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Buying iMac... 2.4 or 2.8GHz

C

chupac

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Hi, new to the Mac world and going to buy an iMac. Was wondering if there is any noticeable difference between the 24" 2.4GHz iMac and the 24" 2.8GHz iMac assuming all else is the same (ram, HDD etc)? It would cost an extra $275ish... worth it or not?

thanks for the info

A
 
chupac said:
Hi, new to the Mac world and going to buy an iMac. Was wondering if there is any noticeable difference between the 24" 2.4GHz iMac and the 24" 2.8GHz iMac assuming all else is the same (ram, HDD etc)? It would cost an extra $275ish... worth it or not?

thanks for the info

A
Click to expand...

if you do a search for this there is tons of topics and disscusions already about this, they should help you answer your question😀
 
Really just depends on how much money you have to spend. If you have enough and are willing to spend it, sure go ahead. I think the machine itself is already screaming fast and 2.4 would be just fine, save the 275 or spend it on an iPod on yourself, etc.

I guess it also depends on what you're going to do with it. If you intend to run games or high end applications like Photoshop etc. then you might want to go for the 2.8

Hope this helps somewhat.
 
chupac said:
Hi, new to the Mac world and going to buy an iMac. Was wondering if there is any noticeable difference between the 24" 2.4GHz iMac and the 24" 2.8GHz iMac assuming all else is the same (ram, HDD etc)? It would cost an extra $275ish... worth it or not?

thanks for the info

A
Click to expand...

I haven't tried the 2.8 so I have no basis for comparison aside from the testimonials in these forums. They seem to be that the performance gains are marginal with the 2.8 for the price you pay.

I can say that my 2.4 is lightning quick for me and that I personally believe you'd be best served saving the extra $275 or putting a small portion of that towards maxing the RAM to 4GB and maybe investing in a nice external Firewire 800 HDD, etc.
 
To answer your question, you will never notice the speed difference unless you sit in front of your iMac with a stopwatch. And, I can never see the day when a program -- iLife '14 for example -- requires a minimum 2.8 GHz processor to run. So it will install on a 2.8 but not on a 2.4.

The difference is entirely psychological. If you want the fastest possible, spend the $275 and sleep well knowing you've bought the best. Otherwise, yes, invest the $$$ in a backup HD or buy your mom a nice new blender.

PS -- I bought a 2.8GHz last week, and I LOVE IT!!!

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/401884/
 
eRondeau said:
And, I can never see the day when a program -- iLife '14 for example -- requires a minimum 2.8 GHz processor to run. So it will install on a 2.8 but not on a 2.4.
Click to expand...

Try telling that to owners of 800MHz G4 who wanted to install Leopard (requires 867MHz+ G4 processor or better).
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
Try telling that to owners of 800MHz G4 who wanted to install Leopard (requires 867MHz+ G4 processor or better).
Click to expand...
Since the majority of Apple's current consumer Macs are 2.4GHz, and its consumer notebooks are largely 2 to 2.2GHz, it seems that a cut-off of 2.8GHz rather than 2.0GHz would be unlikely for a very long time, since this would affect a much larger number of machines than the 800/867MHz cut-off did.

Edit: If you do buy the 2.8GHz, buy the middle model and upgrade the processor, so you do not pay Apple's price for the upgraded RAM. Then use the money you spent to max out the RAM using a reputable aftermarket vendor.
 
MacinDoc said:
Since the majority of Apple's current consumer Macs are 2.4GHz, and its consumer notebooks are largely 2 to 2.2GHz, it seems that a cut-off of 2.8GHz rather than 2.0GHz would be unlikely for a very long time, since this would affect a much larger number of machines than the 800/867MHz cut-off did.
Click to expand...

A majority of Apple's consumer Macs were 800MHz at one point in the past, and future consumers buying faster macs may be even larger than the current 2.4/2.8GHz cut-off.
 
eRondeau said:
To answer your question, you will never notice the speed difference unless you sit in front of your iMac with a stopwatch. And, I can never see the day when a program -- iLife '14 for example -- requires a minimum 2.8 GHz processor to run. So it will install on a 2.8 but not on a 2.4.

The difference is entirely psychological. If you want the fastest possible, spend the $275 and sleep well knowing you've bought the best. Otherwise, yes, invest the $$$ in a backup HD or buy your mom a nice new blender.

PS -- I bought a 2.8GHz last week, and I LOVE IT!!!

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/401884/
Click to expand...


Either you haven't been computing very long... or just have a very short term memory.


The 2.8 Ghz will eventually be too slow to run some programs... just as the 5 year old 800 mhz iMacs are currently being phazed out with Leopard.

You will also eventually not have the right connections... just as my current 1 Ghz iMac (4 years old) recently lost compatability with the iPhone, because it lacks USB 2.0. Only has USB 1.1.

They will all be outdated eventually, but buying a mac and spending over $1200 will get you a VERY quality machine that will run VERY respectably for MANY years to come.
 
fivepoint said:
Either you haven't been computing very long... or just have a very short term memory. The 2.8 Ghz will eventually be too slow to run some programs... just as the 5 year old 800 mhz iMacs are currently being phazed out with Leopard.
Click to expand...

I guess I didn't make my point clearly. What I meant was that I can't ever see Apple "drawing the line" at the 2.8GHz iMac. In other words, the 2.8 will run a new operating system but the 2.4 will not. They will both eventually be phased-out, sure, but they will most likely be phased-out together.
 
fivepoint said:
Either you haven't been computing very long... or just have a very short term memory.


The 2.8 Ghz will eventually be too slow to run some programs... just as the 5 year old 800 mhz iMacs are currently being phazed out with Leopard.

You will also eventually not have the right connections... just as my current 1 Ghz iMac (4 years old) recently lost compatability with the iPhone, because it lacks USB 2.0. Only has USB 1.1.

They will all be outdated eventually, but buying a mac and spending over $1200 will get you a VERY quality machine that will run VERY respectably for MANY years to come.
Click to expand...

Yes but buying a better one means a more enjoyable experiece for all those years.
 
Techguy172 said:
Yes but buying a better one means a more enjoyable experiece for all those years.
Click to expand...

Not a .2GHz difference, that won't make anything about it different ( well, noticeably) I say get 2.4 and maybe add some BTO options ( ram ,ect) or save it for other peoples gifts or something like that. You'll be happy either way.
 
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