Select your iMac // MacBook

[Stetwin]

I know I posted a while back saying I had made the decision to go with the Macbook over an iMac but after having the option to keep my desk in my room its pushing my to reconsider, as it stands I need my Mac for Internet Browsing, Music, Photography, E-Mail, Basic office work and possibly some minor gaming. So basically the question is would you guys recommend opting for the iMac or the Macbook based on my wants/needs? Also which one from the iMac range/Macbook range would you choose and why?

/Ste

 

[flopticalcube]

If you need portability, MacBook. If not, the bottom end iMac should be your friend. It has more than enough power to meet your needs.

 

[Stetwin]

If you need portability, MacBook. If not, the bottom end iMac should be your friend. It has more than enough power to meet your needs.

I would like portability but my fear is that i wouldn’t use it for any more then a convenience for sitting in bed and using my Macbook rather then sitting at my desk like i do with my PC now, I had actually been looking at the top end iMac for future proofing or is it really not worth it?

Basically the big question is what’s the difference between the Intel
Core 2 Extreme and the Intel Core 2 Duo because most other things can be upgraded and expanded

/Ste

 

[flopticalcube]

LOL! That's not portability, that's just being lazy! I can sympathize.

If money is not a problem, the 20" mid-range (2.4GHz) is just as "future proof" than the top end 24". The CPU is not a lot quicker and the GPU is the same. There are some benchmarks floating about and its about a 16% difference max, as you would expect.

 

[Stetwin]

LOL! That's not portability, that's just being lazy! I can sympathize.

If money is not a problem, the 20" mid-range (2.4GHz) is just as "future proof" than the top end 24". The CPU is not a lot quicker and the GPU is the same. There are some benchmarks floating about and its about a 16% difference max, as you would expect.

So you think the 20" mid-range with upgraded RAM would meet my needs perfectly and be future proof enough to see the better part of the next 3 years?

Also i guess the money i save could be put towards an iPod Touch or Nano..... hmmm you talk a lot of sence flop, yes sir yes you do

 

[flopticalcube]

So you think the 20" mid-range with upgraded RAM would meet my needs perfectly and be future proof enough to see the better part of the next 3 years?

Also i guess the money i save could be put towards an iPod Touch or Nano..... hmmm you talk a lot of sence flop, yes sir yes you do

Definitely. I will soon be picking up 2 of those for my boys as Christmas presents. Save your pennies and then invest in a 2G stick of RAM as well (3rd party, of course).

 

[Stetwin]

Definitely. I will soon be picking up 2 of those for my boys as Christmas presents. Save your pennies and then invest in a 2G stick of RAM as well (3rd party, of course).

Is installing 3rd party RAM worth the hassle because I don’t want to damage anything or cause any hardware issues by doing so

Also I have always had NVIDIA GFX cards so have no idea how the ATI ones perform in comparison, can anyone give me a NVIDIA equivalent card so I know how good it is?

Also I noticed that it says it comes with a glossy screen, my desk doesn’t face a window but does have a light near it, this wont cause to many problems with glare will it?

 

[flopticalcube]

Is installing 3rd party RAM worth the hassle because I don’t want to damage anything or cause any hardware issues by doing so

Also I have always had NVIDIA GFX cards so have no idea how the ATI ones perform in comparison, can anyone give me a NVIDIA equivalent card so I know how good it is?

Also I noticed that it says it comes with a glossy screen, my desk doesn’t face a window but does have a light near it, this wont cause to many problems with glare will it?

Th iMac is probably one of the easiest Macs to upgrade the RAM, from what I can see. The only screw on the outside of the case is the one for the RAM slots. Unscrew it, take the cover off, pop in your RAM (mid-range iMacs ship with 1X1GB of RAM), put the cover back on and put the screw back.

The graphics card is a Mobility HD 2600XT downclocked slighty. It is on par with the 8600m GT found in the MacBook Pros. Similar to a Go7800GTX. See here for a speed reference.

The glare appears to be a personal issue but I have seen many people say they get used to it and look past it after a while.

 

[Stetwin]

Th iMac is probably one of the easiest Macs to upgrade the RAM, from what I can see. The only screw on the outside of the case is the one for the RAM slots. Unscrew it, take the cover off, pop in your RAM (mid-range iMacs ship with 1X1GB of RAM), put the cover back on and put the screw back.

