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Mac Hardware and Software |OT| - All things Macintosh

Timan

Timan

Developer
Need some help, so tempted to buy the new iMacs but not sure if its worth it.

Here are my current specs:
Mac Pro 2008 (30" display near same res as the 27" iMac so no biggie there)
Processor 2 x 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
Memory 10 GB 800 MHz DDR2 FB-DIMM
Graphics ATI Radeon HD 5770 1024 MB
Storage Crucial c300 SSD 128gb + 1TB Samsung 7200rpm

Heres what I'm looking to get:
iMac 27" LED Display 2560x1440 resolution
Processor 3.4GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz
Memory 24GB (2x4GB Apple, 2x8GB Expercom) 1600MHz DDR3 RAM
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX 2GB GDDR5
Storage 1TB Fusion Drive

So if anyone has any ideas in terms of the new cpu's and their performance vs the xeon's, same with the memory and graphics. Blah decisions decisions...
 
K

Ken Masters

Banned
Just ordered 21.5" iMac, 16GB RAM, Fusion, will arrive in 7-10 business days but says between Dec 18-21, hopefully it arrives a lot sooner


the base models of 21.5" seem to be shipping in 1-3 business days, 27" in 2-3 weeks
 
R

Risette

A Good Citizen
Is the financing that Apple offers any good? Might get an iMac with the student discount once I start college in January.

I figured this would be the best place to ask, not really worth making a thread for.
 
S

seventynine

Member
That top of the range 27 inch iMac is calling me... I'll probably get the graphics upgrade to the 680mx 2GB. Is it worth upgrading the 8GB ram? I plan to do audio/video and illustration work, I may boot camp it for the odd game too.
 
M

Midas

Member
seventynine said:
That top of the range 27 inch iMac is calling me... I'll probably get the graphics upgrade to the 680mx 2GB. Is it worth upgrading the 8GB ram? I plan to do audio/video and illustration work, I may boot camp it for the odd game too.
Click to expand...

You can upgrade the RAM by yourself in the 27".
 
S

StopMakingSense

Member
seventynine said:
That top of the range 27 inch iMac is calling me... I'll probably get the graphics upgrade to the 680mx 2GB. Is it worth upgrading the 8GB ram? I plan to do audio/video and illustration work, I may boot camp it for the odd game too.
Click to expand...

Upgrade the ram yourself. Still way overpriced at apple. 16GB can be had on sale for about 70 bucks or less (2 sticks) at any given point these days.
 
M

Mindwipe

Member
seventynine said:
That top of the range 27 inch iMac is calling me... I'll probably get the graphics upgrade to the 680mx 2GB. Is it worth upgrading the 8GB ram? I plan to do audio/video and illustration work, I may boot camp it for the odd game too.
Click to expand...

Yep, it's definitely a DIY job, you'll save an awful lot of money over Apple doing it.
 
Timan

Timan

Developer
Yea, pulled the trigger on the iMac 27" as well, says week after christmas for delivery (we all know that it'll be delayed).

27-inch iMac
$2,439.00
Available to ship: 2 - 3 Weeks
Delivers Dec 24 - Dec 31 by Standard Shipping
With the following configuration:
• 3.4GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz
• 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
• 1TB Fusion Drive
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX 2GB GDDR5
• Magic Trackpad
• Apple Wireless Keyboard (English) & User's Guide
• Accessory Kit
Click to expand...
 
K

Ken Masters

Banned
edit: just changed my order to 27", 16GB RAM, 1TB Fusion, 3.2GHZ


couldn't resist dat 27" and I knew i'd regret not spending another $400 for it, just sucks about likely not getting it till after christmas
 
K

KiKaL

Member
I am sure this has been posted before but I did search and didn't find anything. I have a 13" Macbook Pro 2012. I am looking to set up dual monitors with it. So far the only option I see is using the dualhead2go. This looks like it will work but seems it looks like it's a little wonky since it's really just stretching one screen across the monitors instead of seeing them as individual screens. That may be fine, I haven't use one so opinions are appreciated.

I also think I have read you can daisy chain Thunderbolt displays but that set up would be insanely expensive.

Lastly I see the new Retina MBP have two display port out but the laptop has already been purchased so that is out of the question.

Is there any other way?
 
L

lil smoke

Banned
helloresolven said:
crucial.com has 2 x 8GB for $80.
Click to expand...
Ugh can't find it. I see 4GB x 2 for $300 and 2GB x 2 for $199 for Mac Pro that is. We are the only ones who still pay up the ass for memory. Still $1000 to max it out at least for good trusty ram, not the stuff that just stops working after a year.
 
Timan

Timan

Developer
Does anyone have the external super drive + current generation iMac? Wondering if it sits on the base well.
 
D

Deadly Cyclone

Pride of Iowa State
So I think I asked this a while back but completely forgot to look for an answer.

I want to put Windows 8 on my 2012 Air in boot camp, but this is my first Mac. First of all, how do I get Win 8 on the mac? Flash drive? Second, doesn't boot camp require a disc? Or can you install from said flash drive?

What do I need to know to be able to dual boot Win 8 and OSX on this Air?

