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20" vs 24" iMac - Why the snobbery?

Its not about being snobbish. I currently own a 24" white iMac and was seriously thinking about upgrading so i went to the local Best Buy and compared both models side by side. To be honest both models are pretty much the same inside, with the 24" having a slightly faster CPU, but not by that much.
The screen is where there is a huge difference, and I am not referring to size alone. The quality of the image and the angle of viewing are so much better on the 24". Lets say you are viewing white screen on both straight on, the 24" screen is brighter and whiter than the 20" screen. Now turn to the side and view them both at a slight angle suddenly the 20" screen becomes slightly "yellow" and dimmer while the 24" screen is still bright with no color difference. The larger the angle the more of a difference you will notice, and believe me it is a very big difference.
I am not crapping on the 20" model, it is a very good machine, but Apple could have done a much, much better job in regards to the screen, especially with an all in one computer such as the iMac.
 
etorres said:
Its not about being snobbish. I currently own a 24" white iMac and was seriously thinking about upgrading so i went to the local Best Buy and compared both models side by side.
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Sorry, but we don't want any snobby white iMac owners in the new aluminum iMac club :p
 
etorres said:
Its not about being snobbish. I currently own a 24" white iMac and was seriously thinking about upgrading so i went to the local Best Buy and compared both models side by side. To be honest both models are pretty much the same inside, with the 24" having a slightly faster CPU, but not by that much.
The screen is where there is a huge difference, and I am not referring to size alone. The quality of the image and the angle of viewing are so much better on the 24". Lets say you are viewing white screen on both straight on, the 24" screen is brighter and whiter than the 20" screen. Now turn to the side and view them both at a slight angle suddenly the 20" screen becomes slightly "yellow" and dimmer while the 24" screen is still bright with no color difference. The larger the angle the more of a difference you will notice, and believe me it is a very big difference.
I am not crapping on the 20" model, it is a very good machine, but Apple could have done a much, much better job in regards to the screen, especially with an all in one computer such as the iMac.
Click to expand...
You are correct but there is also another thing to consider. How often do you actually view the screen from an angle? I personally almost 99% of time view the screen from straight on. I guess maybe that's what Steve Jobs was counting on. :)
 
The screen is the key. I have bought and used both. The 24 has the superior screen. Less washed out, better viewing angles as it doesn't turn green/yellow from an angle. If you can, get the 24. Simple as that.
 
It just occurred to me that if it were snobbery people would actually act in the opposite way. It would be more like well I've got the 24" iMac but really the 20" would be good enough for YOU. As I said before I think that advising people to get the 24" is more like sharing the love.
 
I've never seen the snobbery myself... I'd just get what you need and can afford.
 
Tomorrow said:
Just curious - what in the world to people have on their desks that a 20" screen fits the desk perfectly, but one a mere 4" larger (diagonally, no less) would make the desk too crowded?
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My Dad. A 20" just barely fits in his computer cabinet. A 24", which I wanted him to get, is simply too wide to fit, no exceptions.
:p
 
The Hammer said:
We'll decide. Pictures of the girlfriend please.;)
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Haha, nice. :D

oh and BTW - I'd recommend the 24" display not only for the better LCD panel (viewing angles, etc) but also the 1920x1200 resolution. It's so nice to finally be able to watch HD content on my PC (1080p trailers, 720p/1080i mkv files, etc) ... ;)

That said, if space is an issue, or money - the 20" would make a fine addition to any room as well. Either way, the iMac is a great looking machine with great performance to boot (no pun intended) ... Whatever machine you go with, try to max out the RAM if money allows (it's not too expensive, as long as you don't buy from Apple!) as the performance boost is absolutely worth it!
 
I hope they release an even bigger iMac if anything.. 30" with the ability to put in 8GB of RAM... Now we're talking!
 
idyll said:
I hope they release an even bigger iMac if anything.. 30" with the ability to put in 8GB of RAM... Now we're talking!
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Yeah - that sounds killer! :D

Now I just have to think about how I would convince my wife we needed a new computer ... :cool:
 
I purchased the 20" and am really happy with the screen but it is an upgrade for me from 15" screens my whole life. I was going to go with the 24" but did not have the desk space and big screens give you an headache during long periods on the computer.

Big desk big space big 24"

Smaller space and smaller desk go with a 20" definitely unless you are used to big screens.
 
Actually… desk is usually much cheaper than 24" iMac… so, fit your desk to iMac, not iMac to desk :)
 
I recommend anyone with a 20 inch iMac to do the Lagom LCD test.
http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/
You'll notice your screen isn't that bad after all, in fact pretty fantastic for a TN panel.

Mine past all tests, with the exception of the viewing angle test, but still it was way better than the example image of a poor screen given in that test.
If the screen fails on some parts you may have to re-calibrate your screen.

(Or maybe it is because your iMac screen is of an inferior type made by LG. There are two types the LG LM201WE3-TLF1 and AU Optronics M201EW02 VB, the latter is supposed to be superior.
Some even claim it is a genuine 8 bit monitor, though I really really doubt that :))
 
My 20" iMac is perfect for me. If I had the 24" model, then it wouldn't fit onto my beautiful Swedish budget flat-packed desk (if you hadn't guessed, I have an Ikea desk).
 
idyll said:
I hope they release an even bigger iMac if anything.. 30" with the ability to put in 8GB of RAM... Now we're talking!
Click to expand...

We'll take an xserve, octo-core, slap a screen on it's side! Bam! (As mentioned in another topic, the xserve has just about the right dimensions for that). 8GB memory? Don't make me laugh (well, just a little bit :D). 16GB, with 3x 8800x2 graphics in SLI.

*Drools* :rolleyes:
 
I can't really see too much snobbery as it were in the forum. I bought the 20" and love it. The decision was purely based on the size of the desk in off our kitchen. The 24" would have looked gargantuan in that space.

The desk is built in and integral to the layout of the space, so getting a new desk is not an option.
 
I read in MAC Format this month a column where one of the editors recommended the 20" model. Unbelievable, it's confusing.

I have enough money to get the 24" although I am a tight git and don't need that much power. But the guy in MAC Format said 24" is too big sometimes for home use. Wtf?! My brother has the 20" and says if he could get one again he'd get the 24".

So, if like me, having the money to get either but not needing that kind of size or power, what would you get??
 
I've got the 20" and it's absolutely perfect. However, the screen does seem a little too big at times, so I don't really see the need for paying £300 more for a faster machine (that I probably wouldn't even notice anyway) and a screen that would be just too large for home use.
 
erasr said:
So, if like me, having the money to get either but not needing that kind of size or power, what would you get??
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I went to an Apple store a year ago with the intention of buying a 20" iMac. I got one look at the 24" and changed my mind. Waited a year bought the 24".
 
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