What type of RAM does the iMac take and where would be a good reputable place to buy it? (I’m resident in the UK).

The graphics card is a Mobility HD 2600XT downclocked slighty. It is on par with the 8600m GT found in the MacBook Pros. Similar to a Go7800GTX. See here for a speed reference.

It looks to be a very good GFX card then and will meet and of my gaming needs

The glare appears to be a personal issue but I have seen many people say they get used to it and look past it after a while.

Yeah that’s what I had expected, at the moment I am using a CRT monitor anyway so anything will be an awesome upgrade,

Just a few more questions, what are they like for noise? My current PC is possibly the quietest I have ever had you only know its there if your running a CD/DVD.

How fragile is the keyboard because it looks very thin and that it would damage easily.

Oh and last thing, is the power button on the back in any way annoying because I would have expected the apple logo on the front to have been the power button,

/Ste

 

[BKKbill]

I would like portability but my fear is that i wouldn’t use it for any more then a convenience for sitting in bed and using my Macbook rather then sitting at my desk like i do with my PC now, I had actually been looking at the top end iMac for future proofing or is it really not worth it?

Basically the big question is what’s the difference between the Intel
Core 2 Extreme and the Intel Core 2 Duo because most other things can be upgraded and expanded

/Ste

I would vote for the iMac 20 or 24 with the wireless mouse and keyboard sit on the bed lay in bed or if you have to sit on a chair it's all up to you and just look at that big screen. I get all shivery just thinking about it. Oh getting my 24 as soon as Leopard shows it's spots

 

[Stetwin]

I would vote for the iMac 20 or 24 with the wireless mouse and keyboard sit on the bed lay in bed or if you have to sit on a chair it's all up to you and just look at that big screen. I get all shivery just thinking about it. Oh getting my 24 as soon as Leopard shows it's spots

Thats the only thing thats putting me off at the moment because i would hate to buy now and have to buy leopard in a few weeks, i know its not going to be too expansive but the difference i save would be and iPod Touch over an iPod Nano if i wait

How many USB ports do the 20" and 24" come with by the way because i have a few different devices to plug in

 

[CalBoy]

I would like portability but my fear is that i wouldn’t use it for any more then a convenience for sitting in bed and using my Macbook rather then sitting at my desk like i do with my PC now, I had actually been looking at the top end iMac for future proofing or is it really not worth it?

What's wrong with that Seriously, sitting in your bed or on the couch is one of the joys of owning a notebook (aside from the fact that you can take it anywhere). Don't count that as a "shallow" property of the notebook; it's actually quite important.

 

[flopticalcube]

Thats the only thing thats putting me off at the moment because i would hate to buy now and have to buy leopard in a few weeks, i know its not going to be too expansive but the difference i save would be and iPod Touch over an iPod Nano if i wait

How many USB ports do the 20" and 24" come with by the way because i have a few different devices to plug in

No one will force you to buy Leopard straight away. I would recommend, in fact, that you wait for at least release 10.5.1 so that Apple can iron out any bugs. Leopard will most likely be released at the end of October, so a fair way away yet.

For memory, read the guides:

http://guides.macrumors.com/Understanding_Intel_Mac_RAM

http://guides.macrumors.com/Buying_RAM

Most retailers ship to the UK.

I will have to defer to any current iMac owners as to the frailty of the keyboard but I have found Apple products to be fairly robust in the past.

The power switch is on the back so that you don't accidentally hit it when you didn't mean to. Since the iMac is made mostly from laptop components, it doesn't take a lot of power when asleep so you really don't have to power it down very often. Its amongst the quietest desktop computers you will find.

 

[Stetwin]

What's wrong with that Seriously, sitting in your bed or on the couch is one of the joys of owning a notebook (aside from the fact that you can take it anywhere). Don't count that as a "shallow" property of the notebook; it's actually quite important.

Hmmm i hadnt thought of it like that, but i guess the choice is between the Black Macbook and the high-end 20" iMac, and since the iMac is of higher spec and has more upgrade options i think it will be the better buy in the long run,

/Ste

 

[CalBoy]

Hmmm i hadnt thought of it like that, but i guess the choice is between the Black Macbook and the high-end 20" iMac, and since the iMac is of higher spec and has more upgrade options i think it will be the better buy in the long run,

Yeah, the iMac is a better long-term deal right now, but I just have a prejudice against desktops. I like being able to take stuff with me, and carry it around the house. However, for the money, the iMac is a better deal for the moment.

