How much VRAM for 24" iMac?

[netdog]

I called to switch but it shipped today...3 days early. I am sure I will be fine with it. Thanks to all for the detailed advice.

I ordered a 24" with 2GB of system RAM and 128MB of VRAM.

I do light video editing (iMovie, FCP), but mostly just browsing, email, web. Am I going to kick myself for not getting the 256MB option? Changing my order would slow things down significantly as it is due to ship now on September 21st.

To be fair, I have been VERY happy with 128 on my 20" iMac Core Duo.

 

[FFTT]

I'm still running my Dell 24" off the stock 64 MB GPU in my G5 tower.

You should be fine.

 

[orangezorki]

You may well need no more than the stock GPU, but remember that the upgrade on the 24" is not just VRAM, it is a whole new, significantly faster video card.

David

 

[jessep28]

Just so I don't make a new topic I will add to this one:

Will the 128MB video card be fine if I purchase a TV tuner?

 

[daneoni]

128 is plenty for most uses.. However, since you're asking i'd play it safe and get the 256, better safe than sorry

 

[FFTT]

I would be very careful connecting cable or satellite to your computer.

While I totally understand how nice it could be to have your favorite shows
right there on your display, I would never leave the converter box connected
when my system was not attended.

One good thunderstorm or a power surge on the cable and you could lose your motherboard.

 

[jessep28]

I'll just get a DVR then

 

[ipoddin]

I ordered a 24" with 2GB of system RAM and 128MB of VRAM.

I do light video editing (iMovie, FCP), but mostly just browsing, email, web. Am I going to kick myself for not getting the 256MB option? Changing my order would slow things down significantly as it is due to ship now on September 21st.

To be fair, I have been VERY happy with 128 on my 20" iMac Core Duo.

no you won't kick yourself. For your purposes 128mb graphic card is just fine. You would be kicking yourself if you wanted to do 3D apps where the card would actually make a difference, like playing high end games. Otherwise, the card makes no difference whatsoever and you'd be throwing money away on the 256mb option.

 

[FFTT]

I haven't followed up much on the iTV yet.

I'm not sure if it's set up to send a WiFi signal from your Mac to your TV
or from your T.V. to your Mac or both.

If it enables you to view TV content wirelessly on your Mac that would be ultimate.

 

[jessep28]

It would be nice to put content on my Mac when I get it so I can watch it while working, etc.

Yeah a DVR is nice, but I am working/at school so much of the ti me, I often miss a lot of programs because I forget to record it, etc.

 

[FFTT]

Leaving your system connected to Satellite or Cable TV cable could induce accute
neurosis like wondering if you left the coffee maker on, but much more serious.

Und zat vil be our zession for today.

 

[budugu]

Change it ASAP! 7300 GT <= X1600 pro in performance

I ordered a 24" with 2GB of system RAM and 128MB of VRAM.

I do light video editing (iMovie, FCP), but mostly just browsing, email, web. Am I going to kick myself for not getting the 256MB option? Changing my order would slow things down significantly as it is due to ship now on September 21st.

To be fair, I have been VERY happy with 128 on my 20" iMac Core Duo.

Not only will you be kicking yourself but you will also greatly reduce the resale value of your mac because of it. More importantly the 7300 GT is definitely not an improvement over x1600s on the lower end machines. 7600GT is more respectable. 100$ upgrade is totally worth it.

 

[MacBandit]

I would be very careful connecting cable or satellite to your computer.

While I totally understand how nice it could be to have your favorite shows
right there on your display, I would never leave the converter box connected
when my system was not attended.

One good thunderstorm or a power surge on the cable and you could lose your motherboard.

How is it anymore risky then plugging it into a power outlet or connecting your computer to an outside networks like DSL or Cable?

You can surge arrest Cable and Satellite connections if that's your worry.

 

[FFTT]

Many utilities share the neutral from your incoming power cables.

A simple branch falling between the hot and the neutral can send a surge so
fast through your system, that nothing man made can stop it.

I've got a pile of 8 Modems that were ALL surge protected, but they took
a fatal hit anyway.

I've had both the power company and the phone company area supervisors
out here and that's how I learned why it can happen.

Lightening just adds another flavor to the sizzle.

It all depends on where you live I guess.

 

[Ladybug]

Get the video upgrade...

1. Look to the future, you never know what you might be wanting to run in a few years

2. Better resale value

3. If you don't, you'll always be questioning your decision not to

 

[zerolight]

If you decide later that you want to play games on it there are a couple of things to consider.

1. It's an LCD and so only really looks good running it's native resolution (in this case at 1900xwhatever).

2. If you run at native res (see 1) then that's going to put a huge demand on the gfx card. I'm not convinced that even the 7600GT is going to cope that well with games at 1900 odd resolution. But it'll cope better than the x1600.

 

[netdog]

I won't be playing games. As I said, the biggest demand is only light video editing with FCP and iMovie. How much VRAM do these really need to perform at a decent level?

How does the Leopard preview seem to lean on the video card?

Future versions of OS X?

I am not a gamer, and will not be a gamer.

 

[zerolight]

I'm a gamer. But not on a Mac, just the 360. For me, I felt that the cost to upgrade to the significantly better GFX card was small enough that I ordered my 24 with it. I just felt that with such a high resolution screen, it would perhaps be advantageous to future-proof just in case.

 

[netdog]

I called to switch but it shipped today...3 days early. I am sure I will be fine with it. Thanks to all for the detailed advice.

 

[generik]

Just so I don't make a new topic I will add to this one:

Will the 128MB video card be fine if I purchase a TV tuner?

I am running my TV tuner off integrated graphics

 

[MacBandit]

Many utilities share the neutral from your incoming power cables.

A simple branch falling between the hot and the neutral can send a surge so
fast through your system, that nothing man made can stop it.

I've got a pile of 8 Modems that were ALL surge protected, but they took
a fatal hit anyway.

I've had both the power company and the phone company area supervisors
out here and that's how I learned why it can happen.

Lightening just adds another flavor to the sizzle.

It all depends on where you live I guess.

This is true. So I'm still not quite grasping your issue with being connected to cable or satellite? Do you unplug the power from your computer whenever your not using it?

 

[FFTT]

Most good surge protectors and UPS do a pretty good job of protecting appliances plugged into the power outlets, but they do a miserable job protecting phone and cable lines.

If you have a wireless router, at worst your router may take the hit, but
anything plugged in to phone or TV cable is still vulnerable.

It really all depends on the path of least resistant and grounding.

If you happen to be plugged in during a neutral fault your computer's power cable may go unaffected, but you can still lose a modem, a router or a TV tuner.

Are you feeling lucky?

 

[MacBandit]

Most good surge protectors and UPS do a pretty good job of protecting appliances plugged into the power outlets, but they do a miserable job protecting phone and cable lines.

If you have a wireless router, at worst your router may take the hit, but
anything plugged in to phone or TV cable is still vulnerable.

It really all depends on the path of least resistant and grounding.

If you happen to be plugged in during a neutral fault your computer's power cable may go unaffected, but you can still lose a modem, a router or a TV tuner.

Are you feeling lucky?

Yup not worried about it. I have insurance and I've checked to make sure my insurance covers a power related loss. There's so many possibilities anyhow I doubt many people worry about a surge enough to try to make everything wireless.