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Should I go for the iMac now?

E

ELBdelorean

macrumors member
Original poster
May 18, 2010
98
0
Hey there, first time poster. I was thinking of making my first transition to Mac by buying the iMac 21.5 inch, $1199. I was just wondering, should I buy it now, or wait until they announce a new one? I want to get it now just because I can't use my 5 yr old Dell laptop :)eek:) any longer XD.
 
Wait, the 9400m would be as painful for you as the Dell.

Especially when they release a new one rather soon. :p

---

The iMac you are looking at "might" be real close in specs to the new MacBook, with a slightly higher clock.

And i5s and i7s for the rest of the machines.

Have to look at speculation on the rest of the sight for better odds, but the iMacs have tended to be rather close to the MacBook Pros with slightly higher clocks.

---

Don't know what path Apple is moving on, but I would not be too surprised if it was using the same Nvidia GPU and Core2Duo as the MacBook while the rest stay with i5/i7s and ATI GPUs.
 
I don't need it for INTENSE gaming, as I heard it could run GTA IV on low, so it should be good for me. The specs of my Dell are:

Intel Core Duo 1.6 GHz
1.49 GB RAM
80 GB HDD
Intel 945GM integrated

And my DVD drive recently crapped out on me as well.
 
Please wait ... :p

http://www.barefeats.com/ -- since the MacBook just released, it won't be too long before the MacBook is tested.

You will survive... just look at the PC sites to see if the Nvidia 320M is better than the iMacs 9400M.

Even if you have to wait 6 weeks the upgrade should be worth it.

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Arghh...I really need it now. I can't live with this piece of...for any longer. Will the current low-end iMac run Portal, or Half-Life 2 okay?
 
I am a first time Mac user too and I just got the iMac 27 inch with the 3.06 Core 2 Duo and the 4670 graphics card (actually, I started with the 21.5 inch but, due to repeated yellow screen issues they upgraded me. But that's another story).

I have no trouble running Portal and, I'm assuming, Half Life 2 should be just fine at a decent (but not highest) resolution. IMO, if you have to get an iMac now, get the 4670 graphics card at the least. I feel like that will give you a little more protection against the "oh, crap...they just upgraded the iMacs" syndrome. I know it costs a bit more but I went through the same dilemma and ended up making that decision. I just felt the base video card was too wimpy.

Also, if you buy within the next week or two and they announce the upgrade at WWDC on June 7th, you have a pretty good chance of exchanging it. No guarantees though.

Still, I love my new iMac and the screen (when it's not yellow) is blindingly gorgeous! :p
 
Okay, here's the thing: I only make $80 a month from allowance. That comes out to $1440 in 18 months, which is Best Buy's financing option. The 21.5" with the ATI graphics will end up costing me about 1600 somewhat dollars with tax. I am in desperate need of a new computer as mine is a piece of junk.
 
ELBdelorean said:
Okay, here's the thing: I only make $80 a month from allowance. That comes out to $1440 in 18 months, which is Best Buy's financing option. The 21.5" with the ATI graphics will end up costing me about 1600 somewhat dollars with tax. I am in desperate need of a new computer as mine is a piece of junk.
Click to expand...

Honestly, since that is your situation, I think you need to reconsider your options. For 18 months you will get NO allowance in your scenario. I think you will regret it. My advice is to go for a nice Windows desktop. You can get a lot of computer for 500 dollars or so. If it HAS to be a Mac then I strongly recommend a Mac Mini instead (you can still use your old monitor for now). Still a very nice computer and you'll actually have some money from your allowance for the next year or so.

Seriously. If I were in your shoes that's what I'd do. Good luck to you and let us know what you decide!
 
To be honest, I'm probably going to Best Buy to buy the low-end 21.5" tomorrow. I really can't wait right now, or get another Windows PC because I might not get this opportunity again. My parents just offered to let me do this financing and I don't really spend my money on everything like most kids. I spend 20, maybe 40, dollars every 2 months. Thanks for the advice guys, I appreciate it :) I'll report back tomorrow if I get the iMac.
 
Take a hammer and whack yourself in the nuts about 10 times.

This is the feeling you will have in several weeks when the new machine comes out.

Seriously, wait ... might be sick of the machine you have now. But the new one will likely have 2x the GPU performance.

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Or buy the all new MacBook ... which has the new specs and saves you $100.

105448-newmacbook.jpg


If Apple is still going education with the new low end iMac, it should be a clone of that with 3GHz C2D, 4GB Ram, 500GB or 1TB HD, and the Nvidia 320M.
 
Just browsing the John Lewis website trying to decide between a MBP or iMac. I noticed that the MBP's that were not in stock had an 'email me when in stock' moniker, whereas the 21.5" iMacs say 'Out of stock', as though they are not expecting any more in. Could this mean they are expecting new models soon?
 
