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iMac Means Lack Of Choice

D

deanbo

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 6, 2003
228
0
After having a look at price comparisons versus PC's I think Toms Hardware summed it up best. High end CPU's, good amount of RAM, low end graphics. Price for price iMacs compete well against PC's but the flexibility in build options is poor as far as I am concerned.

So how about high end graphics, mid range CPU with the same amount of RAM? Or at least the choice between i3, i5 and i7 CPU's across the entire range with a good choice of GPU's as well.

That way you might be able to have your cake and eat it too. Say for example, you choose the 5850 GPU for the mid range model but skimp on the processor power. Similar price(?) and probably a damn site better for gaming. Much more flexible and much less to gripe about.
 
Hmm..do I sense a troll?

internet_troll.jpg
 
The true hard-core gamers didn't read your post as they're all too busy with their dedicated consoles.
 
deanbo said:
So how about high end graphics, mid range CPU with the same amount of RAM? Or at least the choice between i3, i5 and i7 CPU's across the entire range with a good choice of GPU's as well.
Click to expand...

Again - if Apple could fit the hotter 5850 into the iMac, I'm sure it would. The problem is that people seem to love their iMac's form factor yet don't immediately realize that this comes at a cost - which you outlined perfectly. So why not make the iMac thicker? Or change the design entirely? Because then it wouldn't be an iMac. If one wants a better GPU, there's a Mac for that - the Mac Pro....

The current 5750 in the iMac i7 is not top of the line, but it definitely is no slouch either.
 
SiMBa37 said:
Hmm..do I sense a troll?

internet_troll.jpg
Click to expand...

I love this picture.... Great find. Thanks for posting!!!

=================

From a physical perspective, I'm not too sure which hardware is better. Is Windows H/W better or is Apple/Mac H/W better (assume equal specs are being compared on each)? Just like the "GM vs Ford?" question, I'm sure many folks can debate many different sides of this question as well.

For me, I was previously visiting my local Best Buy store and visiting their iMac section. While playing with their iMac 2.15" screen (like a kid learning to drive a peddle bike with training wheels), I seen a young lady across from me. She was approx 2 years older then my daughter and she was with her boyfriend. With a smile, I calmly asked this young lady "If she had a choice between Windows and Mac, which would she pick?". Without hesitation, she immediately replied with, "MAC". Seems she currently has a Mac laptop and she's now looking for a more powerful desktop - for her early college years. Thus, she was looking at the Desktop iMac model (as well). And, she gave me lots of reasons why she loves Macs more then Windows platforms. At the end of our conversation, I thought, "who am I to decide which comptuer platforms my kids should use?" Can I honestly ask this question when I do NOT own a Mac myself? Thus, I bought a new iMac (currently "on order") approx 2 months afterwards.

My unbiased plan.... I will let my kids (and wife) use our new (currently "on order") iMac and our current Windows 7 HP laptop for 1 full year. They can do emails, surfing, recording, text documents, etc. etc. tasks. At end of 1 year, I will ask each of them the same question I asked the young lader (previously at Best Buy). If they want to use a Mac (iMac or Mac Pro) in their future, then sure. They can continue to select it. Or, they can pick Windows (perhaps Windows 8) next time? "If they drive it, then they pick it" Same approach they will implement when buying their first vehicle as well. As I often tell my kids, "they can pick what ever they want - NOT what others think they should use. After all, we do live in a free country".

Which H/W platform is better? Who knows? "Which platform (or vehicle) is funner to drive?" IMO, that's the only question one should be asking!!!!

This approach works for me...

.
 
@Spike

It's not just a H/W issue, it's a utilization of the hardware. In certain areas Macs simply perform better, and vice versa for Windows.

Going back to the car analogy, sure both cars may have the same basic hardware...but what kind of gas are you using to power that hardware?
 
Jakelshark said:
@Spike

It's not just a H/W issue, it's a utilization of the hardware. In certain areas Macs simply perform better, and vice versa for Windows.

Going back to the car analogy, sure both cars may have the same basic hardware...but what kind of gas are you using to power that hardware?
Click to expand...

One system could have same i5 CPU, same graphics, same screen size, same keyboard size, same mouse size, same external HDDs. From a foundation perspective, a all H/W is the same. One uses Mac OS graphics (and its user interface structure) and the other uses Windows graphics (and its user internface / system structure) side by side. Put machines infront of a person who knows how to drive both - without bias. (just like same person knows how to drive auto transmission and an automatic transmission with ease). If they select the Mac platform 9 out of 10 times (compred to windows), them to me, it doesn't matter which H/W is better. Or, which H/W has "more choices". Or, which H/W uses different fuel. IMO, platform selection is about which machine platform the user wants to use the most. As one can tell "ease of use" criteria is higher on my list then different H/W ranges... But that's just me...

.
 
The mobility 5850 in the top end iMacs are not a bad card at all. When it's overclocked, it gets desktop 5750/5770 performance, which is by no means low end.


I think you do have a point, though. Apple could provide a choice on whether to provide a 95tdp cpu, or spend 100 or so tdp on gpu/s instead.
 
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