View Full Version : I7 Mac's
Chris_redfield
11-13-2009, 04:05 AM
Are Mac going to start putting I7 CPU's into the iMac, mac mini range or any of there laptops any time soon.
Granted there may be heat issues or things like that but surely if Clevo can squeeze a 920 into a laptop then mac can get one into an iMac. Is the board in the mac mini a mini itx? I could see that being a problem but still it would be nice to see at least a 775 quad available for the cheaper systems.
Mabyboi
11-13-2009, 04:51 AM
Go take a look at their new 27" imacs, they have the i5 and i7 available for upgrade.. as for the mac mini and the macbook... i dont think those are coming any time soon...
Chris_redfield
11-13-2009, 05:25 AM
Cheers I hadn't noticed the 27" with the i5 CPU. The screen is too large though I was rather hoping I'd be able to get something like the i5 in a 21.5 inch model, plus the price tag of £1600 is way, way too much. I was only really looking because I have £120 in vouchers that I got through work for free (the only thing I can buy that I would get for myself is a mac, I was a bit peeved when I found out I couldn't put them towards any other PC hardware.) and I like iWeb so if I'm really honest a quad is kind of overkill anyway. I might just wait until after christmas in the vain hope that a sale or something occurs. I might even just use them to get people christmas presents.
Mabyboi
11-13-2009, 06:29 AM
No worries, if you dont need em you can send em my way :D
Chris_redfield
11-13-2009, 07:17 AM
Lol, they only work in a handful of UK shops.
I was going to have to get the mac from John Lewis as thats about the only useful shop I can apply for the vouchers at (there and Asda.) But I have a friend who works there and am hoping that I could also swing a discount on top.
yaddam205
11-13-2009, 10:03 AM
The big rumor is a full MacBook Pro line upgrade in Jan/Feb of next year. With the use of either Arrandale or Clarksfield it should be quite a significant boost of the current gen stuff.
I doubt we will see an huge design change but definitely a spec bump by the end of Q1/10'
Mabyboi
11-13-2009, 11:01 AM
i was in bestbuy the other day and saw one of the 27" macs. absolutely beautiful screen, it was just breathtaking... but i would prefer to use that kind of screen on my current desktop... and i dont like the resolution too too much.... still nice computer though!
Mungri
11-14-2009, 09:31 PM
They have 2.8 Ghz I7 Imacs, though only with dual channel ram and a single 4850 on a HD screen.
But that is still really good for everything built into a thin monitor frame.
Chris_redfield
11-15-2009, 06:31 AM
I can't have a 27" screen on my desk though unfortunately and as much as I'd love one its too expensive there is no way I'd spend that much on a mac now. Not since the switch to intel. Plus its probably overkill for what I'd be using it for.
Is there a chance we might see apple start using the i3 CPU's in the 21" iMacs or more hopefully the mac mini in Q1 2010 as well as the mac book upgrades?
The more and more I look the mac mini actually seems like quite a handy little system to have because I really want iWeb. I might just hang on a few months and see what happens. I'm not desperate for anything right now but I can see me splurging on a mac mini now and then seeing a new upgraded version in january for the same price which would really annoy me.
Mabyboi
11-15-2009, 12:12 PM
they just updated the imacs, and the mac mini.. so im not sure if we'll see the new i's in there soon...
neonblingbling
11-17-2009, 12:43 AM
Have you seen these benchmarks (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/11/14/core-i7-based-27-imac-benchmarks-show-significant-improvements/)? I don't know what 'Geekbench' is, but at least you can compare apples to apples (har har, I just saw the pun).
Mabyboi
11-17-2009, 04:51 AM
Have you seen these benchmarks (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/11/14/core-i7-based-27-imac-benchmarks-show-significant-improvements/)? I don't know what 'Geekbench' is, but at least you can compare apples to apples (har har, I just saw the pun).
well it was obvious that the imac with the core i7 was going to win, but these dont really shed any light on the pc vs mac benchmarks for the core i7...
neonblingbling
11-17-2009, 12:40 PM
well it was obvious that the imac with the core i7 was going to win, but these dont really shed any light on the pc vs mac benchmarks for the core i7...
I figured there must be a PC vs Mac comparison for the older iMacs or Mac Pro's, so it could be compared indirectly.
lowfat
11-17-2009, 01:14 PM
well it was obvious that the imac with the core i7 was going to win, but these dont really shed any light on the pc vs mac benchmarks for the core i7...
Why would they be any different. They use the same Core i5/i7's that you find in any PC.
neonblingbling
11-17-2009, 01:32 PM
Maybe Apple found a magic CPU/mobo/RAM combo? :ROTF:
If anything, maybe the software is better? :shrug:
Mabyboi
11-18-2009, 04:53 AM
Why would they be any different. They use the same Core i5/i7's that you find in any PC.
I would only think that the actual operating system would have ALOT to do with performance... not necesarely the hardware since its the same..
AndrewZorn
11-19-2009, 11:19 AM
The big rumor is a full MacBook Pro line upgrade in Jan/Feb of next year. With the use of either Arrandale or Clarksfield it should be quite a significant boost of the current gen stuff.
I doubt we will see an huge design change but definitely a spec bump by the end of Q1/10'
good news, still an avid mac [software] hater but the software situation can be rectified. the macbook pro is a really nice looking laptop. combined with a student discount i might actually get one.
xanvincent
11-23-2009, 07:05 PM
I couldn't see Apple hardware besting PC hardware at the same pricepoint. The value of a PC simply can't be beat, especially with W7. Macs are pretty to look at though.
breathemetal
11-30-2009, 01:28 PM
So hows the gpu in the i7 mac?
Its the 4850 right? now is it the desktop or mobile version?
Chris_redfield
11-30-2009, 04:02 PM
Its a 4850 in the iMac and a 4870 in the Power Mac. As far as I'm aware they are the desktop versions. Though, due to the Power Mac being touted as a workstation I am a bit surprised not to see Mac offering the 5770 and upwards for eyefinity.
The iMac's are horribly underpowered when it comes to the GPU. The 27 inch model has a res of 2560 x 1440 and a 4850. The 21.5 has a res of 1920 x 1080 and comes with an Nvidia 9400M as standard which can be upgraded all the way up to a 4670.
Apart from its GPU the bog standard 21.5 inch iMac seems OK value for money when you take into account the screen and everything. Then you get to the GPU and its a complete dissapointment. My laptop has a more powerful GPU in it than the bog standard iMac and the mac minis. And I can overclock the GPU in my laptop!
Russian
12-06-2009, 10:37 PM
Have you looked at the GTX 285?
I have the 27" 3.06GHz iMac and it runs pretty fast. They didn't have the i7s out at the time but I really didn't need all that power.
Gaming wise this iMac with a 256MB ATI 4670 is pretty good.
I loaded Windows XP and was able to run games pretty well. I am waiting for Windows 7 BootCamp support to actually worry about playing games on my iMac.
One thing I was very impressed with on the i7s was encoding speeds with Handbrake. They were able to encode a DVD in 45 minutes. That is amazing. If an apps is written for multi-core support like that then the i7s are amazing.