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are you happy with your 21 inch or do you wish you got the 27

Acorn

Acorn

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Jan 2, 2009
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macrumors
I have been looking into possibly getting an imac in october and I could either get the top 21 or the base 27. Im concerned i will be unhappy with the 21 inch size not really performance. I will be using this with a wacom cintiq. Do the folks that own a 21 inch regret not getting the 27 at all.
 
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I personally dont have an iMac :( BUT, the 27" looks overpowering when you have a small desk and the 21" looks weird and small on a BIG desk
hope I helped <(")
 
21.5" for me, I did try the 27 and to be honest I found the size quite simply OTT for my desk, in general and the resolution is that high the text was too small. This is one area where small is beautiful. :D
 
Also happy with my 21.5, as the person above mentioned I also have trouble with the size of text on the 27, plus the 21.5 actually fits in my desk hutch :p

I know you can change the size of the text on the 27 but not using the native resolution just doesn't look right.
 
I don't own an iMac, BUT I've debated about buying one before, but I didn't have the money for the 27-inch so I simply didn't buy one.

In my opinion, it's either a laptop or a big screen. No "medium" screen like the 21-inch iMac. If I want multiple windows open at the same time, I need a screen resolution big enough for each window to be pretty large
 
I am debating getting a 21 instead of keeping my 27. The main reason is Lion. Full screen apps take away the main reason I wanted more real estate on the screen. Swiping between full screen apps using Lion is much more preferable to having them side by side, at least to me.

But on a 27" a full screen browser looks downright silly. Ditto for Mail and many others.

On a 21" screen they "feel" better. Maybe I am crazy, but I think my next mac will be a 21" model, the only question is do I sell my 27" and make the change now or wait until its time to buy a new one (in a year or two).
 
I'm extremely happy with my 21.5", but sometimes I do wish I had gone with the 13" mbp because I'm rarely at my desk due to babysitting my little brother. And I would have been unsastified with the 27" because I have poor vision and everything would have been extremely small for me to read.
 
I've just ordered the 21.5" iMac, its replacing an old 20" model but I did give strong consideration to the 27". In the end it just seemed more suited to me but everyone is different best advice is to try out both if you can, although I realise its not always possible for people to do so (it certainly wasn't for me)
 
I am very happy with my 21.5 iMac (1st time buyer). I debated and went over it in my head before purchase, spend hours at the store looking at both sizes....months later, I bought the 27" monitor and plugged it into my 21.5 imac and using the iMac as my 2nd monitor.

Works great!!
 
I can't imagine having a 27". It seems like it would just be way too much.

I got the 2.7GHz 21.5" and I'm really happy. The screen is more than enough.
 
I got the 27" and I love it. Can have the browser open, be watching video and finder open on the screen at the same time.

I was using 2x24" on my pc, so I guess I'm used to the space, but I think i would find the smaller iMac a bit cramped.

If I had less room I would maybe think differently. Btw, my eyes aren't the best and I have no problem reading the text.

Also, if I could afford it I would add a 27" cinema display as a second monitor. :p
 
I've had my 21.5" for about a year and a half. Between the two it was the best choice for me and I have no regrets.

However, if they offered a 23-24" model I would consider it. 27" is ridiculously big IMHO.
 
While your seeking for a reasurring answer there really is none. The reason is everyone uses their Imac for different tasks. Video editors, Photoshop geeks etc will prefer the 27, whereas others the 21.
Bottom Line if your comfortable with the size you did the right thing.
 
imac 21.5"

I got the base model 21.5" like two weeks ago and I am VERY happy with it since the 27" is too much for me and I have a pretty small desk. It looks like a giant on my desk. Plus, I've been using a macbook for about three years so I was used to the small screen for a long while. I don't photoshop, edit photos or videos so I don't need the extra power from the graphic card. The only games I play are tf2, css, and portal. I still get like 120-230 fps in css with casey's config. Best decision and comp I've ever bought. No regrets at all!
 
For me the 21.5 inch is the perfect size. With my high resolution, Logitech Performance MX mouse I can move the cursor from the top left corner down to the bottom right corner in one wrist movement. I.E. - I don't have to lift my hand, reposition the mouse and then continue the cursor path. With the native resolution of the 27" iMac being 2560 by 1440 pixels there is no way in hell I'm moving the cursor from one edge to the other without lift my wrist and repositioning the mouse.

This simple cursor test tells me if the display is just right or too large. In this case, paired with a 1500 by 1500 DPI mouse the 21.5" iMac is the perfect size. You might have different results depending on the size of your hands and wrists. The larger the hands/wrists the more area you can cover without having to lift the mouse and reposition.
 
The 27 is so epic, I remember when I first saw the original ones in best buy. :eek:

It looked cooler there for some reason than a Apple store.

The 21.5 is cool and everything....but I wouldn't even consider it.
 
If iMacs ever manage to achieve resolution independence, I will get a 27". I would love to have a large screen and set up the wireless mouse and keyboard some distance from the screen. I work with text only and can adjust its size easily within the programmes I use, but without control of the OS-restricted text, I'll stay with the lower resolution of the smaller screen.
 
I have the 21.5. Could've gotten the 27" - wasn't a budget thing. I just looked at the 27 in the store and couldn't imagine having that on my desk. I can honestly say I've never once wished I had gone the other way. The 21.5 is perfect for my desk and my uses. But, I really do think it depends on the uses.
 
Thanks guys all your posts have been really helpful. It was an interesting read. not many regretted their 21 at all so maybe i will do that.
 
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