Testing my new base model i5

[sfmountainbiker]

So for SnGs I decided to see how far I could push my i5 last night. I'm not a programmer or anything, but I figure I may represent the average user or at least something close to it. Here's what I did:

1. I ripped an 8 GB DVD and let the computer begin to encode/compress it for burning onto a blank DVD;

2. I deleted my faces files from the iPhoto library (never really worked right anyway) and reopened the program so it would begin to rebuild the faces cache;

3. I opened Safari and went to a flash-intensive site;

4. I opened Google Earth, and started running the flight simulator over Africa;

5. I opened iTunes and synced my iPod while looking through the iTunes Store;

6. I opened the DVD player and began watching a movie in a reduced window;

7. I opened Picasa and let it do whatever the hell it does (what the hell is it doing all the time flipping through my photos? );

8. I opened a document in Word, and Excel;

9. I started a time machine backup;

Then I checked the Activity Monitor and saw that I STILL had not used up the CPU or memory ("only" 4 GB). SO...

10. I booted up COD MW1 and started running through the game. The game ran beautifully as if nothing was going on in the background.

I didn't know how to check the frame rates or activity monitor while in COD, but the fact that I could still play this game was proof-positive enough for me that the i5 iMac is one tough beast and plenty suited for my needs. At least for the things I threw at it.

Anyone else put their i5 (or i7) up to a similar challenge?

 

[DDave]

very nice

 

[uuaschbaer]

Wait, are point one and point six not mutually exclusive? Edit: Oh, I see.

 

[dabears]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I had always been set on the i5 but lately with everyone talking up the i7's, I was starting to lean a little towards the i7's

but based on how I use my computer and seeing that it won't be as intensive as what you just put yours through..i am happy to stick with the i5 and save myself the extra $$... or better yet..use the extra cash on something else (printer, time machine, etc?)

 

[paulyras]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I had always been set on the i5 but lately with everyone talking up the i7's, I was starting to lean a little towards the i7's

but based on how I use my computer and seeing that it won't be as intensive as what you just put yours through..i am happy to stick with the i5 and save myself the extra $$... or better yet..use the extra cash on something else (printer, time machine, etc?)

I'm going through the same sou searching. This might have talked me back to an i5...

 

[sfmountainbiker]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I had always been set on the i5 but lately with everyone talking up the i7's, I was starting to lean a little towards the i7's

but based on how I use my computer and seeing that it won't be as intensive as what you just put yours through..i am happy to stick with the i5 and save myself the extra $$... or better yet..use the extra cash on something else (printer, time machine, etc?)

Yeah, I was starting to lean towards a BTO i7 as well after the benchmarks came out...but then I was faced with instant gratification by buying in-store or waiting godknowshowlong for the i7 to ship. Ultimately I decided the i5 is probably plenty suited for my needs, and it's still the current "top of the line" iMac in their in-store lineup.

I may be wrong, but Steve chose the i5 to be in his stores for a reason. Apple only puts products in its stores that are truly consumer friendly (i.e., operate very smoothly with few bugs/defects). You have to remember how sensitive this company is regarding its image and marketing. The in-store items must behave flawlessly. From my experience, the BTO upgrades can sometimes act a bit "quirky", in that they can have noise, heat, or other strange differences. This may be why the i7 users seem to be having more issues.

It's easy to get caught up in the "only $200 for 30% increased performance" game. But to me...there is a difference between spending $2200 (after tax) on a computer and $2400. $2200 is already a LOT for a computer...and $2400 is approaching unexplainable (to my wife, that is).

 

[sfmountainbiker]

Wait, are point one and point six not mutually exclusive? Edit: Oh, I see.

Sorry, maybe I should have mentioned that the movie I was watching was already ripped and saved on my HD. There was a blank DVD in my player.

 

[lexvo]

Thanks for sharing. My i5 is coming next week and it is nice to know it performs

 

[C64]

How does iTunes handle a lot of album artwork?
Does it load quickly/smoothly while scrolling through the list?

 

[sircam19]

I actually did something along the same lines and I have to say I am thoroughly impressed with my i5. I ran windows 7 and Windows XP (using Parallels 5) while running Mac OSX based MS Office Excel and MS Word and had no problems. RAM Usage stayed well below 4G of RAM. I had just purchased a 24" 2.93ghz imac with 4GB and conducted the same test and that computer really struggled.

The i5 is an excellent machine.

So for SnGs I decided to see how far I could push my i5 last night. I'm not a programmer or anything, but I figure I may represent the average user or at least something close to it. Here's what I did:

1. I ripped an 8 GB DVD and let the computer begin to encode/compress it for burning onto a blank DVD;

2. I deleted my faces files from the iPhoto library (never really worked right anyway) and reopened the program so it would begin to rebuild the faces cache;

3. I opened Safari and went to a flash-intensive site;

4. I opened Google Earth, and started running the flight simulator over Africa;

5. I opened iTunes and synced my iPod while looking through the iTunes Store;

6. I opened the DVD player and began watching a movie in a reduced window;

7. I opened Picasa and let it do whatever the hell it does (what the hell is it doing all the time flipping through my photos? );

8. I opened a document in Word, and Excel;

9. I started a time machine backup;

Then I checked the Activity Monitor and saw that I STILL had not used up the CPU or memory ("only" 4 GB). SO...

10. I booted up COD MW1 and started running through the game. The game ran beautifully as if nothing was going on in the background.

I didn't know how to check the frame rates or activity monitor while in COD, but the fact that I could still play this game was proof-positive enough for me that the i5 iMac is one tough beast and plenty suited for my needs. At least for the things I threw at it.

Anyone else put their i5 (or i7) up to a similar challenge?

 

[jddar]

I've had my i5 since last Monday. Like the above posters, I'm more than pleased with the machines performance. It hasn't fallen short with any task I've thrown at it. It is simply a joy to use.

In the beginning my only reservation was with the mighty mouse but as my skill with it improves so does my satisfaction. I'm beginning to actually like the mouse.

Another big advantage for someone compulsively tidy like myself is that all my peripherals: printer, modem, router, etc are now hidden away in a nearby closet. Imagine that! I no longer have that monstrous tangle of cords and big ugly box on the floor. The only wire barely visible is the power cable.

Each day, I fall more and more in love with this iMac. This is my very first Mac and the OSX learning curve has been more rapid than I thought it would. I keep asking, "why didn't I switch sooner." Apple certainly has one more very satisfied customer.