Ashlea writes:

I’m in the market for a new Mac to replace my old iBook, I’m thinking I want an iMac. What is the difference between the two 27″ iMacs on the Apple web site? The most expensive one ($1999) says that it’s a Quad-Core. I have no idea what any of this means but is it worth the extra $300 over the other 27″ iMac?

Thanks for your help!

Thanks for the question, Ashlea.

Short Answer: If you can afford it, buy the more expensive i5 model (Quad-Core).

Long Answer: The i5 and i7 Quad Core processors are the newer, faster processors of the future. The Intel Core 2 Duo processors are getting long in the tooth and will begin to disappear in the next few years. (Time – and technology – marches on, right?) So for that reason alone it’s probably money well spent to get the next generation processor.

That said, if you’re watching your budget and you don’t NEED the latest uber-fast iMac, then by all means save a few hundred and get the cheaper 27″ Or even consider the 21.5″ iMacs. Have you actually gone to an Apple store and sat in front of a 27″ iMac? They’re HUGE! Next to them the 21.5″ model may look small, but it’s not minuscule by any means.

So in my mind I think the choice is really between the $1199 21.5″ iMac with the older Intel Core 2 Duo processor and the $1999 27″ iMac with the new Intel i5 processor.

As always, don’t buy extra RAM from Apple, although all of the current iMacs come with 4GB, which is enough for most users. And don’t forget to put a backup procedure into operation. External hard drives are cheap and your work, movies, and photos are valuable!

Thanks for writing in, Ashlea, and anyone else is invited to send me your questions and I will do my best to answer you. All throughout the month I answer more questions and post other useful Macintosh and iPhone related articles on the website.