The new iMac is a lot noisier!

[Falcon80]

Don't forget that noise could be ok the first weeks, but after it is always worse after some months of use...
So if it is already not so good at start, it can only become worse the more you use the imac...

See here the temperatures at full load :
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews...i7-7700k-i7-7700-i5-7600k-i5-7600,4870-8.html
i7-7700K : 100°C
i5-7600K : 90°C
i5-7600 : 70°C

Pesonnaly I opted for the mid model with i5-7600 and SSD 512, more adapted for my needs (Lightroom in silence )

Why not the base model? Because of the better GPU in the mid tier model?

 

[rico7578]

Why not the base model? Because of the better GPU in the mid tier model?

Because I was looking for the best ration perfs/price/heat/noise for my usage and my budget
And yes because I'm always a little afraid that a 5K display will require a minimum of power (cpu, ram but yes mainly gpu) to works well without the little issues we could observe on the first gen 5K models. But base model should be ok too in absolute, I can just afford the mid model, so I gone for it.

 

[Luxtrau]

I also think that some people make a big deal out of this.

I would go for a 580 Pro, because it has 8GB memory and high resolutions do need a lot of memory. And the iMac got a very high resolution.

 

[Azenha]

Because I was looking for the best ration perfs/price/heat/noise for my usage and my budget
And yes because I'm always a little afraid that a 5K display will require a minimum of power (cpu, ram but yes mainly gpu) to works well without the little issues we could observe on the first gen 5K models. But base model should be ok too in absolute, I can just afford the mid model, so I gone for it.

The Radeon Pro 570 in the 2017 base model appears to be faster than the previous generation's top end R9 M395X.

So, if last generation's top iMacs could handle the 5K display, I guess this year's base model will do fine as well.

You can read the rest of the comparison at https://www.macrumors.com/2017/06/21/2017-27-inch-imac-benchmarks/

 

[Falcon80]

The Radeon Pro 570 in the 2017 base model appears to be faster than the previous generation's top end R9 M395X.


So, if last generation's top iMacs could handle the 5K display, I guess this year's base model will do fine as well.

You can read the rest of the comparison at https://www.macrumors.com/2017/06/21/2017-27-inch-imac-benchmarks/

Sounds right. 570 looks good from the benchmark.

 

[rico7578]

Ok but be carefull of Geekbench benchmarks... not representative of real use (and sometimes even cheated in the drivers...)

 

[Falcon80]

Ok but be carefull of Geekbench benchmarks... not representative of real use (and sometimes even cheated in the drivers...)

Do you mean they tend to underestimate or overestimate?

 

[sentential]

Cant say I'm surprised, Kaby Lake blows the laptops are a bit better since they are de-lidded but I specifically went Skylake to avoid this.

 

[jayfromnova]

Don't forget that noise could be ok the first weeks, but after it is always worse after some months of use...
So if it is already not so good at start, it can only become worse the more you use the imac...

See here the temperatures at full load :
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews...i7-7700k-i7-7700-i5-7600k-i5-7600,4870-8.html
i7-7700K : 100°C
i5-7600K : 90°C
i5-7600 : 70°C

Pesonnaly I opted for the mid model with i5-7600 and SSD 512, more adapted for my needs (Lightroom in silence )

That was my exact logic. Now I'm waiting for that little beauty to ship!

 

[EugW]

Don't forget that noise could be ok the first weeks, but after it is always worse after some months of use...
So if it is already not so good at start, it can only become worse the more you use the imac...

See here the temperatures at full load :
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews...i7-7700k-i7-7700-i5-7600k-i5-7600,4870-8.html
i7-7700K : 100°C
i5-7600K : 90°C
i5-7600 : 70°C

Pesonnaly I opted for the mid model with i5-7600 and SSD 512, more adapted for my needs (Lightroom in silence )

I did not experience this with my iMac Core i7 870, which is a 95 Watt TDP chip. It is still silent in regular usage 7 years later.

 

[Bill P.]

I also think that some people make a big deal out of this.

I would go for a 580 Pro, because it has 8GB memory and high resolutions do need a lot of memory. And the iMac got a very high resolution.

I realize this is a bit simplistic and my use of the new iMac is lightweight but I thought I'd share anyway. I've noticed increased fan noise (BTW, I had NO fan noise from my late '12 iMac-ever) to where yesterday is was on or modulating constantly.

I thought to open Activity Monitor from the Utilities folder and check CPU usage. At the top where 2 Safari pages not loading properly and using 99% of the CPU. I located the offending pages (I had quite a few open for later reading) and closed them. The fans have been off ever sense....Peace again.

 

[Firebrand]

I also think that some people make a big deal out of this.

I would go for a 580 Pro, because it has 8GB memory and high resolutions do need a lot of memory. And the iMac got a very high resolution.

Somewhat simular to the waiting 3 more months "just in case defects pop up" fear, oh dear ;-)

 

[iMi]

I don't entirely understand the whole idea that the iMac has to be completely silent. It uses fans. It will make some noise under stress. Some people make it sound like a jet taking off in their living room.

You're buying a computer, not hiring a Ninja. It doesn't have to be silent. Geez, people.

 

[MacDevil7334]

You're buying a computer, not hiring a Ninja. It doesn't have to be silent. Geez, people.

I opted for the mid-tier i5/575 model partially because of thermal/noise concerns (and also because I don't really need the extra power of the i7 and would rather put the money toward other upgrades). But this still cracked me up!

