I don't see ram as a problem on my machine when I'm handbraking while downloading a movie online while editing movies in imovie while listening to music I still have around 1.5 RAM free... I've never seen it drop under 1.5 ram free since using my imac...
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Aluminum iMac v. White iMac
- Thread starter Woochifer
- Start date
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You have 4GB! Of course you don't see it as a problem!
Am I missing something?
Can't wait to upgrade mine to 3GB 😛
Am I missing something?
Can't wait to upgrade mine to 3GB 😛
GimmeSlack12
macrumors 603
plumosa
macrumors regular
I see it low all the time...and I have 3 gb! Right now I have 327.46 mb free. I'm downloading two files, have a multi-tabbed firefox open, itunes is paused and downsized, as is a movie.
oh wait, its 317.37 mb free now. :/
oh look! I finally hit member status. 🙂
Well I hope so anyway
I can't get it 'matched' though, don't know how much difference that makes
I have about 100 mb free at the moment 😱
decksnap
macrumors 68040
Well not really... would you prefer a quality matte panel or a crappy panel covered in glass?
Well, supposedly they are pretty much the same panel on the 24". So I don't know why there are so many reported instances of bad displays on the new Alu's. Well, I mean, none of us know, obviously.
I personally wonder if it has anything to do with the Alu being even thinner (which I think was pretty much an unnecessary 'improvement')
As for what I prefer, well I think it's clear judging by what I chose 😀
Big-TDI-Guy
macrumors 68030
From 512MB to 1GB noticed a change in Tiger. From 1GB to 1.5GB - saw some change in Tiger.
From 1.5GB to 3GB - seriously, I see no difference.
I'm not running Final Cut Pro or Aperture - though if I was, I'd probably move out of the iMac line entirely.
From 1.5GB to 3GB - seriously, I see no difference.
I'm not running Final Cut Pro or Aperture - though if I was, I'd probably move out of the iMac line entirely.
Leon Kowalski
macrumors 6502a
1) Keyboard differences are a non-issue. If you prefer the new ALU keyboard, it costs $49 and works fine with white iMacs.
2) No one seems to have mentioned the biggest performance difference: SATA I vs. SATA II internal HD bus speeds. I do notice a slight performance penalty when browsing albums of large (3-4 MB) JPGs in iPhoto. Very minor, IMO, but real.
3) Also, the white 20" only has FW400, not FW800.
Nonetheless, after test-driving a 20" ALU and a 24" ALU for one month each, I gave up on the nasty, non-uniform displays and switched to a white 20", with an ACD-quality display.
No gradients, no freezing, no regrets.
BTW, gloss vs. matte was never an issue -- I had no preference when I bought the ALU 20" -- but in retrospect, after two months experience with gloss, I much prefer the matte display. YMMV.
Since I wanted a 20" from the start, I see the price difference as $1200 for 20" white versus $1800 for 24" ALU -- because even if Apple eventually fixes all the ALU display problems, the 20" ALU will still have a second-rate TN-film panel. Sorry, I refuse to pay $1500 for second-rate.
So, even if I could get a 24" ALU with an acceptable display, there's no way the 10% speed increase would justify a 50% price bump -- especially for computers that'll be seriously obsolete as soon as Apple introduces an iMac with BlueRay or HD DVD ...
... or a midi-tower with iMac-level performance,
LK
2) No one seems to have mentioned the biggest performance difference: SATA I vs. SATA II internal HD bus speeds. I do notice a slight performance penalty when browsing albums of large (3-4 MB) JPGs in iPhoto. Very minor, IMO, but real.
3) Also, the white 20" only has FW400, not FW800.
Nonetheless, after test-driving a 20" ALU and a 24" ALU for one month each, I gave up on the nasty, non-uniform displays and switched to a white 20", with an ACD-quality display.
No gradients, no freezing, no regrets.
BTW, gloss vs. matte was never an issue -- I had no preference when I bought the ALU 20" -- but in retrospect, after two months experience with gloss, I much prefer the matte display. YMMV.
Since I wanted a 20" from the start, I see the price difference as $1200 for 20" white versus $1800 for 24" ALU -- because even if Apple eventually fixes all the ALU display problems, the 20" ALU will still have a second-rate TN-film panel. Sorry, I refuse to pay $1500 for second-rate.
