Excuse me beforehand, if this is a little long. I'm a complete noob to Mac, only been on one a long time ago, but it's being recommended to me now to dive into the Mac world. Anyway, I'm a little confused about the difference between the 20" and 24". I guess I don't really mean the actual "difference" since I know one has more ram and memory capacity than the other and I'm kinda at a loss at which one would be right for me. I basically only use the computer for your average stuff - internet, photos, some music, but I do play ALOT of the Sims and select few other games. I wouldn't call myself a HUGE gamer, but I do end up with a lot of expansion packs and such when they're available. Basically I'm asking if the 2GB w/ 320GB hard drive or the 4 and 640 is better for me. Also.....assuming I'm told the 4 and 640 is the better option, would it be a better idea to just upgrade that from the 20" where it would still cost $100 less, or take the 24" for $100 more. I hope I didn't make that confusing. Thanks in advance for any responses.
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iMac buying help
- Thread starter Zing09
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I like to get as much bang for the buck while still buying the most power I can. I would prefer a 24" with the ATI 2600 (older model) or the 24" with the nvidia 120 as my entry point. I have a Mini with the nividia 9400 and while it's good, it's not great with my games. Now the Sims doesn't have real hefty requirements but I still feel more comfortable buying something I'm going to keep a few years with a more powerful GPU.
I would stick with the Apple refurbs to save money. They are as good as new and have some great deals.
Also some resellers have great deals on the older models. yesterday Macconnection even had the 24" 2.8 with ATI 2600 for $1099 after rebate, a fantastic deal!!
Cheers,
I would stick with the Apple refurbs to save money. They are as good as new and have some great deals.
Also some resellers have great deals on the older models. yesterday Macconnection even had the 24" 2.8 with ATI 2600 for $1099 after rebate, a fantastic deal!!
Cheers,
Follow this advice, and you're virtually guaranteed not to be disappointed with your purchase:
1. Buy the 24". You might later regret buying something smaller; almost nobody regrets buying bigger.
2. Get 4 Gb of RAM, either from Apple or third party. Again, more is better, and I've never read a story where someone regretted buying more RAM.
3. Get the biggest hard disk you can, I believe that's a 1 Tb (unless you buy a refurb). I know a lot of people swear by externals, and they do a good job; but there's no substitute for an internal drive.
Depending on the games you play you might be happier investing in a model with a higher-end video card, but that also depends on how much time you plan to devote to gaming.
1. Buy the 24". You might later regret buying something smaller; almost nobody regrets buying bigger.
2. Get 4 Gb of RAM, either from Apple or third party. Again, more is better, and I've never read a story where someone regretted buying more RAM.
3. Get the biggest hard disk you can, I believe that's a 1 Tb (unless you buy a refurb). I know a lot of people swear by externals, and they do a good job; but there's no substitute for an internal drive.
Depending on the games you play you might be happier investing in a model with a higher-end video card, but that also depends on how much time you plan to devote to gaming.