customization at Apple store and other questions

[tjevans]

Hi, everyone. I'm planning to make the switch from PC to Mac in a few months. I found out a city where I was planning to vacation in a couple of months has an Apple store. Are they able to do any customization of a system there? In other words, if I want to buy an iMac, do I have to buy it "off the shelf," or are they able to upgrade the hard drive, memory, etc. there?

Next question . . . the two most memory and graphic intensive things I usually do are editing photos and videos. When I say editing, I don't mean photoshop . . . I just want to be able to crop the photo and get rid of red eye. For videos, I just want to be able to plug in my mini-dv camcorder, "cut" the video, and burn to a dvd. Do you think 1 gb of RAM, and the 128mb video card would suffice, or do you think I should upgrade even more?

Finally, is there a backup application included on the iMac that is capable of spanning multiple dvd's? (Please don't advise me to subscribe to .mac; I'm not interested in that).

Thanks for your advice.

Tim

 

[robbieduncan]

The memory you outline will work. If you find things are too slow for you then upgrade the RAM. Personally I think you will be fine.

There is no backup app included. You must supply your own. .Mac does come with a backup app but it is really not very good! SuperDuper! (which I use) and Carbon Copy Cloner are probably the most recommended backup apps on these forums.

 

[devilot]

Are they able to do any customization of a system there? In other words, if I want to buy an iMac, do I have to buy it "off the shelf," or are they able to upgrade the hard drive, memory, etc. there?

Sorry, outta luck. If you want such customizations, you'd have to BTO (build to order) via the online Apple store.

Finally, is there a backup application included on the iMac that is capable of spanning multiple dvd's? (Please don't advise me to subscribe to .mac; I'm not interested in that).

As for backing up software, I'll leave that to others. But for an app that allows you to burn spanning multiple disks? I think you'd do well purchasing Toast 7.

 

[Macky-Mac]

I know Apple stores will do memory upgrades for the iMac.....but that's it

 

[livingfortoday]

The Apple Store should have different variations of the iMac available. here in Chicago, they told me they had the 20" one with the upgraded 256MB video card and 1GB RAM ready to go. They also said they could upgrade RAM but not hard drives, you'd have to order online for that. I ended up getting it online anyways, because they could only do 2x512MB for a 1GB upgrade in the store, they didn't know when they would be getting new 1GB chips in.

 

[brisully]

Looks like it doesn't void the warranty.....

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86812

Do It Yourself iMac G5 parts you can install
Think you need a new part? You can replace many parts in your original iMac G5 or iMac G5 (Ambient Light Sensor) computer yourself. iMac G5 computers are designed to make it easy for you to install replacement parts if you need to. These parts are known as Do It Yourself (DIY) parts.

If you have an iMac G5, you can install these parts yourself:

Hard drive
Optical drive
Inverter
Upper fans
Memory: DDR 400 MHz (PC3200) SDRAM
Additionally, if you have an original iMac G5 (17-inch or 20-inch), you can install these parts yourself:

AirPort Extreme Card (original iMac G5 only)
Additionally, if you have an iMac G5 (Ambient Light Sensor), you can install these parts yourself:

Power supply
Lower fan (17-inch model only)
Note: Although the power supply for original iMac G5 models was available as a standalone DIY part, these items are no longer available as part of the DIY program to ensure the highest quality repair experience for our customers. For more information, see the iMac G5 Repair Extension Program for Video and Power Issues.

If you think you may need a DIY replacement part, you can use the Troubleshooting Assistant to find out for sure.

 

[66217]

Sorry, outta luck. If you want such customizations, you'd have to BTO (build to order) via the online Apple store.

Are the 1.83 Ghz in the Apple Store onle available with 512mb of Ram?

Can you use the student discount via the online Apple Store?

 

[livingfortoday]

Are the 1.83 Ghz in the Apple Store onle available with 512mb of Ram?

Can you use the student discount via the online Apple Store?

You're asking if you can only get 512MB with your computer on the online store? No, you can upgrade up to 2GB if you want, Apple just charges a lot for extra RAM. And yes, you can use the student discount online. Just click on education pricing on the upper right hand corner of the store, and choose your school.

 

[Eidorian]

No, iBackup?

 

[66217]

You're asking if you can only get 512MB with your computer on the online store? No, you can upgrade up to 2GB if you want, Apple just charges a lot for extra RAM. And yes, you can use the student discount online. Just click on education pricing on the upper right hand corner of the store, and choose your school.

Sorry, I wasn't clear enough. What I meant was the Apple Store -in malls, etc.- (not the online one).

 

[Macky-Mac]

Are the 1.83 Ghz in the Apple Store onle available with 512mb of Ram?

Can you use the student discount via the online Apple Store?

1) the Apple retail stores will add more RAM if you want to buy it from them
2) Apple has an online "education" store for those who qualify for the student discount

 

[livingfortoday]

I would call the store ahead of time to make sure you can get the RAM you want, though. They will install it in store (they can't upgrade HD's in store, but that's about it), but sometimes they only have 512MB chips instead of 1GB. That's why I ended up buying online instead of at the store, because they could only do 2x512MB at the time, they were out of the 1GB. So call to be sure.