Speculation help please (not this update, but next)

[AKfreeRider]

Hello everyone,

I, like many of you, have been waiting patiently for the upcoming Imac update. It's not often that I'm able to purchase a new computer (my current Imac is over five years old), but I'll be starting graduate school in the fall and my loans allow for a new computer purchase. I had my mind set on purchasing a 27 inch model with the best available video card, but as the update draws nearer, I find myself wondering about the NEXT(2011) Imac update. I know it is a long way off and very difficult speculate on details. I have heard that the next update will be pretty significant and might involve a new set of processors.

My question is, does anyone have any information/thoughts/speculations regarding the 2011 iMac update? The amount of debt I'm about to accrue is a definite indicator of how long I will be using the next computer I purchase . So if squeezing another year out of my current iMac will result in having a significantly better computer for the next six years, I might consider it.

Thanks very much.

 

[Commenter]

Obviously you have to decide for yourself, but I really wouldn't advise you to wait. No one knows when the new iMacs are coming, nor what they'll be. From what I understand, the 2011 processors won't be that big a jump and will focus on power management (which isn't really an issue on the iMacs, and actually is kind of a joke under that humongous display).

Anyway coming from a 5 to 6-year-old iMac any new Mac will feel blazing fast, and the top end model will likely feel fast for years to come. 6 years ahead also is a long time to be anticipating. I'll be buying the upcoming iMac, base model in order to buy a new one sooner than I would if I bought a higher-end one. What'll you be using it for?

 

[JNB]

Nobody, not even maybe Steve Almighty, knows what the iteration after next may or may not contain.

If you can comfortably afford to wait a month or three, than I'd do so, as long as your use of the existing machine is not suffering. Anticipating an update's specifics in that timeframe is a fool's errand, and prognostication beyond that is cause for a drug test.

And remember, obsolescence is more a state of mind than anything else, you have a five-year old machine that still does what it was built for, right?

 

[AKfreeRider]

Thank you very much guys.

I know it's ridiculous to try and forecast next years update, but I felt it necessary to at least attempt an investigation before a large purchase like this. Also, a past experience has made me a bit paranoid. I purchased a power pc iMac while a friend resisted the urge to buy and waited. Needless to say, his intel iMac has aged much better than mine.

The new mac will be used primarily for school (some slightly demanding medical imaging programs) and occasional gaming. I'm actually looking forward to the Starcraft 2 release, so it would be nice to have a computer capable of running it. And lastly, the computer will double as my TV, so I am interested in the 27 inch.

Thanks again for the guidance. As suggested, I will probably purchase in the fall and just hope that there isn't a massive update in 2011.

 

[Nishi100]

The 2011 iMac's may have a processor codenamed, by intel, Sandy Bride. the Sandy Bridge proccesor has been confirmed to have: improved turbo boost, improved hyperthreading, faster at rendering than a mid GPU.

It may have: USB 3.0 built it.

The 2011 iMac may also have: an expresscard slot, blu ray drive, USB 3.0, inbuilt TV tuner etc and a high ATI 5*** or ATI 6*** (don't count on it)

 

[Bryan Bowler]

AKfreerider,

Unless you need a new computer now, I would hold out for a couple of months so you can at least get a small speed bump and/or price drop. I would not wait until who-knows-when in 2011 for the next significant update. For starters, you'll absolutely love a top-end i7 iMac since you're coming from a 5+ year old machine. And next off, the current i7 will most certainly serve you well for years and years to come.

Just my two cents. Best of luck in grad school!

Bryan

 

[MikieMcBikie]

AKfreerider,

Unless you need a new computer now, I would hold out for a couple of months so you can at least get a small speed bump and/or price drop. I would not wait until who-knows-when in 2011 for the next significant update. For starters, you'll absolutely love a top-end i7 iMac since you're coming from a 5+ year old machine. And next off, the current i7 will most certainly serve you well for years and years to come.

Just my two cents. Best of luck in grad school!

Bryan

+1

or buy cheaper and save the cost. pretty sure(don't have one) that the current i5 will run starcraft2. even the C2D with a dedicated graphics card. probably even the 320 when it comes out soon(one would think, it's in the mini FFS) would run it.


know pretty confidently all will be a fine computer for yrs to come.