I would upgrade ram via OWC. also, I will be choosing a 750 GB HD. Which is best to spend the extra money.. on the processor or extra ram? or BOTH? I am trying to find a middle ground.. suggestions? I do a fair amount of iPhoto (photos and some video), Photoshop Elements, iTunes, and the usual, email, surfing, streaming video, etc.
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2.4Ghz 4 GB Ram vs 2.8Ghz 2 GB ram ?
- Thread starter Triplenickle
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taylorwilsdon
macrumors 68000
It really comes down to whether you want the extra 4 inches. I already had a 24'' monitor so I went with the 20'' 2.4 with 4gb RAM but if you want a bigger screen, theres not much of a choice at all. Either way, you should be happy with both configurations.
If you want to edit photo's go for 4GB RAM. Photoshop will be way more happy with extra RAM than with a slightly better CPU (slow CPU means that filters will take longer to load, though more RAM means that you get more history states and that Photoshop won't get sluggish after editing an image for an hour).
In iTunes and in Firefox you won't notice a lot of difference if you have a better CPU, so again, go for the RAM.
If you want to edit video's, render 3D things, work with large files or other CPU intensive tasks, go for BOTH CPU and RAM.
And btw, if you want to upgrade the RAM after you bought the iMac you have to trow away the original 2Gb of RAM and buy 4GB. if you want to upgrade the CPU you have to trow away the whole iMac and buy a new one.
In iTunes and in Firefox you won't notice a lot of difference if you have a better CPU, so again, go for the RAM.
If you want to edit video's, render 3D things, work with large files or other CPU intensive tasks, go for BOTH CPU and RAM.
And btw, if you want to upgrade the RAM after you bought the iMac you have to trow away the original 2Gb of RAM and buy 4GB. if you want to upgrade the CPU you have to trow away the whole iMac and buy a new one.
Bengt77
macrumors 68000
I did both. Very happy with it. Haven't gotten the chance yet to really stress the system. Have installed XP the day before yesterday and will try to install some games tonight. Very exciting. Should prove itself to be a really fast system. But, yes, the GPU. Should be better as better, more mature drivers surface, though. Not too worried about that yet.
My opinion: Hands down, no question, go with the 2.8 processor. You can always upgrade your RAM later to 4GB if you want to down the road sometime. You can't upgrade the processor later, though.
Thanks for all the replies.
I wonder when the next speed bump for the iMac will be? Jan 2008? Whats next? 3.0 ghz? other?
I wonder when the next speed bump for the iMac will be? Jan 2008? Whats next? 3.0 ghz? other?
taylorwilsdon
macrumors 68000
There is no such thing as a 2.8ghz 20'', so the biggest difference is going to be the screen size. The speed difference from 2.4 to 2.8 is so negligible because its still dual core, still restricted by other components.
Sorry, I was referring to the 24" the whole time. I want the higher resolution screen.
AlexisV
macrumors 68000
I don't know what games you're playing, but without AA, it's not the slouch people are making out.
Some more benchmarks at http://xtreview.com/review209.htm
AA makes sod all difference really anyway. Games don't look that much better with it on.
It also depends on the specific game:
I don't know what games you're playing, but without AA, it's not the slouch people are making out.
Some more benchmarks at http://xtreview.com/review209.htm
AA makes sod all difference really anyway. Games don't look that much better with it on.
It also depends on the specific game:
I believe this has been posted in the wrong thread?
powerbook911
macrumors 601
New egg has a 2 GB stick for about $90 after rebate.
Why not get the 2.8 GHZ machine and then add the 2 GB stick, for 3 GB total for now, and then you could change the 1 GB stick to 2 GB someday, when you had the cash.
3 GB with 2.8 GHZ would be a sweet machine, for a lot of stuff even 2.8 GHZ with 2 GB would be fine too.
Personally, I think maybe it is a lot of money to upgrade from 2.4 GHZ to 2.8GHZ, but if you have the money and you don't get a new computer very often, it is worth it.
if you replace your computer regularly, I say get the 2.4 GHZ.
Squonk
macrumors 65816
2.8GHz
Since you cannot upgrade that later, go for the faster CPU now and upgrade the RAM when you can afford it and if/when you actually need it.
This assumes that you are planning to keep this machine for 2 or more years. If you swap out systems frequently, then save the bucks and stick with the 2.4GHz.
Since you cannot upgrade that later, go for the faster CPU now and upgrade the RAM when you can afford it and if/when you actually need it.
This assumes that you are planning to keep this machine for 2 or more years. If you swap out systems frequently, then save the bucks and stick with the 2.4GHz.
Thanks again... I usually upgrade every 3 yrs or so. I currently have a 20 inch G5 iMac.
Squonk
macrumors 65816
You are welcome! I bought my current system as a refurb. So I've had it 3 years but the machine is 4 years old. I've got the hankering for a new machine - it will be in Dec or Jan. I'm probably going to go for the high end model for longevity.
The TOTAL cost with all other features equal (each upgraded to 3GB RAM),.. with tax included.. it is $400 more for the 2.8Ghz iMac vs 2.4Ghz iMac 24".
