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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Desktops > New iMacs

New iMacs
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mattyb
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Jul 27, 2010, 08:47 AM
 
Nice that the 21 incher gets 512M graphics. When I can see the price in euros, I might order a replacement for my Feb 2007, 20 incher.
     
imitchellg5
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Jul 27, 2010, 09:12 AM
 
Very nice update. Too bad I'm more than 15 days away from when I just purchased my new iMac, but that's okay by me. Even though I know the benchmarks for these will blow everything out of the water.
     
MacinTommy
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Jul 27, 2010, 09:25 AM
 
Originally Posted by imitchellg5 View Post
Very nice update. Too bad I'm more than 15 days away from when I just purchased my new iMac,
That's gotta burn a little bit...
     
mattyb  (op)
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Jul 27, 2010, 10:44 AM
 
Nearly $2200 for the 21 inch with i5.

FFS.
     
kylef
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Jul 27, 2010, 10:48 AM
 
The timing couldn't have been better. Unfortunately, the only store here doesn't have them in yet. And no Magic Trackpad included!
     
Pierre B.
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Jul 27, 2010, 11:09 AM
 
You can have two storage drives in the new iMacs, one hard and one solid-state. Very nice!
     
imitchellg5
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Jul 27, 2010, 11:12 AM
 
Originally Posted by MacinTommy View Post
That's gotta burn a little bit...
A bit, but since I'm rarely doing anything that will necessitate a difference in speed, I don't care as much.
     
kylef
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Jul 27, 2010, 02:26 PM
 
Originally Posted by imitchellg5 View Post
A bit, but since I'm rarely doing anything that will necessitate a difference in speed, I don't care as much.
Out of curiosity, which did you buy and how does it perform? I'll be migrating next week from an Oct '08 2.4GHz MacBook.
     
imitchellg5
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Jul 27, 2010, 02:28 PM
 
About 3 weeks ago I bought the $1499 iMac, so Core 2 Duo 3.06 GHz, not the new i3. It performs quite well, although the graphics don't seem as smooth as my MacBook Pro's 9600M GT, even when hooked up to my HDTV.
     
kylef
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Jul 27, 2010, 02:32 PM
 
Originally Posted by imitchellg5 View Post
About 3 weeks ago I bought the $1499 iMac, so Core 2 Duo 3.06 GHz, not the new i3. It performs quite well, although the graphics don't seem as smooth as my MacBook Pro's 9600M GT, even when hooked up to my HDTV.
Good to know, thanks. I'm assuming that's the ATI Radeon HD 4670?

I actually save a small fortune with Apple's current rebate offers. £1399 purchase price with a free printer goes to £1236 with 14% higher education discount, and as a student I get an iPod Touch for £19. Sell the iPod for printer for £140 takes it down to £1100 or so.
( Last edited by kylef; Jul 27, 2010 at 04:00 PM. )
     
ajprice
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Jul 27, 2010, 04:56 PM
 
Little stuff I noticed...

The SD slot now takes SDXC cards (like the new Mac Mini)
The 27" i3 has the option of a 3.6GHz i5 dual core (Which is best - 3.6 i5 dual or 2.8 i5 quad?)
With the SSD option, the system is installed on the SSD, the hard drive is for storage. Nice .

It'll be much easier if you just comply.
     
mattyb  (op)
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Jul 27, 2010, 05:27 PM
 
You can't do the SSD option on the 21 incher. Guess its to do with space constraints. Pity.
     
macaddict0001
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Jul 28, 2010, 02:06 AM
 
Originally Posted by mattyb View Post
You can't do the SSD option on the 21 incher. Guess its to do with space constraints. Pity.
Not likely, solid state drives are generally much smaller than desktop drives. I was hoping for quad core in the 21".

Wait I just realized you meant the dual hard drive option.
( Last edited by macaddict0001; Jul 28, 2010 at 02:21 AM. )
     
mattyb  (op)
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Jul 28, 2010, 04:15 AM
 
Originally Posted by macaddict0001 View Post
Not likely, solid state drives are generally much smaller than desktop drives. I was hoping for quad core in the 21".
Funny, I'm more interested in system and graphics card memory now. I doubt that doing what I do, I'd notice the i3/i5 difference.
     
MacinTommy
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Jul 28, 2010, 10:37 AM
 
I'd say a solid update overall. I'll still be waiting for the next year's update after I graduate.
     
slugslugslug
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Jul 28, 2010, 05:04 PM
 
The SSD option on the big’un goes in a separate bay, which is why you can have both hard disk + ssd. Of course that doesn’t explain why there’s no SSD-only option on the smaller one, though maybe they didn’t feel like dealing with the hassle of making/buying/stocking the brackets to get SSDs into the HDD bay.
     
