ArhchiCAD on new iMacs (2012)

[Anonymous]

Hi, would be grateful for any advice on choosing a new iMac (27") to run ArchiCAD 16 (Solo) on. I'm currently working off a 5 year old 17" iMac Core2Duo, so anything new is probably going to run like a dream in comparison. I plan to get one of the new iMac 27" coming out (hopefully) in a couple of weeks time. I am still fairly new to AC (1 year) and my models are currently fairly non-complex / small files, but that might change over time. I would like the new Mac to last 3-4 years. I will add extra RAM (16GB)

Specifically can anyone tell me if which of the following upgrade options will make any real noticeable difference to ArchiCAD performance.

Processor - 2.9GHz quad-core Intel Core i5, or 3.2Ghz i5? or 3.4 GHz Core i7?
Memory card - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M (512MB) or GeForce GTX 675MX with 1GB? or GeForce GTX 680MX 2GB?
Hard Drive - upgrade to Fusion Drive?

Thanks for any advice.

[JLopes]

and then?! New iMac 27 "i7 is" pumping "in Rendering /Archicad 16 and how this performance?!
and reliable?! or has given problems?!
I would appreciate comments on the new iMac 27 "and its settings and performance CAD / Rendering.
(since the new Mac Pro long in coming!!)

[Karl Ottenstein]

Compare 3.3 Mac Pro (MP) and 3.4 2012 iMac:

http://www.barefeats.com/imac12b1.html

http://www.barefeats.com/imac12g3.html

http://www.barefeats.com/imac12p1.html

and the question of heat and fan noise:

http://www.barefeats.com/imac12g5.html

[Anonymous]

Hi, I'm just seeing this topic being discussed now. I'm also thinking about a new computer. Most of the discussion here is focused on a 27" Imac. If you max out the RAM, upgrade to fusion drive, upgrade video card, and get Apple Care, this machine is almost $3,000 !

What about the 21" ? For about $1500. Will that work fine for typical residential work with file sizes around 50MB ?

We have the 21" Intel core I3, 3.06gHz with 16 MB of RAM. Its seems just fine for the work. But the difference here is the RAM and hard drive. GS said you need 16MB of RAM. If its less, then the machine begins to write into the drive as it renders. With the new machine, you can't get the fusion drive. The new drive is slower. Does anyone think this might be a problem ?