Is the new low end iMac good enough?

4376 Views 18 Replies 12 Participants Last post by Mississauga, Aug 23, 2007

davidslegend

Discussion Starter · Aug 22, 2007

Hi,

I am almost 99% sure I gonna get a new 1299.$ iMac...especially when you factor in all the other purchases I want like .Mac & maybe parallels & iWork...yet I was considering what the extra 200$ iMac a.k.a. 1599.$ model means in terms of usability in the future. Does the 256 meg video card mean anything if you aren't really a gamer (although I won't discount the possiblity of playing games esp. since I can run windows on this platform if I wanted)? I don't really care about the speed but, I just don't want to be saying to myself 2 years down the road that I should've bought the model that had more capability.

Did the last 20 inch iMac's have a bigger video card then 128meg?

Your opinion counts!

Thank-you.

Cheers, davidslegend

1 - 19 of 19 Posts

rgray

· #2 · Aug 22, 2007

computers are like motorcycles - fast is never fast enough!

davidslegend

Discussion Starter · #3 · Aug 22, 2007

Hmmm.....

rgray said:
computers are like motorcycles - fast is never fast enough!

rgray...so I guess the:

http://www.myspacedev.com/img/funny/funny0048.jpg

zoooooommmmm...imac.....zooooommmmm!beejacon :lmao:

Vandave

· #4 · Aug 22, 2007

davidslegend said:
Hi,

I am almost 99% sure I gonna get a new 1299.$ iMac...especially when you factor in all the other purchases I want like .Mac & maybe parallels & iWork...yet I was considering what the extra 200$ iMac a.k.a. 1599.$ model means in terms of usability in the future. Does the 256 meg video card mean anything if you aren't really a gamer (although I won't discount the possiblity of playing games esp. since I can run windows on this platform if I wanted)? I don't really care about the speed but, I just don't want to be saying to myself 2 years down the road that I should've bought the model that had more capability.

Did the last 20 inch iMac's have a bigger video card then 128meg?

Your opinion counts!

Thank-you.

Cheers, davidslegend

Games will obviously be affected by the graphics card difference.

For most tasks, the two computers will feel almost identical because most programs are powered by the CPU.

The CPU is 400 Mhz faster in the higher model. I also don't think that will make a big difference unless you are running a lot of CPU intensive tasks. Considering that you had to ask the question in the first place, I will assume you are an average user, so this would not be the case.

That said, I ordered the 2.4 Ghz.

davidslegend

Discussion Starter · #5 · Aug 22, 2007

??What you need that cpu power for?

Vandave said:
Games will obviously be affected by the graphics card difference.

For most tasks, the two computers will feel almost identical because most programs are powered by the CPU.

The CPU is 400 Mhz faster in the higher model. I also don't think that will make a big difference unless you are running a lot of CPU intensive tasks. Considering that you had to ask the question in the first place, I will assume you are an average user, so this would not be the case.

That said, I ordered the 2.4 Ghz.

Hi...Thanks for the reply!

So out of curiousity what did you need the extra processing power for....photoshop CS2???...other???

Cheers!:heybaby:
davidslegend

Vandave

· #6 · Aug 22, 2007

davidslegend said:
Hi...Thanks for the reply!

So out of curiousity what did you need the extra processing power for....photoshop CS2???...other???

Cheers!:heybaby:
davidslegend

I get the education discount because my wife is a teacher, so the extra cost is less of an issue.

The other reason is my future plans for my computer upgrade cycle. I plan to use a computer for about 4 years before upgrading. With one desktop and one laptop, I would buy a new computer every two years. My current Macbook Pro is only 1 year old, which means I want to keep it for another 3 years, which means 5 years for the desktop. Because of that, I want to be as future proof as possible. Now whether I can stick to this plan is a whole different matter...

Atroz

· #7 · Aug 22, 2007

HI,

There is a $300 difference between the two, not $200. That may factor more in your decision.

Other differences:

ATI 2400 vs 2600 GPU. I don't know the difference, may be clock speed, but may also be features.

250 Gig HD vs 320. Don't know if you need the extra 70Gigs, but Apple values it at $54.

400Mhz faster is also 20% faster. You'll have to decide if what you work on will need that. E.g. What do you do today that causes a lot of waiting, and how much quicker do you want that done?

As I found out when buying my first mac 2 years ago, Apple is VERY good at getting you to Upsell yourself. Just a few more dollars, and again... I started off wanting a MacMini, then moved to an ibook, considering both sizes, then a PowerBook looking at the 12" then buying the 15". I went from a $600 system to a $2500 system because Apple kept holding the carrot in front of me for a "Just a little more". So watch out for that.

Also know that the refurbs may be a perfectly good solution for you and saving you money.

Hey, Just realized that today is my 2 year anniversary with Mac.

