If i was to buy an iMac then it would be i7. Better for today, better for tomorrow and better resale value in the future.
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POLL: i5 or i7
- Thread starter Garemz
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On a machine like the iMac there probably will not be much difference because it cannot saturate the capability of the components.
I cannot find the specs on the i7 QPI; is it socket 1366 or 1156? I would imagine it is the lesser of the two since the i5 and i7 could then use the same socket and the i7 1366 socket would be overkill and under utilized in the iMac.
If I were building a Hackintosh I would definitely go with the 1366 socket i7. In that application there would be a difference but not for the iMac.
I cannot find the specs on the i7 QPI; is it socket 1366 or 1156? I would imagine it is the lesser of the two since the i5 and i7 could then use the same socket and the i7 1366 socket would be overkill and under utilized in the iMac.
If I were building a Hackintosh I would definitely go with the 1366 socket i7. In that application there would be a difference but not for the iMac.
Except you are forgetting that if one wants to keep the computer for 4-5 years, that programmers will be programing with HT in mind in the near future. Might as well pay the $200 to future proof as much as possible. If one wants to sell the iMac later, the i7 would be easier to sell than an i5 once HT takes off.
i5 is all I need
I was on the fence and was 70% i7, until...
First $ savings. I had a one time retail store only 10% off card. So the price difference was near $400 for me. I will spend this on 4GB more of ram from Newegg.com and Intel 80GB SSD.
Every time I have had a hardware issue the retail store service genius asks me where did I buy the machine. I have a feeling it does matter and in the end I have always been happy with the results. Satisfied!
Especially when they don't fix it after a few attempts and hand me a new sealed retail machine.
I can see the performance #'s from geekbench and have read many reviews. Sure geekbench is posting 30%+ performance but many cpu to cpu reviews only post 10% at best.
I'm not gaming or doing any heavy video processing daily. I may make 2 iMovies annually.
Finally, I will have this machine running nearly 24x7 and was concerned about the added i7 heat produced. Yeah, yeah, I know it won't be under load all the time, but I know per the cpu reviews that the i5 will run cooler.
I was able to grab an i5 from the Dedham, MA store on Saturday. So no more waiting. Oh, that was one more thing.
- MesMaker
I was on the fence and was 70% i7, until...
First $ savings. I had a one time retail store only 10% off card. So the price difference was near $400 for me. I will spend this on 4GB more of ram from Newegg.com and Intel 80GB SSD.
Every time I have had a hardware issue the retail store service genius asks me where did I buy the machine. I have a feeling it does matter and in the end I have always been happy with the results. Satisfied!
Especially when they don't fix it after a few attempts and hand me a new sealed retail machine.I can see the performance #'s from geekbench and have read many reviews. Sure geekbench is posting 30%+ performance but many cpu to cpu reviews only post 10% at best.
I'm not gaming or doing any heavy video processing daily. I may make 2 iMovies annually.
Finally, I will have this machine running nearly 24x7 and was concerned about the added i7 heat produced. Yeah, yeah, I know it won't be under load all the time, but I know per the cpu reviews that the i5 will run cooler.
I was able to grab an i5 from the Dedham, MA store on Saturday. So no more waiting. Oh, that was one more thing.
- MesMaker
I pre-ordered an i5 from Amazon a couple of weeks ago for $1972.00.
I initially chose the i5 because I thought it would provide the best bang for the buck, but for $2,276.92 I can get the i7 direct from Apple. The benchmarks and what I read on the pcper website prompted me to cancel my Amazon order and order the i7 from Apple.
http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=781&type=expert&pid=10
In the end, I am looking at paying $300 more for the i7 iMac. (Apple charges sales tax, but I qualify for the edu discount.)
I don't believe in future proofing, all of these systems are going to look outdated in 2-3 years anyways but I figure $300 isn't too much of an extravagant addition to the base price of the computer, and I will get some enjoyment from knowing that I have the i7 (honestly, that's what drives most of these sales) inside my iMac.
Look, if it was a $500 option, I would be getting the i5. Smart of Apple to make it only available through them, they were losing most of my purchases to Amazon.
I initially chose the i5 because I thought it would provide the best bang for the buck, but for $2,276.92 I can get the i7 direct from Apple. The benchmarks and what I read on the pcper website prompted me to cancel my Amazon order and order the i7 from Apple.
http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=781&type=expert&pid=10
In the end, I am looking at paying $300 more for the i7 iMac. (Apple charges sales tax, but I qualify for the edu discount.)
I don't believe in future proofing, all of these systems are going to look outdated in 2-3 years anyways but I figure $300 isn't too much of an extravagant addition to the base price of the computer, and I will get some enjoyment from knowing that I have the i7 (honestly, that's what drives most of these sales) inside my iMac.
Look, if it was a $500 option, I would be getting the i5. Smart of Apple to make it only available through them, they were losing most of my purchases to Amazon.
I went for the i5. Besides the computer, I bought a new all-in-one printer (Canon MX860), Call of Duty 4, a Snowball USB mic, iWorks, & Apple Care. Another $200 wasn't just lying around for me.
Also, $200 more for a 35% increase in performance is great, but that seems to be in all-around benchmarks. When I looked at gaming marks, the two were much closer. And remember you're paying approx 10% more, but you're NOT getting 10% more operating system, a 10% bigger monitor, 10% more RAM, etc. So it's not like the whole machine is 30% better, just a probable increase in some speed for a few specific tasks. Probably not even noticable in most day-to-day uses.
Both machines are awesome though; I don't think there's a bad choice between them.
Also, $200 more for a 35% increase in performance is great, but that seems to be in all-around benchmarks. When I looked at gaming marks, the two were much closer. And remember you're paying approx 10% more, but you're NOT getting 10% more operating system, a 10% bigger monitor, 10% more RAM, etc. So it's not like the whole machine is 30% better, just a probable increase in some speed for a few specific tasks. Probably not even noticable in most day-to-day uses.
Both machines are awesome though; I don't think there's a bad choice between them.
