For those of you who have iMacs spanning with external displays

[terriyaki]

I need a machine that will act as a torrent machine as well as a media server storing various movies, tv rips, and mp3s which I periodically archive from time to time. Apart from those primary needs I'll also need it to do general tasks such as mild photo editing, web browsing, email, chat, etc. I imagine I'll also fool around with Bootcamp and try to play a few games from time to time as well.

Now, based on my needs and budget, I figure that I should go for a 20" iMac. The Mac Mini doesn't seem powerful enough for what I need and the Mac Pro seems a bit too powerful for what I'm looking for in a computer (That and springing for one would definitely push my budget).

I have a 20" Dell 2005FPW that I'll most likely pair with the iMac but I feel that I'll have more desktop space than I'll need. I think I'll need to pair it with my iMac, though, because I'd need to take advantage of it's built in USB hub.

I don't know. I'm sure it would be beautiful to have two 20" widescreen LCDs side by side but I'm not convinced that I would need that type of set up. Could members who have similar computing needs and dual monitor setups chime in with your thoughts? Do you find that you use all of the desktop space or do you find that it's just wasted? Likewise, could those of you who have computer needs similar to mine but only have one screen chime in as well? Is it enough space for what you do or do you find yourself wishing you had more?

Thanks, guys.

 

[jsw]

I have a 17" iMac connected to a 20" Dell, and it works nicely. However, I'm curious as to why you feel you'd need to connect your 20" to use its USB hub - tiny hubs are very inexpensive, so I'm not sure why that's a reason to connect the 20".

For your usage, I suspect one 20" monitor is more than enough. Also, were it not for your desire to game, the mini would be more than adequate, and an external FW drive would boost drive capacities pretty inexpensively.

 

[Osarkon]

you can always find a use for the extra display, I use mine to run Firefox full screen mainly, lets me carry on with the other things on the other monitor. Oh and I run parallels (ubuntu and xp) full screen on it while leaving the other screen free. The possibilities are endless

 

[terriyaki]

I have a 17" iMac connected to a 20" Dell, and it works nicely. However, I'm curious as to why you feel you'd need to connect your 20" to use its USB hub - tiny hubs are very inexpensive, so I'm not sure why that's a reason to connect the 20".

For your usage, I suspect one 20" monitor is more than enough. Also, were it not for your desire to game, the mini would be more than adequate, and an external FW drive would boost drive capacities pretty inexpensively.

Well it's not like the only reason I'm considering keeping my 20" Dell is because of it's built in USB hub. It's definitely one of the reasons but not the only one. The main reason is the extra screen real estate but I just wanted to get an idea of others' opinions on the matter.

And although the Mac Mini is the best choice from an economical standpoint I'm not that restricted in terms of a budget so I'd like a machine that has a video card and non laptop hard drives.

you can always find a use for the extra display, I use mine to run Firefox full screen mainly, lets me carry on with the other things on the other monitor. Oh and I run parallels (ubuntu and xp) full screen on it while leaving the other screen free. The possibilities are endless

I didn't even think of this, thanks. I imagine having things like Parallels, Remote Desktop Connection, and Apple Remote Desktop running fullscreen on the second monitor would be really helpful.