Thanks!
 
L

lunch

there's ALWAYS ONE
Deadly Cyclone said:
So I think I asked this a while back but completely forgot to look for an answer.

I want to put Windows 8 on my 2012 Air in boot camp, but this is my first Mac. First of all, how do I get Win 8 on the mac? Flash drive? Second, doesn't boot camp require a disc? Or can you install from said flash drive?

What do I need to know to be able to dual boot Win 8 and OSX on this Air?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
You can use Boot Camp through a flash drive, so it definitely doesn't require a disc. I haven't installed Windows 8 (I tried using a preview build but it was unsuccessful), but I've installed Windows 7 from a flash drive.
 
C

caramac

Member
Deadly Cyclone said:
So I think I asked this a while back but completely forgot to look for an answer.

I want to put Windows 8 on my 2012 Air in boot camp, but this is my first Mac. First of all, how do I get Win 8 on the mac? Flash drive? Second, doesn't boot camp require a disc? Or can you install from said flash drive?

What do I need to know to be able to dual boot Win 8 and OSX on this Air?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

i5bcsQCBi8HtA.png
 
D

Deadly Cyclone

Pride of Iowa State
^

Odd because I have found multiple articles of the consumer preview running great (and fully supported) in boot camp. I wonder what's up.

Should I just buy Win 7 and then buy the upgrade when it supports it? Be more expensive though...
 
R

Ristlager

Member
Bought my first mac today :D went for the 21,5", 2,9 and fusion drive imac. Didn't change the memory from 8gb, will I regrett that? If so what type of programs would benefit the higher memory? I will use it for some gaming (coming from a shitty laptop, so my standards are really low) and moderate picture and videoediting.

Its shipped in 7-10 business days (i.e between 11-14. December), but not arriving until 27-2 january, why does the shipping take so long time?
 
C

caramac

Member
Deadly Cyclone said:
^

Odd because I have found multiple articles of the consumer preview running great (and fully supported) in boot camp. I wonder what's up.

Should I just buy Win 7 and then buy the upgrade when it supports it? Be more expensive though...
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've heard of people running windows 8 via boot camp but most say there are driver issues that need to be worked around.
 
M

Mindwipe

Member
Windows 8 isn't officially supported by boot camp, but by and large it works.

I imagine that the drivers are coming soon - it's possible Apple wants to shift to native EFI, or that they are leaving it until they can fix the issue that the current Boot Camp Bios emulation doesn't allow the use of a 3TB Fusion Drive.
 
V

vicissitudes

Banned
Ristlager said:
Bought my first mac today :D went for the 21,5", 2,9 and fusion drive imac. Didn't change the memory from 8gb, will I regrett that? If so what type of programs would benefit the higher memory? I will use it for some gaming (coming from a shitty laptop, so my standards are really low) and moderate picture and videoediting.

Its shipped in 7-10 business days (i.e between 11-14. December), but not arriving until 27-2 january, why does the shipping take so long time?
Click to expand...

Depends on how long you plan to have the iMac for. I would say for the next 3 years at least there won't really be a need to go above 8GB. The memory-intensive programs are what you listed: games, video editing, photoshop, etc.
 
R

Ristlager

Member
vicissitudes said:
Depends on how long you plan to have the iMac for. I would say for the next 3 years at least there won't really be a need to go above 8GB. The memory-intensive programs are what you listed: games, video editing, photoshop, etc.
Click to expand...

Ok, thanks for that. My pc standards are so low right now, and my gaming needs are not very graphics intensive. Some Diabloesq games and indie steamgames perhaps. And the photoediting is correcting red eyeslevel. So hoping it will last me 3-5 years :)
 
D

DUFFMCWALIN

Member
For Windows 8 bootcamp I had to disable the primary screen driver to stop it from crashing. Make sure to install it just like W7 and you will be fine.
 
njean777

njean777

Member
pizzaroll said:
Is the financing that Apple offers any good? Might get an iMac with the student discount once I start college in January.

I figured this would be the best place to ask, not really worth making a thread for.
Click to expand...

It's good as long as you pay it all off within that year, and are not late one payment. Its like any other financing, just don't fuck it up.


Gary Whitta said:
New iMac ordered! Maxed out everything on the 27" except RAM which I'll upgrade myself later. Any recommendations for iMac RAM?
Click to expand...

Just look at any ram on new egg, do not buy any ram that has apple or mac ram located on the package because it is more then likely marked up for no reason.
 
Sapiens

Sapiens

Member
Xcellere said:
21" iMac (2012):

[IG]http://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/imac-icon-resolution.jpg?w=1024&h=682[/IMG]

15" Retina MacBook Pro:

[IG]http://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/retinambp-icon-resolution.jpg?w=1024&h=682[/IMG]
Click to expand...

Still not retina enough for me.

Sick of phones getting the better display tech for the last couple of years.
 
X

Xcellere

Member
Appleman said:
What scaling settings are these on though? I feel like that's on a setting that would make the dock WAY smaller on the rMBP than on the iMac. Seems a little disingenuous...
Click to expand...

