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Refurbished Imac... OR MBA?

U

UhmazingMac

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 27, 2008
8
0
Hey everyone! :)

I was waiting off to buy an imac from the refurbished apple store (i need a secondary machine..) but the prices didn't lower i was expecting some sort of speed bump today from macworld.. So here are my choices...

Either a Macbook Air ( Portability, but not that powerful )
1.6ghz
80gb HHD

Or a Imac ( Would last me awhile.. like i could play the sims 3,etc)
20inch
2.4ghz
250gb
1gb ram

What do you think i should do?

Thanks! :):apple::apple:


ps. What are the chances that apple would update the imac soon?
 
It's really an issue of portability vs power. Since it's your secondary machine, the MBA may be a good option.

As for iMac updates you can never know what Apple is thinking. They will probably be updating them in the coming months, so if you think you can't wait then go for it now.
 
We can't make a decision for you if you don't tell us what you want it for ;)

Do you need a notebook? Do you need a desktop?
 
haha, yeah thats where im stuck because my other computer is a macbook pro.. but im not sure if i want an imac or a mba.

How slow are mba's? (1.6ghz 60gb hhd)?

Are imacs (2.4ghz) kinda fast?
 
UhmazingMac said:
haha, yeah thats where im stuck because my other computer is a macbook pro.. but im not sure if i want an imac or a mba.

How slow are mba's? (1.6ghz 60gb hhd)?

Are imacs (2.4ghz) kinda fast?
Click to expand...

I've got an iMac (August 2007) 2.4GHz, 320GB, 4GB with 24" screen and it is plenty fast! I bought myself Call of Duty 4 (Mac version) for Christmas and it is amazing! Really smooth graphics and incredible detail. Okay, you would need more than 1GB of memory to run CoD4 but I think it's safe to say that the iMac 2.4G would blow the MBA into the dust when it comes to power.

I'd say if you already have an MBP then the iMac would offer extra versatility over another (less powerful) laptop. Of course this assumes that you don't need the portability.

Edit: Just one clarification - the iMac you are looking at has a less powerful graphics processor than mine so I'm not sure how well that would run the likes of CoD4. I wouldn't want you to run out and buy CoD only to find that it won't run worth a damn. My bet is that it would be fine but just didn't want to risk misleading you.

Cheers,
Craig.
 
Unless you have the oldest model MacBook Pro (with the ATi graphics) this iMac is going to perform worse at games than it.

Consider buying an external display instead?
 
Jack Flash said:
Mobility 2600XT = 8600M GT in performance.
Click to expand...

I'm not entirely sure that's true. Here's a little comparison I took from the 3D Mark website:

ZZ60031C77.png


That's my 2.4GHz iMac with the X2600 with 256MB vRAM, 2GB RAM versus a computer with the 8600M GT, also with 256MB vRAM and 2GB RAM.

The clock speed of the other system is much lower. So can we really say that the two cards are equal? I don't think so.

Even if they were equal, that still doesn't create a compelling reason for the OP to buy either computer he suggested.
 
If you've already got a Laptop, get the iMac for optimum screen size, minimal scrolling for when viewing & typing urgent docs.
 
neiltc13 said:
Unless you have the oldest model MacBook Pro (with the ATi graphics) this iMac is going to perform worse at games than it.

Consider buying an external display instead?
Click to expand...

yeah, what type of MBP do you have right now, how do you use it, and what are your expected uses for the 2nd machine?
 
Hey everyone! :) thanks so much for all of the replies!:apple: i decided to purchase the Imac, and i'm very excited.. :) I thought it over and the MBA didn't really seem practical for what i need, it looks nice but i want something that will last me awhile, and i wont have to upgrade in the near future..

Thanks Again!
Cheers.
 
neiltc13 said:
I'm not entirely sure that's true. Here's a little comparison I took from the 3D Mark website:



That's my 2.4GHz iMac with the X2600 with 256MB vRAM, 2GB RAM versus a computer with the 8600M GT, also with 256MB vRAM and 2GB RAM.

The clock speed of the other system is much lower. So can we really say that the two cards are equal? I don't think so.

Even if they were equal, that still doesn't create a compelling reason for the OP to buy either computer he suggested.
Click to expand...

I was just going off of notebookcheck.net's info.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-8600M-GT.3986.0.html

http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-2600-XT.3770.0.html

Real world performance is very, very similar. Drivers are a factor as well.

UhmazingMac said:
Hey everyone! :) thanks so much for all of the replies!:apple: i decided to purchase the Imac, and i'm very excited.. :) I thought it over and the MBA didn't really seem practical for what i need, it looks nice but i want something that will last me awhile, and i wont have to upgrade in the near future..

Thanks Again!
Cheers.
Click to expand...

Awesome choice! Now an answer to the PM I sent you? ;)
 
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