if all Clarkdale CPU have HT what is the difference between Clarkdale i5 and i7?
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The "I'm waiting for an iMac refresh" thread
- Thread starter Robert Grant
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I'm also flirting with the idea of buying an iMac and I tend to agree with the camp that thinks that a refresh is not likely before October or November. Also while USB 3 and such would be a nice to have I think the current gen iMac is more then adequate for my needs. The only reason I see for waiting would be the updated GPU as I intend to do some occasional gaming (staring with StarCraft II). However nothing hardcore really, I have consoles for that...
Based on the discussion just above and a bit further back in this thread I'm no longer sure however if the potential new GPUs are worth waiting for. As someone mentioned before the performance benefit does not seem that significant due to the reduced memory bandwidth. So this leaves DirectX 11 and OpenGL 4 support. Unfortunately I'm not entirely up-to-date regarding what benefits those are supposed to bring, but I'd expect that most games would do just fine with DX10.1 for a considerable time to come...
Am I missing anything major?
Based on the discussion just above and a bit further back in this thread I'm no longer sure however if the potential new GPUs are worth waiting for. As someone mentioned before the performance benefit does not seem that significant due to the reduced memory bandwidth. So this leaves DirectX 11 and OpenGL 4 support. Unfortunately I'm not entirely up-to-date regarding what benefits those are supposed to bring, but I'd expect that most games would do just fine with DX10.1 for a considerable time to come...
Am I missing anything major?
We may be waiting a while for a significantly faster mobile ATI GPU.
The next lineup is rumored to come in two interleaved parts, one in Q3 2010 which appears to be a refresh of Evergreen GPUs, and the other in Q1 2011 which seems to be the upcoming Southern Islands GPUs.
I don't get it why ATI can't release Cypress based mobility GPU, they could name it 5890 or 59xx. NVidia came with GF100 based mobility part soon after the launch of desktop parts. SI will finally bring mobility chip what has 256bit mem bus width but it still seems to be Juniper based
Ooops. Forgot to mention that I'm comparing the ATI 4850 in the 27" with any potential upgrades such as the 5850...
I have read through many pages of this thread with interest.
Can someone tell me...
I have a 2.66GHz MacPro Dual Core Xeon system, 7GB, 512ATI - it's about 4 years old but still zips along and I totally love the thing.
However, I am shortly taking on an extra hand in the office and rather than simply buy a low power iMac or Mac Mini I thought it worth pushing my MacPro to the new guy/girl and purchasing a 27" iMac to take the place of the MacPro.
However, I feel the maximum budget would be the Core Duo version not the i5. Can anybody say whether or not this would still outperform my ageing MacPro and if so, would it be significantly if at all?
I don't really want to spend a lot if the performance is not AS good as the MacPro. Obviously I see various bus speeds etc. are more than my ageing machine so will this make a big difference?
Or, do I really need to be looking at the i5 to really get some punch?
And finally, should I just find the new kid an old PC until Apple bring the new iMacs out - or will I be waiting for ever?
Thanks guys..
Can someone tell me...
I have a 2.66GHz MacPro Dual Core Xeon system, 7GB, 512ATI - it's about 4 years old but still zips along and I totally love the thing.
However, I am shortly taking on an extra hand in the office and rather than simply buy a low power iMac or Mac Mini I thought it worth pushing my MacPro to the new guy/girl and purchasing a 27" iMac to take the place of the MacPro.
However, I feel the maximum budget would be the Core Duo version not the i5. Can anybody say whether or not this would still outperform my ageing MacPro and if so, would it be significantly if at all?
I don't really want to spend a lot if the performance is not AS good as the MacPro. Obviously I see various bus speeds etc. are more than my ageing machine so will this make a big difference?
Or, do I really need to be looking at the i5 to really get some punch?
And finally, should I just find the new kid an old PC until Apple bring the new iMacs out - or will I be waiting for ever?
Thanks guys..
What kind of office do you have? What apps are you using? How much storage is needed? C2D is just fine if it's just normal Office suite use etc but if it's heavier like video editing and stuff, the i5 is worth it. Refurb i5 costs about the same as new 27" C2D so consider that.
Keep in mind that iMac does not have HD bays so if a lot fast storage is needed, Mac Pro or PC is the best choice
So - I'm ditching my PC in favour for an iMac.
I've got consoles for gaming and will only be using the Mac for Photoshop cs5 professional image processing (I'm a photographer) and some audio recording and sequencing for fun. I'll also be using it for day to day stuff, playing music, web browsing etc etc.
