Quad-core worth it?

splashthecash

Hi,

Would there be much of a noticable difference in the overall system performance with regard to dual core and quad core processors with the new iMac..??

DotOrg

short answer is no, long answer is yes

it depends on what you do with your computer. if you use processor intensive applications like HD video editing then yes, it will be faster. but of course that is also helped with better hard drives and more ram

if you listen to music, browse the web and store your photos on your computer, no, you won't see any difference

DavidCochrane

Macrumours has a great comparison of the different iMac models.



http://www.macrumors.com/2009/11/20/more-quad-core-imac-benchmarks-show-substantial-performance-gains/

Roland27

I was also wondering is it worth the extra cash to go for the new Quadcore rather than the 'old' dual core. Obviously when it comes to buying a new top-end iMac ('27), it can be quite expensive, and so I was consider not going for the Quadcore as it costs more:

• 2.66GHz Intel Core i5 – €1,799.00
• 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo – €1,499.00

Whatever modifications you make yourself your still looking at around a €300 difference in price if you want to get the new Quadcore. What I was thinking of doing was going for the Core 2 Duo (saving myself €300 of the total price), and adding on an additional 4GB of RAM for a total of 8GB.

8GB of RAM on a Core 2 Duo processor is still pretty damn fast – I would be using it for work and so would have, say, various CS4 and large programs open – and that would still be a very powerful machine. Yes, the new Quadcore is the latest thing and is obviously better, but that doesn't mean the old processor suddenly become ancient technology.