That is the question that I have been asking myself for a long time just when they presented these models, with an initial impact similar to the one that caused me to see the MacBook Pro Retina live for the first time ... Wow, they look just as sharp as my content! iPhone !, I thought at the time. Now with the view more used to mega-resolutions and millions and millions of pixels, it is no longer so "impressive" to see screens of this caliber. However if I care more than the power of the equipment is in line with what it has to move on the screen Since really deep down, once the initial impact has passed, what we want is for everything to move smoothly.
If we look more carefully we can see that the design has remained intact since the new generation was presented in 2012 as long as we stick to design terms, nothing has changed except the internal components (evident on the other hand) and the panel that is his biggest claim.
We have already made it clear on more than one occasion that this team is clearly designed for a multimedia and / or professional use with different limitations in the extremes, that is, leaving aside the more hardcore options such as demanding players with graphics hardware or professionals who sometimes need a much greater processing power, I think it is a fairly compensated equipment, although low my point of view in the most basic version the 5k model it falls short, and not because it does not move with ease but because for tasks a little more heavy that make use of the fantastic panel that it integrates, it makes a "classic" iMac go better under the same conditions, the resolution is not all advantages. All this of course speaking of the entry ranges without going to the customization for the top-of-the-range models, where there would no longer be so much difference.
Keep in mind that the price difference in specifications with the entry model is € 600. This way we could get an iMac 27 ″ with similar characteristics with 2560 x 1440 resolution for € 2029, while the 5K iMac with a slightly more updated processor and a somewhat more powerful graphics although for a little, it goes to € 2629. My humble opinion is that if you do not consider yourself a gamer or work professionally with editing programs (in this case I would recommend the Mac Pro, but the top-of-the-range iMac Retina), and you have not had an iMac before, this being your first investment in this type from all-in-one, go to the retina model. You will ensure a team with more future and it will give you the necessary experience so that you can enjoy a far superior image quality without complications.
However if you want to occasionally enjoy games in native resolution or take more advantage of CPU capabilities Without the panel being a burden on certain occasions, for a much lower price, being an equally valid or better equipment in certain aspects, you opt for the iMac 27 ″ with the standard panel, although as always this is a very opinion personal.
Add the 200 euros of the fusion drive and the differences are reduced. For the difference I would have it very clear.
My eyes have become sybaritic since I have the macbook pro retina and the truth is that my eyes can no longer see resolutions not retina, hehehe.
Perhaps what you are commenting on could have been stretched a little more with the graphics so that the fluidity of heavy GPU programs is more in line with my sybaritism.
On the one hand, the screen is spectacular. It is worth it, a lot. On the other hand, if an imac like this is needed for a job that requires a lower resolution, it can be adjusted down without problems (and the good thing is that it preserves the screen's dots-per-inch ratio so you still see fantastic). In any case, I would recommend making the effort to go to the i7 processor and the R295x graphics, because at the maximum resolution you can see the highest available power. It's a great team.
It still seems like a real theft in terms of specifications, since for € 2000 (which I think is the entry model) you buy a PC with a gtx980 and an i7 4770k, and that seems wrong from Apple, since The only thing you should pay for is the design, which has not changed from 2 years ago also. I say this with knowledge of the facts, because my father has 3 Macs, 2 of them iMac, and the g4 he has gives nothing but problems because it has a shitty graphics and 1gb of ram for € 1400 that it cost in its day. Sounds like an armed robbery to me.
"Without the panel being a burden on certain occasions" ... Excuse me but I have read a lot of news about this iMac since its departure, including Benchmarks, and none of them has spoken of the panel being a burden. That it does not greatly exceed the performance of last year's iMac is clear, however it is not inferior. I think that in order to make an affirmation of these, it would be convenient to present your bases (on what occasions is it a burden? What benchmark have you based on to affirm this?) Otherwise, it would be giving a false perception to us readers.