Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

do I get the white Imac or the Alu Imac..help???

G

girlinpa

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 17, 2007
3
0
Hi,

I want the Imac only for illustration work, some photo retouching, so I use Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator CS3..

I hate glossy screens, and I already returned a 20' inches Aluminum with other display problems because of that...but also that unity was running hot.

Now I want to get a 24'.......not sure if I get the previous Imac or the new one.

Is the performance from the C2D White Imac 24' 2.16 GHz to the
new Alu 24' 2.4 GHz a lot higher?
More than 10% of the speed???

Im considering getting the white Imac and add 3GB memory ...

Another thing..this will be my first mac, I work on a PC that is so outdated, I have a Pentium 4 , 2.4 GHz with 2GB memory , so
so I think I will feel a huge difference with the Intell Imac...

Thank you

Girl in PA
 
If you hate glossy screens, doesn't that answer your question right there? If you thought you MIGHT like it, that's a different story, but if you hate it, don't buy one.
 
Get the alu one, no one really complains about glossy screens now that they are used to them, same with the iPod Phatty Nano.
 
^ Agreed
And on the topic of performance, I doubt the white iMac will be too far behind the aluminium one, it's not that much older.
 
If the white's performance was way to far behind the Alu, I would
get the glossy, and probably hook up another monitor I have here...
but is not the ideal...

Now as someone said , if the white is not far behind the Alu, I will go for the matte screen...so I'm leaning more towards the white now...

I wish apple had offered the option matte / glossy lolol


hologram said:
If you hate glossy screens, doesn't that answer your question right there? If you thought you MIGHT like it, that's a different story, but if you hate it, don't buy one.
Click to expand...
 
Unless you have a direct source of light aiming at the iMac, the glossy screen is not an issue. The Alu iMac that I have is just amazing and I love the screen.
 
Since you already returned an ALiMac because of the glossy screen; your choices are limited. Mac Pro and choose your screen of choice... or a Mac mini and you can still choose your screen. It's not like the plastic iMac is a quantum leap in the background and it may be better then a new Mac mini.

I don't think I helped you any but there you go... good luck...

PS I love my ALiMac to bits and never notice the glossy screen; but I made that active decision to not be bothered by the reflection; I really never notice it until I go looking for it. :apple:
 
I got the white mac instead of the alu, because:


- Cheaper: Mine was more expensive than the base Alu 20", but I didn't want a 20" screen (especially after hearing that they are terribly in quality). The price I paid for the white 24" was a good deal cheaper than the entry 24" alu

- Matte screen: I prefer it

- Lots of 'issues' reported with the Alu's: They seemed to have died down a bit recently, though I haven't been really following. I just didn't want to worry about potential freezing/gradient/condensation problems.
 
I'm in the same boat as the OP. I want a new mac for illustration work and some photo stuff. I'm waiting for the new mac pros but to be honest they are probably too much for my needs. I tried and disliked the glossy screen imac. I see Apple UK has a refurbished old 24" imac for £945 which seems quite good. or I could go for a new mini and 23" cinema display. How does the speed of the new mini compare to the old imac? Also would the ACD be better than the lcd of the 2.16 imac?
 
I have a 2.16GHz white iMac and have had no problems. I haven't tried an Aluminum iMac so I can't really compare them speedwise, but the white one should be more than enough to support your needs with running CS3.
 
if you'd consider a 20"... this is what i bought recently and i think it's a steal:

http://www.amazon.com/Apple-MA759LL...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1197927119&sr=8-1

$1,200 includes brand new white iMac 2.16ghz, 1gb memory, wireless mighty mouse and keyboard (old style), iLife '08 drop-in, 250gb harddrive, etc. from amazon, i got free shipping and NO applicable sales tax. deal!

and you can upgrade to leopard for $10 from apple (my upgrade turned around in 3 days including shipping!).

i only wanted to spend $2k total, and did that easily, while still buying the new apple keyboard, 500gb external drive, 4gb thumbdrive, airport extreme base station, a 2gb memory upgrade, microsoft office, etc.
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
Get the white 24". I had the 20" Core Duo and it was amazing, I can only imagine how great the Core 2 Duo would be, and with an even bigger screen! Last sensible iMac Apple put out!
 
I hate glossy screens, and I already returned a 20' inches Aluminum with other display problems because of that...but also that unity was running hot.
Click to expand...

Get the old one for the matte screen, but I don't understand why you returned the aluminium because it was getting hot. It's designed to be hot - it means the insides aren't frying because the heat is being dissipated.
 
Mitch1984 said:
no one really complains about glossy screens now that they are used to them
Click to expand...

Not true. I test-drove a 20" ALU and a 24" ALU for one month each. I started
out neutral/ignorant on gloss vs. matte -- but quickly came to hate the gloss.

Upgraded to a 20" white -- and wouldn't trade it even-up for any of Stevie's
Aluminum-and-Glare Wonders.

...hmm ...why are all the Cinema Displays matte?

LK
 
Leon Kowalski said:
...hmm ...why are all the Cinema Displays matte?

LK
Click to expand...

Well I'm sure the fact that the product line hasn't been updated in 16 months doesn't have anything to do with it. :rolleyes:

I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if glossy screens were not at least offered as an option in the next product cycle and that may be as soon as MacWorld Expo in a few short weeks.
 
Leon Kowalski said:
My bad. I didn't realize glass was invented less than 16 months ago.

LK
Click to expand...

See that's the beauty of life. Even a great intellect such as yourself can always learn something new.

In the Apple world "glass" was invented 19 months ago when glossy displays first appeared on the Macbook and Macbook Pro. 15 months later it was on the aluminum iMacs and the Apple Cinema Display line is now long overdue for a refresh. In fact, the 30" ACD hasn't seen a change in 21 months now.

You asked why all the ACD's were matte and I suggested they might not be for long, at least not all of them. Give it time. ;)
 
girlinpa said:
If the white's performance was way to far behind the Alu, I would
get the glossy, and probably hook up another monitor I have here...
but is not the ideal...

Now as someone said , if the white is not far behind the Alu, I will go for the matte screen...so I'm leaning more towards the white now...

I wish apple had offered the option matte / glossy lolol
Click to expand...

1. The glossy screen is not that big a deal. My design studio has 5 windows in the room with full sunlight. I work in photoshop EVERY DAY and there are NO issues with the glossy screen!

2. Watch a movie sometimes? Colors have better saturation than on a matt screen.
 
In your position I would get a white iMac. Since you've tried, and disliked, the glossy screen, the aluminum iMacs are out. And the performance differential is fairly minor--you can look at Macworld's benchmarks for an idea.

I'm with you on the glossy screens--I can't stand them, though I know that is a personal opinion. And you can get a refurb white iMac from Apple now for $1099 for a 20" and $1399 for a 24". So go for one of them!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back