Should i upgrade to quad?

[jem3484]

hi guys! im looking at getting a 27" imac and just wondered if it was worth the extra money to upgrade it to quad,(performance and resale point of view) it will be my first mac and im looking at doing light video/pic editing and general browsing etc,
thanks in advance
jake

 

[Hellhammer]

If I were you, I would get the quad. Not because you need its power now but because of future and resale value. I bet quads keep their value much better and for longer time than Core 2 Duos

 

[olvrfshr]

?

 

[sfmountainbiker]

Love my quad! Worth the upgrade for both the faster CPU as well as higher-end GPU.

 

[paulrbeers]

My i5 iMac is much faster than my C2D Macbook Pro or my Mac Mini Server. Granted, both have 2.5" hard drives so that slows them both down a bit, but the overall feel of the system and the speed at which is converts video is just amazing in comparison.

 

[joudbren]

This sums it up pretty nicely...

Macworld’s buying advice

With the new 2.66GHz Core i5 iMac and the 2.8GHz Core i7 iMac, Apple has not only blurred the line between consumer and professional systems, it's darn near erased it. The 2.66GHz Core i5 iMac offers faster performance at most tasks than the 2.66GHz Quad-Core Mac Pro. The Core i5 iMac also has more memory and more storage space than the 2.66GHz Quad-Core Mac Pro, while being $500 less (plus you get a 27-inch screen with the iMac). Unless you absolutely require additional PCI cards, multiple internal hard drives, or a lot of RAM, the Core i5 iMac makes a strong case for the being the go-to system for most Mac professionals.

http://www.macworld.com/article/143970/2009/11/core15_imac.html

Cheers!

James

 

[jem3484]

Thanks for all the replies guys,I have made the decision to go fro the i5 i know i may not need all the "power" just yet but it should safe guard me for the next few years as well as adding resale value.So now i have decided to get the mac is there anything else i will need (excluding applecare) i burn a lot to cds (divx) so im assuming suitable software comes with the imac.also guys ,is there anyway of finding out the week number of the mac before i unbox it? final Q... what faults do i need to check when i do finally unbox it?
sorry about the amount of questions
thanks in advance
jake

 

[Hellhammer]

Thanks for all the replies guys,I have made the decision to go fro the i5 i know i may not need all the "power" just yet but it should safe guard me for the next few years as well as adding resale value.So now i have decided to get the mac is there anything else i will need (excluding applecare) i burn a lot to cds (divx) so im assuming suitable software comes with the imac.also guys ,is there anyway of finding out the week number of the mac before i unbox it? final Q... what faults do i need to check when i do finally unbox it?
sorry about the amount of questions
thanks in advance
jake

You can ask the week of manufacture from the store I think. If they can't, it can be seen in the serial number as third and fourth number shows the week e.g. Wxx05xxxxxx, I think. Look for flickering, yellow tingles and of course noises etc, but remember that if you notice nothing in first few days, it's probably fine.

And yes, the iMac comes with CD burning software if your needs are basic (e.g. one movie in one disk etc)

 

[joudbren]

Thanks for all the replies guys,I have made the decision to go fro the i5 i know i may not need all the "power" just yet but it should safe guard me for the next few years as well as adding resale value.So now i have decided to get the mac is there anything else i will need (excluding applecare) i burn a lot to cds (divx) so im assuming suitable software comes with the imac.also guys ,is there anyway of finding out the week number of the mac before i unbox it? final Q... what faults do i need to check when i do finally unbox it?
sorry about the amount of questions
thanks in advance
jake

Good choice! My i5 is a rocket and easily does anything I need for now or the forseeable future plus it's the new technology compared to the Core2's so you'll be a happy camper. Now the problem is how long it takes to get it.... Sounds like Apple has halted the production lines on the 27" models until they're confident all the screen issues are sorted out once and for all.

Mine's been just fine so far (knocking on wood now) but lots haven't been so chances are you'll get a good one when they do ship.

Not sure on the Divx stuff, I'm guessing you'll need some sort of software as the internal mac stuff just does the usual suspect stuff like copying and ripping, etc. Check out Roxio Toast to see if that will cover what you want.

Week number for the mac build is part of the serial number and you can google how to figure that out from the serial number on the outside of the box. Sorry, I don't recall what part of the serial number it is off the top of my head but it is there as part of the serial data.

Cheers!

https://www.macrumors.com/2010/02/01/27-inch-imac-production-halted-pending-fix-for-display-issues/

 

[jem3484]

thanks for the quick reply guys, now all i need to do is decide wether to wait for screen fix or take a risk

 

[i7QuadCoreMania]

if you plan to use it for video and keep it for the long run, then yes, I would say spend the extra $$$ at least for an i5.

 

[donster28]

thanks for the quick reply guys, now all i need to do is decide wether to wait for screen fix or take a risk

I suggest you wait. I took the risk and got 3 i5's (two were successive replacements) and I ended up with nothing now 'cause all stores here are out of stock. Maybe, just maybe, they're getting new batches.

In any case, please wait until you see some obvious signs here that the defects have been fixed.