I’m looking at getting an iMac to use as a spare/backup machine, there seem to be lots of good deals on the i3 version, has anyone any experience of both these and the i5?

Are there likely to be any future compatibility issues? One of the reasons for buying is because CS5 doesn’t run on some of my older non-intel Mac-Pros, are there likely to be any compatibility issues for software between i3 and i5?

Cheers!

No. The difference between PowerPC and Intel macs was like the difference between a Ford Fiesta and a Submarine in relation to compatibility. i3 and i5 is more like comparing a 1.2 Fiesta to a 1.4 Fiesta….as in it is purely a power thing, so there will be no probs with compatibility.

*Apologies if this is too dumbed down.

No need to apologise Jamie, I thought that was the case, but I’m a bit dim like that. Just wanted to check there are no architectural differences that might cause future probs.

Are the performance differences worth the extra £200-£300?

Hmmm. It depends what price the i3 is going for really, as all the new iMacs are i5 as standard now and quad core. Older i3s will be dual core still. So for £200 more I would go for a new one from Apple.

I’ve found i5 21.5″ versions for £830, so I think I’ll just get one of those…

Cheers Jamie

🙂

Can’t argue with that price. Mind sharing the link as in the market for an iMac myself at the mo. Bit gutted the newer ones are only 21.5 or 27″ tho, as would like something slap bang in the middle ideally.

I’d be wanting a very good deal on an i3 one. The new Sandy Bridge based i5s are a good bit quicker, and benchmarking better than the 4-core Mac Pros of a year or two ago. Better graphics too, and Thunderbolt ports, not that there’s anything to plug into them yet.

CS5 will work fine on an older i3 one, but for that sort of work I’d say the extra few hundred quid will be well spent.

(happy owner of a new i5 27″!)

This is the cheapest I can find at £808 (£969 inc VAT)…

Linky

try these as well …

http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/imac/21?mco=MjEwNzM4MjE

Just ordered an i5 from Dixons, for £ 951.92 which is £793!!!

Cheaper than the refurb!

Bargain? What are the wireless keyboard and mouse like? Always had the wired versions on Mac Pros…

Mouse is good as you can use it like the touch pad on the laptops.

I have two production iMacs, both running CS5 in a live production environment, all day every day. They are both i3 3.2ghz with the stock 4gb of RAM. Perfectly fine, even working on a 208pp, 180mb InDesign file, product catalogue.

I considered buying the new i5 with Sandybridge but I opted for an i3 from Apple refurb store – very happy with my decision.

I’d say don’t spend too much because this update was a minor one. The next one, probably in 18 months time, will be a major one. An (educated) guess of course.

p.s. both 27″.

Cheers Steve, the i5 turned out to be only about a hundred quid more than the discounted i3s.

Left it with stock 4mb ram and 500 gig hard drive. I’ll update the RAM if need be, but I’m interested to see how it handles. It’s only used for setting catalogues etc in InDesign, not much photoshop or illustrator, but they can get quite weighty.

Must….resist….buying….27″ iMac…..arghhhhh.

hate hate HATE the apple magic mouse …

The scroll / movement is so frustratingly slow, and even with Better Touch running its still crud.

Stick with Logitech equivalents, and if you like the finger gestures invest in either a Bamboo of the Magic Pad.

Keyboards … again not quite there, the cordless don’t have a numerical section, and I find them to cramped to do anything serious on them, also they sit to “flat” to the desk to be comfortable for me.

Cordless can recommend the Logitech Mediapad series, or the full size USB Apple versions.

Its a shame they are so pretty …

I think I’ll just use one of the extended keyboards off one of the redundant Mac Pros and buy a corded mouse. Nice and reliable and the keyboards are bloody lovely…

Shibboleth – the sort of memory that these iMacs take is absolutely crazy cheap right now, Crucial do 2x4GB modules for under £70 delivered. There’s 4 slots so you can add that to what it already has to get 12GB total.

http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/listparts.aspx?model=iMac%202.5GHz%20Intel%20Quad-Core%20i5%20%2821.5-inch%20-%20DDR3%29%20Mid%202011&pl=Apple&cat=RAM

Due to go up soon apparently, we’ve just hit a time with plenty of supply but reduced demand.

I’ve reverted to the corded keyboard that I had with my Macbook too, mainly because plugging stuff in to the ports on it is more convenient than reaching around the back of the unit.

Thanks for the link Simon, I’ll probably go for that once it’s up and running. Shame this MacPro is maxed out at 16 gig!