM with either option. The 7600GT is really the only reason I'm considering a 24".
It would also be great to see a comparison as I mentioned above, but with each machine running the monitor at its native res. If the 7600GT's advantage is negated by the extra pixels, I'd rather just stick to the 20" model and save the $500.
I've been looking for some "good" benchmarks too. I'd like to see the 17" IMac w. x1600 128mb @ native, vs 20" x1600 w/ 128mb AND 256mb @ native, and the 24" w/ 7300 and 7600 @ native rez.
I'm really interested to see:
1) how big a hit the x1600 128mb takes going from 17" to 20",
2) how much difference the 256mb makes on the the 20",
3) wether the 7300 can drive the 24" on par with the x1600 on the 20" (both at native res), and
4) how much better the 7600 is than the x1600 256mb on the 24" vs 20" at native resolution.
The 24" is, honestly, out of my price range, and the 17" is to small, so the 20" is my only real option, and I'd like to see if VRAM is worth the money and the extra wait. (I can get the EDU discount from Apple, so $1467 for the 256mb, or I can get a 10% business discount at a local Mac retailer through work, so $1350 for the stock model since I would have to buy off the shelf).
I'm still interested to see the comparison just because, of course. EDIT: I looked more carefully at the benchmarks at barefeats comparing the C2D and CD 20" iMacs, and the C2D they tested had 128mb VRAM while the CD had 256... the C2D was faster in every gaming benchmark, which indicates that VRAM is not a bottleneck for the majority of games out there... might not be worth the ~$125 (in my situation).
. Anything else is going to be 'fuzzy'.
