iskra said:
Albeit not easy but you can add memory to iMac 21 2012 model by your own —
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8Tuq373wPs
I doubt you'll be able to feel real difference from 16GB now except cases when working with graphics and video creation tools.
I would say iMac since it's integrated and cheaper package overall (keyboard/mouse or trackpad, camera, speakers). Add memory and SSD when warranty expires.
Even more if you are going with BTO 21.5 then it would be no brainer to just go for base 27 model. 4 easy accessible slots for up to 32GB ram and nice screen. I doubt you will see difference between 2.9 and 3.1GHz i5
And then why not wait for Haswell refresh. It must be around the corner.
Regarding your question about HD4000 it's definitely used for Intel's QuickSync transcoding but it's not used in tandem with discrete graphics.
Thanks for the great help! I'm a very "techie" hardware guy, but I've seen and considered videos showing the opening of the 21.5" iMac, and I don't feel like I want to embark on THAT journey...
And yes, I am waiting for Haswell, I'm just trying to decide which one will fit me better (In terms of overall productivity). If the iMac currently has a better performance, there is NO WAY Apple is gonna downgrade it's performance during the Haswell upgrade...
And BTW, I'm looking at the 3.1ghz i7. It (interestingly enough) is an i7 model on the 21.5" BTO... I would opt for the better processor... And since I'm a student, I get the student discount! ^_^ (then again, ANYONE can claim to be a student and get the discount, LOL)
The reason I'm worried about the 8gb or RAM is because I plan on running Windows 7 through Parallels on the machine (and gaming on each end of the virtual machine). If I weren't running Parallels, I wouldn't be worried, but I want flawless performance on each side of the VM...
By the way, this is the BTO model I'm looking at for the iMac...
3.1GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
1TB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M 512MB GDDR5
Apple Magic Mouse
Apple Wireless Keyboard (English) & User's Guide
$1638.97
and this is the one for the Mac mini
2.6GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
4GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
1TB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
User's Guide (English)
Pages
Numbers
Keynote
Accessory Kit
($928.97) plus $263.99 for a new Asus VG248QE monitor...
And I KNOW that there will be a pretty good different between a 2.9ghz i5 and a 3.1ghz i7, the question is, will is vastly affect any gaming performance? Because I know that those i7s make a good difference...