I don't think the size of the dock would matter, the screens are meant to show the size of each pixel, not the level of detail within a certain area. The detail would be affected by a scaled image, while pixel size would remain the same.
 
C

Cetra

Member
People tell me they game on their MB Air 2012s. I have to ask how? After 5-10 minutes it sounds like the thing is having a conniption fit, and it gets so hot I could grill a steak on it. And the games I've tried StarCraft II, Diablo III, Amnesia, and Left 4 Dead all run extremely poorly anyway, which is counter to what I was told by MB Air owners prior to my purchase. I have to wonder if they've ever played a computer game on decent setup, be it Mac or PC. Torchlight had the best result, but even that turned the computer into a stove after about 20-30 minutes.

Seriously considering returning this computer. I could have just spent a lot less money and instead bought a keyboard for my iPad 2. I feel I'd have about the same performance.

I have to say, I do like OSX though. It's not nearly as bad as I've seen people say. It's not Windows, but that's a plus I think.
 
C

Chris R

Member
I game on my 2011 MBA :p Yes it does get loud and hot, but not too loud or hot compared to a real gaming laptop.

As for poor performance, lower your settings. I've said before that the MBAs can game, but never said they would do well at anything higher than medium settings.
 
C

Cetra

Member
SCII had everything set to low, so did DIII, and L4D. I was lucky to get 10FPS in any of those. Amnesia and Torchlight could run medium to high with 30+ FPS but DAT HEAT. It's a LOT hotter than my HP notebook that much is for sure.

I dunno man, my purpose behind buying a MBA was a thin and light notebook I could use for school purposes. It does fit that bill well but... The price to performance thing is kind of sticking my crawl if you get my meaning. I seem to be having a harder time justifying the premium being paid for the form factor when I have an iPad 2.
 
C

Chris R

Member
Something is wrong with your machine and/or you have a process hog running in the background if you can't get more than 10FPS in SCII @ 1440x900 with everything set to low. I get good framerate with everything set to low on my older machine. And yes it does get hot, but not even close to being as hot as my previous laptops.

DIII I could see running a bit slower than SCII (I tried playing it on my MBA but it wasn't playable with all the hiccups), same goes for the source engine games.
 
Vigilant Walrus

Vigilant Walrus

Member
Man I really wonder what it's going to be like when Macbook Pro gets Hashwell. It's hard to imagine the HD 4000 getting bumped to twice the performance. I hope the heat wont be as extreme as in the last tick (Sandybridge!)

Dark Sun Cetra said:
People tell me they game on their MB Air 2012s. I have to ask how? After 5-10 minutes it sounds like the thing is having a conniption fit, and it gets so hot I could grill a steak on it. And the games I've tried StarCraft II, Diablo III, Amnesia, and Left 4 Dead all run extremely poorly anyway, which is counter to what I was told by MB Air owners prior to my purchase. I have to wonder if they've ever played a computer game on decent setup, be it Mac or PC. Torchlight had the best result, but even that turned the computer into a stove after about 20-30 minutes.

Seriously considering returning this computer. I could have just spent a lot less money and instead bought a keyboard for my iPad 2. I feel I'd have about the same performance.

I have to say, I do like OSX though. It's not nearly as bad as I've seen people say. It's not Windows, but that's a plus I think.
Click to expand...


You have to remember that how hot it is on the outside is not necessarily an indicator on how hot it is on the inside, simply because Aluminium attracts the heat. It "takes" the heat from the hot components inside. That is why it is a good material to use to build computers instead of say... Plastic.


You can't go on sayings by people like that who claim it's fine. For some people "it can play games" mean that it can run counter-strike and GTA San Andreas. Some people might test newer games but not for a long time, and perhaps at highly reduced settings. Playable framerates are also different depending on the person. Basically you cannot go on statements from people.



Macbook Air is most def not intended to be a good candidate of games. Dedicated hardcore computer games are always designed with a dedicated graphics card in mind. But it's going to be fine in many examples for light gaming. If you play a bit of WoW, or CSS or Audiosurf or Minecraft. Then it is going to be okay.
But it gaming is a bigger part of your agenda, then it's not ideal. It's so thin. It's an amazing computer and people like to test the limits despite its weight and thinness. Other people want to game as much as people but have decided to settle on this ultra portable. Others again get overly eager and exaggerated a bit when thy take their new hardware home.
 
C

Cetra

Member
The statement you made about aluminium vs plastic makes sense. I hadn't thought about it that way before. Still though, as someone who isn't used to it, a computer getting that hot to the touch is rather shocking.

I'm still on the fence about the return. I mean, as you said, it's amazing computer for it's size. The display is gorgeous (Seriously, I wish all my displays had such good image quality) and the OS runs buttery smooth(Text is OSX is fucking beautiful). Outside of the disappointment of it not running games as well as I was told by other it would run them it's a great machine.

I just don't know if it's 1500 worth of great when I have a very capable desktop PC and an iPad (which can totally handle on the go document creation just fine) at the same time. Not to mention my enormous (Four times as thick, and about 5-7 pounds. HATE carrying the thing in a backpack) but decent enough HP laptop.
 
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