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Which iMac 27?


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Hi Petri, I ordred and received one of the dual core 24" iMacs just days before they released the 27" models. I returned the 24" and bought a 27" (the fastest one they make) with 4g RAM and the 512 GPU. The difference is remarkable, at least for me. I really like the new machine a lot. Just my personal 2? based on purely subjective observation.

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I just bought a 27" iMac. I needed it immediately (old machine died) so I could only get an i5 machine. If I could have waited, I would have certainly spent the extra $200 for an i7 machine. All of the research that I did indicated that there is a modest performance increase.

That said, the i5 is pretty dang fast. Four cores make short work of most RW rendering. The 512 video card also makes for really fast OpenGL rendering.

I'm loving it.

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According to NNA advertising (and a discussion that I had with an NNA rep.,) all Parasolids-related activity is multi-core aware.

http://www.nemetschek.net/designer/designer-feature-list.php?feature=viewport-referencing

Oddly, the statement about multi-processor support is listed under "Enhanced Viewport and Referencing Capabilities." Not sure if that means that it only applies to VPs or if someone in NNA marketing didn't know where else to put it.

As I've been working on VW2010, I only see multi-processor activity during rendering.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Yes, the MacBookPro (especially the brand new ones) is certainly powerful enough to run the software including RenderWorks. Up until a month or so ago the 2.33 gHz macbook pro was the only machine I had and I used it for everything for about three years, usually with a 20" Cinema Display as an additional monitor. It was certainly adequate, however I must say that when I compare it to the new core i7 iMac I wonder how I ever had the patience to wait for renders to complete. If you do get one I think to top of the line 15" would be worth the extra cost. It has a faster processor and a 512 GPU, See attached for specs from Apple's site. Happy New Year!

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Until a couple of weeks ago, I was running VW+RW on a first-generation MacBook (NOT pro.) It was fine. Render times were a bit slow but it worked fine for two years.

I upgraded to an i5 iMac (totally jealous about the i7, Peter) and WOW - 4 cores good...

I would have gotten the i7 but I couldn't wait (old machine started acting wonky.) The i7 is surely worth the extra $200.

If you do lots of rendering, get the fastest processor and highest number of cores that you can afford.

The rumor mill has it that the next version of the MacPro is going to have 6 or 12 processors. Now THAT will make for some fast renders.

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It will be interesting to see what Apple introduces for the "Pro" line. Everybody has commented that the new iMacs have made the Pro towers look very very overpriced in comparison, not to mention their much larger physical footprint and need for an external monitor. Knowing Apple I would guess they have some worthwhile plan up their sleeves. We shall see....

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