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Should I buy an iMac now?

triplenick

triplenick

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 7, 2011
22
0
New York
Hello! I currently have a Dell PC that is dying and I would love to replace it with a MAC :). I'm a little hesitant to buy an iMac now because I know that it's in the middle of the cycle. I am interested in buying the 21.5" model (as the 27" is too big for my work space). The specs of the iMac I want is as follows:

2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
1TB Serial ATA Drive
AMD Radeon HD 6770M 512MB GDDR5

I would like to know if it is a good time to purchase an iMac with the specs above now a good idea or not. Also, would the 6770M graphics card run World of Warcraft well? How about Starcraft II? Thanks!
 
If you need a new computer the answer is always NOW is the right time to buy. It doesn't matter where the product is in it's life cycle, if it will fulfill your needs then there is no reason to wait. As you probably know technology moves very quickly, if you need a computer then well it just foolish to wait. Apple typically does not announce when they will be releasing new computers, if you decide to wait then you'll probably have to drag out your abacus while you wait.

BTW there is no reason to bump your post, it was only up for an hour.
 
That can run games fine, although I'd suggest passing on the i7 upgrade unless you plan to do a lot of CPU-intensive stuff like video editing or handbrake encoding. Also, the RAM upgrade is way overpriced through Apple. It can be done for $50 yourself, plus you get 12GB instead of just 8.
 
"Middle of the cycle" is actually a good time to buy a new machine.

The only time I would recommend not to buy is when an update is imminent and you don't immediately need the machine.

In my mind, the current iMacs are still the "new" iMacs since there's nothing new from Intel, AMD or nVidia that Apple could put into them (and there won't be anything major until 2012).

About the 6770M: It will run Starcraft 2 and World of Warcraft at medium-to-high settings, but will probably be too slow to run it with everything cranked up.

Just search around in the forums, a lot of people have posted about gaming on the different iMac models. I'm pretty sure you'll be able to find some benchmarks for SC2 and WoW on the 6770M.

PS: +1 for alust2013: Make sure you really need the i7 upgrade and don't buy RAM directly from Apple.
 
If you want it then just get the Mac. There is really no reason to wait. It really doesn't make a difference because as soon as you walk out the door it will be obsolete. Good luck and enjoy.:apple:
 
triplenick said:
Hello! I currently have a Dell PC that is dying and I would love to replace it with a MAC :). I'm a little hesitant to buy an iMac now because I know that it's in the middle of the cycle. I am interested in buying the 21.5" model (as the 27" is too big for my work space). The specs of the iMac I want is as follows:

2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
1TB Serial ATA Drive
AMD Radeon HD 6770M 512MB GDDR5

I would like to know if it is a good time to purchase an iMac with the specs above now a good idea or not. Also, would the 6770M graphics card run World of Warcraft well? How about Starcraft II? Thanks!
Click to expand...

If you are apprehensive about buying an iMac then I suggest you go to the Apple store and have them setup the iMac in the store and examine it before you take it home.
 
32gb3gwifi said:
mid cycle? they have been out for 3 months.
Click to expand...

The Buyer's Guide indeed lists the iMac as "mid-product cycle".

I'm glad someone posted this, as I am in a very similar situation. Ready to replace a Lenovo laptop as a main workstation, but not necessarily in a time crunch. Looking at an i5 as the best value, adding additional RAM by myself.

Not sure if I want the bigger 27" screen. Can afford either but more important is which one I'll like better. Not a gamer, and seldom watch movies even on my high-defs (and I have Apple TV 2!).

I also think it is a perfect time to buy. Of course it's been 15 years since I've driven a Mac, so what do I know?
 
I would spend a little bit looking into Lion and what you want to do with your Mac. I've heard some complaints about software compatibility, especially with some older games so if gaming is you're thing that would be my only concern.

Def. do the RAM upgrades yourself.

WoW plays great on the most base level 2011 iMac, so don't break the bank for it. It's a 6 year old MMO: you don't need an i7 to play that.

If you want to get the most out of the Mac as a gaming machine, you should factor in the cost of getting a Windows 7 install to bootcamp onto it.
 
Timing is good, if you really need it. If you can wait there will always be something better, but then we would all be waiting forever.
 
I am in a similar situation to you. My Macbook Pro is dying on me so I was very close to buying a new iMac. Recently however, I have decided to wait. I put the money into a savings account just incase my MBP dies in the next 6-8 months, but I am hoping to make it last until the next iMac refresh.

Essentially, buying an iMac now or later this cycle (until maybe the last month to month-and-a-half) is the same thing. If you can wait, it is always a good idea because the next refresh will be better and/or something may come up in the mean time that requires the money you spent on the iMac at a time when you really didn't need it.
 
I don't know that a major refresh is always a good thing necessarily. Sometimes a radical new technology is introduced that doesn't have all the bugs worked out. Sometimes it's just a marketing reshuffle that's not as good as what it replaced. I remember waiting for the iPod 6G, but now that I have it wonder if I like the old clickwheels better. I own a Classic as well, and it gets 10x the usage.

What's good about buying mid-cycle is having most major issues worked out, or at least anticipated. Even barring a major tech issue, "little" things that plague any production run can be resolved. Things like yellow screens, Flash not playing, hard drive recalls, etc.
 
Last edited:
triplenick said:
Hello! I currently have a Dell PC that is dying and I would love to replace it with a MAC :). I'm a little hesitant to buy an iMac now because I know that it's in the middle of the cycle. I am interested in buying the 21.5" model (as the 27" is too big for my work space). .... Thanks!
Click to expand...

If you search historical threads of this forum (iMac forum), you'll see a high patterns of:
- Lion = Hotter insides. Hotter insides = very bad.
- Lion doesn't like Flash. Hotter insides = very bad.
- Lion / Safari + Flash is bad combo - use Firefox instead.
- Lion doesn't like to come out of sleep (video problems afterwards).

If it were me, I'd wait 4 more weeks before buying a new 2011 iMac (that comes within Lion). Hopefully, Apple would have resolved most of this "pattern" areas, and have an updated Lion version. And, back to school specials would (should) still be availble as well...

.
 
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