So I got a 2.93Ghz iMac 2 weeks ago, because I couldn't afford anything higher. But now, I've come across more money, and I would like to upgrade to the HD4850 when they start shipping in the iMacs. So, I was wondering, is it worth it to upgrade to the HD4850? I play a lot of games, so it would help.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Should I upgrade to the iMac 4850 when they start shipping?
- Thread starter upsguy27
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Yes, get the 4850. The high-end card is always worth it, for each generation of iMacs. The 4850 will be a viable card for the next two revisions. People who bought a white iMac with a geforce 7600 card a few years ago still have a pretty good machine. The people who didn't, are left with a geforce 7300, and a machine with very little resale value, compared to current iMacs.
If you have the money, and can stand the wait, get the 4850, and you will be glad you did.
If you have the money, and can stand the wait, get the 4850, and you will be glad you did.
Okay, now I just need to know how I should change iMacs. Should I return my iMac to the apple store and save the money? I'd have to pay a $100 restocking fee. Or should I sell it to someone on here?
wha
why did u buy the imac anyway? you might try selling it on ebay but u wont get full value. id just pay the restocking fee and then buy a new one with the new graphics
why did u buy the imac anyway? you might try selling it on ebay but u wont get full value. id just pay the restocking fee and then buy a new one with the new graphics
Because when I bought it I didn't have enough money to get the higher model, and I wasn't expecting to get any more money, but now that I have more, I want to upgrade.
No one has Ati 4850 yet, I ordered on March 5th and am still waiting for it, so I doubt anyone would know the answer to the question you're asking. However, even though I personally prefer Ati to Nvidia, I'd rather upgrade to GT 130 if restocking fee can be waived. I would suggest you calling Apple customer service or sales to discuss this, see if they would give you Ati 4850 and waive the restocking fee. It wouldn't hurt to ask around see what options you have before you do anything. Good luck.
Alright.. just called the Apple store, and they said no matter what they cannot waive the restocking fee. I can't afford to get a higher iMac if there's a restocking fee. It was stupid of me to get the GT 120 in the first place, but like I said I didn't know I would be getting more money. I mean, the GT 120 is okay now, but what I am concerned about is the future. I mean, in 1-2 years, the GT 120 is going to be like the X1300 is now. Horrible. I was planning on keeping this for a while. So, what do you suggest I should do, anyone?
Alright, this is a really insanely hard decision. I really want to keep my iMac, but like I said, it will do horribly down the line. I'm thinking about getting a MacBook and a Windows PC, 
eek but I don't know. Everything in one... but I'll have to upgrade sooner, OR two computers, but I'd have a Windows PC, but also a MacBook. Hmm. Has anyone else been in this situation? What did you do?
eek but I don't know. Everything in one... but I'll have to upgrade sooner, OR two computers, but I'd have a Windows PC, but also a MacBook. Hmm. Has anyone else been in this situation? What did you do?
keep your imac. be happy with it. the graphics card you have is not nearly so bad as you make it out to be. It sounds like even though you've come across more money, money is still pretty tight, and IMO the upgrade would not be worth it. If, in two years, your imac is really showing its age, sell it for $1000 or whatever and get whatever quad core beast of an imac is shipping then.
Seriously, just be happy with the imac you have. It really sounds like the extra expense would not be worth it for you.
Seriously, just be happy with the imac you have. It really sounds like the extra expense would not be worth it for you.
Anyone else? Still on the fence. I can get an ACD, 750GB HD, C2Q 2.6Ghz, ATi HD 4870 1GB, 2GB RAM, and a Mac Pro case for $750, and a MacBook for $1000. On the other hand, I'm happy with my iMac right now. I can tell it won't be great in video with the GPU it has, because using FCE it took an hour to just render, and editing clips is horribly laggy. And yes, my video was properly encoded. And considering that I will be doing a lot more video work in the coming months, I'm just not sure. Any input from anyone?
I'd honestly prefer to return it; it's much easier that way. Unless you would buy it for $1700.
You need to know that not all the graphics related rendering is done in GPUs. As far as I know, CPU is normally the one processing this kind of task instead of GPU. I don't have experience with Final Cut Express, but I searched for it on google, and it seems like the case, so the problem is the CPU not GPU if video rendering speed is your concern.
iMac
Yeah,
It would be best to return it if you want the faster speed that badly.
I am going to buy one in a few months unless I find someone selling a slightly used one like yours for a lot less than new.
Yeah,
It would be best to return it if you want the faster speed that badly.
I am going to buy one in a few months unless I find someone selling a slightly used one like yours for a lot less than new.
speed
If I am not going to be playing games, just videos, do I really need the increased speed of a dedicated video card vs. the integrated one that comes on the base 24" iMac?
Also, how much difference in general program multi-tasking speed is there between the 2.63 and the 2.93?
If I am not going to be playing games, just videos, do I really need the increased speed of a dedicated video card vs. the integrated one that comes on the base 24" iMac?
Also, how much difference in general program multi-tasking speed is there between the 2.63 and the 2.93?