20 or 24 inch iMac question

[darkanddivine]

Hi! I'm still undecided about whether to wait for the Leapard upgrade to OSX, and the potentially refreshed macs, but i have another question from people who have bought iMacs recently. I may well jump the gun before it comes out depending on how my funds are come the end of January.

Would it be better to get hold of a 20" iMac with the RAM, processor speed and graphics maxed out to give the machine maximum life, or pay a similar amount for the 24" with stock settings. I definitly want to upgrade the RAM to 2gig but I would be able to up to 3 if I go for the 20". Is this worth me considering? I sit pretty close ot my machine and as such keep thinking the 20" would be plenty of screen. At the mo I have a 20" CRT on my desk.

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

It would help to know what you plan on using the machine for. I'd say, for most consumer applications, 2GB is good enough. Without knowing that, though, I'd tend to go for a bigger screen. You can always upgrade (some) of the other stuff down the road, but you'll never be able to upgrade the built in screen.

Alternatively, think about getting a refurbished 24". You can get all the glory of a huge screen, and save money, and possibly even realize some free, unspecified upgrades.

 

[darkanddivine]

Sorry! I'm using it for Graphics work, which means that I look at the RAM as investment for the future, as the apps get more processor hungry. 2gig is going to be the minimum, I was also trying to find out the exact dimensions of the 24" screen to compare it with a 20" i've seen (no Mac seller nearby)

It's just another little thing for me to ponder on while i'm deciding so any advice is welcome! A machine with 3gig or ram 256 graphics and the top processor does sound pretty good, and I'm slightly concerned the 24" may be that bit too big.

 

[Carbon Copy]

I use a 20" imac at work and a i have a dell 24" monitor at home and I dont find the 24" too big, if anything the 20" feels cramped. I use photoshop, dreamweaver etc.
I'd go for the 24", RAM is easy to upgrade and will be be cheaper down the line.

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

Sorry! I'm using it for Graphics work, which means that I look at the RAM as investment for the future, as the apps get more processor hungry. 2gig is going to be the minimum, I was also trying to find out the exact dimensions of the 24" screen to compare it with a 20" i've seen (no Mac seller nearby)

It's just another little thing for me to ponder on while i'm deciding so any advice is welcome! A machine with 3gig or ram 256 graphics and the top processor does sound pretty good, and I'm slightly concerned the 24" may be that bit too big.

Graphics work....with CS2? Or will you be upgrading as soon as CS3 comes out? If you're sticking with CS2 for a length of time, you'll appreciate as much RAM as you can get your hands on.

That being said, I'm not to sure there is such a thing as too big of a screen when working with CS. At work, I have a 23" and a 19" as a secondary monitor, and don't feel like I have too much room at all.

 

[yoak]

I have had both the 20" Intel and (now) the 24" iMac. I changed as soon as the 24" was announced (and managed to get a very good price for my 20").
I think the 24" is great and you won´t regret it for a second.

I would get the 2.16 as the 2.33 isn´t too much of an improvment, especially if you take price into the account.

Use the money saved to upgrade the video card and get extra RAM.

I have the 2.16 with the 256 card and 2 gig of RAM. The only thing I regret is not upgrading to the 500 HD, but I was out of money.

Screen is great, and NOT too big.

You´ll love it

 

[darkanddivine]

Cheers for the advice guys I appreciate it. Its a tough decision, but I'll be seeing how finances pan out the next few weeks. I know of a place I might get to see a 24" hopefully. I was thinking like yoak said to max the RAM when I buy. I think if funds dictate I may have to buy the 20" but at the moment having not seen it I'm just noticing the differnec e in price I guess!

I will be getting hold of CS3 but probably not straight away at this rate!

 

[iancapable]

I have had both the 20" Intel and (now) the 24" iMac. I changed as soon as the 24" was announced (and managed to get a very good price for my 20").
I think the 24" is great and you won´t regret it for a second.

I would get the 2.16 as the 2.33 isn´t too much of an improvment, especially if you take price into the account.

Use the money saved to upgrade the video card and get extra RAM.

I have the 2.16 with the 256 card and 2 gig of RAM. The only thing I regret is not upgrading to the 500 HD, but I was out of money.

Screen is great, and NOT too big.

You´ll love it

I'm skipping that with my purchase because I think the 500GB HD is a rip off on Apple's part... I'm buying 2x LaCIe 320GB USB 2.0 HD's for the same price as the upgrade to the 500GB, so that means I get: 890GB for the same price as the 500GB upgrade.