Should I go for the iMac now?

[ELBdelorean]

Hey there, first time poster. I was thinking of making my first transition to Mac by buying the iMac 21.5 inch, $1199. I was just wondering, should I buy it now, or wait until they announce a new one? I want to get it now just because I can't use my 5 yr old Dell laptop (:eek:) any longer XD.

[Rhalliwell1]

This (http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#iMac) would suggest an update soon. Maybe buy some more ram for the dell to keep you going for the time being!

[Sun Baked]

Wait, the 9400m would be as painful for you as the Dell.

Especially when they release a new one rather soon. :P

---

The iMac you are looking at "might" be real close in specs to the new MacBook, with a slightly higher clock.

And i5s and i7s for the rest of the machines.

Have to look at speculation on the rest of the sight for better odds, but the iMacs have tended to be rather close to the MacBook Pros with slightly higher clocks.

---

Don't know what path Apple is moving on, but I would not be too surprised if it was using the same Nvidia GPU and Core2Duo as the MacBook while the rest stay with i5/i7s and ATI GPUs.

[Dont Hurt Me]

Sun Baked knows what he is talking about heed his advice.

[ELBdelorean]

I don't need it for INTENSE gaming, as I heard it could run GTA IV on low, so it should be good for me. The specs of my Dell are:

Intel Core Duo 1.6 GHz
1.49 GB RAM
80 GB HDD
Intel 945GM integrated

And my DVD drive recently crapped out on me as well.

[Sun Baked]

Please wait ... :p

http://www.barefeats.com/ -- since the MacBook just released, it won't be too long before the MacBook is tested.

You will survive... just look at the PC sites to see if the Nvidia 320M is better than the iMacs 9400M.

Even if you have to wait 6 weeks the upgrade should be worth it.

http://att.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225224&d=1273163092

http://att.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=225223&d=1273163092

[ELBdelorean]

Arghh...I really need it now. I can't live with this piece of...for any longer. Will the current low-end iMac run Portal, or Half-Life 2 okay?

[rotobadger]

I am a first time Mac user too and I just got the iMac 27 inch with the 3.06 Core 2 Duo and the 4670 graphics card (actually, I started with the 21.5 inch but, due to repeated yellow screen issues they upgraded me. But that's another story).

I have no trouble running Portal and, I'm assuming, Half Life 2 should be just fine at a decent (but not highest) resolution. IMO, if you have to get an iMac now, get the 4670 graphics card at the least. I feel like that will give you a little more protection against the "oh, crap...they just upgraded the iMacs" syndrome. I know it costs a bit more but I went through the same dilemma and ended up making that decision. I just felt the base video card was too wimpy.

Also, if you buy within the next week or two and they announce the upgrade at WWDC on June 7th, you have a pretty good chance of exchanging it. No guarantees though.

Still, I love my new iMac and the screen (when it's not yellow) is blindingly gorgeous! :p

[ELBdelorean]

Okay, here's the thing: I only make $80 a month from allowance. That comes out to $1440 in 18 months, which is Best Buy's financing option. The 21.5" with the ATI graphics will end up costing me about 1600 somewhat dollars with tax. I am in desperate need of a new computer as mine is a piece of junk.

[rotobadger]

Okay, here's the thing: I only make $80 a month from allowance. That comes out to $1440 in 18 months, which is Best Buy's financing option. The 21.5" with the ATI graphics will end up costing me about 1600 somewhat dollars with tax. I am in desperate need of a new computer as mine is a piece of junk.

Honestly, since that is your situation, I think you need to reconsider your options. For 18 months you will get NO allowance in your scenario. I think you will regret it. My advice is to go for a nice Windows desktop. You can get a lot of computer for 500 dollars or so. If it HAS to be a Mac then I strongly recommend a Mac Mini instead (you can still use your old monitor for now). Still a very nice computer and you'll actually have some money from your allowance for the next year or so.

Seriously. If I were in your shoes that's what I'd do. Good luck to you and let us know what you decide!

[ELBdelorean]

To be honest, I'm probably going to Best Buy to buy the low-end 21.5" tomorrow. I really can't wait right now, or get another Windows PC because I might not get this opportunity again. My parents just offered to let me do this financing and I don't really spend my money on everything like most kids. I spend 20, maybe 40, dollars every 2 months. Thanks for the advice guys, I appreciate it :) I'll report back tomorrow if I get the iMac.

[Sun Baked]

Take a hammer and whack yourself in the nuts about 10 times.

This is the feeling you will have in several weeks when the new machine comes out.

