Here's my newbie looking to switch post.

[MS bulldog]

Here's the current setup...no laughing please.
Compaq Presario 5400US
Original non optical mouse
Original keyboard
Westinghouse 17" widescreen lcd
no speakers other than the stock monitor speakers
currently this prehistoric rig in under my desk for all to marvel at its broken beige plastic case and fall asleep to its low hum of fans and other mysterious mechanisms.

I've been rocking this setup for several years now with no major problems. XP has been on it the whole time. I've dropped a 80gb and another 20gb hdd that was cannibalized. A dinosaur agp video card and soundcard were added. RAM has been maxed.

Well I've finally talked myself into upgrading, and have decided to take another walk with the mac. I had a performa 5250 back in the day and was mildly impressed. Here are some factors that might help you help me.

• I'm a grad student, so I'm eligible for discounts.
• Mobility is not a deciding factor.
• Budget is $1K give or take a hundred or two.
• Currently running a wired lan in the house, but contemplating dropping a WAP for geekness and future convenience.
• Aesthetics will be a factor as my setup is in my den on a new dark stained desk.
• I'm PC literate and am confident that osx will be easy to learn.
• My major uses for a computer are email, surfing, music (when i get some speakers), school work, home finances and basic video stuff like capturing home movies and burning dvd's.
• Not too much gaming.

The intel machines have caught my eye. Specifically the imac 17" and the mac mini. I figured the imac would give me a new keyboard and mouse as well as another screen to pair up to my existing screen. I would max out the ram on my own. The mac mini is appealing because of its cool form factor, price and possibility of pvr and television hookup. Of course I'm not going to make any decision until Fall for possible education deals and/or until the next keynote or whatever they're called where they update the products/software...such as the new ibook/macbook.

Anyways, thanks in advance and please leave the reasoning behind what you think might suit my needs.

 

[gman71882]

Just got an 17" Intel Imac for my father, his First mac. He loves it, and now wants a Mac Mini for his Home Theatre.
Either one of thoes machines would be a great for you:
you could get the Low end iMac and upgrade on your own as you go... Or get a Mac mini with all the bells and whistles: with Keyboard & mighty mouse etc.
Go either way!!!

 

[FFTT]

You figured perfect!

The 17" Core Duo iMac is one of the best configurations Apple has come out with in their history for form, function, performance and affordability.

Getting the stock 160 GB HD is fine for starters, but I recommend adding at least 1 GB and preferably 2 GB of 3rd party RAM and eventually upgrading the stock HD to a larger Seagate.

At least you're in for $1199 education and the rest will come as you can afford it.

 

[Flowbee]

You can't really go wrong with the 17" iMac (as long as it's within your budget). By the fall, there may even be an upgraded model on the shelves.

 

[Kingsly]

17" iMac or keep your LCD display and get a Mac Mini.
Oh yeah, once you go "X" you'll never go back!

 

[ipacmm]

I would just get the 17" iMac because it is a great all-in-one computer and is a great deal.

Also amazon.com has it for $1,199 after rebate and free shipping and no tax also if you use A9, you can get even more off of the price.

 

[MS bulldog]

i was reading a post about the screen going out in an imac rendering the whole computer useless. is this common (screen failing)? can't you still hook a second monitor up and use it?

 

[plinden]

17" iMac or keep your LCD display and get a Mac Mini.

17" iMac AND keep your LCD display for dual monitor setup.

i was reading a post about the screen going out in an imac rendering the whole computer useless. is this common (screen failing)? can't you still hook a second monitor up and use it?

Where did you read this?
It's possible, but even without AppleCare, this is covered for the first year, and he can get AppleCare before the year is up for another two years coverage. And yes, you can hook a second monitor up.

 

[iEdd]

I recommend getting the 17" iMac, leaving everything stock, except upgrading the ram to 1x1GB. This way, you start off with enough, and when you upgrade, you won't be throwing away any ram. That is, you've 'maxed out' one ram slot.