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Opinions: 17" iMac vs 20" iMac
- Thread starter kevin.rivers
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kildraik said:If you want, you can get a new 17" iMac and a 60GB iPod for $1400...just ask-
I am going to have to pass on that buddy. A bit too much when I weigh the alternatives. Thanks anyway.
Go for the 20". It's gorgeous on it's own and I've mated mine to my old 18" LG LCD-monitor and it's a quite nice amount of desktop space and viewing area.
A word of advice would be to go for the 256 VRAM on the display adapter. I've got 128 and certain effects (Exposé, Dashboard) are showing slight signs of slowdown after I added the second display. I'm not 100% sure the VRAM will fix this but I'm fairly confident that will do the trick.
A word of advice would be to go for the 256 VRAM on the display adapter. I've got 128 and certain effects (Exposé, Dashboard) are showing slight signs of slowdown after I added the second display. I'm not 100% sure the VRAM will fix this but I'm fairly confident that will do the trick.
designed said:
How much Ram do you have? I don't really think it would be the Vram, but I could be wrong. I am going for a refurb so no 256VRAM option. However, I have heard of people getting it so I can hope!
My decision has been made, i think. It is Dells fault. The only LCD I think I would want to buy the 2007WFP and currently has tons of banding issues along with some other problems. It is very very cheap right now ($380 direct from Dell), I think they are trying to get rid of the bad ones though.
So i think I can wait on the LCD for now. I would rather take that cash and put it on the 20" and some RAM and get the screen when they solve these issues.
I change my mind every minute though. So take this with a grain of salt
My powerbook (specs below) has similar characteristics when I hook it up to an external display. I have a 1.5gm ram but my vram is only 64mb. It only does it when it's in screen expansion mode, not when I mirror or run in clamshell mode.
designed said:
I'm glad someone brought this up.
What do people think about the 128MB versus the 256MB of vram? Will it make a difference? I would be playing games on the iMac if I got it...this seems to push me towards the 256MB, but I wanted to see what others have to say. PS: I hope I didn't hijack the thread...sorry.
iHeartTheApple said:I'm glad someone brought this up.
PS: I hope I didn't hijack the thread...sorry.
I highly doubt the VRAM will make much difference in the OS. His machine has some other issues if he is experiencing slowdowns in the OS.
Here is a thread that talks about the Dual Monitor issue and VRAM.
http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.php?t=294176
The only reason I am not entertaining 256VRAM is because I am not buying new. I am going used or refurb. So it really isn't an option, well it is for used but I haven't seen many. Even, so I don't think it wil make a difference, unless you are rendering or gaming. For general use, and even editing with Aperture, it will run smoothly. If you can run games at decent settings on the iMac, I would think you could run dual monitors and not see a slow down in the OS functions. But what do i know?
If you are buying new go for it, considering it doesn't cost much to upgrade.
i got the 20" refurb employee friends/family discount for $1,388. it was a no brainer over the 17" retail for basically the same price. it is a flawless machine (well now it is. it had to have a past flaw to be a refurb). i am very happy and would recommend it highly. It flys with the extra 1gb datamem stick that i just added.
the 256mb vram, imho, is only advisable if you really really dont plan on getting a new computer for the next 2 years. it is just a future proof option as most non-fanatical games run well with just the 128mb vram. i have 3-4 computers and i just get a new one each year and retire the oldest, so my next one will have more ram and i will stay up to date.
the 256mb vram, imho, is only advisable if you really really dont plan on getting a new computer for the next 2 years. it is just a future proof option as most non-fanatical games run well with just the 128mb vram. i have 3-4 computers and i just get a new one each year and retire the oldest, so my next one will have more ram and i will stay up to date.
kevin.rivers said:
I own a 17" imac and love it; but if you have any interest in web design and photography I highly recommend the 20". You do need more ram too, as you said, but you get that later but can't magically make your screen bigger.
Yeah I went with a 20". Got it used from someone here on the forums. It is going pretty good so far. The ram will be upgraded soon, then applecare, then the 20" display.
Later on down the road I may put a Merom in and sell off the Core Duo. That is far down the line though.
Later on down the road I may put a Merom in and sell off the Core Duo. That is far down the line though.
IMO if you can afford a 20" iMac then by all means go for it. I have one and couldn't be happier. But from what I've seen its just the same system with a couple of differences. It still flies though everything i've thrown at it (Cinema4D 9.6 and Final Cut).
