Intel iMac Buying Advice NEEDED!

[Xander562]

I am 16 and am very tech savy
OK so here's the deal, i want an intel iMac and am probably going to end up buying one before the end of the month, but i have a few questions.
i'm thinking about buying a Refurb. but i am wondering whether you need the 1GB of RAM as opposed to the 512 that comes standard. some people say yes, some say no. if i'm not going to need the extra ram, i'll go with the refurb. which brings me to my next question 1.83 GHz or 2.0 GHz? i'm wondering if there is a noticable difference in preformance. i am also wondering if you can upgrade the RAM yourself? e.g. open the case and pop it in. this will be my first mac, i'm absolutely fed up with winblows over here, and i want it to be a good one. one other thing for everyday use i think that the 20inch will be too huge, but soo nice at the same time. please give me your opinion between 17 and 20" as well. thank you guys. and i hope that my first mac experience will be as enjoyable as possible

 

[Willy S]

1.83 vs 2Ghz is not much difference and I doubt you will notice a difference. As for the screen, you will notice a difference, but my advice is to buy a 17" and then you could add an external 20" LCD if you want later. 17" iMac + a high quality LCD would cost about the same as the 20" iMac.

The amount of ram depends on what you are doing. I use Lightroom and Photoshop, so they sometimes eat all of my 2GB ram...

 

[jsfpa]

512 is not enough. I had to wait for my extra memory to arrive and I was disappointed in how sluggish My iMac was. I added 1 gig chip and what a difference. Since then I've replaced the 512 chip with another 1 gig. I really didn't see much of a difference with the extra 512 but I would say you should have at least 1 gig. Crucial.com is pretty good on price and guaranteed to be Apple compatible.

 

[maya]

I prefer the 20" iMac with a 24" Dell Display, rather than a 17" + 20/24"

 

[Xander562]

Thank you Guys, but i am wondering, it seems you can install RAM yourself? give me some help on this one. i'm not sure how to go about doing this, this will be my first mac

 

[yoak]

I just ordered a 20 a few days ago. I really wanted the screen estate. One of my main reasons to for an iMac. Seeing the 17 and 20 side by side in the shop had me convinced right away.

I got it with 1 gig of RAM from Apple, price difference was very small if I should get it from a 3rd party.
My next 1 gig of RAM taht I will add at some future date I will by somewhere else and install myself.
It´s fairly easy from what I can gather from people on MR.

Good luck

 

[fiercetiger224]

I would recommend the 20 inch if you can afford it. And if you do get the 20 incher, it might be wise to go ahead and max out your ram whenever you can.

If you get a new iMac Core Duo (which you should probably do anyway), you should upgrade your VRAM to 256 MB. Overall, the 20 inch is a better value, since you get a better display and the option to upgrade VRAM, which is also important for OS X. :-D

 

[jsfpa]

Thank you Guys, but i am wondering, it seems you can install RAM yourself? give me some help on this one. i'm not sure how to go about doing this, this will be my first mac

On the Intel iMac there is a plate on the bottom. Just 2 screws to remove the plate. Just make sure you use the right size screwdriver (don't strip the screw heads). Also make sure you seat the chips in completely. Several people(me included) didn't get the chip all the way in which caused some scary symptoms. All were corrected by pushing the chip on all the way.(no damage done)

 

[Xander562]

Would opening the case void my warranty?
i'm pretty sure i wont be using this computer for gaming, but Just in case could i upgrade the videocard myself as well in the future?
the reason is, i am most likely going to go with the refurb purely for price reasons. if i can upgrade down the road, i think this will be the best for me, depending on how much money i can scrape together, i will either buy a 17 or 20 incher.

 

[xparaparafreakx]

You can open the iMac and add ram to it with no problems. Im sure you can also upgrade the CPU but I don't think you can do the GPU but don't quote me on that.

 

[Xander562]

Well i think if i can afford it i will go with the 20incher, refurb, and upgrade the RAM if i think i need it, thank you guys sooooo much, very speedy replies too, very nice. keep posting though if you have any advice for me it will be GREATLY appreciated, 20" intel iMac here i come!