I'm thinking about getting the imac probably the 17" one (im on a budget) now im new to macs so what kind of things should I consider getting in or for this computer.
Thanks in Advance
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Thinking about iMac
- Thread starter Techguy172
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Depends what you want to use it for. I'd recommend getting at least 1GB of RAM (total) and maybe Microsoft Office. Other than that, your Mac'll probably be good to go. 
You can get a refurb cheap from apple and Newegg has G.Skill ram for 86$/Gig so Refurb imac 950 (CoreDuo) +2gb = 1100
have apple put in RAM for you, much less hassle and worth the convience by far in my opinion.
1 GB should be fine, 2 is nicer but not necessary.
1 GB should be fine, 2 is nicer but not necessary.
BTW, there's two 17" iMacs. One (the so-called iMac for education) has comparatively weak, integrated graphics; the more expensive model has dedicated graphics. If you fancy a spot of gaming, try to get the more expensive model.
I'd consider buying one at a significant discount from the Apple refurb store.
The more expensive 17 inch also has the SuperDrive (DVD writer) so you should really go with that one. You won't be able to upgrade the graphics hardware, so it's much better to get the better version first.
You might want to take a look at OtherWorld Computing to see what goodies they have. The company is likely the most complete Mac-compatible hardware sales and marketing company.
Good points about the lack of potential upgradability in the Intel iMacs. "Techguy" might also be interested to know that the cheaper model has no Bluetooth (so it's all wires, I'm afraid), & no remote control.
As others have pointed out, the extra RAM in the higher-priced model really will make a noticeable difference in general performance.
Thanks A lot Guys I would getting the better 17" imac because I like blue tooth and all it's other features. Also Thanks for the site recommendation bousozoku That's a fantastic site.
Maynerd the 20" isn't an option at this point however I may wait and save up for it, but that's a low chance.
So 2gb of ram is recommended for mac osx in that case I may consider investing in the extra ram but before I do I wanted to see if my lifestyle requires this Much ram
What I mainly do is web design some graphics and even occasional gaming perhaps What do you think?
Maynerd the 20" isn't an option at this point however I may wait and save up for it, but that's a low chance.
So 2gb of ram is recommended for mac osx in that case I may consider investing in the extra ram but before I do I wanted to see if my lifestyle requires this Much ram
What I mainly do is web design some graphics and even occasional gaming perhaps What do you think?
extra RAM = more apps open at once.
When you start using a mac, many people become "power users". you may want iChat, Safari, iTunes, iWeb, and Garageband all open at once - in which case, it's nice to have extra RAM.
2 GB of RAM is PROBABLY unnecessary for you, but the value it adds is pretty huge. A snappy computer is very important.
When you start using a mac, many people become "power users". you may want iChat, Safari, iTunes, iWeb, and Garageband all open at once - in which case, it's nice to have extra RAM.
2 GB of RAM is PROBABLY unnecessary for you, but the value it adds is pretty huge. A snappy computer is very important.
I think i'll go for 2gigs because let's see right now on my laptop I have 12 windows open so yeah I'm quite a big multitasker ok so here's what im thinking of getting in my imac:2.0ghz
2gb ram
160gb hd
128mb Ati
you know the rest. does that sound good or is there any other improvements I should consider?
2gb ram
160gb hd
128mb Ati
you know the rest. does that sound good or is there any other improvements I should consider?
Awesome. Always good to see a switcher. You'll love OS X. And be sure to stick around MR. You'll find a lot of useful info here.
I've been considering upgrading to a 17" iMac myself lately. I've only had my Mac mini for almost 6 months, but I've had iMac envy for a while. I probably should have opted for the iMac to begin with, but I figured I'd go ahead and get the mini since I had the 17" Dell 1707FP. I love the mini and it's plenty fast enough for me, but getting the iMac would enable me to get rid of a lot of clutter. Plus, I wouldn't be staring at a Dell logo all day, which will definitely be nice for a change. The 1440x900 Widescreen will be great for me, as well and the iMac just has better specs all around. I believe I'm gonna go with a stock 17" 2.0GHz, since they now have 1GB RAM standard, along with a SuperDrive.
Anyone know of any common problems with the Core 2 Duo iMacs? This probably wouldn't change my mind or anything, but I would like to know beforehand.
I've been considering upgrading to a 17" iMac myself lately. I've only had my Mac mini for almost 6 months, but I've had iMac envy for a while. I probably should have opted for the iMac to begin with, but I figured I'd go ahead and get the mini since I had the 17" Dell 1707FP. I love the mini and it's plenty fast enough for me, but getting the iMac would enable me to get rid of a lot of clutter. Plus, I wouldn't be staring at a Dell logo all day, which will definitely be nice for a change. The 1440x900 Widescreen will be great for me, as well and the iMac just has better specs all around. I believe I'm gonna go with a stock 17" 2.0GHz, since they now have 1GB RAM standard, along with a SuperDrive.