 

[BuCkDoG]

I don't entirely understand the whole idea that the iMac has to be completely silent. It uses fans. It will make some noise under stress. Some people make it sound like a jet taking off in their living room.

You're buying a computer, not hiring a Ninja. It doesn't have to be silent. Geez, people.

LOL awesome post!

 

[jerwin]

You're buying a computer, not hiring a Ninja. It doesn't have to be silent. Geez, people.

Eh, You'll get used to it.

 

[fathergll]

Don't forget that noise could be ok the first weeks, but after it is always worse after some months of use...
So if it is already not so good at start, it can only become worse the more you use the imac...

See here the temperatures at full load :
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews...i7-7700k-i7-7700-i5-7600k-i5-7600,4870-8.html
i7-7700K : 100°C
i5-7600K : 90°C
i5-7600 : 70°C

Pesonnaly I opted for the mid model with i5-7600 and SSD 512, more adapted for my needs (Lightroom in silence )

I will this is 100% true with my 2012 Macbook Air with 2.0 GHz dual-core Intel Core i7. That fan is now spinning a lot and it gets pretty toasty.

 

[johannnn]

I will this is 100% true with my 2012 Macbook Air with 2.0 GHz dual-core Intel Core i7. That fan is now spinning a lot and it gets pretty toasty.

How much $ does Apple take to open one up and apply new thermal paste?

 

[fathergll]

How much $ does Apple take to open one up and apply new thermal paste?

Heh I have no idea. I'm probably either going to use it until it's dead in the ground or sell it at some point. Thank god it's pure SSD which really helps with making the computer work somewhat decent in 2017.

 

[benz240]

I don't see how this ISN'T a big deal. If you had a choice between a computer that frequently revved up the fan vs a computer that almost never did and performance was ROUGHLY the same, wouldn't you choose the quieter one? The point is that the i7 is overkill for most people, and the payment for getting a big gun CPU is getting a computer that is significantly louder. The first few times this happens probably won't bother you, but after a few months of "why the hell is my iMac sounding like a vacuum...oh it looks like Mail.app is hung, lemme cmd+q...ahh that's better", you might think otherwise.

 

[EugW]

I don't entirely understand the whole idea that the iMac has to be completely silent. It uses fans. It will make some noise under stress. Some people make it sound like a jet taking off in their living room.

You're buying a computer, not hiring a Ninja. It doesn't have to be silent. Geez, people.

Considering I've been running silent computers for a decade, yes it has to be silent for general usage. If it wasn't, I would have returned it. Fortunately, i7 is silent in the vast majority of my usage, except the hardcore stuff, which the slower ones can't do anywhere near as well.

 

[propower]

Just another update that I did the same LogicProX Stress test on the Base model i5. Hit 50% load and temps no higher than 50degC. The high point you see in CPU stress was when i also put a full screen 4K Youtube video up as well. The i5 had a tad more CPU usage and temps were up a few degrees. All programs remained smooth and responsive. The i5 is also an impressive audio machine IMO...

PS - I probably forgot to say this but the LogiProX test file is running 96kHz at 32 buffer

PS ... The 2017 iMac 27 is not silent. It has a nice and quiet 1200 RPM minimum fan at idle. It is not a bad fan but it is not silent. The fan remains at this for all loads until the CPU hits 95degC. For the Base and probably the mid tier i5 there is no CPU load that will ramp the fan. In the i7 roughly a 50% constant CPU load (or 100% CPU for a short amount of time) will ramp fans up. I have not tested video encoding yet but don't expect this will change things - but it might...

 

[whatevs]

Fortunately, i7 is silent in the vast majority of my usage, except the hardcore stuff, which the slower ones can't do anywhere near as well.

is the i7 running cool as well? Is the power draw similar if only running non-demanding tasks? thanks!

 

[EugW]

is the i7 running cool as well? Is the power draw similar if only running non-demanding tasks? thanks!

40+ degrees IIRC.

Just another update that I did the same LogicProX Stress test on the Base model i5. Hit 50% load and temps no higher than 50degC. The high point you see in CPU stress was when i also put a full screen 4K Youtube video up as well. The i5 had a tad more CPU usage and temps were up a few degrees. All programs remained smooth and responsive. The i5 is also an impressive audio machine IMO...

PS - I probably forgot to say this but the LogiProX test file is running 96kHz at 32 buffer

PS ... The 2017 iMac 27 is not silent. It has a nice and quiet 1200 RPM minimum fan at idle. It is not a bad fan but it is not silent. The fan remains at this for all loads until the CPU hits 95degC. For the Base and probably the mid tier i5 there is no CPU load that will ramp the fan. In the i7 roughly a 50% constant CPU load (or 100% CPU for a short amount of time) will ramp fans up. I have not tested video encoding yet but don't expect this will change things - but it might...

View attachment 705475

That i5-7500 sounds perfect for audio work, if the performance is good enough for your needs.

However, it represented maybe a 40%-50% performance increase over my old CPU, whereas the i7 represents a doubling of speed.

The compromise here is that for the times you need that performance, you can get it, but with accompanying fan noise (unless you turn off Turbo on the i7 like you did earlier).

If I were an audio guy though, I'd buy an i5.

BTW, my friend has an older model i5 4690 which was the upper mid tier at the time. That will also ramp fans with video encoding. In terms of product line, IIRC it would be analogous to the i5-7600K now.

 

[macdoofus]

propower , another fine "craptest" haha, thank you!