help which iMac to buy?

[ezinn]

Hi,

I'm new to apple iMac. I want to change from my PC world to a mac, and love the way the iMac looks.
I would like to buy a used one.
Should I get a 20" or 24"?
Is the graphics that much better on a 24"
How important is the processor speed vs ram?
wireless or wired keyboard?
I see some hard drive failures in the forums is this the exception?
I would like to spend less than $1000
Most of what I do is surfing the internet and running Microsoft Office apps.

Thanks for your help
How reliable have these all-in-one computers been?

 

[richard.mac]

the low end 20" iMac will suit your needs fine but things to note are it only has integrated graphics and has a lower quality TN display panel compared to the 24's TFT panel. so if you game or do graphics work the 24" is a better choice. also you might think the higher resolution will suit your workflow better.

2GB of RAM is still quite fast for everyday computing and will make tasks very zippy but if you are going to have large file sizes in memory and using lots of applications 4GB and even higher will give a noticeable performance boost. an increase in CPU clock speed will not be noticed in everyday activities but if you are going to be putting the CPU cores thru full load a faster processor will be more beneficial. also note that the mobile CPUs in MacBook's and iMac's cannot be upgraded so its wise to go for the faster CPU clock speed.

also if you will be upgrading 2GB of RAM on the 20" or 4GB of RAM on the 24" buy elsewhere as Apple's BTO tends to be more expensive. RAM upgrades are user serviceable so it wont void your warranty and there are directions on apple.com/support.

 

[Hellhammer]

iMacs are very reliable. You only see the people who have problems here and they are less than 1% of buyers. Every hard drive's data can be overwritten only certain times. HD failure isn't a big issue, just get external and use Time Machine to back up your files and you'll be safe.

Have you looked at refurb store? There are some great deals. Also if you want used, search from eBay or Craigslist

 

[Maserati7200]

I'd say 24"

My primary computer used to be a 20" iMac G5, but then when my dad bought the 24" iMac, oh boy it was wonderful! 24" is perfect!