Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

iMac 20" or 24"

K

kerpow

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 16, 2004
331
0
London
I've been umming and arring about which to get so I went to my local Apple store to actually see them side by side.

Am I weird to think that the 24" is just too big? It may have its uses for some things but for me it felt like I was writing an email sitting right infront of a TV. Quite strange feeling. The 20" felt perfect.

There's the cost as well, a considerable difference.

I think I may get the 20" and pimp out the memory to 1.5 or 2gb.
 
If you can afford to ask yourself that question, go for the 24 inch and dont look back.
 
kerpow said:
I've been umming and arring about which to get so I went to my local Apple store to actually see them side by side.

Am I weird to think that the 24" is just too big? It may have its uses for some things but for me it felt like I was writing an email sitting right infront of a TV. Quite strange feeling. The 20" felt perfect.

There's the cost as well, a considerable difference.

I think I may get the 20" and pimp out the memory to 1.5 or 2gb.
Click to expand...

I also find the 24" a bit too big. I have a 17" iMac and I have no problems with the size, but a 20" would be perfect. I would take the money you save on the 24" and upgrade the ram to 2GB, and get some accessories...
 
For about the first 4 days I had the 24", I hated myself for getting it. I couldn't get used to it. Now I am so incredibly glad that I got it. If you have a desk that is deep enough (I think that is the big key), then go for the 24". If your desk is shallow, go for the 20".
 
24".

You can watch native 1080P Qt movies
WOW looks fantastic.
Any creative apps give you loads of room for floating windows - everything feels nicely spread out and not cramped.

24" iMac has FW 800, small little bonus.

You can always upgrade the RAM, you can't insert a bigger screen though!
 
I got the 24" for the better graphics card. I do a lot of photo editing and I love the space to work with. I even have a 21" external motor next to my 24".
I use the both!

Mike
 
B.A. said:
For about the first 4 days I had the 24", I hated myself for getting it. I couldn't get used to it. Now I am so incredibly glad that I got it. If you have a desk that is deep enough (I think that is the big key), then go for the 24". If your desk is shallow, go for the 20".
Click to expand...

And for the reverse problem, I offer my situation: I talked myself down from the 24 to the 20, and while I love it I see the 24 and start to feel inadequate.
 
Interesting feedback.

We'll see. I won't be purchasing until Leopard and there may be a revision between now and then, we're due one.
 
I agree with the posters here. It depends on where you going to put it.

I have a 20" iMac in my kitchen, and its perfect for the spot I put it in. Kids love it, play iTunes, watch DVD's on it (like an extra TV).

If your using it at a desk or somewhere that it doesn't look silly, I would go for the 24".
 
If you have the room and the money go for the 24". The resolution is awesome.

It is nothing like sitting in front of a TV.

If you don't have the money to spend or don't have the room for it get the 20"

The 24" has a lot more advantages than just the screen size. :rolleyes:

For the first week or so the 2' monitor seemed HUGE... Now a few months later is actually seems small at times. (What I am saying is you will learn to take advantage of all the real estate on the screen. Just imagine how cool it will be to have several 2' desktops with spaces coming out in leopard.) I know my next monitor will be 30"+

I have transitioned from:
Old ass monitors I can't ever remember > 15"CRT > 15"LCD > 17"LCD > 19"LCD > Better 19" LCD > 24" LCD

Every-time it seemed like a world of difference at first. But then you get used to it.

But why do you want someone here to make that decision for you.

You have seen both computers in person. You are the best person to make that choice for your application.
 
yeah it really depends on where you're putting it and your uses. if you're going to be using photoshop or aperture you may want the bigger one. when i bought my imac the 24" wasn't an option for me, but i'm completely happy with my 20". depending on what size screen you're coming from, it'll be an adjustment whether you get the 20" or 24".
 
kerpow said:
Am I weird to think that the 24" is just too big?
Click to expand...
No, I think that's normal.

When I got my 20" iMac almost two years ago, I thought it was ridiculously big. :eek: Within a week I couldn't imagine using a smaller display.

Get the 24". You'll be glad for it later. You'll adapt. ;) I have faith in you.
 
I'm using a 17" CRT with my PB at the moment and use a 19" at work.

Cost will be an issue I'm afraid. A refurb 20" is £869, a 24" refurb is £1179. 30% increase in price is quite significant.

I think with Leopard right around the corner the screen size becomes less of an issue if you're not of a creative background. I'll essentially have 80" of screen size using Spaces. 20" for iPhoto, 20" for Firefox and IM, 20" for Mail and iTunes, 20" for RapidWeaver etc.

I can see how bigger is better for some people but I think I'll take the cheaper option for now.
 
yeah, i was thinking the same thing, the 20" or the 24"...

a friend of mine has just bought the 24" and it's amazing to look at but I've decided on the 20" as i have a desk with shelves and the 20" will just fit!! (for a moment i thought about taking the whole shelf part of the desk off :p )

the extra "s would be nice... I have a 17" monitor at work which is okay and a 12" ibook which is frustrating when using creative suite apps.....

i'm waiting till something new comes out before I buy (and saving madly) but at the moment these are the specs i'm going to go with:

# 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
# 2GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x1GB
# 250GB Serial ATA Drive
# ATI Radeon X1600/128MB VRAM
# Apple Wireless Keyboard & Wireless Mighty Mouse + Mac OS X
# AppleCare Protection Plan for iMac - Auto-enroll
# 20-inch widescreen LCD
# AirPort Extreme
# Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR

which brings it out at roughly the same price as the 24"! :D
 
time to get used to a new screen size heals all ills. I got to work on a 30" acd for about 3 days before someone more deserving got it, and I went from

day 1: cripes, this is ridiculous, i'm only using little windows, it's too big
day 2: hmmm, if i push it back a little it's kinda like having dual monitors, which i enjoy...
day 3: boy you can fit a lot on here, and photoshop maximized is so great! ah oh...going home to my 20" is going to be terrible...

luckily it ended after day 3, and i'm still ok with my 20" iMac and my other 20" widescreen along with a 17" secondary display. a 24" dell for my future mac pro sure sounds nice though...

I think for a good percentage of iMac users 20" is perfect. Nearly everyone would grow to prefer 24" though if they give it a chance.
 
Go for the 24" ..... I was quite happy with my G5 hooked up to a 19" until I saw a demo of a 23" ACD. I bought the 23" and haven't looked back since.

FJ :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back