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Ready to buy an iMac...a moment of your time?

Hello.there

Hello.there

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 12, 2007
730
1
Couch
Hello all,

Okay, sincere endless apologies in advance for asking a question you've probably been asked 12,336 times, but having made the momentous decision to say goodbye to my PC days I'm so nervous about making this iMac purchase beads of sweat are flowing from my forehead. :eek: My finger has been hovering over the 'Buy' button on the Apple site for, oooh, a week now, but every time I'm ready to go it I read another post here that makes me nervous.

Any way, I think I'm going to go for it having decided against the Dell XPS 720. But could I just ask a question or three?

Apart from the usual (writing/emails/internet/music) my main interest is in video and photo editing (of the very amateur variety) and from what I can gather the iMac (and its software) should do the job nicely for me? Am I right? (I've read the concerns about the display).

I'm thinking of going for these specs/software:

24-inch glossy widescreen LCD
2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme 065-7045
750GB Serial ATA Drive 065-6971 (upgraded from 500GB)
2GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM - 2x1GB 065-6963
8x double-layer Superdrive
ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB memory
Wireless keyboard (English) + Mac OS X (English) 065-6979
Apple Wireless Mighty Mouse 065-7552
AirPort Extreme
Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
Apple USB Modem 065-6974

Price: E2,474

(Plus Microsoft Office for Mac Student & Teacher Edition ).

Does that look good? Is there anything in there that you think HAS to be upgraded (without me going bankrupt)?

Are there any other software/accessories you'd recommend I buy with the iMac?

Overall, do you think I'm doing the right thing?

Thank you, thank you, thank you to anyone who (a) has the patience to read the post and (b) reply with useful advice!

Cheers.
 
Looks great. If you can wait two weeks until Leopard (it may be in the next week that a release date is announced and you'll get a free update) you should. In case you don't know, Leopard is the next version of the Apple operating system, featuring many improvements.

Unless you desperately need it, I would not buy Microsoft Office...there are great cheaper and free alternatives, and it will not run incredibly smoothly as your Mac (like all new ones) is Intel, and the software is not made for Intel processors. The new made-for-Intel (Universal) Office comes out in January :)
 
psychofreak said:
Looks great. If you can wait two weeks until Leopard (it may be in the next week that a release date is announced and you'll get a free update) you should. In case you don't know, Leopard is the next version of the Apple operating system, featuring many improvements.

Unless you desperately need it, I would not buy Microsoft Office...there are great cheaper and free alternatives, and it will not run incredibly smoothly as your Mac (like all new ones) is Intel, and the software is not made for Intel processors. The new made-for-Intel (Universal) Office comes out in January :)
Click to expand...

You're a legend, thanks a million!

Wondered what to do about Leopard, I suppose two weeks wouldn't kill me.....I hope.

And thanks for the advice about Microsoft Office, wasn't sure either if that was the best option so will definitely look in to alternatives.

Many thanks again, really appreciate the help.
 
I would start with the $1799 model and do the 2.8 update on that model. You can then find 4gb of Ram for less than $200 and save yourself a few bucks. With the 2.8 you are basically paying for 2x1gb of ram, which you would have to pull out to put the 2x2gb to max at 4gb.
 
Yuppi said:
iWork is not the ultimate solution either. But Sun has thrown some more men on the Mac Port of OpenOffice. So there will be an Aqua Version kind of soon. http://porting.openoffice.org/mac/news/2007/20070818top5beforealpha.html
In the mean time Neooffice http://www.neooffice.org/neojava/en/index.php is the best way to get a good equivalent to Office from Microsoft.
Click to expand...


this is slightly off the "should i take the iMac plunge topic", but why is iWork not the ultimate solution. i'm about to get a new MBP and really want to wean myself off of Office and it seems to me that iWork has moved those apps forward a lot and that they really work nearly seamlessly with the folks on the PC side of the fence. is there a different "ultimate solution"?

to the original poster, i think, as soon as leopard is released from its cage on the 26th, you should definitely wipe the beads of sweat off and get that iMac!
 