Anyone know of any common problems with the Core 2 Duo iMacs? This probably wouldn't change my mind or anything, but I would like to know beforehand.
I switched.
My first Mac - a 20" Intel Duo stock configuration.
Absolutely adore it.
I say, though, that the number one thing that is frequently omitted in these types of conversations is what I call the "experience" of the Mac. Not the hardware, not the bright screen, not the space saving design, not the remote.... it's the whole experience of using a Mac that really makes a difference.
It can only be experienced and not explained.
-joedy
My first Mac - a 20" Intel Duo stock configuration.
Absolutely adore it.
I say, though, that the number one thing that is frequently omitted in these types of conversations is what I call the "experience" of the Mac. Not the hardware, not the bright screen, not the space saving design, not the remote.... it's the whole experience of using a Mac that really makes a difference.
It can only be experienced and not explained.
-joedy
Awesome. Always good to see a switcher. You'll love OS X. And be sure to stick around MR. You'll find a lot of useful info here.
I've been considering upgrading to a 17" iMac myself lately. I've only had my Mac mini for almost 6 months, but I've had iMac envy for a while. I probably should have opted for the iMac to begin with, but I figured I'd go ahead and get the mini since I had the 17" Dell 1707FP. I love the mini and it's plenty fast enough for me, but getting the iMac would enable me to get rid of a lot of clutter. Plus, I wouldn't be staring at a Dell logo all day, which will definitely be nice for a change. The 1440x900 Widescreen will be great for me, as well and the iMac just has better specs all around. I believe I'm gonna go with a stock 17" 2.0GHz, since they now have 1GB RAM standard, along with a SuperDrive.
Anyone know of any common problems with the Core 2 Duo iMacs? This probably wouldn't change my mind or anything, but I would like to know beforehand.
Yeah I'm kind of tired of same old windows so i thought time for change. So then I was going to buy a mini but then thought I might regret it becuase it dosen;t have much storage and power so I thought go for the imac becuase I can get away with only one cord power cord I already have bluetooth kb&m.
I just love the way the operating system works, I like it when the Icons in dock hop up and down when there opening I remember when I first saw the os I thought thats cool all the built in software in operating system. so I finnaly decided to join the mac community However I will still be using windows.
That's exactly what i was going to say.
Many PC users i know always ask me "I can do that on PC too. What's the difference?". You can't really answer this question. You have to use it and feel the difference.
I have been a switcher for the past 5 months. My experience with Mac has been priceless..
Right now, with the current lack of Universal Binary applications, I'd say that 2 GB is necessary. It may decrease in the future to 1 GB for the same machine running all UB applications.
Right now, the Intel version of Mac OS X needs more RAM than the PowerPC version so even for light work more than 512 MB would be a good idea.
I really like the 20 inch iMac but the better 17 inch is nice and very capable and you could always add a 20 inch monitor for around $300. You definitely want the Radeon graphics hardware, even for occasional gaming, though it won't help a lot with web design.
I run a Core Duo Mac Mini with 1.25Gbs of RAM
I'd say go with atleast 1Gb of RAM, more if you run any PPC only Apps..I live have Pages PPC only and its a good bit slower to open then any of my other apps, but once it open its fine, only because Page is a type of program that doesn't need all the much speed.
I'd say go with
Core Duo 2
2Gb of RAM
17''( I have the 20'' and its nice, but 17'' is fine) if your running lots of PPC apps
If not go
Core Duo 2
20''
1Gb of RAm
I'd say go with atleast 1Gb of RAM, more if you run any PPC only Apps..I live have Pages PPC only and its a good bit slower to open then any of my other apps, but once it open its fine, only because Page is a type of program that doesn't need all the much speed.
I'd say go with
Core Duo 2
2Gb of RAM
17''( I have the 20'' and its nice, but 17'' is fine) if your running lots of PPC apps
If not go
Core Duo 2
20''
1Gb of RAm
I've found that since 99.9% of the apps I use are Universal, that 1GB is plenty of RAM.
I'm pretty excited. I'm probably gonna order my iMac tomorrow.
I'm pretty excited. I'm probably gonna order my iMac tomorrow.
That says it all for me too. Just got my first Mac (iMac 20") last week and I already feel this way.
Buy it, you'll love it. I switched from XP to Mac a year ago and I can't believe I didn't do it earlier.
The only thing I would *strongly* recommend is finding the extra money and getting the 20" instead of the 17".
It would be an extremely good investment for you as the 20" iMac is the ideal size for that form-factor and remember that the iMac display is not upgradeable.
I know it's hard when you're on a budget, but if you buy the 17", I guarantee you in that within a year you'll wish you'd spent the extra couple hundred more on the 20".
slegge
Yeah I was thinking about that maybe I'll wait A while longer and get the 20" because it would be a nice upgrade and I don't want to buy something then regret it later it's just not right.