Hi, Im in need of some opinions. I am a pc guy who wants to make the switch to mac and I want to do this with a 24in imac. I am a former pc guy who has always built the newest gaming rigs and I am having a hard time deciding on what i need for this switch. I dont really play many games any more and this mac will be used for general surfing/use but also pretty much the whole adobe suite. Photo editing, movie editing, web design is what i need this mac for the most. Also the occasional session of wow. I had the 2.93 with the ati card in my shopping cart for 3 weeks, but am having a hard time hitting the proceed button. With this set up im looking at spending over 2000 with the wireless mouse and kb, or I can go with the 2.66 with intergrated graphics for about 1500. But will this system do what I need it to do? Its 5am and I need to get to work but this is bothering me so im looking for some advice. sorry for the long winded post I just cant make up my mind and need a little persuasion. Thanks in advance.
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From PC to Mac But cant decide which Imac
- Thread starter Mic360
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I switched from almost 20 years of building/using PCs to the Mac back in 2007 with a Mini. After 2 years and seeing the anemic refresh to the Mini done in early 2009, I decided to go with a 24" iMac even though I didn't really need the monitor since I had a 24" LCD I was using with the Mini.
Anyway, I watched the refurb store for the longest time trying to decide which 24" model....last generation, new generation, integrated GPU, discrete GPU, nVidia vs. ATI...
I finally got the refurb 2.93 GHz with GT120 graphics. I just couldn't justify the price premium for the ATI graphics model. I bought a displayport adapter and have my existing 24" monitor paired with the iMac's built in - lots of screen real estate now! It's been great so far (got it in June), no regrets at all. I highly recommend a refurb...my Mini and all my ipods have been refurbs as well - there's no way to tell the difference over new except for the box they ship in and with the money you save, you can get Applecare if you're worried.
Anyway, I watched the refurb store for the longest time trying to decide which 24" model....last generation, new generation, integrated GPU, discrete GPU, nVidia vs. ATI...
I finally got the refurb 2.93 GHz with GT120 graphics. I just couldn't justify the price premium for the ATI graphics model. I bought a displayport adapter and have my existing 24" monitor paired with the iMac's built in - lots of screen real estate now! It's been great so far (got it in June), no regrets at all. I highly recommend a refurb...my Mini and all my ipods have been refurbs as well - there's no way to tell the difference over new except for the box they ship in and with the money you save, you can get Applecare if you're worried.
I forgot to mention I could get a student discount, but im guessing I wont be able to use this with a refurb, right? Also if I buy new should i buy from the apple store, the apple site, or somewhere like amazon with free shipping and no tax?
I would order from the Apple store, they give free shipping. Also I'd steer clear of integrated glasses if you want to do Adobe work. Also, LOTS of RAM (but FFS DO NOT order any more RAM from Apple then you have to! Get some from newegg.com)
I'd say go for dedicated graphics if you can because the technology in Snow Leopard will take advantage of it in the future.