Well, i have office '04, and it runs very well on my imac, anyway, if you buy it office 04 before office 08 comes out they give you a free upgrade to 08 when it comes out you only have to pay shipping and handling, good luck!!! and welcome :) you will love it.....
 
Bobioden said:
I would start with the $1799 model and do the 2.8 update on that model. You can then find 4gb of Ram for less than $200 and save yourself a few bucks. With the 2.8 you are basically paying for 2x1gb of ram, which you would have to pull out to put the 2x2gb to max at 4gb.
Click to expand...

Good advice, and this mirrors my own personal strategy perfectly. Here is how I am maximizing my value on my iMac:

1. Start with the $1799 model and upgrade to 4 GB of RAM from OWC for <$200.

2. Waiting until Leopard is out to save the $129 on the OS upgrade.

3. Waited (already done) for iLife '08 so it would be included.
 
czachorski said:
Good advice, and this mirrors my own personal strategy perfectly. Here is how I am maximizing my value on my iMac:

1. Start with the $1799 model and upgrade to 4 GB of RAM from OWC for <$200.

2. Waiting until Leopard is out to save the $129 on the OS upgrade.

3. Waited (already done) for iLife '08 so it would be included.
Click to expand...

I am going with the same listed strat. listed above but at the same time im still debating between the 2.4ghz or the 2.8ghz, pretty much the 2.8 gives us new users a nice speed boost im talking if it took 1 minute on the 2.4ghz it will take 40-45 seconds on the 2.8ghz for the extra $250 bucks I dont know if I am in that big of a rush and maybe will use the money towards apple care and of course the 4 gig Mem upgrade.

Also I am BIG on external storage, as I trust
 
czachorski said:
Good advice, and this mirrors my own personal strategy perfectly. Here is how I am maximizing my value on my iMac:

1. Start with the $1799 model and upgrade to 4 GB of RAM from OWC for <$200.

2. Waiting until Leopard is out to save the $129 on the OS upgrade.

3. Waited (already done) for iLife '08 so it would be included.
Click to expand...

I am going with the same listed strat. listed above but at the same time im still debating between the 2.4ghz or the 2.8ghz, pretty much the 2.8 gives us new users a nice speed boost im talking if it took 1 minute on the 2.4ghz it will take 40-45 seconds on the 2.8ghz for the extra $250 bucks I dont know if I am in that big of a rush and maybe will use the money towards apple care and of course the 4 gig Mem upgrade.

Also I am BIG on external storage, as I trust my internal drive I would prefer my os to have a smaller drive and purchase a nice 500 GIG - 750 GIG external only because it runs without the o/s so in worse case if I have to format or if my os crashes its lets work to transfer and it also puts you in a better habit of data back up :)
 
Hello.there said:
You're a legend, thanks a million!

Wondered what to do about Leopard, I suppose two weeks wouldn't kill me.....I hope.

And thanks for the advice about Microsoft Office, wasn't sure either if that was the best option so will definitely look in to alternatives.

Many thanks again, really appreciate the help.
Click to expand...

From what I have read, NeoOffice is a very nice and free word processor, you should check it out
 
(1) Those complaining about the iMac screen in regards to photo/image editing don't know how to effectively edit a photo anyway, so don't worry about the screen at all.

(2) NeoOffice is free, download it because it's free and you'll never know when you may need it.

(3) iWork is the ultimate solution for one simple reason... it syncs and works seemlessly with the rest of your apps, whether they be iPhoto and iMovie, or Aperture and Final Cut Pro Studio 2. BUY IT, it's $79 while MS Office is $250+ and doesn't work at all with your other Apps. If you just need to write paper then get whatever floats your boat, but if you need to access your media files and graphics, get iWork because it is the only app that handles graphics and images and other forms of media like Photoshop, InDesign, Quark, and Illustrator does. NO OTHER APP CAN DO IT....

