256mb or 128mb intel iMac?

[cecirdr]

OK...I'm looking really hard at getting the 20 inch intel iMac. There's nothing I would change except for the vram. (I can get a 1gb mem stick aftermarket)

I would run mainly ilife, iwork, PS elements (in rosetta), and a few games that could run in emulation ok. I haven't found a game in the last year that I find interesting enough to buy...so my gaming days appear to be over.

I'm a photography nut though. It's gonna be painful to use emulation for a while, but there may be no choice in that matter. So, will be 256 mb video card upgrade make any difference to someone like me?

Ceci

 

[macmanmatty]

It's only $75 dollars so I say go for it. It will make your computer better in the long run

 

[Airforce]

It will make your computer better in the long run

Maybe....It may never amount to a noticeable difference. Empty investment in my eyes with that kind of set up. I'd save your $75 for something else....anything else.

 

[faintember]

Maybe....It may never amount to a noticeable difference. Empty investment in my eyes with that kind of set up. I'd save your $75 for something else....anything else.

It may not ever make a noticeable difference, but the video ram is one of the things that you can not upgrade later. Spend the $75 now. $1700 for the low end intel iMac, come on, bump it up to $1775.

 

[Airforce]

It may not ever make a noticeable difference, but the video ram is one of the things that you can not upgrade later. Spend the $75 now. $1700 for the low end intel iMac, come on, bump it up to $1775.

Or burn the $75 in front of you...I mean...it would be neater to watch than throwing it at Apple 🙂

 

[12thgear]

Upgrade the VRAM. It's $75, which isn't much, and it will be impossible for you to add it later. It's also quite possible that you'll hook up a bigger, badder monitor down the road, or Apple finds yet more creative uses for the video card in Mac OS 10.6 Ocelot.

 

[faintember]

Or burn the $75 in front of you...I mean...it would be neater to watch than throwing it at Apple 🙂

Your opinion is yours (which you are entitled to), and there is no need to flame me for mine. 4% added to the cost of the Intel iMac gets you the 256mb video ram. To me, and to people that may want to have that little bit of insurance, it is worth it. 4% of the total price is nothing.

 

[cecirdr]

My gut said to get the 256 mb option also...but then I thought a bit longer.

BTO machines are not returnable. If I buy a machine from the local apple store and something is wrong with it, theoretically I could take it back and swap it. But if it's BTO, then I'm hosed and have to send it for repair.

I know I'm being paranoid though. This isn't likely to occur. I guess I need to go look up how much aperture makes use of vram. Right now aperture's not only not UB, it doesn't have the features and integration with other mac apps that make me want to buy it. But in the future it may get good enough for me to invest in it. So if it uses the extra vram, that may be the clincher to push me over the hurdle to buy the 256mb. despite it being BTO.

 

[faintember]

cecirdr, buy what you want, and worry about BTO and sending back your Mac when (if) that ever happens!

 

[Xephian]

Go for the 256MB. But usually the more vRAM, the more slower the card may get like with the FX 5700's.

 

[12thgear]

BTO machines are not returnable. If I buy a machine from the local apple store and something is wrong with it, theoretically I could take it back and swap it. But if it's BTO, then I'm hosed and have to send it for repair.

Well past a certain point, all machines aren't returnable. Even if you got a stock machine, if it died 3 months in, Apple will repair it, not replace the entire machine.