What do you consider essential and do you keep every Apple component?

[Vidd]

What do you consider essential when customising a new Mac and why?

At least a certain screensize?
A certain amount of RAM?
A certain speed of hard drive or capacity?
A top graphics card?
etc.

Also, do you always get your components (particularly RAM) from Apple or do you buy from a third party?
This is mostly out of interest but I'm particularly interested in the RAM results as people seem divided on whether to buy RAM from Apple or not.

I myself am tempted to purchase from Crucial but I'm wary about opening a brand new iMac!
Does anyone have any tutorials with pictures to show how scary the process actually is?

 

[xUKHCx]

What do you consider essential when customising a new Mac and why?

At least a certain screensize?
A certain amount of RAM?
A certain speed of hard drive or capacity?
A top graphics card?
etc.

Also, do you always get your components (particularly RAM) from Apple or do you buy from a third party?
This is mostly out of interest but I'm particularly interested in the RAM results as people seem divided on whether to buy RAM from Apple or not.

I myself am tempted to purchase from Crucial but I'm wary about opening a brand new iMac!

To change the ram in a new iMac it really is simple, just a couple of screws which opens a little door where the ram sits. Nothing major at all, my mum could do it.

If budget wasn't a problem i would want expandability but it is so had to go with the iMac because i wanted a decent screen size and very good performance.

Edit: For the tutorial about the ram see here. As i said easy as pie.

 

[polevault139]

Screen size doesnt matter as much to me as does resolution.
I usually just order stock configurations for everything and then upgrade right when I get it. Upgrading the new Macs is pretty easy and almost anyone can do it. It is also alot cheaper that way.

 

[zap2]

RAM is important to me...also screen size/resolution. Harddrive space/speed has been less important to me, as in the past I've bought in the Apple Store, stoping me from upgrade before I buy. So I have external HDs.

Graphic card are last on my list, I don't game on my Mac so its worth for me.

 

[JNB]

Also, do you always get your components (particularly RAM) from Apple or do you buy from a third party?
This is mostly out of interest but I'm particularly interested in the RAM results as people seem divided on whether to buy RAM from Apple or not.

I myself am tempted to purchase from Crucial but I'm wary about opening a brand new iMac!
Does anyone have any tutorials with pictures to show how scary the process actually is?

Buy from Crucial (or Kingston), no worries. Several other resellers that are no problem. There is NO such thing as "Apple" RAM. Apple upcharges RAM because that's not their business, and it's a pain for them to have to stock it. My company does the same thing. You're paying for convenience.

Go to http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303084 for instructions on replacing RAM in an iMac. It's a five-minute job, if you take your time, and sip a beer while you're doing it. No biggie.

 

[suneohair]

For me it is about what I need at the time. Desktop, laptop etc.

From there it is the form factor I need it in.

Then I look at the model within that area and see what I like.