Which 21.5 ? Graphics Card question.

[Zenor]

Hello everyone,

I was wondering which of the two new 21.5 iMacs I should buy.
500GB HD is enough for what I am doing, but I am worried about the graphics card.

Can the 9400M be replaced? or the only model which has upgradeable graphics card is the one with ATI 4670?

Also, are there any benchmarks around about these cards?
Is 4670 a better card than the 9600M GT found on Macbook pro's ?

Thanks in advance.

 

[spinnerlys]

The graphics card can not be replaced, as it is soldered to the logic board.

Choosing a graphics card depends on your needs and uses.

But the 9400m shall be fine for most things, it runs all the time on my 17-inch MBP with a 1920x1200 resolution without major or minor hiccups doing light photo editing and heavier video editing with Avid.

 

[danners]

i was thinking the exact same thing, it may be worth forking out the extra cash so in the future the machine isnt as dated

 

[zedsdead]

When it comes to Apple, I always recommend the best graphic card possible since they are always a generation or two behind anyway.

 

[Zenor]

So... which graphics card is best? the 4670 found on new iMacs or the 9600M GT found on Macbook pros?

Is the iMac 4670 a mobility card?

 

[spinnerlys]

So... which graphics card is best? the 4870 found on new iMacs or the 9600M GT found on Macbook pros?

Is the iMac 4870 a mobility card?

The 4870 (higher end) is better than the 9600 (middle end), and most probably the 4870 is the mobile version, as it generates less heat than a desktop version.

 

[flopticalcube]

The top end 27" iMac uses a 4850. The 4670 in the top 21.5" is a mobility card: http://netkas.org/?p=297 so the 4850 is probably too.

You can see various card performance comparisons here:http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html