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Do i need the 27inch?

B

bsongo

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 11, 2007
9
0
Hi
I wanted an unbiased input from this community (Please no PC/Mac flamewars).
I am currently running a custom PC setup on a 20 inch IPS monitor.
Highlights as follows:
2.4ghz quad core intel cpu
asus motherboard with 8 channel audio, 6 usb ports
4gig of ddr2 800 ram
500gig samsung 16mb cache sata2 harddrive
geforce 8600 gt
550 watt enermax powersupply
Running Windows XP

Setup I am considering:
2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
8GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 4x2GB
1TB Serial ATA Drive
ATI Radeon HD 4850 with 512MB GDDR3
8x double-layer SuperDrive

I will be using the computer primarily for movie editing and photo editing, in addition to watching online media.

Do you think I will be better off upgrading my monitor and ram on my current setup?


thanks
 
I would upgrade the display and ram on your current set-up. Perhaps wait if you can, since there are rumors of new displays coming in June... But whether a matte option is offered, is another thing...

Not a fan of the glossy screen. I don't despise it-- but given a choice, I would go with a matte display, as I think you should, since you will be photo-editing. I don't know if this is professional, or/and extensive work you'll be performing, but a matte display will always be the better option for that type of work.
 
the thing is i will be graduating in may and i want to take advantage of the discount.
I will be getting around 10% off, thats with tax and shipping included.

Haha.
I forgot to add the iMac has + a billion for sex appeal.
 
Personally, I think theres no need to upgrade the processor. Your not going to notice much of a difference.

Although, if you have your mind set to upgrading, get a better video card and DDR3 RAM, 6gb if possible. And get a 64x operating system.

BTW, if you upgrade to i7, its a different socket I believe, so you will have to get a new motherboard too = More $$$
 
No need to upgrade, considering what you currently got.

Invest money in a gpu and new monitor instead.
 
what do you think i can get for my old setup?
i wouldn't include the hard drive.
 
Well, since you mentioned movie editing, the i7 would come in handy. It'll be a lot faster than what you're working on right now. Plus the screen size is also a plus.

Sounds perfect for someone like you, you could always use the extra CPU when it comes to film editing and also OS X will let you run Final Cut which I think is still one of the best consumer movie editing software.

Anyway, you don't NEED it, but then again, we don't NEED half of the things we all own. It's a luxury that people enjoy, and I'm sure you will as well.
 
bsongo said:
the thing is i will be graduating in may and i want to take advantage of the discount.
I will be getting around 10% off, thats with tax and shipping included.

Haha.
I forgot to add the iMac has + a billion for sex appeal.
Click to expand...


You can use the student discount and be a 90 yr old homeless bum in the street. As long as you go through the education store online, they don't bother to check. So... if you graduate in May, you could still purchase it later in the year and still get the discount.
 
Current PC seems adequate. I'd just upgrade the display and perhaps RAM.

I doubt you would get much selling a "custom PC." If you want to buy a Mac later, the pricing on refurbs is lower than you can get with the student discount (except when able to factor in the free iPod offer in the summer).

Of course, if you have $2k burning a hole in your pocket, go for the Mac!
 
If you're getting a top of the line iMac, you should just get the 2tb as well, especially if you plan to put a lot of media on it. You could always upgrade the RAM later, the hard drive you are basically stuck with.
 
zedsdead said:
If you're getting a top of the line iMac, you should just get the 2tb as well, especially if you plan to put a lot of media on it. You could always upgrade the RAM later, the hard drive you are basically stuck with.
Click to expand...

i thought the hard drive was user replaceable?
is there room for two hard drives?
i wanted to use one as a scratch disk or would a external connected by firewire suffice
 
i am thinking about the 27" imac but im keeping the i5 processor. The extra 4GB of ram bumps up the £ a bit more which i have but i dont want to spend it but could come in handy. first it was 'oh ill get a good pc' then 'ill try a mac' now 'right i want the iMac, 27" looks nice and so does the i5... hmm ram".
 
bsongo said:
i thought the hard drive was user replaceable?
Click to expand...
Not according to Apple, but there are on-line instruction guides. Best to buy what you need originally if you care about warranty.
is there room for two hard drives?
i wanted to use one as a scratch disk or would a external connected by firewire suffice
Click to expand...
No. Use an external FW800 drive or drives.
 
It all depends, really. I have the same iMac your considering, and it flies through anything I try to do. The screen is also extremely nice, but if you wanted to be cheap, you could upgrade your PC and it would work fine for video editing. It's all about how much you want to spend.
 
Great news!
I ordered the iMac last night and its expected to arrive on the 26th!
Yipee!
Thanks for your comments and suggestions.

Crossing my fingers for no yellow tinge and buzzing noises!

Oh, is there a reason why my iMac shipped from reno, NV rather than china?

thanks!
 
I FINALLY receive my imac today.
I take off the cover and low and behold the screen is cracked!

As this is a custom build, what are my options?
I have to ship it back to apple huh?

grr, so frustrating!
 
bsongo said:
I FINALLY receive my imac today.
I take off the cover and low and behold the screen is cracked!

As this is a custom build, what are my options?
I have to ship it back to apple huh?

grr, so frustrating!
Click to expand...

As far as i know. I'm not sure how Macs ship now, but when i ordered my last one it was FedEx. I know they suck, too, but i felt much better knowing it WASN'T shipping via UPS. Macs are almost guaranteed to be cracked with UPS. lol.
 
http://imgur.com/ux6A5

picture of the damage.
it looks like its just the front piece of it. the actual screen is probably not damaged.
maybe i can give it to my local apple store to fix?

yeah it sent by ups
:(
 
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