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Is there a performance hit when running full resolution on an iMac 5k vs the default?

I just recently switched from using a 2013 Mac Pro (cylinder) built with a six-core Xeon processor, 64gb RAM, dual AMD FirePro D500 GPUs to an iMac 5k with the i7 processor and 32gb of RAM. My primary motivation was having the 5k display, which would be very helpful in my line of work.


My question may be obvious but I'd rather ask to be sure. Will there be a notable performance hit if I run the iMac at the higher resolution (3200 x 1800, not 5120 x 2880) as opposed to the default resolution of 2560 x 1440?


I guess a part of me is also wondering whether the performance hit that I'm incurring is actually worth the gorgeous display. Or should I consider going back to the beefed up Mac Pro?


In any case, thanks for indulging me with your thoughts. 🙂

Posted on Mar 28, 2015 5:26 PM

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3 replies

Mar 28, 2015 7:30 PM in response to Brian928

Ahh, that is interesting - up until this, iMacs were always preconfigured/set up with the highest resolution - hence my reply. I have not had the opportunity to look at or work with that model, so had no idea that the default was changed. FWIW, I like the instructions for dummies: larger text vs. smaller text.....


Now that I got it (so to speak), I would guess that there is no performance hit; I have had to set up my iMacs with a slightly lower resolution in order to be able to read the "fine print" and have never noticed any difference as performance should be tied to the processor and RAM rather than the resolution.

Is there a performance hit when running full resolution on an iMac 5k vs the default?

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