I can't wait but is the iMac too old to buy

[Bodhi395]

OK, first off, let me get this out of the way: I know there have been a hundred threads associated with "should I wait to buy an iMac" or not; please feel free to berate me as much as you desire but what I REALLY need is some help.

I purchased an iMac (21.5", 3.3 GHZ, 9400m, 500 GB) on Tuesday, 08Jun10, as a gift for my father's birthday on 18Jun10. I waited to see if Apple would update the iMac but due to time constraints (his birthday) I pulled the trigger.

I am no computer expert, I switched to Apple a couple of months ago (MBP 2.66 GHZ) and I LOVE it! I use my MBP for work, word, excel, surf the net, pay bills, download photos and video from camera, etc. very lite stuff.

My father will be using his new iMac for web surfing, paying bills, sending emails, downloading photos from camera, etc., again, very lite stuff. He does like to play ONE game, Total Annihilation, which came out in 1923 or something super old. Other than that ONE game he doesn't play ANY other game nor does he want to, no first person shooter, or demanding games at all. It makes him motion sick to play those types of games, so TA only.

I couldn't decide if I should get the second tier iMac with the upgraded graphics card or not. I don't know much about computers but after researching it a bit, I concluded that if you aren't going to be playing games on the iMac the upgrade was a waste of money.

Now I'm second guessing my decision. Apparently, the graphics card does more than just play games (again, please feel to berate, "look a the noob!", and things like that). Anywho, the question is, will this iMac be obsolete in a few years due to the processor, or graphics card, or transmission, change the oil every 3 thousand miles and all that stuff.

So, will the above mentioned machine suffice for a few years for what my father needs it for?

PS: Dumbing down your answers would be greatly appreciated.

The way I see how people are talking on this thread, the way your father uses the computer(web, email, bills, photos) there is absolutely no need for the higher end graphics card. I don't see any of those tasks needing a better processor or graphics card in the next 5 years.

Besides high level video, photo, music editing programs, and of course games, no one so far has really pointed out why someone would need a top of the line graphics card, or why the low end iMac would not let you do most things normal people use a computer for in the next few years.

 

[iCole]

How does it work for the iLife apps like iMovie and GarageBand, fast?

I don't use GarageBand but i have used iMovie on my 2007 iMac and it ran great. so it should run great as well on the 21,5. Don't forget that Apple really optimizes their software. I don't really have software that lags.

edit : oh yeah and you can add up to 16GB of ram

 

[TMRaven]

I can't be too sure of it, but I do know the newest iMovies feature real-time editing, and usually real-time editing is the work of a gpu.

 

[vixducis]

He does like to play ONE game, Total Annihilation, which came out in 1923 or something super old.

Holy **** man, total annihilation was THE game back in the days. Waisted a lot of hours on it... but back on topic: the base imac is what you need, no more no less

 

[Bodhi395]

Holy **** man, total annihilation was THE game back in the days. Waisted a lot of hours on it... but back on topic: the base imac is what you need, no more no less

Can you even run Total Annihilation on an Intel Mac with OS X?

 

[badonenow9]

TA on new iMac

ya know, I didn't think about it not playing on OSX.....

That Land and Air game seems kinda close (though nothing beats TA).... does anyone know if you can and how you would play Land and Air against someone else, i.e., player vs. player?

oh, and THANK YOU guys (girls?) for responding to my concerns over the new iMac being "old" before it even arrives!!!!

 

[vixducis]

Can you even run Total Annihilation on an Intel Mac with OS X?

You probably can run it in a virtual machine... or definitely in bootcamp.

 

[epicwelshman]

Alright, so after flipping back and forth, I pulled the trigger last night on a refurb 21.5", 3Gz, 4GB, ATI iMac, and I can't wait.

You can play the waiting game forever, and while it would be nice to have an i5 CPU, f*** it. I need a new Mac. My BlackBook can barely handle Aperture, which is what I NEED.

 

[henrikrox]

Enjoy it mate!

 

[RCGMac]

I just recently purchased the high-end iMac 21.5" and I love it. I bought it to purchase my quickly aging Macbook. My g/f plays Second Life on it and the 4650 GPU runs like a dream. On the MB with the old integrated GPU, Second Life lagged and the laptop with approach 80 C with the fans roaring. The iMac is the quietest computer I have ever used. Sure the CPU could be better, but for me the high-end iMac 21.5" is the best computer I have ever used.

 

[henrikrox]

And that's exactly how people should think. It only matters what YOU think of it, not a random forum member, or your neigboor or whoever.

If your happy with it, then you should be happy and give a F about whatever thinks of your purchase

 

[nickk2]

I'd get the entry level macbook pro instead.

Otherwise, put your $1200 aside and save up some money. By the time you have the $2000 needed for the high level iMac, a new model could be available .