If you're a gamer the graphics card options are much better, but the i7 high-end processor is only a small update on the previous revision. The important bit is that the range is now Intel Core across the board. No more old-style FSB memory bottlenecks. These things are going to fly!!
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The "I'm waiting for an iMac refresh" thread
- Thread starter Robert Grant
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Faster GPU and RAM plus option for HD + SSD
And the amount is good news when looking at the resolution of 27" iMac
DO you guys think the older i7 2.8 will get further reduction? Debating if I should get this as it is currently $1949 at the reburb store.
Does Apple have a price adjustment policy? If so how long am I protected on price adjustments?
Does Apple have a price adjustment policy? If so how long am I protected on price adjustments?
okay, so I'm doing video editing with HUGE HD files from the canon 7D with LOTS of rendering. It's good I held out then right?
Also, can you order online and pick up in store?
Also, can you order online and pick up in store?
Not trying to be an a**hole but I am pleased with my decision NOT to have waited. Had the i7 for about 4 months now and see no real reason to change to the refreshed model.
I believe Apple has renamed GPUs before (not to mention underclocking on notebooks) so I wouldn't put it past them to do it now.
The HD 5670 has GDDR3, the desktop HD 5670 is only GDDR5 according to Wikipedia. So either the iMac's 5670 is a "nonstandard" version of the 5670 or Apple is renaming another card. Mobility Radeon 5750/5770 both use the same chip as desktop HD 5670 (Redwood) and have GDDR5.
We've been saying for a long time now that their refresh for the high end iMacs wouldn't be that big. Desktop 5750 is a pretty decent upgrade tho.
The HD 5670 is very average for gamers. See here:
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2010/01/14/ati-radeon-hd-5670-review/1
So if you were sitting, waiting and hoping for significantly improved gaming performance in the new iMacs you'll be disappointed. But that's natural you cannot do incredible gaming with the iMac form factor.
In your case you're quite right. Not much different at the top end. However, for a 21" the difference in this upgrade is massive. I'm glad I waited
Mobility 57xx are based on the desktop 56xx anyway ("Redwood"). There is no mobility 5670 though so it looks like it's just a renamed chip. 57xx would have confused people because high-end uses them
I got the i5 a couple months ago and I feel the same. USB 3 and Firewire were two things that I expected to disappoint me in my decision not to wait. Now those are still the same I definitely made the right decision.
HD 5670 is obviously an improvement but still does nothing much for gamers. It will speed things up a bit for certain use cases but definitely not mine.
How much better is the i7 2.93 going to be versus the i5 2.8 as far as overall speed goes? I know that everyday apps they are going to be essentially the same but yes, I am going to be running a lot of FCP and Cinema 4D. Photoshop and I am pretty sure will run the same speed on either chip as well as Dreamweaver and the like.
Is it worth me getting the i7 for Final Cut Pro work? It is so hard to find benchmarks for programs using FCP and that is really all I care about here. Is it worth an extra $200 or can I just be happy with a standard top 27in $1999 model? What do you guys think?
This is a repost as I didn't get a response. Sorry. Hellhammer? You?
Is it worth me getting the i7 for Final Cut Pro work? It is so hard to find benchmarks for programs using FCP and that is really all I care about here. Is it worth an extra $200 or can I just be happy with a standard top 27in $1999 model? What do you guys think?
This is a repost as I didn't get a response. Sorry. Hellhammer? You?
Can somebody please answer my question: is the i5 over the i3 worth it (in terms of general usage & gaming)?
The i7 has Hyper-Threading which may boost up to 30% when all threads can be utilized. FCP is single threaded but the compressor is multi core so it would speed up the final encoding. I would go for it, it's a nice bump
Not really. In gaming it may give you better FPS but GPU is the bigger bottleneck here.
Nice upgrade.
I need help here. I am in overload. Can't make up my friggin mind.
I have right now a 27 quad core i5 that I like but my can't use because she gets migraines. It's going back to the office.
So I have to go with a 21.5 inch. No choice. Money wise I have about 2000.00 to spend. Or more I am trying to limit myself.
I really don't think that spending 1700.00 and 1800.00 with tax is worth it for a 21.5 inch. Too much diminished returns.
But I really want the best 21.5 that would make sense. I can go with the 3.6 option but is it really worth 200.00? The i5 680 turbo's up to 3.8Ghz with turbo boost and the 350 does not but still has hyper threading.
