iMac is a RIP OFF

[appleater]

Why are they putting mobile GPU's in a desktop? Why is there only an i5 option? Those exact same GPU's are what they should have put in the 15 and 17 MBPs. Mac is needs to up the ante a bit in their products if they want to compete with other rigs out there that are cheaper and have way better stuff.

Don't think your getting ripped off? I just built a myself a sandybridge desktop with 4gs of them a 6750 for 500$, I'll go buy a 720 monitor for $100 and I'm still paying half than what those jackals want. BTW its going to be a hackintosh ; )

Maybe if apple wasn't burning all their money in advertising they could actually build us better more affordable macs.

 

[mackage]

Why are they putting mobile GPU's in a desktop? Why is there only an i5 option? Those exact same GPU's are what they should have put in the 15 and 17 MBPs. Mac is needs to up the ante a bit in their products if they want to compete with other rigs out there that are cheaper and have way better stuff.

Don't think your getting ripped off? I just built a myself a sandybridge desktop with 4gs of them a 6750 for 500$, I'll go buy a 720 monitor for $100 and I'm still paying half than what those jackals want. BTW its going to be a hackintosh ; )

Maybe if apple wasn't burning all their money in advertising they could actually build us better more affordable macs.

Let's hear all the hardware in your custom build that you only paid $500 for....interested.

 

[Hellhammer]

Factor in 1000$ for the 27" display and the iMac is not that expensive anymore.

 

[Sunday Ironfoot]

To be fair, they're the fastest mobile GPU's on the market (especially the 6970 one), the sort that you see in those insanely huge Alienware laptops. And they're a lot faster than previous gen. It's what I was expecting, I am happy

You can BTO a Core i7.

Also yes, please show us the specs of this $500 PC you're building.

 

[cluthz]

Why are they putting mobile GPU's in a desktop? Why is there only an i5 option? Those exact same GPU's are what they should have put in the 15 and 17 MBPs. Mac is needs to up the ante a bit in their products if they want to compete with other rigs out there that are cheaper and have way better stuff.

Don't think your getting ripped off? I just built a myself a sandybridge desktop with 4gs of them a 6750 for 500$, I'll go buy a 720 monitor for $100 and I'm still paying half than what those jackals want. BTW its going to be a hackintosh ; )

Maybe if apple wasn't burning all their money in advertising they could actually build us better more affordable macs.

Reality check:
Have you seen laptops with 6970m?

They are the same thickness as the iMac
The 6970M uses 100watt alone, the whole MBP 17 inch uses 95watt including disk, screen, cpu, gpu, memory controllers, cooling, etc... (hope you got it)


The 6970m is a huge upgrade from earlier models, and I think we have had the hugest iMac upgrade for several years this revision!

Here is a comparison between other cards thats been used in iMacs and MBPs the last few years:

 

[Xil3]

Why are they putting mobile GPU's in a desktop? Why is there only an i5 option? Those exact same GPU's are what they should have put in the 15 and 17 MBPs. Mac is needs to up the ante a bit in their products if they want to compete with other rigs out there that are cheaper and have way better stuff.

Don't think your getting ripped off? I just built a myself a sandybridge desktop with 4gs of them a 6750 for 500$, I'll go buy a 720 monitor for $100 and I'm still paying half than what those jackals want. BTW its going to be a hackintosh ; )

Maybe if apple wasn't burning all their money in advertising they could actually build us better more affordable macs.

I'd have to completely agree with you, even though I adore my MBA, I still believe they're really taking advantage here. The fact that they're using a mobile GPU alone really pissed me off.

 

[zepharus]

Reality check:
Have you seen laptops with 6970m?

Image

They are the same thickness as the iMac
The 6970M uses 100watt alone, the whole MBP 17 inch uses 95watt including disk, screen, cpu, gpu, memory controllers, cooling, etc... (hope you got it)


The 6970m is a huge upgrade from earlier models, and I think we have had the hugest iMac upgrade for several years this revision!

Here is a comparison between other cards thats been used in iMacs and MBPs the last few years:

+1

This dude gets it.

This GPU upgrade is HUGE for iMac and the one that is going to make me part out my gaming rig for an iMac

 

[Kendo]

That is a good comparison cluthz. I never thought of it that way. The Alienware M17x has a comparable price compared to the iMac and I would definitely rather have a 27" IPS screen than a 17" laptop screen. Granted one is portable and one isn't, but that doesn't change the fact that both are all-in-one units with a monitor built in. Plus the M17x weighs like 12 lbs so it can pretty much be considered a desktop.

 

[TMRaven]

Don't get so caught up on the whole mobility gpu thing. Apple chose to use the strongest mobile gpus on the market for their iMac line. The 6970m is pretty much the same as GTX460 as far as performance of a desktop chip goes. That's no slouch at all.

And yes, the screen alone goes for around 600 dollars (that's what apple pays for it). Around 1000 dollars from other sellers like dell.

Btw, the size of an enclosure for a desktop 6900 card is bigger than an iMac itself, and probably consumes more power than an entire iMac as well.

 

[Xil3]

Reality check:
Have you seen laptops with 6970m?

Image

They are the same thickness as the iMac
The 6970M uses 100watt alone, the whole MBP 17 inch uses 95watt including disk, screen, cpu, gpu, memory controllers, cooling, etc... (hope you got it)


The 6970m is a huge upgrade from earlier models, and I think we have had the hugest iMac upgrade for several years this revision!

