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iMac 2.4Ghz or 2.8Ghz

H

hydrokayak

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 16, 2008
62
0
Lancaster, NH
I'm looking at the iMac -- and have been forced to wait another week to get it. I want to get it with a 24" screen -- but don't know what Proc to get. I know the 2.8Ghz would be a nice addition -- but is it really worth it? I don't play that many games -- and when I do -- it's nothing like Crysis. I'd occaisionally play Counterstrike Source or Halflife. I may do some MILD photo editing...

If I could spare the $250, it's be great. I already have ram sitting here for it...

I'd use the cash to get a decent external HD for time capsule and a 500 gigger in the PC itself.

Any thoughts? Want to convince me that the 400mhz is worth it.
 
I'd say stick with the 2.4 GHz option rather than the 2.8 GHz. As you said, you don't do heavy gaming (i.e. Crysis) or heavy photo editing. The 2.4 Ghz option fits, but even then, why not just go for the 24-inch, 2.0 GHz one? The benefits of the 2.4 GHz are non-existent since you don't do anything heavy.
 
dbam987 said:
I'd say stick with the 2.4 GHz option rather than the 2.8 GHz. As you said, you don't do heavy gaming (i.e. Crysis) or heavy photo editing. The 2.4 Ghz option fits, but even then, why not just go for the 24-inch, 2.0 GHz one? The benefits of the 2.4 GHz are non-existent since you don't do anything heavy.
Click to expand...

I want the better/larger screen.
 
sk8ordie said:
I vote 2.4ghz....much better financial decision, then max out the ram from owc macsales.com or crucial.
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I agree. My 2.0GHz is blazing fast for everything including movie editing and music creation. You'd probably be wasting your money to get a 2.8GHz. It's extra power that won't be needed.
 
Even if you were to use your iMac for games, remember it's the poor graphics card that Apple decided to include that'll be the bottleneck NOT the processor. The only advantage of the faster processor is for those applications which actually make use of it e.g. video editing, 3D rendering, scientific simulations etc.

Save the money and spend it on more RAM / external disk / Windows / Office / iWork / Parallels / Fusion etc. You'd get far better value for your money buy buying one or more of those products instead.

Cheers. :)
 
Neutral Gamer said:
Even if you were to use your iMac for games, remember it's the poor graphics card that Apple decided to include that'll be the bottleneck NOT the processor. The only advantage of the faster processor is for those applications which actually make use of it e.g. video editing, 3D rendering, scientific simulations etc.

Save the money and spend it on more RAM / external disk / Windows / Office / iWork / Parallels / Fusion etc. You'd get far better value for your money buy buying one or more of those products instead.

Cheers. :)
Click to expand...

I agree entirely. I already bought 4 gigs of ram -- it's sitting right in front of me. I just want the real estate of the 24" screen, on a form factor that leaves little cables -- and more space for other things.

With eliminating my PC -- I'm left with two 500 Gig drives. I just need some external enclosures, and I'll be set with Time Capsule.
 
hydrokayak said:
I want the better/larger screen.
Click to expand...

my bad, i looked at apple's online store and saw that on the 24-inch models they do not have a 2.0 GHz processor. in that case the 24-inch, 2.4 Ghz model is your best bet since you want a large screen. the 2.8 GHz version is too expensive for the tasks you mention.
 
hydrokayak said:
I'm looking at the iMac -- and have been forced to wait another week to get it. I want to get it with a 24" screen -- but don't know what Proc to get. I know the 2.8Ghz would be a nice addition -- but is it really worth it? I don't play that many games -- and when I do -- it's nothing like Crysis. I'd occaisionally play Counterstrike Source or Halflife. I may do some MILD photo editing...

If I could spare the $250, it's be great. I already have ram sitting here for it...

I'd use the cash to get a decent external HD for time capsule and a 500 gigger in the PC itself.

Any thoughts? Want to convince me that the 400mhz is worth it.
Click to expand...

