New 27-inch iMac. Dual Core or Quad Core.

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Level 1

0 points

New 27-inch iMac. Dual Core or Quad Core.

Hi all,
this is my first post!

Anyway,

I'm planning on purchasing the new 27 inch iMac.

I have two options, which is what processor to get, the rest of the components will be exactly the same.

*Option 1:*
27 inch iMac
-3.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
-8GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 4x2GB
-2TB Serial ATA Drive
-ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB

Price: AU$ 3,607.01

*Option 2:*
27 inch iMac
-2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
-8GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 4x2GB
-2TB Serial ATA Drive
-ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB

Price: AU$ 3,797.01

I'm a semi-professional photographer looking to go fully pro. So, i will mainly be using Photoshop CS4, Lightroom (both open at same time), and Final Cut Pro for editing small clips (max 25mins).

I will use it for everything else also, but i just need it to function as a photography tool, and be fast.

Also, if quad core is the better option, would the 2.8ghz i7 be much better than the 2.66ghz i5?

Thanks in advance,
P.S. this is my first venture into Mac territory.

Posted on Oct 23, 2009 4:16 PM

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Answer 1

virg

Level 2

395 points

Oct 23, 2009 4:23 PM in response to Ethan Slade

I'd opt for the quad core for the price difference. This computer should last you five plus years with great speed and excellent performance with your edition of Photoshop.

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Answer 2

Oct 27, 2009 8:42 AM in response to Ethan Slade

I have exactly the same question - I might be mistaken but I'm sure I've heard that Photoshop can't make effective use of multi-core processors. I'm therefore wondering whether a faster single core chip might be the way to go. Is anyone actually using CS4 on a multi-core processor machines or know whether I'm talking rubbish??

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Answer 3

Oct 27, 2009 9:43 AM in response to Ethan Slade

It's true that Photoshop CS4 doesn't really make effective use of multiple cores, nor is it 64 bit.

But is this going to be the last version of PS you're going to use for the next 3-5 years (projected lifespan of your iMac)? You won't upgrade to CS5 or CS6? If not, then by all means get the dual core. But I would wager in the next revision or two you'll get better multi-core support, so while it wouldn't benefit you with the current version of PS, it certainly would for future versions. Just something to think about...

Message was edited by: UCLAMacConvert

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Answer 4

Oct 27, 2009 9:54 AM in response to UCLAMacConvert

Yep, you've made some good points there. The multi-core computing approach is growing so I guess it's a safe bet investing in hardware that offers it. Just never feels that easy making decisions based on futureware.

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Answer 5

Simon-UK-

Level 4

3,599 points

Oct 28, 2009 2:03 AM in response to Ethan Slade

Ethan, I too have gone through a similar dilemma. I've ordered the Core i7 model as the idea of future proofing makes a lot of sense to me, even if there's a trade off initially with how a quad core processor deals with the current level of applications out there. Although, why I can't choose to have the latest and fastest processor without also agreeing to a screen the size of a football field I don't know. If I could have the same CPU/GPU in the 21.5" I'd have gone for that instead. Apple do like to control things don't they. Having said that, I had similar reservations going from a 20" to a 24", now the 20" looks way too small. The 4850 GPU works brilliantly in the 24" - it would've been nice to see a 4890 option with a 27" screen. I imagine this may appear in the next revision.

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Answer 6

Oct 28, 2009 10:24 AM in response to Ethan Slade

ACTUALLY Ethan the i7 has a great feature in which it will power off cores that it is not using in order to feed more power to busy cores. In other words that 2.8Ghz can be boosted automatically by the system to 3.3ghz with the additional power not being used on dormant cores! Furthermore from what I have read the CS4 suite is multiprocessor aware and 64bit aware and it should only get better. I have been using Lightroom 3 beat on my 13 inche macbook pro and it is simultaneously using the 2 cores when creating thumbnails or applying filters.

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Answer 7

Ethan Slade Author

Level 1

0 points

Oct 28, 2009 4:03 PM in response to Ethan Slade

Hi Everyone,
Thanks all for the replies.

So, it seems that for my needs, and for the future (i'm planning to keep the iMac for as long as possible, as i'm not exactly the richest person...), the Quad-Core i7 (2.Ghz) would be better than the Dual Core 3.33Ghz?

@Marcos Duran; this sounds really good, and shows a lot of potential. Is there any official documentation on this anywhere of iMac's boosting the speed of the two cores?

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Answer 8

Simon-UK-

Level 4

3,599 points

Oct 29, 2009 10:40 AM in response to Ethan Slade

Ethan, just check out info on intel's site about the chip. Look for Core i7 - 860. By the way, the boost takes a core up to 3.46GHz - lovely stuff!

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Answer 9

Oct 29, 2009 3:35 PM in response to Ethan Slade

Apple describes the feature here:
http://www.apple.com/imac/performance.html

It's called Turbo Boost. No need to overclock it does it itself. Very nice.

Message was edited by: Marcos Duran Removed Ghz since it may vary depending on native processor speed.

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Answer 10

Oct 29, 2009 4:18 PM in response to Ethan Slade

Hello All,

I'm a video student doing productions & post both for school and some small paying gigs.
I wonder if the new I Mac "Powerhouse" is good enough to run Motion or After Effects efficiently?

Thx!

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Answer 11

Oct 30, 2009 4:30 AM in response to dalvideoguy

Make your own post and you'll get some responses.

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Answer 12

Oct 30, 2009 4:36 AM in response to providingjordan

thanks for all the info guys, really helpful

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Answer 13

Oct 30, 2009 6:38 AM in response to gonzo_muppett

Adobe Photoshop also benefits MOST from fast and ample memory. With the i7 if you install DIMMs in sets of three you get triple channel memory speeds which has a significant impact on performance according to some tests.

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Answer 14

Oct 30, 2009 6:44 AM in response to UCLAMacConvert

This is not entirely correct. Photoshop CS4 CAN use up to 8GB of RAM when running on a 64-bit system vs. 3.5GB of ram on a 32-bit system. The extra RAM is used as faster scratch space.

Also from adobe:
"Photoshop requires a PowerPC G5 or an Intel-based processor. Photoshop can also take advantage of multiprocessor systems (that is, systems that have two or more PowerPC or Intel processors), which are much faster than a single-processor systems. All Photoshop features are faster on a multiprocessor system, and some features are much faster. Note that there is a law of diminishing returns with multiple processors: the more processors you use, the less you get from each addition processor. Therefore, you may not experience expected speed increases if you use more than four processors."

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Answer 15

Oct 30, 2009 6:45 AM in response to Marcos Duran

Hmmm. Had a quick look at Wikipedia, now that I understand what DIMMS now are ⚠, how do I ensure they are installed in triplicate or more?

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