Help me decide between 20" and 24" iMac

ablatt · Jan 3rd, 2007, 07:28 AM

Went to the Yorkdale Apple Store last night prepared to buy the 20" iMac for my son.

It was sitting on a shelf right beside a 24" model, and although, he doesn't NEED the extra screen real estate, the 24" screen just looked SO much nicer.

The extra brightness made the colours appear more vibrant and the text clearer, and I was blown away by how much better a video looked on the 24" when run side-by-side with the 20"

I know it's about $500 more and that you get Firewire 800, better video card, and better audio.

I don't mind spending the extra money, as long as the screen REALLY is that much better and I wasn't fooled by lighting in the store or something else.

I also read a few posts on some sites saying the 24" is TOO bright and may be hard on the eyes.

Is the 24" LCD panel used in the 24" iMac a much better panel than the 20" panel in the 20" iMac?

Anybody out there who faced this issue who can help me decide?

John Clay · Jan 3rd, 2007, 08:01 AM

It's not a better screen, per say. Higher resolution, but that is to be expected. The audio is the same on all of the iMacs - Built-in stereo speakers, built-in microphone, optical digital audio output/headphone out, optical digital audio input/audio line in.

The brighter screen makes movies and games look nicer than on the 20".

One advantage of the 24" is that it is now the only iMac that is VESA compliant, for mounting.

You certainly get the most bang for your buck with the 20", but if you need/want the extra screen space and graphics performance...

ablatt · Jan 3rd, 2007, 11:22 AM

Am I safe buying the 24" iMac now?

They're not going to announce anything at MacWorld Expo that would change my mind, are they?

Tait Kahray · Jan 3rd, 2007, 11:37 AM

Unless you have to make a purchase before MacWorld, wait to see what is announced. While the 24" iMac is not considered by many to be a prime contender for change, with Apple you just never know.

xtal · Jan 3rd, 2007, 02:03 PM

Don't forget the fact that by waiting a week you may get iLife '07.

mycatsnameis · Jan 3rd, 2007, 02:12 PM

I recently made this decision and went in favour of the 24" iMac. Not only for screen real estate but primarily b/c of the video card upgrade (to the 7600). That makes the machine longer lived and not at a huge premium. With the stock card on the 20 or 24" models it's a so so machine for gaming, with the 7600 you can play even the most demanding games at full res and it beats out a stock Mac Pro that would ost you almost twice as much (assuming you bought an Apple display with it). Check out the Bare Feats Shoot Out to see the difference the 7600 makes. That graphics card will make an even bigger difference as developers of may types of s/w further leverage Core Image/Video (Tiger) and Core Animation (Leopard) built into the OS.

Since you're buying for your son, and presumably he's a student, you should order from the education store online and get a better price on it (2049 + 82 for the 7600). I would also highly recommend the upgrade to 2 gig of RAM (once you've selected that page, it's the top listed custom config - 2322 edu price for 2 gig + the 7600).

I don't expect anyting to change after Macworld but it's worth waiting to see anyway (besides getting iLife '07, you might also find out if you would get a copy of Leopard for free or discounted).

Jan 3rd, 2007, 07:28 AM	#1
ablatt New Neighbour Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 6	Help me decide between 20" and 24" iMac Went to the Yorkdale Apple Store last night prepared to buy the 20" iMac for my son. It was sitting on a shelf right beside a 24" model, and although, he doesn't NEED the extra screen real estate, the 24" screen just looked SO much nicer. The extra brightness made the colours appear more vibrant and the text clearer, and I was blown away by how much better a video looked on the 24" when run side-by-side with the 20" I know it's about $500 more and that you get Firewire 800, better video card, and better audio. I don't mind spending the extra money, as long as the screen REALLY is that much better and I wasn't fooled by lighting in the store or something else. I also read a few posts on some sites saying the 24" is TOO bright and may be hard on the eyes. Is the 24" LCD panel used in the 24" iMac a much better panel than the 20" panel in the 20" iMac? Anybody out there who faced this issue who can help me decide?

Jan 3rd, 2007, 08:01 AM	#2
John Clay Get off my lawn! Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Toronto Posts: 2,720	It's not a better screen, per say. Higher resolution, but that is to be expected. The audio is the same on all of the iMacs - Built-in stereo speakers, built-in microphone, optical digital audio output/headphone out, optical digital audio input/audio line in. The brighter screen makes movies and games look nicer than on the 20". One advantage of the 24" is that it is now the only iMac that is VESA compliant, for mounting. You certainly get the most bang for your buck with the 20", but if you need/want the extra screen space and graphics performance... __________________ iMac 27" 2.8Ghz Core i7, 8GB RAM, 1TB + 1TB • Samsung 24" LCD • APC Smart-UPS 1000VA UPS MacBook Pro 13" 2.26Ghz Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 500GB iPhone 4 32GB Mac mini 1.66Ghz Core Duo, 2GB RAM, 8TB, as PBX/file/web/mail server • ViewSonic 19" LCD • APC 750VA UPS SpeedTouch 516 • Linksys WRT54GL • NETGEAR GS108 switch TekSavvy DSL • Voip.ms VoIP

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Jan 3rd, 2007, 11:22 AM	#3
ablatt New Neighbour Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 6	Am I safe buying the 24" iMac now? They're not going to announce anything at MacWorld Expo that would change my mind, are they?

Jan 3rd, 2007, 11:37 AM	#4
Tait Kahray Full Citizen Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Beaconsfield, Québec, Canada Posts: 150	Unless you have to make a purchase before MacWorld, wait to see what is announced. While the 24" iMac is not considered by many to be a prime contender for change, with Apple you just never know.

Jan 3rd, 2007, 02:03 PM	#5
xtal Full Citizen Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 50	Don't forget the fact that by waiting a week you may get iLife '07.

Jan 3rd, 2007, 02:12 PM	#6
mycatsnameis Full Citizen Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 933	I recently made this decision and went in favour of the 24" iMac. Not only for screen real estate but primarily b/c of the video card upgrade (to the 7600). That makes the machine longer lived and not at a huge premium. With the stock card on the 20 or 24" models it's a so so machine for gaming, with the 7600 you can play even the most demanding games at full res and it beats out a stock Mac Pro that would ost you almost twice as much (assuming you bought an Apple display with it). Check out the Bare Feats Shoot Out to see the difference the 7600 makes. That graphics card will make an even bigger difference as developers of may types of s/w further leverage Core Image/Video (Tiger) and Core Animation (Leopard) built into the OS. Since you're buying for your son, and presumably he's a student, you should order from the education store online and get a better price on it (2049 + 82 for the 7600). I would also highly recommend the upgrade to 2 gig of RAM (once you've selected that page, it's the top listed custom config - 2322 edu price for 2 gig + the 7600). I don't expect anyting to change after Macworld but it's worth waiting to see anyway (besides getting iLife '07, you might also find out if you would get a copy of Leopard for free or discounted).