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is the 17 inch imac really small?

S

Shadylane315

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 7, 2006
195
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this computer is going to be for my sisters and my mother who just write papers and surf the internet also watch movies. my questions are

1) is it to small for what they will be doing?

2) will movies look weird on the 17 inch?

3) are movies HD only in the 24 inch model?

4) i might use some photoshop programs and such will this be all cramped up?

5) i'm more worried for the movie qualities are tiger will be coming out next year with "window" i think it's called so it won't be matter if you have a small screen or not you can still manage your windows through it
 
No to all of your questions. The 1440x900 resolution of the 17" iMac is quite adequate for light usage as described and the occasional Photoshop. It is HD in the sense that it supports the display of either 720p or 1080i on the screen even though it lacks the resolution to fully display the 1080i signal.

Also, you can always use an external monitor/HDTV with it, I have mine hooked up to a Samsung 40" LCD HDTV.

B
 
17" is a very nice size for everyday tasks. I don't think I would invite the neighbors over to watch movies on it, but regular DVD res will look good.
 
hey sorry to be such a newb but i have a 30 something inch flat lcd tv what wires would i need to hook up the imac onto it? also it's on the other side of my wall but i can drill a hole. also can i bring the wireless mouse and keyboard to the living room where my tv is so i can manage everythign form there?
 
Shadylane315 said:
hey sorry to be such a newb but i have a 30 something inch flat lcd tv what wires would i need to hook up the imac onto it? also it's on the other side of my wall but i can drill a hole. also can i bring the wireless mouse and keyboard to the living room where my tv is so i can manage everythign form there?
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Depends on the inputs on your TV. The Mac has a MiniDVI port which you can convert to either VGA or DVI with the appropriate cable from Apple. If your TV has either of those you're done. If you need component or HDMI you'll need an adapter from VGA or DVI to that, and if all you have is S-video or composite, Apple makes an adapter for those too...

The Bluetooth for the wireless mouse and kb might not work through a wall, you might want to use the Apple remote and an RF IR extender.

B
 
ok cool cause i tried using the s video cable to connect my powerbook to the tv but the quality of the picture was sooo messy
 
Yeah, you won't get HD with S-video or composite. You might also need to use SwitchResX to get the timing right if your TV isn't designed for PC input.

B
 
remember when imacs were 14in or something and they were the most popular apple computer!

seriously though 17in is fine for day to day stuff for sure. Better than an equivalent 17in crt since you get more viewing area with an lcd over crt
 
Shadylane315 said:
http://www.vinc.us/site/products/product_l37.html

this is what i got

so what cable would go with that so i can connect both powerbook, imac , and macbook pro (when i order it)
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The best input seems to be the RGB input, but it claims only to support 1024x768, and I don't know if it stretches that to wide by default or not. My Toshiba is the same way. You may be able to get more out of it with SwitchResX.

In all cases you'll need the VGA adapter dongle and a VGA cable, I believe it's the same for the powerbook and MBP, but different for the iMac.

B
 
I have the 17" imac. I wouldn't say it's small. It's just big enough for me. The 20" would probably be the best size for myself. It depedns on what you're planning on doing with it. By reading what you want to do I'm sure it would be fine but then again it depends. What 17" imac were you planning on getting? Remember that photoshop doesn't have a universal binary out just yet.
 
The 17" iMac is 17" Wide Screen.

I would go to your local Apple Store and take a look.

It's a great family general use computer.

The benefit of the larger 20" or 24" is being able to work on 2 full page layouts at the same time with enough room for control surfaces, chat windows or even a movie. Of course games and movies will have more impact.

Personally, I prefer a larger display because I spend so any hours viewing it, so
it helps to lessen eye strain over an extended time period.
 
2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
1GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x512
160GB Serial ATA Drive
SuperDrive 8X (DVDR-DL/CD-RW)
NO MODEM
WL KYBD & MSE + MAC OS X
Country Kit
 
Apple's price for the extra 1 GB RAM for $158.00 is just about street value.

The iMac will perform MUCH better with a total 2 GB RAM.

I hope you or someone in your family can help you buy at education pricing.