 

[Stetwin]

No one will force you to buy Leopard straight away. I would recommend, in fact, that you wait for at least release 10.5.1 so that Apple can iron out any bugs. Leopard will most likely be released at the end of October, so a fair way away yet.

Yeah I know what you mean, and since I’m new to OS X I don’t see any harm in having a few months getting to grips with the things tiger has to offer, it will also mean I can get the missus to buy me Leopard and an external Hard Drive for Christmas

For memory, read the guides:

http://guides.macrumors.com/Understanding_Intel_Mac_RAM

http://guides.macrumors.com/Buying_RAM

Most retailers ship to the UK.

How many RAM slots does the iMac have (I’m guessing 2??), so what would I be better doing, buying another 1GB stick and making do for now or going all out and putting the money I’ve saved by going with the 20” iMac over the 24” and buying 2x2GB sticks of RAM?

I will have to defer to any current iMac owners as to the frailty of the keyboard but I have found Apple products to be fairly robust in the past.

I’ve found most of my past apple products to be fairly robust, although I did have an iPod Nano that looked 2 years old 2 weeks after getting it, I guess if I don’t like the keyboard I can always replace it

The power switch is on the back so that you don't accidentally hit it when you didn't mean to. Since the iMac is made mostly from laptop components, it doesn't take a lot of power when asleep so you really don't have to power it down very often. Its amongst the quietest desktop computers you will find.

That’s good to hear, Silence is bliss

Yeah, the iMac is a better long-term deal right now, but I just have a prejudice against desktops. I like being able to take stuff with me, and carry it around the house. However, for the money, the iMac is a better deal for the moment.

And it was only just updated, look all nice and pretty and will fill the old space that my current PC will leave behind

Well then i guess I’m sold, roll on pay day

Thanks for all the help and advice and I'm sure to have many more questions before and after my iMac arrives

/Ste

 

[CalBoy]

Well then i guess I’m sold, roll on pay day

Out of curiosity, do you get paid twice a month/every two weeks in the UK, or is it once a month? I know, very random, but it just struck me

Thanks for all the help and advice and I'm sure to have many more questions before and after my iMac arrives

Be sure to read the Guides while you wait for your new iMac to arrive.

 

[ctsport1234]

if you don't need the portability definately go for the imac!

 

[Stetwin]

Out of curiosity, do you get paid twice a month/every two weeks in the UK, or is it once a month? I know, very random, but it just struck me



Be sure to read the Guides while you wait for your new iMac to arrive.

It just depends where you work, at the moment i work for UPS and get paid monthly with my overtime being paid on the next months wage, but I’ve had jobs where I’ve been paid weekly and fortnightly

Thanks for the advice on the guides, i think i will give them a read tomorrow if i get chance

/Ste

 

[CalBoy]

It just depends where you work, at the moment i work for UPS and get paid monthly with my overtime being paid on the next months wage, but I’ve had jobs where I’ve been paid weekly and fortnightly

Thanks for the advice on the guides, i think i will give them a read tomorrow if i get chance

No problem; enjoy your soon-to-arrive Mac

PS: EXCELLENT use of fortnight; we just don't use that too much these days.

 

[Stetwin]

Oh one last question about ordering, if i order my iMac and an iPod Touch at the same time will they ship the iMac now and the iPod Touch at the end of the month or will they hold the iMac and ship them together?

Thanks again!!
/Ste

 

[flopticalcube]

Oh one last question about ordering, if i order my iMac and an iPod Touch at the same time will they ship the iMac now and the iPod Touch at the end of the month or will they hold the iMac and ship them together?

Thanks again!!
/Ste

They will ship separately.

Regarding the RAM, you don't need matched pairs. You could buy 1X2GB now and put it in the empty RAM slot running a total of 3GB and then, later, you could replace the 1GB stick with another 2GB one if you needed to. And if you haven't guessed already, there are two RAM slots.

 

[Stetwin]

They will ship separately.

Regarding the RAM, you don't need matched pairs. You could buy 1X2GB now and put it in the empty RAM slot running a total of 3GB and then, later, you could replace the 1GB stick with another 2GB one if you needed to. And if you haven't guessed already, there are two RAM slots.

Thanks for that, so i guess there is no harm in ordering my iMac and iPod Touch tomorrow

/Ste