Buy iMac now?

[CadenZ15]

I want to buy a 24" iMac, but I want to be sure I'm buying at the right time. With all this talk about the processors upgrading with Penryn or somethin, and than the Nehalem's are around the corner too. Snow Leopard is soon to come too isn't it? I don't plan on buying the best processor available, but if they'll drive the other models' prices down than maybe I should just wait....

Advice?

Oh, and at the moment I plan on getting the 24" 2.8GHz w/ nVidia 8800GS in case that makes any difference... There's not any new graphics cards being planned for the iMac is there?

Thanks

 

[Chris Rogers]

I'm rocking the 24" iMac right now and it's an amazing machine I GUARANTEE you won't be disappounted

 

[isethx]

i think if you wait, you will be waiting a few to several months. i think now is fine time to buy!

 

[Sun Baked]

https://buyersguide.macrumors.com//

Remember the last couple cycles, it seems the MBP gets the new goodies first.

So you know you are at least 4-8 weeks away from the iMac getting upgraded since the new MBP isn't out yet.

Though Apple does like surprises.

 

[CadenZ15]

Oh I know I won't be dissapointed, I just don't want to buy a brand new computer and than a week later comes a newer model and the one I got is cheaper than before. Knowing my luck that'll happen

 

[eXan]

Get it now. The iMac is the most recently updated Mac and is not going to be updated anytime soon. THis is not based on release date knowledge, but also on the fact that there's nothing to update it with yet until Nahalem.

There's absolutely no sense waiting.

 

[jaka]

I'm looking to get the same machine in October, and I'm also nervous about updates. I have a feeling they'll come in November, but I can't decide what'll drive me crazier -- buying the machine and then seeing the update...or the waiting. Since I also game, every little speed bump helps.

 

[Tallest Skil]

THis is not based on release date knowledge, but also on the fact that there's nothing to update it with yet until Nahalem.

There's absolutely no sense waiting.

Um... Montevina? They're just using an up-clocked version of the older chip right now.

 

[CadenZ15]

I thought i read somewhere here that the iMac was to see a small processor change before the holidays. Or at least a rumor... Here's a link: iMac Update

 

[lastochka]

For what it's worth I'm waiting. Unless you're in desperate need of a new machine I say patience. Getting a top-of-the-line iMac is no small investment - you would want it to last for some time, no. I think montevina, faster penryns and perhaps a better GFX are worth the wait.

 

[CWallace]

Personally, I would buy now. Yes, you might see an extra 100MHz on the CPU or a slightly refreshed GPU (nothing you'll be running Crysis at 150fps, to be sure). However, chances are those updates are weeks (if not months) away.

 

[arthursiew]

Good Idea

I think you should get the new iMac if you really need it now. I heard that the new iMacs will be coming out in November, but it's only going to be a speed bump. If you don't feel that you need the latest processors or stuff, it's a good idea to get it now. Snow Leopard won't be coming out until the middle of next year, so it should be fine to get one. Also, I think Nehalem is only for notebooks.

 

[CadenZ15]

A few weeks wouldn't bother me too much, i don't need a new machine right now, but waiting more than a month or 2 may be a little harder.

 

[iMacmatician]

There's not any new graphics cards being planned for the iMac is there?

There are the new NVIDIA 9000 series and the ATI HD 3000 series. They seem to be more about less power usage than higher performance, but less power usage often means higher performance too.

Um... Montevina? They're just using an up-clocked version of the older chip right now.

And the TDPs are the same as Penryn CPUs. So with the switch to Montevina, lower TDPs mean higher clocks for the same TDP.

The AppleInsider rumor about the upcoming update is supposedly "speed bumps." That seems to mean that other components get mundane upgrades. So it could be read as:

• CPU speedbump only. No other changes.
• Specification only: The components themselves like the GPU stay the same, it's just that their specs go up (like a doubling in VRAM). So from an "up-to-date" point of view, the upgrade isn't much.
• Technical only: Actual specs stay similar, but the components just change (like HD 2600 -> HD 3600). So from a numerical point of view, the upgrade isn't much.

Given that Montevina will be speedbumped 133 MHz (and a 2.0 GHz $348 quad-core coming) in Q1 (and another possible 133 MHz speedbump in mid-2009), either of the above points can point to the other type of upgrade happening in H1 2009.

Get it now. The iMac is the most recently updated Mac and is not going to be updated anytime soon. THis is not based on release date knowledge, but also on the fact that there's nothing to update it with yet until Nahalem.

There's absolutely no sense waiting.

I find it hard to believe that Apple will wait over a year until Q4 2009 / Q1 2010 when mobile Nehalem is to be released.

 

[DarrenSW]

My 2 cents: the Refurbished section of the Apple Store is *usually* (though not *always*) a good pointer to what is about to be refreshed. Lots of Nano and iPod Touch activity recently, lots iMac activity too.

(aside: there's *never* any bloody Mac Mini activity on the Refurbished store though. I wish Apple would just buy all of Intel's older C2D chip inventory up and use that to get a Mac Mini to market for £249. Clean up time if they did).

 

[eXan]

I find it hard to believe that Apple will wait over a year until Q4 2009 / Q1 2010 when mobile Nehalem is to be released.

My bad... I thought Nahalem for laptops is due in Q1 2009.

I'd really like to see an iMac update this year, because I'll probably be getting one in February (takes a while before they start selling new models in Russia)

 

[iMacmatician]

My bad... I thought Nahalem for laptops is due in Q1 2009.

Mobile Nehalem was supposed to be released in H1 2009 or so, but it was delayed to Q3 2009 and again to Q4 2009 / Q1 2010.