Screen size wise, I think 21.5" will be fine but my question really is should I be going for anything above the base model? I don't think a 500GB hdd is a big enough drive, but I can handle that easy enough with external drives which I have already anyway.
With my potential usage outlined above, is there any reason I should go for a higher spec or wait for the update? I'm tempted to wait as I'd be annoyed that a higher spec machine would be available at the same price I'd recently bought mine at, but will an update make any difference anyway baring in mind I only really want this to work on my photography?
Thanks (I've really enjoyed reading this thread so far )
I've got consoles for gaming and will only be using the Mac for Photoshop cs5 professional image processing (I'm a photographer) and some audio recording and sequencing for fun. I'll also be using it for day to day stuff, playing music, web browsing etc etc.
Screen size wise, I think 21.5" will be fine but my question really is should I be going for anything above the base model? I don't think a 500GB hdd is a big enough drive, but I can handle that easy enough with external drives which I have already anyway.
With my potential usage outlined above, is there any reason I should go for a higher spec or wait for the update? I'm tempted to wait as I'd be annoyed that a higher spec machine would be available at the same price I'd recently bought mine at, but will an update make any difference anyway baring in mind I only really want this to work on my photography?
Thanks (I've really enjoyed reading this thread so far
)
So - I'm ditching my PC in favour for an iMac.
I've got consoles for gaming and will only be using the Mac for Photoshop cs5 professional image processing (I'm a photographer) and some audio recording and sequencing for fun. I'll also be using it for day to day stuff, playing music, web browsing etc etc.
Screen size wise, I think 21.5" will be fine but my question really is should I be going for anything above the base model? I don't think a 500GB hdd is a big enough drive, but I can handle that easy enough with external drives which I have already anyway.
With my potential usage outlined above, is there any reason I should go for a higher spec or wait for the update? I'm tempted to wait as I'd be annoyed that a higher spec machine would be available at the same price I'd recently bought mine at, but will an update make any difference anyway baring in mind I only really want this to work on my photography?
Thanks (I've really enjoyed reading this thread so far
Photoshop ain't that intensive but if you don't need it now, wait. You can always buy it with 2TB HD as internal is a lot faster than external is
Photoshop runs just fine on the 21.5" base model. I installed it for my wife who experiments with it (and one of them fun Bamboo Tablet things).
It runs SUPER on my i5 model as well. If you are looking to get the i5 model and you actually use your computer to get work done (so not having a good computer costs you money in lost productivity like me), don't wait and buy now. Although I think even for office/business use the base model is more than plenty.
It runs SUPER on my i5 model as well. If you are looking to get the i5 model and you actually use your computer to get work done (so not having a good computer costs you money in lost productivity like me), don't wait and buy now. Although I think even for office/business use the base model is more than plenty.
Just wondering...
A few weeks ago I got some great help from the good folks here about my first Mac purchase. Decided to wait until October and keep using my annoying Dell Vista until then.
I have been spending quite some time reading posts here. I do have a question though, and apologize if it's been asked before which I'm sure it has been: why are these machines at least twice the price of a comparable windows machine? I agree the Mac OS is superior and more stable than windows although I believe Windows 7 has closed that gap somewhat. Is it so much better built than the competition? It's not as though there aren't any complaints as evident by many posts here although these may be miniscule compared the tens of thousands units sold. Still, should not a premium priced product deliver near flawless products? Or is that Apple can price their products knowing loyal users will be back. I see maxed out windows machines being sold for under a grand. They still are making money, no?
Any way, I'll still me getting an iMac. But just wondering.
A few weeks ago I got some great help from the good folks here about my first Mac purchase. Decided to wait until October and keep using my annoying Dell Vista until then.
I have been spending quite some time reading posts here. I do have a question though, and apologize if it's been asked before which I'm sure it has been: why are these machines at least twice the price of a comparable windows machine? I agree the Mac OS is superior and more stable than windows although I believe Windows 7 has closed that gap somewhat. Is it so much better built than the competition? It's not as though there aren't any complaints as evident by many posts here although these may be miniscule compared the tens of thousands units sold. Still, should not a premium priced product deliver near flawless products? Or is that Apple can price their products knowing loyal users will be back. I see maxed out windows machines being sold for under a grand. They still are making money, no?
Any way, I'll still me getting an iMac. But just wondering.