Seriously, wait ... might be sick of the machine you have now. But the new one will likely have 2x the GPU performance.

---

Or buy the all new MacBook ... which has the new specs and saves you $100.

http://images.macrumors.com/article/2010/05/18/105448-newmacbook.jpg

If Apple is still going education with the new low end iMac, it should be a clone of that with 3GHz C2D, 4GB Ram, 500GB or 1TB HD, and the Nvidia 320M.

[BashStreetYouth]

Just browsing the John Lewis website trying to decide between a MBP or iMac. I noticed that the MBP's that were not in stock had an 'email me when in stock' moniker, whereas the 21.5" iMacs say 'Out of stock', as though they are not expecting any more in. Could this mean they are expecting new models soon?

[akm3]

To be honest, I'm probably going to Best Buy to buy the low-end 21.5" tomorrow. I really can't wait right now, or get another Windows PC because I might not get this opportunity again. My parents just offered to let me do this financing and I don't really spend my money on everything like most kids. I spend 20, maybe 40, dollars every 2 months. Thanks for the advice guys, I appreciate it :) I'll report back tomorrow if I get the iMac.

I just want to congratulate you because you are about to learn TWO very valuable life lessons.

#1: Don't be impatient

#2: Don't trade away all your future income for something fun now.

These lessons will serve you well later in life when you are talking about tens of thousands of dollars of toys (boats, houses, mac pros) instead of just a piddly iMac.

This 'stupid tax' is the best education money can buy!

[TiffanyBee]

Wait for the updates! Especially in your position!

You're a student, right? You could use the student discount. On the lower end iMac, it's $50 off & on the upgraded one, it's $100. But of course, tax will still be more than the discount itself. But in your case, every dollar counts.

Save up your money & buy the iMac when its update comes out. You could always sell your old computer, couldn't you? That would help somehow, right?

[nolesfan]

I have been keeping up with this thread and was wondering if someone had a idea of when the new imac will be out? I have been wanting one but decided to wait for the new model. Maybe just a approximate date?

[tkingart]

Do not buy the low-end 21.5", get the higher-end one if at all possible, save up if you have to. The ATI HD 4670 is much better than the NVidia 9400. You will be much happier in the long-run, especially if you like to play newer games.

[TiffanyBee]

I have been keeping up with this thread and was wondering if someone had a idea of when the new imac will be out? I have been wanting one but decided to wait for the new model. Maybe just a approximate date?

Some people have speculated June 7th but I think that's a bit too early..I know they just updated the MBP but my boyfriend who worked at the Apple store thinks June is pushing it. But who knows?! Steve Jobs loves to surprise us. If you look at the Buyer's Guide, updates are normally within April - August.

They still have those back-to-school specials, don't they? That'd be the best time to buy them, then you might get a free iPod tossed in! No dice on the remote though.

I've had a shiz ton of problems with my new 21.5" that is not the baseline. I'm on my second one right now. :/ My fan is roaring & the high pitched whistling sound pierces your skull. I had a game crash but that's because my machine got super hot & the fan...is whacked out. But everything else is PERFECT. So, wait. You don't want these ridiculous problems. This is my first Mac & I expect better from Apple. But it has not swayed me from my new love affair for Macs.

[Michaelgtrusa]

Mobile devices are more important. This is my last imac.

[blowabs]

oooo.... did i make a mistake getting a QC i5 imac, 5 days ago????!!
got a refurb for $1699. No problems at all. I ordered 4gb of more ram for it too.
tell me i am safe....pls....(almost bought the 21.5)
hellllllllpp!!!
thx

[Jesper Alm]

I'm considering getting myself an iMac - the 27" i7. But it dosen't feel right getting one this late it's cycle. But I can't really see what Apple would update the 27" i7 with...

More RAM?
No, 2 x 4 GB is way to expensive at this time to have it included in the standard setup.

Bigger drive?
No, a 2 TB HDD is also way to expensive at this time to have it included in the standard setup.

SSD?
Maybe, but I'm sorry to say that I won't be able to use an SSD disk in this machine, I need at least 1 TB disk space.

Blu-Ray?
I don't think so. But even if they include it, I'm not so interested...

Faster processor?
Is there any faster for that chipset?

Better graphics?
What should that be?

What do you say? Please fill in the gaps.

