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General 2011 iMac questions

jakealdred

jakealdred

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 24, 2008
87
0
Manchester england
Hi. After buying a 1st gen iPad last year I've realised that my 2007 Macbook has little use now. So with my 16th birthday, GCSE's and college coming up my parents decided now is a good time to invest in a computer. But I'm stuck between the base 21.5" model and the top end 21.5" model. The things what I use (iPhoto, Final Cut Express, Pages etc.) run rather well on my Macbook so I think the base model would be perfect for me, but I want a machine what's going to last so would the top 21.5" model be more future proof?

Also to anyone who has bought the new iMac from an apple store, do you know if you can swap the Magic Mouse for the Magic Trackpad like you can online?

Thanks.
 
At least in my opinion, you are better off with a laptop since you will be entering college shortly. You can buy an external monitor, keyboard and mouse for it so it will be like a desktop when at home. If you absolutely want the iMac, then go with the base model.
 
why would he be better with a laptop at college? mentioning GCSEs, im guessing he is from the UK like myself, and thus college is just like America's final two years of high school. he will still be with living at home with his parents (i imagine....), and i never took a laptop to college with me - there would be no need at all.

when going to university however, I agree laptop would be best for lectures etc. Having said that, im about to start my third year of UCL and have bought an iMac, so slightly hypocritical!
 
Thanks for the quick response. A MBP is another option of mine but if I need any form of portability I'm still keeping my Macbook, it's surprisingly as good as it was the day we bought it :) I think I'm going with the base model, means I can buy some RAM for it to without blowing the budget.
 
@hwp16 yeh I'm in the UK, my college is only 10 minutes away too so portability isn't that much of an issue. I guess I'll benefit with the power the iMac will deliver over my current macbook. But a MBP will be something I'll invest in before I go uni :)
 
jakealdred said:
Thanks for the quick response. A MBP is another option of mine but if I need any form of portability I'm still keeping my Macbook, it's surprisingly as good as it was the day we bought it :) I think I'm going with the base model, means I can buy some RAM for it to without blowing the budget.
Click to expand...
Make sure you don't buy the RAM from Apple. Buy it from a third party.
 
I would recommend going for the top end 21.5" model just to make sure you have plenty of power now and in the future. It also has a 1TB hard drive which might come in handy down the road. Don't forget to use your student discount at the Apple store!
 
@MythicFrost yeh I'll be buying crucial RAM like I did with my macbook :) and @Chris Blount I'll see what my parents say when we go to the store to buy it, if they're willing to get the top end model then I'll go for it and of course I'd never forget my student discount, I wouldn't have half of the apple products I do if it wasn't for that haha ;)
 
TheUndertow said:
I guess if you have a tight budget.

I'm super close to buying an iMac but not sure I want to open the case and risk dust getting trapped...what to do.
Click to expand...

You only need to remove a tiny door on the bottom edge of the iMac to replace the RAM - no need to remove the screen and such. Shouldn't be a reason to worry about dust.
 
What are the chances of a redesign in 2012? Also, an improved display?

I'm seriously tempted in grabbing a 27" however i'd rather wait for either a redsign or improved screen.
 
I think you will be very happy with the base model 21.5". The SB processor pack quite a punch so if you are happy with a 2.16 C2D then the base imac will be a monster.
 
jakealdred said:
@MythicFrost yeh I'll be buying crucial RAM like I did with my macbook :) and @Chris Blount I'll see what my parents say when we go to the store to buy it, if they're willing to get the top end model then I'll go for it and of course I'd never forget my student discount, I wouldn't have half of the apple products I do if it wasn't for that haha ;)
Click to expand...

TheUndertow said:
I guess if you have a tight budget.

I'm super close to buying an iMac but not sure I want to open the case and risk dust getting trapped...what to do.
Click to expand...
Not even then. Just for the sake of not wasting money. $600 for 16GB RAM, $200 for 8GB, from OWC it's $200 and $100 respectively. Plus, you can keep your old modules (good for the latter).
 
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