(4) Don't take too many people's bad advice too seriously. Most people stick to one thing or another and sometimes they fumble around with an App and don't like it, then they run and tell others how much they don't like this App and give their made up reasons for it. I am sitting on the fence about Adium, an iChat replacement, if I try it and hate it, I will be one of those guys. But you may try it and love it, so in the end, it's all about what you have experienced.

Get your iMac and bask in the glory of Apple software. Get iWork because Apple makes good software anyways. That's why people can't live without Mac OS X. :D
 
I was in your exact same position a year ago. I had wanted a Mac for years but never had the money to buy one. I got the money last October and wanted a new Mac terribly but was so worried about the plunge into the unknown, as I had NEVER used Mac OS X. I had never even seen an Apple computer in person.

I bought a 20" Intel Core 2 Duo iMac with a 500GB hard drive, 2GB of RAM, and a 256mb ATI graphics card, it was by far my most powerful computer to date. That was a year ago yesterday and I must say this has been my BEST year in the 6 years I have owned a computer. I never have any problems with my iMac. Before I bought my Mac I had gone through 3 Compaq's and a HP, all of which were total crap and would always give out on me when I needed them the most. I have never even so much as hit my iMac, something I done on a daily basis with my Windows PCs.

Our computing needs are also pretty much the same. I do some photo editing for my friends in my spare time in Photoshop and have helped them make a few home movies in iMovie. One of my friends had to make a home movie for her Interpersonal Communications class and she had by far the best looking on in the entire class, all thanks to iMovie. Everything I do I do it on my iMac or not at all, because once you get used to Mac OS X, Windows will just seem so lame, especially Vista. I did have to install XP on my Mac though because it was required for some of my classes, but even XP works better on an Apple computer.

I will never buy anything but Apple computers ever again.
 
Go for it

Go for it and you won't regret it. BUT, I'd wait until Leopard as already mentioned. Also, as for iWork, test it out first before you make a decision. I played with it but I'm not that big a fan of it, but that doesn't mean that you won't love it or it won't fit your needs. Basically, don't just go by people's opinions (whether they say it's the ultimate solution or whether they say it sticks), try and evaluate it yourself. If you can go to an Apple store you can play with it there or you can watch some of the demos/tutorials. I think new Macs come with a trial version, but I could be wrong. But, in the end, I think you can't go wrong with the iMac and it'll be better than any PC. I've got a PC and I HATE, HATE, HATE Vista. If that's Microsoft's future direction, then for me, there's no doubt Leopard is the way to go.

PS...you might want to consider a Firewire external drive later and also a USB hub. I was surprised at how fast I filled my available slots (Printer, external drives for backups, a better mouse, iPhone, etc.)
 
To you all: THANK YOU!

Really, that's fantastic advice and great reassurance that this is a plunge worth taking. It's so good to hear, too, from people who were in my position a while ago and have no regrets about making the switch, in fact it sounds like you feel it's the best computing decision you ever made!

Also really appreciate the advice about the software, I wouldn't have a clue about any of this so it's endlessly helpful to hear from people who know what they're talking out. Will take careful note of all your recommendations.

My only problem now is a lack of patience - I thought Leopards were supposed to be fast, why is this fella taking so long to arrive?!

Huge thanks again, you're all legends!
 
Hello.there said:
To you all: THANK YOU!

Really, that's fantastic advice and great reassurance that this is a plunge worth taking. It's so good to hear, too, from people who were in my position a while ago and have no regrets about making the switch, in fact it sounds like you feel it's the best computing decision you ever made!

Also really appreciate the advice about the software, I wouldn't have a clue about any of this so it's endlessly helpful to hear from people who know what they're talking out. Will take careful note of all your recommendations.

My only problem now is a lack of patience - I thought Leopards were supposed to be fast, why is this fella taking so long to arrive?!