My Powerbook was bought 2 years ago today and is still going strong. I'm awaiting my 3rd Mac from apple right now. Too bad it didn't show up today.

See less See more

Mississauga

· #8 · Aug 22, 2007

Rule of thumb: buy the MOST you can possibly afford.

applebook

· #9 · Aug 22, 2007

Don't forget the 800MHz bus on the new models. Did I read correctly that the iMac now uses the desktop C2 chip? If so, then it should be faster just based on that. The new low-end iMac is not really a major "upgrade" in overall performance over the previous version though. Still, you get a 20" LCD instead of a 17" and better specs for the same price.

coyoteblue

· #10 · Aug 22, 2007 (Edited)

Unless you have some high powered needs, the intro model, which I bought last week, should meet your every need! I went out and bought 1G Kingston Value ram at Filtech on Spadina ($50) , and now I have all the processing umph I need. A very nice computer that you can use Windows on as easily as Mac OS X.

meall

· #11 · Aug 23, 2007

applebook said:
Did I read correctly that the iMac now uses the desktop C2 chip?

No, they are laptops CPUs. For heat, the laptop model are better suited to the iMac small cassing.

jamesB

· #12 · Aug 23, 2007

davidslegend said:
yet I was considering what the extra 200$ iMac a.k.a. 1599.$ model

Actually it's closer to $300... more.

jb

davidslegend

Discussion Starter · #13 · Aug 23, 2007

Thanks....

jamesB said:
Actually it's closer to $300... more.

jb

Yikes...I think that settle's it then...save some money for .Mac w/discount & other possible goodies ???maybe a game even!

Cheers!

:greedy:

jicon

· #14 · Aug 23, 2007

Better LCD on the 24", with a much better viewing angle than the 20" model. (I think I read close to 170 degrees)

guytoronto

· #15 · Aug 23, 2007

Mississauga said:
Rule of thumb: buy the MOST you can possibly afford.

Worst advice ever. Especially in the computer industry. Your computer is nearly obsolete the day you buy it. So shelling out wads of cash for the latest is greatest doesn't really get you that far ahead. A better course of action is to buy what you NEED, and deck it out with components that would be totally obsolete in two years time. Things like an external hard drive for backup, extra LCD monitor, etc. These items you can easily migrate to a new system in a couple of years.

davidslegend said:
I just don't want to be saying to myself 2 years down the road that I should've bought the model that had more capability.

Take a look at what the top-end iMac was 2 years ago.
2.0GHz 20" G5 - US $1799
The low end was a 1.8GHz 17" G5 - US $1299

If you take a look at these two model today, would you say having the high end model is worth it?

jicon said:
Better LCD on the 24", with a much better viewing angle than the 20" model. (I think I read close to 170 degrees)

When was the last time you used your iMac from the side?

meall

· #16 · Aug 23, 2007

jicon said:
Better LCD on the 24", with a much better viewing angle than the 20" model. (I think I read close to 170 degrees)

From Macworld:

20" 160 degrees (both up and down and side to side),
24" 178 degrees

The Toronto Guy: that may not be important if you decide to view your iMac from the side, but will be if you want to show a slide show to family member that won't be sitted in ideal position.

applebook

· #17 · Aug 23, 2007

Torontoguy, you're misunderstanding Mississauga's comment. Clearly, the advice was to get the computer that the poster that most reasonably afford, not actually has the money to buy. Many people "can" afford a Ferrari, but they can't reasonably afford one.

Also, the 24" has an IPS or at least a very good VA panel, which is so much better than the TN panel in the 20" that it would be embarrassing to see them next to each other. The 160 degree published viewing angle on the 20" is massively overrated because it looks awfully uneven at...um...ZERO degrees.

Moscool

· #18 · Aug 23, 2007

Two comments:

- Viewing angle is important if you are going to use your Mac either for photo editing (you want accuracy and evenness) or for TV/DVD viewing. 170 degrees is where it starts to be really good. (I know, the iMac, especially with glossy screens is not a pro photo editing platform but it's used as such by many people)

- I always go for slightly lower CPU specks and loads of RAM. Ideally, you also ensure that the HD is big enough to let the virtual memory do its thing. On the other hand HDs tend to fill up *magically*

By way of illustration, I am typing this on a mid-speed MBP with 2 Gigs of RAM. I have 12 apps open and don't really notice...

Mississauga

· #19 · Aug 23, 2007

guytoronto said:
Worst advice ever.

Having twice experienced the disappointment of buying "bottom-end" Macs, I'm firm on my suggestion. As time goes by, software requirements become tougher to meet with low-end equipment. I'll never buy low-end again, but opt for the highest I can afford. I have no doubt this will offer longer life to my next system.

1 - 19 of 19 Posts

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