Refurbished iMac Quad 2,66 27'' vs new i3 3,06 21,5''

[Joko]

Apologies if this has been posted before, I couldn't find anything.

I am debating between these two models:

iMac 27'' refurbished 2,66 Quad core - €1550
iMac 21'' new model 3,06 i3 core - €1200

I would like to double the computer up to wath movies on etc, so the extra screen size is good for that. But is the extra €350 worth it for the quad core? Can anyone shed some light on what will perform better? My work is mostly on Logic and Photoshop.

Alternatively I may get the 27'' iMac refurb with Core 2 Duo 3,06. Just not sure what is the best value for money spec wise.

Thanks
Joko

 

[mpe]

Forget the Core 2 Duo. It is significantly slower than any i3 or i5 model.

I would take the refurbished quad-core 27" model. In fact I did

Just be sure to inspect your iMac for display issues. They tend to more affect 2009 27" models.

 

[Joko]

Thanks npe.

Can anybody else shed some light on new i3 vs old quad 2.66?

 

[mpe]

Thanks npe.

Can anybody else shed some light on new i3 vs old quad 2.66?

With the new 2010 i3 (3.06 or 3.2 GHz) you gain
+ SDXC card reader,
+ possibility to install SSD next to the HD
+ faster memory modules 1333 vs 1066 MHz (although its impact is negligible and it is possible to install them to late-2009 i5 as well)
+ potentially less issues with display, noise, etc.

With the late 2009 i5 (2.66 GHz)
+ for certain workloads up to 1.7x as much raw CPU power
+ faster Radeon 4850 GPU (compared to 5670) or much faster (compared to 4670) GPU

Unless you want to order the i3 with SSD then 2.66 GHz is the way to go.

 

[Joko]

Thanks again mpe,

I made the mistake of thinking the quad core was 2 x core 2 duo, when it is in fact i5 which makes a big difference as far as I believe.

I want to use this for recording, can you comment on fan activity? Obviously I need a quiet environment which my current Macbook Pro does a really poor job at providing.

Other than that the quad core seems like an easy decision.

 

[RedReplicant]

The i5 is silent, no fan noise.