So, even if I could get a 24" ALU with an acceptable display, there's no way the 10% speed increase would justify a 50% price bump -- especially for computers that'll be seriously obsolete as soon as Apple introduces an iMac with BlueRay or HD DVD ...
... or a midi-tower with iMac-level performance,
LK
Slight performance boost wouldn't be a big deal to me. I rarely push this white imac to its limits anyway. It handles my idvd/imovie stuff with ease at 2gb ram. I prefer the white look, the matte screen as well.
Also, i rarely buy the first revision of anything. On a new vehicle, I always wait until they release the 2nd year of a body style. Let some of poor guy find all the bugs for them.
If I was getting an Al imac, I'd wait until the next batch is released. All the issues will likely be gone by then and it'll be easier to rationalize.
Also, i rarely buy the first revision of anything. On a new vehicle, I always wait until they release the 2nd year of a body style. Let some of poor guy find all the bugs for them.
If I was getting an Al imac, I'd wait until the next batch is released. All the issues will likely be gone by then and it'll be easier to rationalize.
Isn't the Alu iMac already THE 'Rev B"?
I mean, it's just the same (mostly) intel iMac. Cosmetic differences aside.
Not really, the internal is quite different. See https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/386295/
Not necessary. Sometimes a new model is a downgrade from the model it replaces (the 20" iMac in this case). I see the same thing with cameras and printers.
Sandman1969
macrumors 6502a
GimmeSlack12
macrumors 603
You are aware that only a fraction of new models have these issues right? And since nothing in the world is perfect, or 100% equal in all cases it could be assumed a 'fudge' factor happens on absolute statements. Ignoring the fudge factor is acceptable because such a low probability of 'malfunction' occurs.
Therefore I stand by my post.
Newer > Older.
Leon Kowalski
macrumors 6502a
1) Newer 20" http://picasaweb.google.com/TheLooby/20IMacScreenPhotos
2) Older 20" http://picasaweb.google.com/TheLooby/White20IMacScreenPhotos
... 'nuff said,
LK
Attachments
Mindflux
macrumors 68000
I was referring strictly to features, not issues. The TN panel is a feature of the Alu 20" iMac.
decksnap
macrumors 68040
No... the newer screen is a technical downgrade in the 20''. That's before discussing other screen issues that have cropped up.
Leon Kowalski
macrumors 6502a
Yep, without a doubt. Nothin' is perfect, ...never claimed it was.
However, according to my light meter, the max:min brightness
difference is no more than 20%.
Hint: I spelt that out, right there in the picasaweb comments,
in the (ever-futile) hope of dis-confusing the lame of brain.
Now try to stay with me here. I'll type slowly. A max:min brightness
difference of only 20% easily beats every known ergonomic standard
(including the one Apple specifies for its 20" ACD -- which happens to
use exactly the same LCD panel as my white iMac).
In contrast, my 20" and 24" ALU iMacs both had max:min brightness
differences of well over 100% -- so, they easily and miserably fail
every ergonomic standard ever written.
...tune-in SesameStreet for a refresher course on "huge" vs. "tiny",
LK
AlexisV
macrumors 68000
Yes it is, but you know, so what? If you're happy with the white and don't want to get a new one, that's fine. If you have nothing and don't want to get a new alumnium, then it's a silly reason not to. I use the white all day at work and the aluminium at home. I don't sit down at the alumnium and go 'ewww'. I just use it. It's nice and glossy and I wasn't bothered by the viewing angle after a couple of days of use. And that's after using the white one for 8 hours every day.
Sorry to pick on you here, but the 'I never buy revision A products' is an line of reasoning I've never quite understood. Nobody doesn't buy a new TV because it might be a new model! We have a Core Duo iMac in the office that was bought after launch - no problems. I have a new alu iMac bought on 7th August - no problems.
I don't know how people can sit there not buying if they really want to, waiting 6-12 months for the same computer to come out but with a small speed bump. That's 6-12 months of your life gone! 😀
that is exactly what I use mine for, and finding that the new iMacs offered only glossy screens was a huge disappointment for me.