Which iMac?

[Hilke]

hello

i waited till leopard was out to get a new iMac. it was a tough choice macbook vs iMac, but we finally decided: iMac.

But just as we weren going to buy one, there were again doubts!

Should we get the baseline model, 2.0 GHZ or the 2.4GHZ model, with a 256MB video card ....

We are just regular users, once and a while some minor photoshopping ... so i would say the cheapest one ... but we want the imac to last at least 5 or 6 years, hopefully longer ...

So my question which model should we get, rembering that we are just regular users BUT knowing that he should last a very very long time. Will 128mb graphics card do?

Thx guys!

 

[RumMunkey]

I was in a similar situation.

I went with the 20" 2.4Ghz iMac, but I upgraded the HDD to 750GB (and ordered a 2GB RAM kit from OWC).

I decided on this because, for the money I had and the things that are important to me, it was the best fit.

The internal HDD cannot easily be upgraded, and storage space is very important to me. I know I can add externals, but I wanted my entire iTunes & iPhoto library to reside locally with plenty of space for video editing or scratch disk for other apps.

I choose storage space over a slight increase in processor speed because I don't really expect to notice the difference between 2.4ghz and 2.8Ghz Intel because I am coming from a G4 PPC. That leap alone will be huge for me (since I'm not unhappy with my G4, I'm upgrading mainly because support for G4 is really on the way out).

That was my thinking. Take from it what you wish.

 

[hankolerd]

my parents are also just casual users, but they have always had the philosophy of getting the nicer stuff, enjoying it alot, and letting it last them a long time. They just replaced their 400mhz G4 tower with a 17" screen they bought in 2000 with a 24" 2.8ghz with a 750GB HD about three weeks ago. I would say if you can afford the nicer stuff, get it, it's fun to have nice things. That said, if you have a high quality camera, you will not regret being able to view your pictures on the beautiful 24" screen either, or view nasa's hubble satellite pictures online, or watch fullscreen videos online that look great.
If you are tight on money, then the base model will suit your every need just wonderfully, you might consider upgrading the hard drive, ram, and vc as you can afford it. Just remember whatever vc you get is all you will ever have, you as a user can upgrade the ram, and if you get low on hard drive space you can always purchase an external. I hope this is useful to you.

EDIT: The G4 towers had a 16mb vc right?? If that is true just think of how far that has gotten you. The 128mb vc will probably take you quite a ways, but keep in mind that you won't regret the 256mb, and the rate technology increases these days, it wouldn't be unlikely to see regular programs coming out that will take use of nicer video cards. What it comes down to is that the base model would suit you fine, but why not splurge...?

 

[ucfgrad93]

I would say go for the 2.4 iMac. If you want it to last, the higher specs will help in that regard.

 

[AlexisV]

If you play games, get the 2.4 for the graphics. Otherwise, your everyday experiences and the lastability of the machine won't be any different with any of the three.