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New 21.5 inch 2013 iMac

I am still undecided and now I also need to buy my hubby a mac book pro !!
 
Buying a 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display as my hubby does pro music for the movies
and I do not know if I should get 8 gb ram or 16 gb ram !!
 
madele said:
Buying a 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display as my hubby does pro music for the movies
and I do not know if I should get 8 gb ram or 16 gb ram !!
Click to expand...

8GB is insufficient. My 2011 Sandy Bridge MBP came with 8GB of RAM, and I frequently ran out of it, from running a virtual machine simultaneously with Photoshop.

You'll be better of with 16GB because it's not upgradeable on the retina after purchase because it's soldered.
 
Apple guy says get the 2.9 and not the 2.7 iMac ??

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yjchua95 said:
8GB is insufficient. My 2011 Sandy Bridge MBP came with 8GB of RAM, and I frequently ran out of it, from running a virtual machine simultaneously with Photoshop.

You'll be better of with 16GB because it's not upgradeable on the retina after purchase because it's soldered.
Click to expand...
I may give up on the laptop as they said also upgrade the processor ??
 
Last edited:
Ok last ask .. 2.7 or 2.9 21.5" imac .. 512 ssd and 16gb RAM.
I was told only 7% faster and I did not need the better graphics card ??
 
News:
I ordered in time with 30 secs to spare !!

Please let me know how I did:
I was so worried about the 2.7 or 2.9 but was told because I do not multi-task I did not need the 2.9.

Drum roll :eek:

21.5-inch iMac
$1,999.00

Hardware
2.7GHz Quad-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz
16GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2X8GB
512GB Flash Storage
Intel Iris Pro Graphics
Apple Magic Mouse
Apple Wireless Keyboard (English) & User's Guide
Accessory Kit

Services and Support
AppleCare Protection Plan for iMac - Auto-enroll
Automatically registered with your Apple Hardware.

----------
yjchua95 said:
If the apps you use support multithreading, get the 3.1GHz i7. Otherwise it's a waste of money, so save it and get the 2.9GHz variant, and use it to get a 256GB SSD and 16GB RAM.
Click to expand...
I am sorry:
I missed you message and got the 2.7 .. Please let me know if that is Ok ??
 
madele said:
Ok last ask .. 2.7 or 2.9 21.5" imac .. 512 ssd and 16gb RAM.
I was told only 7% faster and I did not need the better graphics card ??
Click to expand...

What's 7% faster?

You don't need a 512GB SSD. Save the cash and go for a 256GB SSD + an external drive.

When in OpenCL, Iris Pro is better than the GT750M.
But when playing games and using CUDA-assisted apps, the GT750M trashes the Iris.

Now, I'll list all the processors of the 21.5" iMac.
2.7GHz: i5-4570R
2.9GHz: i5-4570S
3.1GHz: i7-4770S

i5-4570R vs i5-4570S:
The i5-4570S is 7.4% faster than the i5-4570R.
However, the max turbo clock speed of the i5-4570S is 3.6GHz, compared to the R's 3.2GHz.

i5-4570S vs i7-4770S:
In single-threaded performance, the i7 is 9% faster.
In multi-threaded performance, the i7 is 25% faster.
In memory-intensive apps, the i7 has 28% better performance.

Also, keep in mind that Iris graphics are shared with system memory. So, if you use Iris, you can run out of system RAM faster.

When in games, the NVIDIA GT750M is significantly faster than the Iris because:
1. It uses GDDR5.
2. It's discrete and doesn't use system memory.
3. When playing games or using CUDA-assisted apps, the GT750M, on average, performs 3-4 times faster than the Iris.

Edit: I forgot to mention the 2.7GHz i5-4570R vs the 3.1GHz i7-4770S. Since I'm lazy to put out the differences, I'll just post this link: http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/600/Intel_Core_i5_i5-4570R_vs_Intel_Core_i7_i7-4770S.html

My previous comparisons were also taken off the same site.

----------
madele said:
News:
I ordered in time with 30 secs to spare !!

Please let me know how I did:
I was so worried about the 2.7 or 2.9 but was told because I do not multi-task I did not need the 2.9.

Drum roll :eek:

21.5-inch iMac
$1,999.00

Hardware
2.7GHz Quad-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz
16GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2X8GB
512GB Flash Storage
Intel Iris Pro Graphics
Apple Magic Mouse
Apple Wireless Keyboard (English) & User's Guide
Accessory Kit

Services and Support
AppleCare Protection Plan for iMac - Auto-enroll
Automatically registered with your Apple Hardware.

----------


I am sorry:
I missed you message and got the 2.7 .. Please let me know if that is Ok ??
Click to expand...

Between the 2.7GHz and 2.9GHz variant, there's not much of a difference. Between either i5s compared to the i7, there's a big jump.

Never mind, since you don't multitask, either i5 will do you fine.

If you don't play games, the Iris will do you fine too.

Good thinking in getting the 16GB of RAM, you're going to need it with that Iris.
 
I'm not sure, would the Iris graphics be enough for the OP for serious Photoshop work?



Also, could someone please post the exact measurements of the 21" iMac without the stand (in other words, the outer dimensions of the screen case itself, as well as the clearance from the desk top to the bottom of the screen case) Thanks.
 
Thunderbird said:
I'm not sure, would the Iris graphics be enough for the OP for serious Photoshop work?



