Im buying a mac, help!

[DylanC]

Im buying a mac and plan to be gaming and browsing the internet on it mostly. and my budget is 670$ (including shipping i have my own moniter, keyboard+mouse) i was thinking about getting an iMac but all of the fairly good ones seem to be $1000 plus. all i need is one with 1 gig of ram and a o.k. video card that could run recent games and games in the near future (2-4 months) if anyone could help me out i would appreciate it soO much!

ty

 

[ab2650]

Im buying a mac and plan to be gaming and browsing the internet on it mostly. and my budget is 670$ (including shipping i have my own moniter, keyboard+mouse) i was thinking about getting an iMac but all of the fairly good ones seem to be $1000 plus. all i need is one with 1 gig of ram and a o.k. video card that could run recent games and games in the near future (2-4 months) if anyone could help me out i would appreciate it soO much!

ty

Unfortunately, Apple doesn't really have the right computer for you, namely the missing piece in their offerings: The Mac.

Your options:
1) If you stay in your price range, the only thing you can buy is a Mac Mini. Forget gaming on it.

2) If you up your range a bit, you can get an iMac which will be decent for gaming, but now you've got yourself an extra display, keyboard and mouse.

3) Wait around for Apple to release a computer somewhere in between the specs of a Mini and a Pro, but without a built-in display.

 

[bubblegum80]

Im buying a mac and plan to be gaming and browsing the internet on it mostly. and my budget is 670$ (including shipping i have my own moniter, keyboard+mouse) i was thinking about getting an iMac but all of the fairly good ones seem to be $1000 plus. all i need is one with 1 gig of ram and a o.k. video card that could run recent games and games in the near future (2-4 months) if anyone could help me out i would appreciate it soO much!

ty

Sell your monitor, mouse, keyboard, and anything else.

Save a little more, and buy an iMac. The entry model is good enough for what you need, alternatively you can purchase a "refurb" model for less.

The video card in the iMacs are suitable for gaming for years to come.

My G5 iMac could run Doom 3, in high settings without any problems.

 

[will792]

I would suggest to wait until Apple fills in big void in their model lineup. The advice to sell your current monitor and buy iMac discounts the fact that LCD monitors typically last at least 5-6 years while most computers are obsolete in 3-4, especially if you play 3D PC games.

You would be better off to have a PC for games only and Mac mini for everything else. Most of LCD monitors have 2 inputs so you can switch easily.

It is very disappointing that Apple covers every possible niche with various iPods but extremely limited choices in Macs.

 

[Andrmgic]

For my non-gaming tasks, I'm finding the mac mini to be sufficient. I may up the ram to 2gb from 1gb because that isn't too expensive, but Leopard runs damn fast on this little box.

I have a pretty good pc for gaming, but I haven't powered it on in a few days.. I've just been using the mini for my general computer usage and it has been working beautifully.

I originally intended to use this little guy as a HTPC downstairs, but I like using it so much that I'm using it as a desktop upstairs until I can get an iMac to serve that purpose.

I'm drooling over the idea of a 24" iMac.. maybe I'll be able to afford one before too long.

 

[byakuya]

It is very disappointing that Apple covers every possible niche with various iPods but extremely limited choices in Macs.

I agree...
I especially miss an ultra portable notebook (12 inch screen or even 11 inches) and actually something like the imac (performance wise) without the integrated monitor and included keyboard/mouse.

 

[DylanC]

Sell your monitor, mouse, keyboard, and anything else.

Save a little more, and buy an iMac. The entry model is good enough for what you need, alternatively you can purchase a "refurb" model for less.

The video card in the iMacs are suitable for gaming for years to come.

My G5 iMac could run Doom 3, in high settings without any problems.

thank you, i think im going to save up a little bit more and then near the end of january ill go ahead and buy an iMac with the money i have. what do you think is the lowest amount of money i could buy a reasonable iMac G5 for? im positive im not gonna buy a new one i just cant afford that 1200 dollars could i maybe get one around 800?


also one question about this site i found "Gainsaver" they advertise these iMacs for amazingly cheap prices but it seems too good to be true has anyone bought from them?

 

[Nordichund]

also one question about this site i found "Gainsaver" they advertise these iMacs for amazingly cheap prices but it seems too good to be true has anyone bought from them?

It seems that Gainsaver is selling second hand g5 iMacs. I would strongly recommend that you buy the newer intel iMac. As someone has already recommended a refurbished intel iMac from the online store might be a good deal for you. I know it might be difficult, but if you could save up a couple more hundred dollars you wouldn´t regret it.

 

[ab2650]

It seems that Gainsaver is selling second hand g5 iMacs. I would strongly recommend that you buy the newer intel iMac. As someone has already recommended a refurbished intel iMac from the online store might be a good deal for you. I know it might be difficult, but if you could save up a couple more hundred dollars you wouldn´t regret it.

I couldn't agree more; Don't buy a G5 iMac when you can get a refurb Intel iMac for not a whole lot more. Without even thinking about the graphics upgrades, the Core Duo (or Core 2 Duo for later revs) really trounce the G5.

Edit: Plus, with the Intel chip you can run Bootcamp to play your Windows games. In G5-land, you're either looking for mac-ported titles, or buying a separate windows gaming rig. Look at the price jump as you're getting two computers in one.

 

[DylanC]

I couldn't agree more; Don't buy a G5 iMac when you can get a refurb Intel iMac for not a whole lot more. Without even thinking about the graphics upgrades, the Core Duo (or Core 2 Duo for later revs) really trounce the G5.

Edit: Plus, with the Intel chip you can run Bootcamp to play your Windows games. In G5-land, you're either looking for mac-ported titles, or buying a separate windows gaming rig. Look at the price jump as you're getting two computers in one.

oh, i thought the G5's had intel chips also? i guess not.

how much could i get a refurbished Intel iMac for? and how much would it cost to grab another stick of 512 to make it 1gig? cause i know the ones in my price-range wont come with 1 gig.

 

[je1ani]

oh, i thought the G5's had intel chips also? i guess not.

how much could i get a refurbished Intel iMac for? and how much would it cost to grab another stick of 512 to make it 1gig? cause i know the ones in my price-range wont come with 1 gig.

G5 Intels WTF?? lol anyways check your craigslist ALOT.. I got a C2D 17" iMac for $575! If you can scrap up around $800 I see alot of 20" white C2Ds goin for that price... but yeah try to get the Intel chips... they're leaps and bounds beyond PPs and check CL often..