Huge thanks again, you're all legends!
Click to expand...
I was in your posistion about two weeks ago, I took the plunge and ordered my first Mac (pretty much exactly what you're planning on getting - see sig) and I'll tell you - it's the best computer I've ever owned. In my (albeit limited) experience, this iMac is rock-solid stable, and very fast. It runs circles around my old WinXP rig (as it should, considering my WinXP box is about three years old) and everyone who has seen it has been floored - including my wife, who doesn't care at all about tech stuff.

I mean, what is there to not like? It looks great on the desktop, it's quiet as can be, and with that 2.8GHz C2E + 4GB of RAM it really screams - in fact, I was showing it off to some friends the other day ;) and I had all of this stuff open at the same time: Photoshop CS3 Extended (with a huge multi-layered PSD open), Adobe Lightroom (with a 15,000 RAW image + XMP library loaded), iMovie with HD video from a friend's wedding loaded, three Firefox windows, and iTunes (playing a song, with CoverFlow enabled) ... Even with all of that stuff going on, there was almost no perceptible lag when I enabled Expose and flipped around between full-screen apps - smooth as silk.

If you want to wait for Leopard, that makes sense - but don't hold off too long on getting the iMac - once you have it, you'll wish you had ordered it weeks ago ... ;)
 
GoodWatch said:
May I ask in which Apple store you got this Euro price? In my country, that model (with the basic options) starts at 2219 :eek:
Click to expand...

Well, he mentioned "Microsoft Office for Mac Student & Teacher Edition" so I'm guessing that price includes an educational discount ... ?
 
2nd (or 3rd) the kudos to NeoOffice.... It's a great package, great price and fills all my "office" needs. Highly recommended! :D
 
jnash said:
I am going with the same listed strat. listed above but at the same time im still debating between the 2.4ghz or the 2.8ghz, pretty much the 2.8 gives us new users a nice speed boost im talking if it took 1 minute on the 2.4ghz it will take 40-45 seconds on the 2.8ghz for the extra $250 bucks I dont know if I am in that big of a rush and maybe will use the money towards apple care and of course the 4 gig Mem upgrade.
Click to expand...

Hi,
I doubt that the 2.8GHz CPU will give you that much of an improvement. The way I see it you will get 2800/2400 (16.66%) improvement at best and even then that will only be for a task which runs both CPU cores at full blast. So a 60 second task on a 2.4GHz CPU would take at least 52 seconds on a 2.8 GHz CPU which in my view was not worth the price premium. I believe that money is much better spent maxing out the memory at 4GB using 2 x 2GB DIMM's from Crucial. Another worthwhile upgrade in my opinion is to increase HDD size to 500GB, especially if you are likely to want to run Bootcamp.

By the way, I bought my iMac 2.4G, 320G, 4GB machine 4 days after the launch having spent the last 20 years with PC's of one sort or another and having used just about every PC operating system ever made and this is the best system I've had without a shadow of a doubt. You won't regret switching!

Oh, forgot to mention - Neooffice is what I use on my Mac, having used OpenOffice on my Fedora Linux box before it. My Wife also uses OpenOffice on her Windows PC and whatever platform you run it on, it is a great system and well worth trying out in preference to MS Office. Finally, do you really need a modem? You can always buy a USB modem at a later date rather than having one factory fitted. I know it's often tempting to add in all the extra's "just in case" but my advice would be to resist that temptation unless you really need it.

Good luck,
Craig.
 
GoodWatch said:
May I ask in which Apple store you got this Euro price? In my country, that model (with the basic options) starts at 2219 :eek:
Click to expand...

Hiya GoodWatch, that price comes from the Irish store. Because Ireland is now, according to several dodgy surveys, the richest country in Europe we tend to pay way over the odds for..........EVERYTHING! :mad:
 
Hello.there said:
Hiya GoodWatch, that price comes from the Irish store. Because Ireland is now, according to several dodgy surveys, the richest country in Europe we tend to pay way over the odds for..........EVERYTHING! :mad:
Click to expand...

Hiya, Paddy ;) I don't understand, the Irish webstore quotes the same price as the Dutch website but you mentioned 2045, loaded with options. Do you get a student discount :confused:
 
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