It it truly worth $400 ?
It it truly worth $400 ?
powerbook911
macrumors 601
i'm in the same boat as the OP. so far I have gathered that it's likely not worth it but a lot of posts in this thread seem to state that it would "future proof" it more.
my questions:
What exactly is the "extreme" part of the cpu?
Are the other limiting factors outside of the cpu that limit performance likely to change with time or would they also need upgrade or be impossible to upgrade?
my questions:
What exactly is the "extreme" part of the cpu?
Are the other limiting factors outside of the cpu that limit performance likely to change with time or would they also need upgrade or be impossible to upgrade?
I think that you are only fooling yourself if you think the the 2.8GHz will "future proof" the iMac. What you should be asking yourself is: do I need the extra speed right now?
It is only a matter of 10-20% increase depending on the task. If you don't do a lot of number crunching like rendering media or working with many plugins in audio production it will probably not be worth it. And for regular tasks, you won't even notice it.
In just a couple of years there will most likely be quad core processors that are cool enough to put into the iMac. And compared to those the extra 0.4GHz will seem like nothing. So as far as "future proofing" goes, it's simply not worth it in my opinion, and it's better to save that money towards a future upgrade instead. But if you need the speed increase right now, then go for it!
It is only a matter of 10-20% increase depending on the task. If you don't do a lot of number crunching like rendering media or working with many plugins in audio production it will probably not be worth it. And for regular tasks, you won't even notice it.
In just a couple of years there will most likely be quad core processors that are cool enough to put into the iMac. And compared to those the extra 0.4GHz will seem like nothing. So as far as "future proofing" goes, it's simply not worth it in my opinion, and it's better to save that money towards a future upgrade instead. But if you need the speed increase right now, then go for it!
Thanks again for all the feedback. I believe I will choose the 2.4Ghz and maximize the Ram to 4GB.....
Smart choice!
This is exactly what I did (went with a 20" model though, not a 24").
While it's true that upgrading the CPU after the purchase would be impractical - I don't see why you'd ever really care?
The typical iMac user considers selling the old machine and buying a whole new one when it comes to a point where the CPU inside is too slow for their needs. The resale value on 3 year old iMacs is surprisingly good too - so this option isn't quite as costly as it might be for a generic Windows PC.
Maxxing out the RAM, on the other hand, has an immediate benefit - and gives you a component you can actually remove and sell separately or possibly even re-use in a different system, down the road.
This is exactly what I did (went with a 20" model though, not a 24").
While it's true that upgrading the CPU after the purchase would be impractical - I don't see why you'd ever really care?
The typical iMac user considers selling the old machine and buying a whole new one when it comes to a point where the CPU inside is too slow for their needs. The resale value on 3 year old iMacs is surprisingly good too - so this option isn't quite as costly as it might be for a generic Windows PC.
Maxxing out the RAM, on the other hand, has an immediate benefit - and gives you a component you can actually remove and sell separately or possibly even re-use in a different system, down the road.
I look at it this way. The best deal is the baseline 2.4GHz 24" iMac for $1,799.
Now, just go out and buy a 2G stick of RAM for ~$130 and you're all set at a total of 3Gig system RAM. Total outlay $1,929 before taxes.
However, you could just pay an additional $250 for the CPU upgrade to the baseline 24" iMac. i.e., $2,049 for the faster CPU and 1Gig RAM.
You're right it's either $250 for the CPU for $250 for memory upgrades. Sure you could spend that money to get 4Gigs of RAM, but then that's not a cost effective upgrade when compared to buying just 1 stick of 2GB memory. Why? Because that makes your current 1GB stick useless.
For me it would be between the following two choices. BOTH presume that memory will not be purchased from Apple.
A. $1,929 for 24" 2.4GHz, 320G HD, 1 G RAM, + extra 2GB RAM
B. $2,049 for 24" 2.8GHz, 320G HD, 1 G RAM, (extra memory to be added when funds are more abundant).
That makes a difference of $120 between choices A and B. I would go with B and then buy the extra memory a day later. 🙂
Now, just go out and buy a 2G stick of RAM for ~$130 and you're all set at a total of 3Gig system RAM. Total outlay $1,929 before taxes.
However, you could just pay an additional $250 for the CPU upgrade to the baseline 24" iMac. i.e., $2,049 for the faster CPU and 1Gig RAM.
You're right it's either $250 for the CPU for $250 for memory upgrades. Sure you could spend that money to get 4Gigs of RAM, but then that's not a cost effective upgrade when compared to buying just 1 stick of 2GB memory. Why? Because that makes your current 1GB stick useless.
For me it would be between the following two choices. BOTH presume that memory will not be purchased from Apple.
A. $1,929 for 24" 2.4GHz, 320G HD, 1 G RAM, + extra 2GB RAM
B. $2,049 for 24" 2.8GHz, 320G HD, 1 G RAM, (extra memory to be added when funds are more abundant).
That makes a difference of $120 between choices A and B. I would go with B and then buy the extra memory a day later. 🙂