Eriamjh
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Jul 28, 2010, 06:42 PM
 
Originally Posted by mattyb View Post
Nearly $2200 for the 21 inch with i5.

FFS.
I got my 27" i7 refurb for $1950 with tax. They should drop another $100-200.

I'm a bird. I am the 1% (of pets).
     
Brien
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Jul 28, 2010, 06:48 PM
 
The refurb/clearance prices are a joke. On the EDU store I can get an i7 for $150 more then the previous-gen i7, refurbished. Not even worth it when that $200 gets you 130MHz and a far better GPU (and SDXC, not that it's a deal breaker).
     
l008com
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Jul 29, 2010, 04:39 AM
 
Is the SSD "bay" a standard 2.5" HD bay? That would be great. I'd pop a SATA HDD in there and use that for bootcamp, and the 3.5" for mac.

But i'll be the one that spoils this whole thread: I'm not getting the 27" i7 iMac i so strongly desire. Because much to my disbelief, there is still NO matte option. I will not put a glossy screen on this desk, and torture myself every minute I use the computer when the lights are on, or when it's daytime. I really can't believe there's no matte option. And I can't believe the mac pro's still start at $2500. But I guess thats another topic. For a company that wants to make "all" of their customers happy, they really go out of their way to bust balls sometimes. (yes I know that's not news)
     
Eriamjh
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Jul 29, 2010, 08:03 AM
 
Originally Posted by Brien View Post
The refurb/clearance prices are a joke. On the EDU store I can get an i7 for $150 more then the previous-gen i7, refurbished. Not even worth it when that $200 gets you 130MHz and a far better GPU (and SDXC, not that it's a deal breaker).
Not everyone can get the edu discount.

I just checked at the 27" i7 iMac dropped from $1849 to $1699, a $150 drop.

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kylef
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Jul 29, 2010, 09:01 AM
 
It's never going to end well whenever you're in the closest Starbucks to the Apple Store with CIH.
     
SeSawaya
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Jul 29, 2010, 10:17 AM
 
So is it worth the upgrade from the i3 chip to the i5 chip? I"m thinking about either putting that money towards a 2 gig internal, 8 gigs of ram, or the i5 chip. tough choice! I figure I can add the ram at anytime but the HD not so much. I do audio recording mostly using Logic studio but like everyone, I do a little of everything.
I just can't find benchmarks between the i3 and i5.
     
kylef
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Jul 30, 2010, 07:02 AM
 
Originally Posted by SeSawaya View Post
So is it worth the upgrade from the i3 chip to the i5 chip? I"m thinking about either putting that money towards a 2 gig internal, 8 gigs of ram, or the i5 chip. tough choice! I figure I can add the ram at anytime but the HD not so much. I do audio recording mostly using Logic studio but like everyone, I do a little of everything.
I just can't find benchmarks between the i3 and i5.
What are you stepping up from? Having moved from a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo to the 3.2GHz Core i3, I'm very impressed. I actually thought there was an error whenever I was unarchiving some RAR files - it was so fast in comparison
     
SeSawaya
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Jul 30, 2010, 08:39 AM
 
that's exactly what I have now, the 2.4. I need to play with one!!
     
kamina
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Jul 30, 2010, 01:57 PM
 
Argh!

I would so like to have a 21" model with a ssd. What's it like to swap a drive in one of these, more work then on the white c2d models?
     
l008com
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Jul 30, 2010, 01:59 PM
 
You have to remove the glass, then the whole LCD. That said, it's actually not as bad as it sounds.
     
SeSawaya
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Jul 30, 2010, 02:33 PM
 
Found this on the i3 Vs i5. Might help

In comparison to the Core i5 750 and the Core i7 processors, the Core i3 is quite different. It has an integrated graphics processor on the CPU die, it has some extra SSE instruction for better encryption support, and it does not support turbo boost. It also is built to operate with a different set of chipsets, although the Core i3 processor will work in most P55 motherboards as well.

These clear waters are mudded, however, by the Intel Core i5 600 series products which were released alongside the Core i3. These lower-end Core i5 processors also have an on-die integrated graphics processor, they also have the extra SSE instructions, and they also are built primarily for the new chipsets. The only difference between these and the Core i3, therefor, is that the Core i5 600 processors have turbo boost and the Core i3 processors don't.

Strange, isn't it? One would think that the Core i3, i5, and i7 brands were created to mark differences in ability. It seems, however, that there are larger differences between processors in the same brand than between those in different brands.

In any case, what this really means is that the Core i3 processor is the one to buy if you're on a budget. It only loses turbo boost, which in the low-end Core i5 processors is not an impressive feature. The Core i5 processors are faster, however, so if you're not constrained by budget they are also a good choice. If you're interested in learning more about the Core i5, please read our article on how the Core i5 stacks up against the Core i7.



Read more: Core i3 Explained
     
   
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