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17" vs 20" iMac

D

dingdongbubble

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 1, 2007
538
0
Hi

I know my question is kind fo weird but I cant decide on my own. When I went to a store, I just loved the big size of the 20" iMac. But on the other hand people get used to the big size quickly and even that seems kind of small to them. I use a 15" monitor right now so maybe thats why the 20" looked so awesome to me.

Upon calculation I would be paying $200 more only for the screen. Being a basic user I dont know whether I even need the large screen. I wont be doing any heavy work like Final Cut to need the large space.

Can you please help me decide between the two?:( :confused:
 
I was thinking about the same

I wont be NEEDing the imac now so I think I can wait till an update. So most probably the 17"will be gone and then I wont need to consider a 17". But maybe then I will start considering a 24" or whatever there is.:mad:

Can you tell me anyways why people want or use larger screens and what type of people do.

Will video playback become a problem considering the higher resolution?
 
bigger monitor, more workspace

I'm looking at a 20 plus adding a 2nd monitor or just buying a 24 because I work with photography. Running Photoshop and retouching images will be great on a large screen or with dual monitors because I can keep the Photoshop palettes out of the way and see more image without constantly zooming way in to retouch fine details.

I'm just trying to hang in there and wait for the new iMacs to come out. Probably plunk down the extra money and just go with a 24.
 
17- v. 20-inch iMac

We have the 20" iMac set up on our kitchen counter; as a matter of fact, when we remodeled the kitchen, we designed our cabinets to accommodate it.

We use this computer for our house calendar (and the relentless task list), to upload and synch other devices, to leave sticky notes for each other, and to do lookups on Safari, but it's very often used for entertainment. We do our AV chats on it, watch DVDs, look at photos, play music through Airport Expresses, and watch HDTV using one of the Miglia tuners. When it's idle the screensaver displays our photo library.

The clarity, brightness and color rendition of the 20" are just spectacular, and images can be easily seen from the far side of the room, some 20 feet away. (We use the remote control interface often.)

We each use Mac notebooks for Office and for other heavy lifting tasks, and if that's all you plan to use the iMac for, I'd say you'd be just as if not happier with the smaller screen; but if you plan to use your new iMac to look at visual images, the additional square inches make a world of difference.

Best of luck!
 
.

Within about 8 weeks new imacs should come out.

Leopard, the new operating system out in October, will want to newest technology.

I had a 20", perfect size.

Get the best one you can (do the online upgrades).

Remember, the 24" imac is about $500 more than the 20" once you choose all of the upgrades.

If you are an educator, or someone in your family is a student, you can get about 9 to 10% off.

Be sure to get the Apple Care protection plan.

Be patient.
 
Quad?

Yes I am not going to buy the iMac before an upgrade. I dont even NEED a computer now. I can still squeeze out some life from my PC which magically has quite snappy and zippy performance for the time being. Its around 2.5 years old.

Spitfire: The way you guys use the iMac looks very interesting.:D Can you post a pic of your iMac in the cabinet?

GanleyBurger: I dont live in the US and my place doesnt have an official Apple Store but I can get the discount from my cousins in Canada. They are kind of weird and say that they are not considered as University Students because of their age or some other reason.
I know this might have been asked before but as I dont live in either the US or Canada or a o****ry where Apple has official direct shops, I dont know whether I should buy the AppleCare. Should I buy it and will it be useful in my country or should I go for some local insurance.

Lastly I dont do any heavy work so it will be possible for me to squeeze out life out of my PC for some more tim possibly for another year with some RAM upgrades possibly. I will be in my final year of High SChool so I wont be spending too much time on the Mac and that adds to the life expectancy.
I just felt tempted to wait until a quad core penryn chip Mac rolls out. That would be a major upgrade from a dual core seeing that dual cores have been round for quite some time. Do you think I should do this or just for a Mac on my first chance?
 
I asked my friend who had a 20" this same question. He told me to go 20". I went 17". I sold my 17" a little under 2 months later, and got 20". It took me 2 months only because was on vacation for 1 of those months.
 
Dont even think of 17"

I know, it may seem an ok size, and I though so before I got my iMac (17"), but when I actually started using it, I've realized that 20 would have been sooo much better!.

You never regret buying a bigger screen, but you do if you get a smaller one.
 
From what you have described you don't really have a need for a quad core. If you don't need a new computer you definitely shouldn't buy one, but in my opinion you would do very well with a used 17" iMac once the new ones come out. Of course, used is not for everyone, but it money is a factor (when is it not?) a used 17" could give you the mac experience with a great machine that more than meets all your needs at a good price.
 
Yup 20"

I will wait for an update before thinking of buying.:)

When I went to the store in the past even I thought that 17 is just to small. So I will stick with 20" as you guys suggest especially that 1 is rumored to be removed.:D
 
Screen size is like broadband internet, cell phones and ipods - doesn't seem like a big deal before you have it, afterwards you can't imagine life without it. If you get a 17 (or 20 post update), you'll be fine and happy with it. But if you ever use anything bigger, that 17 (or 20) will feel small.

I quickly got used to 23 (and a second monitor) and now feel like I want to get a 30 (which will inevitably make me want two 30s).
 
Spitfire: The way you guys use the iMac looks very interesting.:D Can you post a pic of your iMac in the cabinet?



Well, I guess I could have been more clear. When we designed our kitchen we had to make the bottom of the upper cabinet over the counter where the iMac was going high enough so the computer would fit. Of course, my wife has to stand on tiptoe to use the microwave, but one must set priorities. Here's an iPhone photo of it:
 

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Cool

So you got yourself an iPhone eh?

Now what about spills? Have you taken any precautionary measures to secure the iMac form spills and you know.....
 
Does anyone ever put their frozen burrito in the iMac by mistake? :D

17" is all right for one app, but the problem is that its just too small for real multitasking. Once that page of text fills the screen, there's not much room left for anything else.
 
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