In the market for a new iMac.

[LadyAlligator]

I'm in the market for a new desktop computer. I haven't had one since I dropped off gaming (back when Pentium 2 was cool), and I bought a Macbook, which was fine for the simple things I was doing. Lighter Photoshop, networking, some dappling in WPA play, some cool light software etc. I've outgrown it.

I need some grunt.
I really miss a desktop computer.

- I'm using cs5, cs3 and Corel IX heavily. For both photo editing AND digital art.
- I want to run a Windows XP parallel for gaming.
- I want a lot of room to grow with software and tech.

Thinkin' the 24" or 27" i5 or, if I could SCRAPE the money together, the 27" i7.. but it seems a tad overkill (fighting with my "but it's so MAJESTIC" urge). Do most people find the 27" screen too much? I think the i3 Quad is a bit too light for what I want, yes? Suggestions would be fantastic.

 

[Hellhammer]

http://store.apple.com/us/product/G0JP0LL/A?AID=10479833&PID=2620303&SID=Website|

Refurb is always a good option if you want to save some $. 27" is VERY nice for photo stuff due to it's high resolution.

 

[ProstheticHead]

Thinkin' the 24" or 27" i5 or, if I could SCRAPE the money together, the 27" i7.. but it seems a tad overkill (fighting with my "but it's so MAJESTIC" urge). Do most people find the 27" screen too much? I think the i3 Quad is a bit too light for what I want, yes? Suggestions would be fantastic.

There is no quad i3.
The iMac comes in 21.5" and 27" sizes.
The i5 is a great CPU, just can't HyperThread.

It all depends on the price point you're trying to hit.

The entry level 27" and the top of the line 21.5" are the same computer. You're paying $200 for screen real estate. That being said, the 21.5" is likely to outperform the 27" in heavy graphical tasks due to the fact that it is driving far fewer pixels with the same GPU the entry 27" sports.

If you're looking for a good deal, check this out:

http://www.powermax.com/parts/show/c-nim-mc507ll__a

PowerMax has ONE left. It outperforms the current i5 27" in CPU crunch tests. The RAM is slightly slower and the GPU is 512mb rather than 1gb, but if you're not gaming you won't notice it. It's a great value.