You basically just described what you don't do. But what do you do? The 2.8 is faster no doubt. And if you are like me and like to have multiple windows open at the same time, then you might need the extra speed.
 
Remember, the .4ghz is across 2 cores!!! so the upgrade difference between the 2.4ghz and 2.8ghz, is technically .8ghz.

altogether, the 2.4ghz is 4.8ghz, and the 2.8ghz is 5.6ghz. I have the 2.8ghz my self, not sure if ill ever use its benefits, i may have already without noticing, but its future proof, which is why i got it.
 
I run SolidWorks in XP with Parallel's on my mac so I went with the 2.8Ghz processor. I also installed 4Gb of Ram. It is best to evaluate what you'll be doing with the machine. In my case, I need lots of power so I went with the faster processor. If you are just doing basic things, the faster processor is likely overkill.
 
bluedoggiant said:
Remember, the .4ghz is across 2 cores!!! so the upgrade difference between the 2.4ghz and 2.8ghz, is technically .8ghz.

altogether, the 2.4ghz is 4.8ghz, and the 2.8ghz is 5.6ghz. I have the 2.8ghz my self, not sure if ill ever use its benefits, i may have already without noticing, but its future proof, which is why i got it.
Click to expand...

Until the end of the year with C2Q iMacs... then your little dual core is irrelevant ;)
 
I really feel like the 2.4 Ghz 24" would be best. I'm going to get a 500 gig HD, and get an external enclosure for one of my 500 gig PC drives. I already have 4 gigs of ram, ready for installation.

I do multitask -- but what I do on my 2.2Ghz Macbook is exactly what I'd be doing on the iMac. Plus -- 250 savings is big.
 
hydrokayak said:
I really feel like the 2.4 Ghz 24" would be best. I'm going to get a 500 gig HD, and get an external enclosure for one of my 500 gig PC drives. I already have 4 gigs of ram, ready for installation.

I do multitask -- but what I do on my 2.2Ghz Macbook is exactly what I'd be doing on the iMac. Plus -- 250 savings is big.
Click to expand...

Go buy that 24" 2.4ghz!!! You will not regret!
 
I have to go to the bank in the morning -- and then I'll place the order then!!!

Wicked excited!

What are the shipment times for the customized systems? I'd LIKE it by next Thurs if I could -- you think Ground would do?
 
hydrokayak said:
I have to go to the bank in the morning -- and then I'll place the order then!!!

Wicked excited!

What are the shipment times for the customized systems? I'd LIKE it by next Thurs if I could -- you think Ground would do?
Click to expand...

I ordered mine on Feb 1st, it shipped feb 2nd, should be here fedex ground by feb 8th to give you an idea.

I got the 2.4 imac, but upgraded to 2.8 and 500gig hd.
 
hydrokayak said:
Just placed my order.

Soon to arrive is a 2.4Ghz 24" iMac with a 500 GB HD and a wireless Might Mouse.

yay!!
Click to expand...

Excellent mate, you made the right decision. Now you'll just have to get over the stress of waiting for it to arrive and constantly checking the delivery status to see if it's changed! Happens to all of us.

Don't forget to show us some pics when you've got it all set up.

Enjoy. :)
 
Not quite.

bluedoggiant said:
Remember, the .4ghz is across 2 cores!!! so the upgrade difference between the 2.4ghz and 2.8ghz, is technically .8ghz.

altogether, the 2.4ghz is 4.8ghz, and the 2.8ghz is 5.6ghz. I have the 2.8ghz my self, not sure if ill ever use its benefits, i may have already without noticing, but its future proof, which is why i got it.
Click to expand...

This isn't how it works at all.
 
takeabyteoutta said:
This isn't how it works at all.
Click to expand...

Well, it depends on which and how many applications you've got running. If you've got one application running or applications which don't really use that much processing power then you won't notice any difference between the 2.4 and 2.8. However if you have programs designed to spread their workload over multiple threads (or multiple programs using a lot of processing power) then you will technically be gaining 0.8ghz rather than 0.4ghz.
 
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