Also, could someone please post the exact measurements of the 21" iMac without the stand (in other words, the outer dimensions of the screen case itself, as well as the clearance from the desk top to the bottom of the screen case) Thanks.
Click to expand...

For serious Photoshop work, it's definitely not enough.
 
Please can you explain the difference between serious verses non serious Photoshop use .. Thank you.

I was told the difference between the 2.7 and the 2.9 was all about the different graphics card.
I was told as long as I was not rendering numerous files at the same time like in batches .. I would not need the 2.9GHz.
I do not play intense computer games as I get motions sick :( I do play lots of simple games on my iPad :)

----------

I got the 16gb RAM as I max out my 8gb RAM with my web browsing .. Did I do the right thing with the 2.7 ??
 
Last edited:
OH NO .. Did I do the wrong thing getting the 2.7 and should I have gotten the 2.9 :(
 
Ok .. I am going to the Apple Store in the morning .. I guess to get the:
2.9GHz Quad-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
16GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2X8GB
512GB Flash Storage
NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 1GB GDDR5

I also need to get a laptop to run Logic Pro X and could really use some advice !!
 
madele said:
OH NO .. Did I do the wrong thing getting the 2.7 and should I have gotten the 2.9 :(
Click to expand...

Depends on how much photo editing you do. If you use all the advanced features of the latest version of Photoshop including accelerators and extensions, the Iris graphics may not be enough (or at least may slow your workflow). if the features you use are GPU enhanced, then you might be better off with the 2.9 iMac:


GPU-enhanced features added in Photoshop CS6


•Adaptive Wide Angle Filter (compatible video card required)
•Liquify (accelerated with compatible video card with 512 MB of VRAM)
•Oil Paint (compatible video card required)
•Warp and Puppet Warp (accelerated with compatible video card)
•Field Blur, Iris Blur, and Tilt/Shift (accelerated with compatible video card supporting OpenCL)
•Lighting Effects Gallery (compatible video card required with 512 MB
of VRAM)
•New 3D enhancements (3D features in Photoshop require a compatible video card with 512 MB of VRAM):•Draggable Shadows
•Ground plane reflections
•Roughness
•On-canvas user interface controls
•Ground plane
•Light widgets on edge of canvas
•IBL (image-based light) controller

http://helpx.adobe.com/en/photoshop/kb/photoshop-cs6-gpu-faq.html
 
Thank you for your fast response :)
I purchased a professional scanner but have yet to use it and I will probably have need to buy new software for it.
I currently tend not to mess with my images too much if possible .. but who knows in the future I may want to ??

I maxed out everything else on the iMac and would hate to short myself on the processor or rather graphics card ..
I would like to keep my future options open as I may want to change :)
 
:confused:
Note: I currently max out 8gb RAM with my Firefox web browser.
I often have over a dozen pages with tens of tabs on each and someone had
suggested that my RAM may not be my only issue and suggested the 2.9GHz.
 
ioannis2005gr said:
Very nice choice!
Click to expand...

I agree with the Nvidia discrete graphics. I felt I needed them and am very glad with my purchase.

----------
madele said:
:confused:
Note: I currently max out 8gb RAM with my Firefox web browser.
I often have over a dozen pages with tens of tabs on each and someone had
suggested that my RAM may not be my only issue and suggested the 2.9GHz.
Click to expand...

You must have other things running in the background. When I use Chrome on my new iMac (2.9Ghz, GT 750m GDDR5 1Gb), my RAM usage is only 2.2Gb. That is with a youtube video playing 1080p, twitter, and Macrumors. After a restart, Mavericks only takes up 1.8Gb. I guess you have a lot of programs that will have processes on start up (look at Activity Monitor to see if there is a lot on Programs in Memory).
 
NO .. I do not have anything running in the back ground .. Just Firefox :)

Please recommend which processor I should buy 2.7 or 2.9 or 3.1 even ..
I am off in a couple of hours to buy at the Apple Store !!
I am getting 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD .. Thank you all :)
 
21.5-inch iMac:
3.1GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz
16GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2X8GB
512GB Flash Storage
NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 1GB GDDR5


15-inch: 2.3GHz with Retina display:
2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz
16GB 1600MHz memory
512GB PCIe-based flash storage 1
Intel Iris Pro Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M
with 2GB GDDR5 memory
 
Last edited:
madele said:
Both screens were yellow :(
Click to expand...

Yellow screen and ghost image are mostly noticed on 27'' LG 2012-2013 iMacs...

I would have gone with 21.5'' iMac i5 2.7GHz+IRIS Pro/RAM 16GB/PCIe SSD, unless I am a gamer...my selection fits to every daily home users with little-to-medium application usage. :rolleyes:

PS: Mar. 1st, 2014 update. I bought this BTO for myself, too!
 
Last edited:
tom vilsack said:
base 2.7 with ug 16 ram and ug 256g ssd

-base 2.7 is more then enough for your needs
-upgrade ram to 16g to future proof and because 21.5" ram upgrade not so easy to do on your own
-256g ssd because once you use a ssd you will understand,kept size to 256 because of price and fact you can always store needed files on a external drive
Click to expand...

Thus, finally....I decided to follow your advice....I saved money and I fulfilled my needs, practical choice! :rolleyes:
 
Just to add .. I gave up due to the yellow monitors .. I am about to try again with the new retina ..
 
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