21" iMac, more mem vs. GFX card?

[Anonymous]

hi folks, we have $1500 to spend on an iMac for AC17 (or 18?).

We can either get the low end iMac 21" with integrated (Iris Pro) graphics and upgrade to 16GB memory, or we can get the higher end iMac 21" with NVidia GT 750M and leave it at 8GB. Which is the best bang for the buck?

Thanks.

[Karl Ottenstein]

__Tango wrote:
hi folks, we have $1500 to spend on an iMac for AC17 (or 18?).

We can either get the low end iMac 21" with integrated (Iris Pro) graphics and upgrade to 16GB memory, or we can get the higher end iMac 21" with NVidia GT 750M and leave it at 8GB. Which is the best bang for the buck?

Thanks.

Integrated/Intel graphics is not a realistic option. Users here do report being able to work on Macs with Intel graphics, but at some point you will hit a wall and there will be no upgrade options other than a new machine.

Graphisoft recommends a dedicated graphics card here:
http://helpcenter.graphisoft.com/technotes/video-cards/recommended-video-cards-for-archicad-17/#Mac_...

For the best performance choose Mac computers with dedicated graphics cards. Integrated Intel HD 3000, 4000 cards work with ArchiCAD, but their performance is limited.

Note, too, that the 21.5" iMac memory can not be upgraded... so you have to pay Apple's high prices for them to install it. In contrast, the 27" iMac has 4 user installable memory slots.

Finally: I and many others have purchased Apple-refurbished units that are indistinguishable from brand-new. Full warranty. That said, there are no 16 GB 21.5" models listed tonight. (Inventory changes daily. Took me a couple of weeks before the machine I wanted showed up):
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/imac/21

Ignoring your high sales tax (I assume 'Cali' as your location means California) - I'm used to zero tax here - there are a couple of lower end 27" iMac listed for 1529 (2013 model) and 1549 (2012 model) with 8GB memory and dedicated graphics cards with 1 GB VRAM:
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/imac/27
It'll work fine with the 8GB RAM until you have the funds to purchase another 8GB (or more)... at someplace like macsales.com for about $100.

Various other models incrementally above that...i7 better than i5, Fusion drive better performance than normal drive, etc...but getting out of your budget.

[Anonymous]

Karl wrote:
[
Integrated/Intel graphics is not a realistic option. Users here do report being able to work on Macs with Intel graphics, but at some point you will hit a wall and there will be no upgrade options other than a new machine.

Thanks. The budget is tight, and the company has had bad experiences with refurb machines (dells) in the past, so I'm betting they won't want to do that again. We'll likely go with the higher end 21" new with the graphics card.

Thanks again.

[PB]

Hi Tango,

I appreciate that you are on a tight budget, but I would strongly recommend trying to persuade your boss(es) that the extra investment in a 27" iMac would be repaid very quickly.

As mentioned above, the 27" allows for later RAM upgrades, but the extra screen space will (in my opinion) improve your productivity considerably. The extra investment will pale into insignificance compared to the boost it will give you and the company - it should thus be viewed in the context of your salary & your billing rate to clients.....

It is a sobering perspective that places the real worth of the 'best tools for the job' before arbitrary 'budget' figures.

[PB]

I'd also add that, as far as I know, Apple's refurb' program is very robust and is backed by Apple's guarantees.