No 680 here but gives you a good idea on differences.
http://www.cpu-world.com/news_2010/2010052401_Core_i3-550_mini-review.html
I need help here. I am in overload. Can't make up my friggin mind.
I have right now a 27 quad core i5 that I like but my can't use because she gets migraines. It's going back to the office.
So I have to go with a 21.5 inch. No choice. Money wise I have about 2000.00 to spend. Or more I am trying to limit myself.
I really don't think that spending 1700.00 and 1800.00 with tax is worth it for a 21.5 inch. Too much diminished returns.
But I really want the best 21.5 that would make sense. I can go with the 3.6 option but is it really worth 200.00? The i5 680 turbo's up to 3.8Ghz with turbo boost and the 350 does not but still has hyper threading.
No 680 here but gives you a good idea on differences.
http://www.cpu-world.com/news_2010/2010052401_Core_i3-550_mini-review.html
And by "renaming" I mean something other than just removing the "Mobility" from the GPU name as they've been doing for a while.
I think if they are mobile GPUs instead of desktop GPUs, then the "5670" is one of the Mobility 5700 and the "5750" is one of the Mobility 5800.
To put it another way, regardless of the particular flavor, I think the "5670" is a Redwood chip while the "5750" is a Juniper chip.
I think if they are mobile GPUs instead of desktop GPUs, then the "5670" is one of the Mobility 5700 and the "5750" is one of the Mobility 5800.
To put it another way, regardless of the particular flavor, I think the "5670" is a Redwood chip while the "5750" is a Juniper chip.
Well, I just ordered my first Mac ever! 27" i7, 4gb RAM, 1tb
HD, wired numeric keypad keyboard, Applecare, iWork. I think I will end up upgrading the RAM myself a little later on. I told myself I would stick with an i5, but I couldn't resisit the Education upgrade price of $195 for the i7 vs. $210 last week.... Let's just say I am BEYOND excited to finally have a Mac!!!!
HD, wired numeric keypad keyboard, Applecare, iWork. I think I will end up upgrading the RAM myself a little later on. I told myself I would stick with an i5, but I couldn't resisit the Education upgrade price of $195 for the i7 vs. $210 last week.... Let's just say I am BEYOND excited to finally have a Mac!!!!
We should forget the model names for now and stick with chip names until the clocks are known
How annoying the renaming. I can only think they deliberately want to mislead and confuse people?
I think we'll have to wait to see some real world benchmarks to see how much faster these new graphics cards really are versus the last generation in i5/i7 iMacs. I'm not expecting dramatic improvements. But maybe I am wrong.
Either way I am not a gamer the stuff that I'm interested in USB 3 and Firewire didn't get updated. And raw processor speed very slight bumps as everyone pretty much predicted.
The good news everyone who has been lusting after a new iMac can now join us in appreciating the beauty of these 21.5" and 27" machines.
We should forget the model names for now and stick with chip names until the clocks are known
Any idea why Apple does this to us?
Is there a good reason?Hey everyone, quick question about RAM. Since they're charging around £150 in the UK for another 2x2GB to get the 8GB config, I figured I could get that cheaper elsewhere (say, half the price). As long as it's 1333Mhz DDR3 SDRAM, it should work right? Is there any risk to mixing brands?
Hopefully someone has a simple answer to a simple question.....?
I have just last week purchased the entry level 27inch iMac with Core 2 Duo processor following the death of my old 24 inch.
I see we now have an upgraded i3 Processor and better graphics card available on the models released today.
I am obviously within the 14 day no questions asked return period. Instinct says I should pack it up and go and get an upgrade....
Is it safe to say the enhancements are going to be worth the trouble?
I have just last week purchased the entry level 27inch iMac with Core 2 Duo processor following the death of my old 24 inch.
I see we now have an upgraded i3 Processor and better graphics card available on the models released today.
I am obviously within the 14 day no questions asked return period. Instinct says I should pack it up and go and get an upgrade....
Is it safe to say the enhancements are going to be worth the trouble?
What was the rated maximum continuous power of the older high end 27 inch iMacs? I remember it being 300 or so. The new one is rated at 365watts, which could shed some light on the gpu.
Who wants to do a big write up on making an 'official' topic on this subforum for the new iMac refresh? They should include the new specs and bto options, as well as appropriate benchmarks for clarkdale vs core2duo etc, so we won't have so many questions, I think.
Who wants to do a big write up on making an 'official' topic on this subforum for the new iMac refresh? They should include the new specs and bto options, as well as appropriate benchmarks for clarkdale vs core2duo etc, so we won't have so many questions, I think.