Which iMac is perfect for me?

[Buschmaster]

Hi there guys.

I want the 24" iMac, I really really want it. But the part that troubles me is the fact that it's a $350+ upgrade to go up to the 3.06 and 8800. I'm wondering if I'll see the performance jump in there.

I can get either the education or developer discount so it'll be the difference of:
24" iMac 2.8 - $1699 education or $1619 developer
24" iMac 3.06 - $2059 education or $1979 developer

The most graphic intense things I would probably do would be playing games. I mean, I won't be running final cut pro or adobe premiere on it. I will occasionally watch movies or use photoshop but that shouldn't really make a difference, should it? The games I play most are Counter-Strike: Source, Half-Life 2: Deathmatch, Day of Defeat, etc.

I'd drop 4GB of ram in it, but I'm not sure if I should consider the processor upgrade, also. So suppose I get the 2.8 and then upgrade it to the 3.06 for $180... Then it's only another $180 for the full upgrade. I could also just add the 8800 for $135.

Can someone tell me just how big of a difference the processor or 8800 would make for someone like me?

 

[nando2323]

Since you do want to game on it, I would personally go with the 3.06 with the 8800... well the 3.06 is not really necessary but the 8800 is, even the 2.8 with the 8800 just as long as you get the 8800 basically. The 8800 is a much better gaming card then the HD2900's IMO.

 

[Buschmaster]

Couldn't Counter-Stike: Source work perfectly even maxed out on the 2900?

I can play it on my MacBook just fine...

 

[nando2323]

Couldn't Counter-Stike: Source work perfectly even maxed out on the 2900?

I can play it on my MacBook just fine...

I'm sure it could I play WoW on my 24" with the 2900 maxed out and i get like 30-50 fps. But the 8800 is just a better card period so it would be more future proof IMO.

 

[Trajectory]

How does one get that developer discount?

 

[Buschmaster]

I'm sure it could I play WoW on my 24" with the 2900 maxed out and i get like 30-50 fps. But the 8800 is just a better card period so it would be more future proof IMO.

But I'm getting older and older and I'm not sure I'll be playing games that take my computer beyond what CS:S will, and I have a XBox 360, so much of my gaming is done on that.

How does one get that developer discount?

If you're a developer you can login to your ADC account and then go to the ADC Apple Store. I don't have the URL handy but a quick google search should find it. I'd look for you but our internet is crazy slow right now.

 

[Techguy172]

You could get the Mac Pro Quad with Developer Discounts it's pretty cheap then. It would last much longer and be far more upgradable. This is just an option otherwise. I'd stick with the 2.8 iMac and maybe just upgrade the Graphics card.

 

[Buschmaster]

You could get the Mac Pro Quad with Developer Discounts it's pretty cheap then. It would last much longer and be far more upgradable. This is just an option otherwise. I'd stick with the 2.8 iMac and maybe just upgrade the Graphics card.

$1839 at its cheapest configuration. But the problem with that is that I'd still have to buy a monitor and it would take up too much room. Yes, it'd be badass and I understand that, but I'm in a very small bedroom in my current house and some of the best parts of the iMac is the beautiful screen and space saving design.

I probably will get the 2.8 iMac with a 500GB HDD and call it a day. Of course, this isn't necessarily relevant as I'll probably order this after the next speed bump. (Always bestest to have the freshest!)