iMac : 2.8 GHz/4 Gb or 3.06 GHz/2 Gb

[boz0]

I'm drooling over the new iMac w/ 8800GS. Assuming I decide to fork out the cash, which would be the best gaming platform between these two ?

1. 2.8 GHz upgraded to 4 Gb, the 500 Gb disk and the 8800GS

2. the basic 3.06 GHz model w/ 2 Gb RAM

Both would be the same price.

For everyday usage, the first one would definitely be more interesting (at least for me, it'd be much more comfortable to run various virtual machines in Fusion).

For gaming, I'm not too sure. It'd mostly be Windows-based gaming, probably XP for the 2 Gb model, and probably Vista for the 4 Gb (to avoid XP's 3.3 Gb memory limit). What do you think?

 

[macsander]

The 2.8 4gb would be better for gaming but I would definitely save a little more cash( 100$) or so to buy the 3.06 with 4gb (3d party, at least as good as apple) because your machine will last at least a year longer that way, especially for gaming since the games become more demanding every few months. Hope this helps you.

 

[Dorfdad]

FYi the 2.8 comes with a 2600 standard. It would cost more for the 8800GTS if that is already factored in than the best best is the 2.8 the 4 gigs of ram makes a better performance systems than .20 GHZ CPU speed.

 

[ninjapenguinart]

The 2.8 4gb would be better for gaming but I would definitely save a little more cash( 100$) or so to buy the 3.06 with 4gb (3d party, at least as good as apple) because your machine will last at least a year longer that way, especially for gaming since the games become more demanding every few months. Hope this helps you.

I would agree this is the best option. I spent 60 bucks "after rebate" on a 2 x 2GB memory upgrade off of newegg.com, but if you don't care that your computer will be outdated a little bit quicker than normal, then I would go with the 2.8 4gb.

 

[brn2ski00]

#1

 

[mixel]

The notion that 3ghz is going to last a yr longer than 2.8 seems ingredibly silly to me. When gaming requires a faster machine it wont do it in microscopic increments giving you a year window in which 3Ghz is "acceptible" while 2.8 wouldn't have been. The truth is the next gen of intels are likely to poop all over both from a great height (as is usually the case) so it wont matter which you have?

3Ghz is more about bragging rights than actual performance increase. It's a psychological "3Ghz barrier passed!" thing.

I'd got for the 2.8 with maxed out RAM, personally.

 

[rworne]

#1.

Remember, CPU, Graphics and HD will be near-impossible to impossible to upgrade on this system. RAM is easy to upgrade.

If you like to play lots of PC/Mac games, the 8800 will make life much better.

 

[bedoig]

There are very few, if any, games that will significantly benefit from 4GB of memory as opposed to 2GB. You will see a greater performance boost from the slightly faster processor vs. additional memory.

Either way, DO NOT buy the extra memory from Apple. I'd get the basic 3.06/8800GS/500GB HD with 2GB of RAM (or less if that is possible and will save some money). As said above, you can get 4GB of memory from retailers like Newegg for around $75.

4GB isn't really necessary anyway, unless you're running multiple VM's, doing some pretty serious video editing, etc.

 

[macsander]

#1.

Remember, CPU, Graphics and HD will be near-impossible to impossible to upgrade on this system. RAM is easy to upgrade.

If you like to play lots of PC/Mac games, the 8800 will make life much better.

Well you can always buy an external hard drive, put a nice 4TB hard drive next to your mac

 

[aki]

2.8 and 3.06 are practically almost same BUT u can always upgrade RAM later to get another kick and you cant upgrade cpu....so if u have only some money buy 3.06 2gb now, 4gb tomorrow

u will want 4gb i think everything is better w more ram

 

[zedsdead]

2.8 and 3.06 are practically almost same BUT u can always upgrade RAM later to get another kick and you cant upgrade cpu....so if u have only some money buy 3.06 2gb now, 4gb tomorrow

u will want 4gb i think everything is better w more ram

I agree, RAM can wait. The processor cannot.

 

[boz0]

FYi the 2.8 comes with a 2600 standard. It would cost more for the 8800GTS if that is already factored in than the best best is the 2.8 the 4 gigs of ram makes a better performance systems than .20 GHZ CPU speed.

The price is the same (at least on the Apple France Store) for the 2.8 GHz w/ 4 Gb including the 8800 GS option. Obviously, I didn't even consider the 2600 for gaming

But all in all, people seem to thing the RAM upgrade should wait. Thanks for the input.

 

[G-Force]

The 2.8 4gb would be better for gaming but I would definitely save a little more cash( 100$) or so to buy the 3.06 with 4gb (3d party, at least as good as apple) because your machine will last at least a year longer that way, especially for gaming since the games become more demanding every few months.

Absolutely not true! A 3,06 GHz machine will be obsolete at the same time as the 2,8 GHz. Also, in games you will almost not notice the 260 MHz difference (maybe 1 to 5 FPS). In my opinion, the 2,8 is definitely a better deal, but if you absolutely want the 3 GHz machine go for it.

So let me say this again: The 3,06 GHz will not last longer than the 2.8 GHz model. The new Intel processors will be faster than both. 260 MHz is not a big difference.

Did the 2,33 GHz white iMac last any longer than the 2,0 GHz Core 2 Duo white iMacs? No.

 

[macsander]

They won't actually last longer, that was a bad way of putting it but as years pass by, you will notice more difference between the 2.8 and the 3.06 than you will at the moment.

 

[G-Force]

If the 2,8 will be slow someday, the 3,06 will be just as slow. If that time arrives you could better buy a new computer that is a LOT faster.

Though, nothing wrong with buying a 3,06 GHz. It's a nice machine, but if I can get a 2,8/8800/500GB for 149 euros less than the 3,06 base...