2009 iMac - how does it compare?

[rogan]

Was all set on buying the new mac mini, until i realised the back2school offer isnt valid on mac minis

meaning i now have to save another month, (plus i then need to save for a monitor while i use a rubbish 17" old one) this is going to cost £450 for mini and about £100 for new monitor

now i've been offered a 20" iMac (2009, 2GB, 2.66ghz, 320gb HD) for £400, which would be cheaper but does it even compare to the mini?

my current machine is a 2009 MPB c2d 5gb ram, 2.26ghz and theres nothing speedwise wrong with it,

will the iMac be noticeable faster (desktop CPUs are differant or something not sure?)

its not a matter of just getting a monitor for my MBP as i want a 24/7 machine online at home

 

[talmy]

The iMac didn't use a desktop CPU, but it is faster than your MBP. The hard drives are desktop drives and are faster. The 20" iMac display of that vintage wasn't particularly good but probably no worse than any you could buy for £100.

You didn't say what you want to use it for. It should be just fine for anything but gaming (for which no Mac is particularly good anyway).

 

[rogan]

hmm, well i was looking at displays on ebay and was going to go for a second hand 20-22" dell ultrasharp or a 2nd hand 20" cinema display if i can grab a steal

i am rather fussy when it comes to monitors as i had a hyundai 22" cheap monitor that was dreadful, my MBP screen is lovely though



i want to use it for web design/development so, coda/illustrator/light PS as wel as a VNC machine

 

[rogan]

and its also going to be a permanent media machine

watching tv/movies in bed/ listening music into my hifi

 

[talmy]

It's a TN display instead of an IPS display found in most other iMacs. The MacBook Pro also uses a TN display, so if you are happy with that then the iMac will be fine. Most Dell Ultrasharp monitors are IPS as I believe the Apple Cinema displays.

The performance will be fine for your intended use.