[Draeconis]

I'm also waiting till June 7th to see if they release a new iMac, as I really want one. Personally, I really hope they upgrade the Graphics to the ATI 5xxx series; even if it is a mobility card, it'll be much more powerful than the current Nvidia 8600m in my MBP I'm using now :)

Buying a Mac before the end of a cycle is only good if they're about to make a paradigm-change in their design; I bought my MBP before the unibody refresh because the design has had all the issues worked out steadily iteration by iteration. Early-adpoters of a new range almost always suffer some kind of issue, which are then improved on in later product releases, that's just how it works :)

So personally, to the OP, I'd wait. I really want one too, but if you've put up with the machine for years, you can wait another 2 weeks ;)

[tkwolik]

I'm in the market for a new imac as well... going to wait to see if Steve says anything about them - or if some new rumors come out.

I bought the imac in 12/2005 and a few months later they came out with the intel chip - which i need to run CS5 programs :(

[Jesper Alm]

I couldn't brace myself, so I just ordererd one - 27", i7, 2 TB and 4 GB RAM (getting more RAM later on). So tomorrow there will be an upgraded one, for sure... ;)

[tkwolik]

DON'T BUY - UPDATES SOON for iMacs... see image from:

http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#iMac

[Icaras]

I couldn't brace myself, so I just ordererd one - 27", i7, 2 TB and 4 GB RAM (getting more RAM later on). So tomorrow there will be an upgraded one, for sure... ;)

You should have waited until after the show just to be sure.

[drchiu]

Yeah I wouldn't go and buy an iMac now considering it's at its end of life refresh cycle, especially if you have an existing mac you can work off of. Even if the iMac doesn't get refreshed at WWDC, I'd hold off until it does get refresh in a couple of months, which Apple will very, very likely do.

If anything, I'm actually considering a Mac Pro if the specs/price looks right when and if it is announced at WWDC.

[pilot1226]

I agree with the waiting on the RAM and HDD. I am personally waiting for the new iMacs because as many have said above, it's mostly about the parts you CAN'T upgrade - like the video card and CPU...

The video card for me has always been the bane of my gaming... and the fact I can't swap it out for something in a few years is a little bothersome, so that's why I'm waiting for the newest iteration of the iMac before I buy, and the Power Mac is just not something I am considering.

I'm kind of leaning towards the upgrade to an i7 from an i5 anyway just for the most "advanced" that I can have, too.

As for the RAM, you can always grab a few sticks off Newegg or if you don't feel comfortable with that, you can get guaranteed compatibility from Crucial.com... And the HDD, if for some reason you needed more than 1TB of HD space at immediate access (in other words, not on an external HDD), then you can always do this swap yourself later for a considerably lower price.

Like most have said above, just wait. There's no sense in shooting yourself in the foot because you could have waited another week or two and had some, in essence, "free" upgrades... Apple tends to keep the price the same when they update models.

[Man-Droid]

I'm still thinking that the iMac update will happen early Fall. There are other products in line for an update before the iMac. I'd like to see it sooner than later. I'm siting on the cash.

[rnb2]

If you're looking at a dual-core iMac, I'd recommend waiting - an i3 (or better) is possible. If you're looking at a quad-core, make the purchase - there's not much Apple can do to upgrade the quads right now.

[nj-mac-user]

You should have waited until after the show just to be sure.

Wait for what?? Reminds me of the ppl who advised to wait for the MBP update that was "right around the corner" and ppl just kept waiting and waiting and waiting. But unlike the MBP update we already have an option for i5/i7 with imacs.

The buyer's guide is by no means an exact science (it'll probably end up being Sep10 the next update) and since he got the i7 there really isn't much that can be updated right now anyway. We're talking a minor graphics card update at most. If he got the lower end 27" that's another story as there's a chance i5 could be standard.

[Icaras]

Wait for what?? Reminds me of the ppl who advised to wait for the MBP update that was "right around the corner" and ppl just kept waiting and waiting and waiting. But unlike the MBP update we already have an option for i5/i7 with imacs.

The buyer's guide is by no means an exact science (it'll probably end up being Sep10 the next update) and since he got the i7 there really isn't much that can be updated right now anyway. We're talking a minor graphics card update at most. If he got the lower end 27" that's another story as there's a chance i5 could be standard.

I wasn't basing it off the buyer's guide. I was basing it off the fact that it's an actual Apple hosted event, which has been a platform for numerous product launches and updates before, and is a point of interest. Also, it is merely one week away.

[Audio Blood]

Well, the event is one week away, but the products themselves wouldn't be out til September after the BTS promo ends, most likely, right?

D:

I'm on the edge, so ready to buy a new (first) iMac, for one because I want all of the promos (free iPod and printer, etc.) and two, waiting 3 months is a long time. Uggg.

[Jesper Alm]

You should have waited until after the show just to be sure.