Also, the upgraded 17" with the dedicated 128 or 256 MB VRAM is much preferred over the base student model with the shared memory GPU.
 
I've a 15" iMac that I work on day in and day out - it's always been a great size - plus I love the positioning ability of that range of iMac's as they swivel etc. 17" would be fine - you can only write on one document at time - and that's why we have a dock to minimise everything else.

I acknowledge bigger is always better in screen-size, but it's what makes you more productive that is the issue (in my opinion).
 
I have a similar question. Im torn between the 20" and the 17". When i go the apple store i find the 20" too big and the design dosent look as attractive as the smaller one, anyone agree with that view? But the exra size of course has its benefits.
 
numlock said:
I have a similar question. Im torn between the 20" and the 17". When i go the apple store i find the 20" too big and the design dosent look as attractive as the smaller one, anyone agree with that view? But the exra size of course has its benefits.
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I don't like the iMac design in general. IMO, they should have modified the lamp design instead of making it into an ugly flat panel with a huge white area filled with nothing below the screen.
 
miles01110 said:
I don't like the iMac design in general. IMO, they should have modified the lamp design instead of making it into an ugly flat panel with a huge white area filled with nothing below the screen.
Click to expand...

I so agree - I will keep my old iMac G4 going for as long as I can - I don't like the new iMac design, firstly you can't move it about (and I'm so spoilt by that now) and secondly there is an awful lot of white plastic on the bottom of the screen - where my eye level would be generally - with my current ergonomic setup.

NumLock: this is probably what is making you have second thoughts about the larger iMac model - the big lump of plastic on the bottom (I think this space where all the guts of the computer are - would be better on top - so it doesn't interfere with screen placement. I realise this probably isn't possible in the real world - but it would look better I feel.

Personally, if I was in this position, I'd go for the smaller iMac or a large LCD with a macbook or MBP.
 
If you are on a real tight budget I'd get the Mini and the Chimei 22" LCD monitor.

Way better value, and none of this Apple "if you want feature X you gotta get all these other unwanted features" crap. I get to choose the screen I want, I dictate what the bundle contains.
 
generik said:
If you are on a real tight budget I'd get the Mini and the Chimei 22" LCD monitor.

Way better value, and none of this Apple "if you want feature X you gotta get all these other unwanted features" crap. I get to choose the screen I want, I dictate what the bundle contains.
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Value? You now get Core Duo vs. Core 2 Duo, integrated graphics, no dual monitor support and a tiny 2.5" laptop drive when you buy a Mini as compared to the mid-range 17" iMac. :(

B
 
I loved my 17" iMac the entire time I had it. The screen was large enough to watch DVDs on it with friends (I live in shared accommodation at uni), play games, work with loads of documents at the same time, edit images and sound.

1440 x 900 is NOT a low resolution.
 
balamw said:
Value? You now get Core Duo vs. Core 2 Duo, integrated graphics, no dual monitor support and a tiny 2.5" laptop drive when you buy a Mini as compared to the mid-range 17" iMac. :(

B
Click to expand...

Well... I get a 22" display, something that I'd need to shell out almost $2000 to get on the iMac... since the OP is not going to game and is planning to use his Mac for watching movies, I'd say you get a lot more WoW out of a 22" screen than a pint sized 17" screen.

Got to add that it is a 17" screen with potential dead pixels compared with a 22" screen with NO dead pixels.
 
sierra oscar said:
I so agree - I will keep my old iMac G4 going for as long as I can - I don't like the new iMac design, firstly you can't move it about (and I'm so spoilt by that now) and secondly there is an awful lot of white plastic on the bottom of the screen - where my eye level would be generally - with my current ergonomic setup.

NumLock: this is probably what is making you have second thoughts about the larger iMac model - the big lump of plastic on the bottom (I think this space where all the guts of the computer are - would be better on top - so it doesn't interfere with screen placement. I realise this probably isn't possible in the real world - but it would look better I feel.

Personally, if I was in this position, I'd go for the smaller iMac or a large LCD with a macbook or MBP.
Click to expand...

Yes it gets a more akward feel the larger its gets. i cant even imagine how the 24" one looks like. I think the current model in a smaller version is a very beautiful design but the lamp one probably is easier to work with and adjust
 
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