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Which iMac?

J

jnyepu

macrumors member
Original poster
I've never bought one of these all-in-one desktop systems so I thought I'd come to the forums to ask for advice.

My 5 year old XP desktop is finally on its last legs and beyond upgrading the HDD or memory, can forgo the ability to pop open the case and modify the system as needed, given the price of a Mac Pro.

I need a good desktop system to serve as the hub of a home network (Aiport Express, WiFi printer, Slingbox, a MBP, a Macbook, an XP laptop, and a wireless web cam).

Frankly, I'm not even sure how much it will be used on a daily basis. When it is used it will be for web/home office/some gaming (we are not hard core gamers)/sharing media files/amateur photographer stuff eventually. I haven't taken the plunge with Aperture yet (need to get a better camera 1st). No major video editing stuff other than home movies of the kiddo walking for the grandparents.

I'd like the 24" for the screen size and have thought about the 2.8, but figure the 2.4 ought to support the above needs. There is the part of me that subscribes to the "buy as much as you can afford" and would consider the 3.06 since that's the most the system can ever be. Having said that, I don't want to spend money I don't have to, especially if I don't NEED the extra horsepower.

Thanks in advance.
 
When I bought my iMac I upgraded everything but the processor speed because it just wasn't worth the extra cost IMO. I use my iMac for many of the same things you do (web browsing/music/movies/word processing/occasional movie editing/photo editing) and have the ability to play games with no problem (the most graphic intensive being SimCity 4, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3). If I was going to buy a current generation iMac I would probably opt for the "low" end 24" version, leave the processor speed, RAM, and video card as-is and upgrade the HD to at least 500GB.
 
I was in the same boat as you last week. since i dont play games at all on my computer i figured i didnt need the better GPU, i probably wouldnt even notice the difference. I didnt need the extra 180GB since i have a time capsule with 500GB. and didnt think the processor speed difference would really be that noticeable so as you probably already guessed it, i went with the 2.8ghz 24" and ordered a 4gb ram package from crucial. end result i couldnt be happier my system looks and runs great!
 
it's always cheeper to buy low end and upgrade...very easy to upgrade an Imac...I would go with the 2.8, just to play it safe...then once you get it, jump on ebay and get extra ram, and a larger HD...then u're Imac would be sweet!
 
I always, always ALWAYS recommend buying the best you can afford for the time. The reason being is most of the product line will be aged/obsolete within 6 months. The top of the line machine (for your budget) should not be, ideally.

If you can't afford the better (within a comfortable price range) machine the answer is: wait until you can.
 
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