Got my 27" iMac i7 yesterday, what a lovely computer!

I'm quite confident that the WWDC won't produce any news in the high-end iMac-segment.

[toddybody]

A friend of mine wanted to buy an iMac in 2009 and I tried to tell him to wait...ended up paying for the (at that time) top of the line: ( 24inch C2D 3.06Ghz). This was in August...and of course that bad ass 27inch i7 came out 2 months later...of which we could have bought for the money he spent of the older model. For heavens sake WAIT.

ATI 5xxx

[Jesper Alm]

A friend of mine wanted to buy an iMac in 2009 and I tried to tell him to wait...ended up paying for the (at that time) top of the line: ( 24inch C2D 3.06Ghz). This was in August...and of course that bad ass 27inch i7 came out 2 months later...of which we could have bought for the money he spent of the older model. For heavens sake WAIT.

ATI 5xxx

The difference is that the C2D in late 2009 was an almost 3 yo processor. The i7 is still top-of-the-line and haven't been here for more than 8 months. There isn't anything faster that will find its way in the iMac for at least 6 months, mabye even 8-10-12 months.

[toddybody]

The difference is that the C2D in late 2009 was an almost 3 yo processor. The i7 is still top-of-the-line and haven't been here for more than 8 months. There isn't anything faster that will find its way in the iMac for at least 6 months, mabye even 8-10-12 months.

No argument regarding the huge difference between the C2D and i5/7 line; however, the next refresh could be accompanied by an options shift (base 27" i5, rather than C2D)...more importantly (IMHO), the current ATI 4850 is pushing 2+ years old and WILL get the boot. Its silly when people place HUGE emphasis on CPU performance over GPU. WAIT, and hope for an ATI 5850. Stay well Jesper!

[G-Force]

Mobility 5850 is not much faster than Mobility 4850... Mobility 4850 may be (over) 2 years old, but it's still a very nice mobile chip.

[nj-mac-user]

Mobility 5850 is not much faster than Mobility 4850... Mobility 4850 may well be (over) 2 years old, but it's still a very nice mobile chip.

True. Certainly not an upgrade worth waiting months over. By purchasing the i7 model you really can't go wrong, unless Apple decides to no longer make the i7 BTO and replaces the i5 model with it which would save you $200.

[pilot1226]

I think the ATI 5000 series features DirectX 11 support, whereas the 4000's don't. Who knows what will be used for Diablo 3 and StarCraft 2, but I'd rather sit and wait my time rather than buy a computer I can't upgrade.

As I've said on many other posts regarding a similar topic, I'm content on my iBook and currently going desktop-less.

That being said, LOL my iBook Geekbench score is like 500. :)

[G-Force]

Mac OS X doesn't use DirectX, so that's only an advantage for Windows gamers. ;) Personally, I don't play much games and if I play games, it's pretty much always a Valve game. I'm happy with my i7 iMac that arrived last week.

[Jesper Alm]

Its silly when people place HUGE emphasis on CPU performance over GPU.

Why is it silly when I'm in need of CPU-performance and not GPU-performance? The GPU-performance from the 4850 is far enogh for me, but I can't get enough of CPU-performance for the work I'll be doing on my iMac.

Actually I almost maxed my iMac i7 yesterday when converting 50 GB Flac to Apple Lossless, ripping CDs to Apple Lossless, copying 500 GB to/from a couple of disks, playing a 1080p-video and running a couple of other CPU- and disk-intensive Apps... ;)

[AndyDel]

I personally would not buy one brand new now, wait till after WWDC.. Just incase.

I have just picked up a 27" iMac core2duo - but i bought it second hand.

Mint condition, fully boxed with Applecare till 2013 for £1050ish

So there are bargains to be had as a result of the lead up to WWDC.. I'm chuffed with my purchase, it'll hold value for donkeys years looking at the previous iMac line and for the price i got it for. But i would of not have bought this brand new

Also i'm not that fussed about i5/i7 as i've already got a top end PC with a i7 920 and all the gubbins, so that's my gaming platform.

I never buy an iMac for gaming.. 4670 can play CS Source / Left 4 Dead at like 100-130fps at the highest settings anyway, which are the only games i will play on it. The 4670 will even play Modern Warefare 2 at med settings at a comfortable 50fps. Who really buys a mac for gaming anyway - reality is they're always a few steps behind the PC world.. And Windows 7 on bootcamp on an iMac is almost unforgivable :).

And well i think it's only people very much into high defintion video encoding and serious photography who i'd class as needing the i5/i7 setup.. Otherwise it's a little wasted on everyone else.