Which 24" iMac Is Right For Me?

[DadHatter]

Here's the scoop: I am currently a MacBook owner, and since I don't want to order a MBP a month or two before a potentially big update, I am going to keep my MacBook for now, and pick up a 24" iMac. When the new MBP's come out, I'll figure out whether or not it's worth upgrading the MacBook.

Anyway, I know I want a 24" screen, but everything else, I'm not too sure about. I will be using the machine for the following:

• Photo Editing, Web Design, Graphics - Adobe CS3
• Recording - Logic Express w/ Apogee Duet
• Some Video Editing - Final Cut Express
• Standard Computer Use - E-Mail, Browsing, Web Chat, etc.

Is the 3.06 worth the money for my purposes? I know I am going to upgrade to 4 GB of memory, but I'm not sure the processor increase is worth it. Also, is the upgrade to the 8800 video worthwhile?

Thanks for your help, guys.
Mike

 

[chairguru22]

The graphics card is awesome and is great for what I'm doing (gaming) and also for video and photo editing. Obviously the better the card, the faster your edits will be. The 512mb VRam makes all the difference.

However, since you said you are doing photo editing and graphics, will the glossy screen affect your work? You have a MacBook which is glossy too so if you want more true to color pictures, a MBP with the matte screen option may be the way to go for you.

 

[DadHatter]

The graphics card is awesome and is great for what I'm doing (gaming) and also for video and photo editing. Obviously the better the card, the faster your edits will be. The 512mb VRam makes all the difference.

However, since you said you are doing photo editing and graphics, will the glossy screen affect your work? You have a MacBook which is glossy too so if you want more true to color pictures, a MBP with the matte screen option may be the way to go for you.

Yes and no. Most of my photo editing stuff (read: 99%) is personal, so color calibration is not super essential. I am confident that just getting a MacBook Pro makes the most sense, but I would rather wait for a significant refresh. Have two systems at home would be beneficial, so the plan is to get an iMac, keep the MacBook, and once I see how frequently (or hopefully, infrequently) I use the laptop while at home, sell it, and wait for the MBP refresh.

With that said, I'm not sure I'm thrilled about not being able to upgrade in a few years without effectively throwing out a monitor (on the iMac).

Mike