need some comments on i5 vs i7 & duo vs quad

[digitalcarbon]

while i sure there is a difference, the big question is

"is there a noticeable difference when running vw?"

macmini duo core i5 or i7

or

iMac quad core i5 or i7 (i hate paying for a screen since i have 2 already. that is why i like the macmini)

i want to avoid paying for extra and then be told "vw does not take advantage of that yet"

any comments?

[sig_eigei]

The iMac will probably has a better graphics card which will help.

The speed of the hard disk is also a factor. I am on a 2.8 Ghz Core i7 MacBook Pro and just changed my hard disk to SSD. VW (and of course the whole system) runs so much faster.

[billtheia]

I'm sure that the iMac will be faster than the mini.

Take a look at these performance benchmarks:

http://www.primatelabs.ca/geekbench/mac-benchmarks

I have i5 and i7 iMacs and for non-rendering work they both feel the same. Rendering with the i7, though, is a bit faster.

You can run your existing monitors and second screens on the iMac, if you don't want them to collect dust.

If you work primarily in 2d, I don't think that you'll notice a huge difference between the mini and iMac. If you use Renderworks, you'll want all of the horsepower you can get your hands on.