ELBdelorean said:
To be honest, I'm probably going to Best Buy to buy the low-end 21.5" tomorrow. I really can't wait right now, or get another Windows PC because I might not get this opportunity again. My parents just offered to let me do this financing and I don't really spend my money on everything like most kids. I spend 20, maybe 40, dollars every 2 months. Thanks for the advice guys, I appreciate it :) I'll report back tomorrow if I get the iMac.
Click to expand...

I just want to congratulate you because you are about to learn TWO very valuable life lessons.

#1: Don't be impatient

#2: Don't trade away all your future income for something fun now.

These lessons will serve you well later in life when you are talking about tens of thousands of dollars of toys (boats, houses, mac pros) instead of just a piddly iMac.

This 'stupid tax' is the best education money can buy!
 
Wait for the updates! Especially in your position!

You're a student, right? You could use the student discount. On the lower end iMac, it's $50 off & on the upgraded one, it's $100. But of course, tax will still be more than the discount itself. But in your case, every dollar counts.

Save up your money & buy the iMac when its update comes out. You could always sell your old computer, couldn't you? That would help somehow, right?
 
I have been keeping up with this thread and was wondering if someone had a idea of when the new imac will be out? I have been wanting one but decided to wait for the new model. Maybe just a approximate date?
 
Do not buy the low-end 21.5", get the higher-end one if at all possible, save up if you have to. The ATI HD 4670 is much better than the NVidia 9400. You will be much happier in the long-run, especially if you like to play newer games.
 
nolesfan said:
I have been keeping up with this thread and was wondering if someone had a idea of when the new imac will be out? I have been wanting one but decided to wait for the new model. Maybe just a approximate date?
Click to expand...

Some people have speculated June 7th but I think that's a bit too early..I know they just updated the MBP but my boyfriend who worked at the Apple store thinks June is pushing it. But who knows?! Steve Jobs loves to surprise us. If you look at the Buyer's Guide, updates are normally within April - August.

They still have those back-to-school specials, don't they? That'd be the best time to buy them, then you might get a free iPod tossed in! No dice on the remote though.

I've had a shiz ton of problems with my new 21.5" that is not the baseline. I'm on my second one right now. :/ My fan is roaring & the high pitched whistling sound pierces your skull. I had a game crash but that's because my machine got super hot & the fan...is whacked out. But everything else is PERFECT. So, wait. You don't want these ridiculous problems. This is my first Mac & I expect better from Apple. But it has not swayed me from my new love affair for Macs.
 
oooo.... did i make a mistake getting a QC i5 imac, 5 days ago????!!
got a refurb for $1699. No problems at all. I ordered 4gb of more ram for it too.
tell me i am safe....pls....(almost bought the 21.5)
hellllllllpp!!!
thx
 
I'm considering getting myself an iMac - the 27" i7. But it dosen't feel right getting one this late it's cycle. But I can't really see what Apple would update the 27" i7 with...

More RAM?
No, 2 x 4 GB is way to expensive at this time to have it included in the standard setup.

Bigger drive?
No, a 2 TB HDD is also way to expensive at this time to have it included in the standard setup.

SSD?
Maybe, but I'm sorry to say that I won't be able to use an SSD disk in this machine, I need at least 1 TB disk space.

Blu-Ray?
I don't think so. But even if they include it, I'm not so interested...

Faster processor?
Is there any faster for that chipset?

Better graphics?
What should that be?

What do you say? Please fill in the gaps.
 
I'm also waiting till June 7th to see if they release a new iMac, as I really want one. Personally, I really hope they upgrade the Graphics to the ATI 5xxx series; even if it is a mobility card, it'll be much more powerful than the current Nvidia 8600m in my MBP I'm using now :)

Buying a Mac before the end of a cycle is only good if they're about to make a paradigm-change in their design; I bought my MBP before the unibody refresh because the design has had all the issues worked out steadily iteration by iteration. Early-adpoters of a new range almost always suffer some kind of issue, which are then improved on in later product releases, that's just how it works :)

So personally, to the OP, I'd wait. I really want one too, but if you've put up with the machine for years, you can wait another 2 weeks ;)
 
June 7th... new iMac news?

I'm in the market for a new imac as well... going to wait to see if Steve says anything about them - or if some new rumors come out.

I bought the imac in 12/2005 and a few months later they came out with the intel chip - which i need to run CS5 programs :(
 
I couldn't brace myself, so I just ordererd one - 27", i7, 2 TB and 4 GB RAM (getting more RAM later on). So tomorrow there will be an upgraded one, for sure... ;)
 
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