Here is a comparison between other cards thats been used in iMacs and MBPs the last few years:

Umm... you're comparing a laptop to a DESKTOP.

It shouldn't have a mobile GPU in it, period.

 

[TMRaven]

Umm... you're comparing a laptop to an all-in-one.

I fixed that for you.


And yes, he has every right to compare the iMacs to thick laptops. They're both about the same thickness. The only difference is that the iMac has more area to spread components around in.

 

[blendermf]

Umm... you're comparing a laptop to a DESKTOP.

It shouldn't have a mobile GPU in it, period.

When the Desktop(All-in-one actually) is as thin as an iMac, you pretty much have to use a mobile GPU.

 

[zepharus]

Umm... you're comparing a laptop to a DESKTOP.

It shouldn't have a mobile GPU in it, period.

Bro.. then go get a Dell POS. This is an ALL IN ONE with a great design. This is a great iMac update

 

[maflynn]

Apple has a long history of putting mobile components into their iMac line.

I'm not saying its right, just that this isn't the first time they've done it.

 

[jljue]

Can you name one MFG with an all-in-one desktop with the same or better thickness, design, power consumption, and quality as an iMac for less?

 

[Smtevo]

Where is the OP with those specs?

 

[admanimal]

Why does it matter if something is labeled "mobile" or not when it probably exceeds the needs of 90% of people using it?

 

[JeepGuy]

Don't think your getting ripped off? I just built a myself a sandybridge desktop with 4gs of them a 6750 for 500$, I'll go buy a 720 monitor for $100 and I'm still paying half than what those jackals want. BTW its going to be a hackintosh ; )

Does that include the flame paint job and the neon lights

 

[kfscoll]

Huh. I beg to differ. To wit, here are prices for comparable components if one wanted to built an "iMac killer" themselves:

• Core i7-2600 - $250
• P67 motherboard - $125
• 2x2GB DDR3 1333MHz SO-DIMM RAM - $50
• SuperDrive - $50
• 27" 2560x1440 IPS LED monitor - $1000
• 2TB HDD - $100
• 350W PSU - $50
• generic case - $50
• Apple Magic Mouse - $70
• Apple Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard - $70
• 256GB SSD - $500
• AMD HD 6850 1GB (roughly comparable to HD 6970M) - $175
• OS X - $30
• TOTAL - $2745 plus tax

I bought the following computer:

• 3.4GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
• 4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
• 2TB Serial ATA Drive+256GB SSD
• AMD Radeon HD 6970M 2GB GDDR5
• APPLE MAGIC MOUSE
• Apple WL Kybd (English)+User's
• COUNTRY KIT,IMAC
• TOTAL - $2844 plus tax

but I upgraded to a 2GB video card and I get Thunderbolt which isn't available on the DIY configuration. Plus, I get a warranty and Apple support. IMHO I think the iMacs are very reasonably priced.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

**yawn**

Really an old topic no? Plenty of pro video editing setups have high end iMacs. It's a canard that somehow a graphics card labeled "mobile" means low end. I can think of many desktop cards that would get spanked by some of todays high end.

Also, have you ever felt an iMac going a full bore. It's pretty toasty. I'm not sure how they shove a top end desktop card into the case and not have it melt or sound like a jet engine.

 

[hifoo45]

People seem to always forget the 27" monitor. Take it out of the equation and the imac is right on par with any custom build. Slap a 2560x1400 monitor to your build and hello $2000+ It's really quite a nice package.

 

[hippo206]

Why are they putting mobile GPU's in a desktop? Why is there only an i5 option? Those exact same GPU's are what they should have put in the 15 and 17 MBPs. Mac is needs to up the ante a bit in their products if they want to compete with other rigs out there that are cheaper and have way better stuff.

Don't think your getting ripped off? I just built a myself a sandybridge desktop with 4gs of them a 6750 for 500$, I'll go buy a 720 monitor for $100 and I'm still paying half than what those jackals want. BTW its going to be a hackintosh ; )

Maybe if apple wasn't burning all their money in advertising they could actually build us better more affordable macs.

Can you please list the hardware and site prices?

Also, how is a 100 dollar monitor a fair comparision?

 

[Nishi100]

Umm... you're comparing a laptop to a DESKTOP.

It shouldn't have a mobile GPU in it, period.

Are you going to be cooking bacon and sausages on the back of the iMac?

 

[Eidorian]

Factor in 1000$ for the 27" display and the iMac is not that expensive anymore.

Dell had the U2711 down to ~$800 for Christmas. Even then you are still looking at some margin. There is a lot of padding based on the quality of IPS displays. Not to mention the size.

1080p displays are a dime a dozen, even the eIPS/IPS ones.

 

[cluthz]

Apple have always used mobile parts in the Aluminum iMac. (The white iMac had desktop cards.)
The term "laptop" and "desktop" cards are outdated.

Unless you build a machine yourself you won't get the 6970 desktop (unless you count small vendors and less than 0.5% of the market).

The "highend" laptop cards are almost always put into AIO kinda machines, and the market for 14Lbs laptops with batterylife that is way less than 2 hrs declining.

You can't be angry on apple to not fit in a desktop 6970 there, it is not possible!
On the other hand, you can complain about apple not making a mainstream tower computer with i5/i7 instead of xenon class cpus and maybe a bit smaller case.

I do believe the 6970m is the best card that could be put into the iMac at this given time, since I don't know anything that will give you that kind of power and be able to be cooled in such a small space.