Yeah thanks, I think I'll wait. I saw the option for the internal larger drive but it was quite a bit more pricey. I'm hoping the update brings in a larger HDD in the base model.
Have you added the price of IPS display into the equation? 21.5" IPS monitor is at least +300$, possibly near 500$. 27" IPS is already over 1000$. Also, speakers, keyboard and mouse should be included.
When I add all those, iMac doesn't seem that bad. Might be a hundred or two more but it's AIO, not ugly ATX box.
Enjoy your massive tower. I will be enjoying a clutter free desk.
If you got tired of waiting, why not just get a refurb i5 or i7? They are still great values. Just because there are rumors of possibly updated product lines doesn't automatically render the current lines useless.
If you got tired of waiting, why not just get a refurb i5 or i7? They are still great values. Just because there are rumors of possibly updated product lines doesn't automatically render the current lines useless.
Enjoy your massive tower. I will be enjoying a clutter free desk.
Much to your shock (and many others on this site I'm sure), having a PC tower (or any tower for that matter) does not equal a cluttered desk.
Not at all a "crap load" really. Also, cable management is not at all a hard thing.
I was just thinking that, my i7 Hackintosh has a whole 5 cables, 2 for the monitors and 3 for the power... Bluetooth speakers, wireless keyboard & mouse and lots of internal harddrives (so no messy usb add-ons to go past 2TB) are a wonderful thing...
Meh, its horses for courses I guess...
Meh, its horses for courses I guess...
Let's see..
1 Power cable for the computer
1 Power cable for the monitor
1 Cable connecting the monitor to the PC
1 Power cable for the speakers
2 Speaker wires, one connecting them to the PC, the other to connect to the other speaker
1 USB cable for the Webcam
1 USB cable for the microphone
So far we're up to 8 wires.
My iMac setup? 1 Cable, the power cable.
Cable management eases the pain, but it is still quite unsightly (at least to me). Why manage when you can eliminate?
Also, let's consider the footprint. My iMac's footprint is equal to that of what a monitor would take up. For a PC and monitor, and external speakers that takes a lot more, not to mention the space in between that's wasted on wires.
I know everyone has different tastes, preferences, and pet peeves. One of my pet peeves is clutter and the "my computer area looks like something out of a sci-fi movie" look (referring to the tangled wires mostly, plus unmatching hardware). I prefer to keep my workspace clean and elegant. I also like to have space to put some papers I'm working on, or food from time time, etc. so putting a PC on my desk is out of the question.
If someone is unbothered by cables and has a lot of room under/in/on their desk, then that's a different story. I personally don't. Other than the bottom of my desk where my legs go there is no room anywhere else. I have a small office, so I can't spare the space.
But like I said, if someone is unbothered by the aesthetics/practical uses of having an all in one, then I guess the PC could be the better choice.
1 Power cable for the computer
1 Power cable for the monitor
1 Cable connecting the monitor to the PC
1 Power cable for the speakers
2 Speaker wires, one connecting them to the PC, the other to connect to the other speaker
1 USB cable for the Webcam
1 USB cable for the microphone
So far we're up to 8 wires.
My iMac setup? 1 Cable, the power cable.
Cable management eases the pain, but it is still quite unsightly (at least to me). Why manage when you can eliminate?
Also, let's consider the footprint. My iMac's footprint is equal to that of what a monitor would take up. For a PC and monitor, and external speakers that takes a lot more, not to mention the space in between that's wasted on wires.
I know everyone has different tastes, preferences, and pet peeves. One of my pet peeves is clutter and the "my computer area looks like something out of a sci-fi movie" look (referring to the tangled wires mostly, plus unmatching hardware). I prefer to keep my workspace clean and elegant. I also like to have space to put some papers I'm working on, or food from time time, etc. so putting a PC on my desk is out of the question.
If someone is unbothered by cables and has a lot of room under/in/on their desk, then that's a different story. I personally don't. Other than the bottom of my desk where my legs go there is no room anywhere else. I have a small office, so I can't spare the space.
But like I said, if someone is unbothered by the aesthetics/practical uses of having an all in one, then I guess the PC could be the better choice.
Im ready for the new iMac in around October, and I'm waiting for ordering it at that point. Pretty excited for that now.
Office is graphic / web development. No video editing or anything like that and storage isn't really an issue as the fileserver deals with all that.
Like I say, I am perfectly happy with the 2.66GHz MacPro (Dual Xeon) so if the iMac is AS good as that then I would be happy.