White 24" iMac

[JBat]

Hey all,

I can get a white 24" iMac with the following specs for $2747 out the door:

Customized 24" iMac with 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, 2GB (2x1GB) RAM, 500GB SATA Hard Drive, Dual-Layer SuperDrive, nVIDIA GeForce 7600GT Graphics, 24" Widescreen Display, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, Airport Extreme, Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger

I want the white as opposed to the new aluminum iMac due to the fact that one of my primary uses for the new computer will be to edit photos, and the non-glossy display is considered to be better for that use.

I checked out the new machines in the Apple Store and I think they are beautiful, but the glossy display may be problematic down the road. The reflectivity of the display actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be (based on what I've read here and elsewhere), but I want the most accurate color reproduction I can get. That point is critical.


Again, that's $2747 including tax and shipping. Opinions?

 

[JBat]

Anybody at all?

 

[Littleodie914]

The price sounds a bit steep, especially for the older model. How "color accurate" do you need your display to be? Even though the new iMac's do have the glossy finish, the color reproduction is still top-notch.

 

[JBat]

The price sounds a bit steep, especially for the older model. How "color accurate" do you need your display to be? Even though the new iMac's do have the glossy finish, the color reproduction is still top-notch.

Apparently the glossy display causes loss of shadow detail. The reflections can be distracting as well. This from people who know more about these things than I.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[BamaDMD]

Is your graphics card 128 or 256mg, the 2.33 duo sounds good but 2mgs of ram should be 3 for that price.

 

[HLdan]

No way, that's hella overpriced! You will be paying almost $3k for an iMac and the old one for that matter. For that model with those specs you shouldn't pay more than $1700.00 and 2GB of ram cost pennies nowadays.

 

[JBat]

Is your graphics card 128 or 256mg, the 2.33 duo sounds good but 2mgs of ram should be 3 for that price.

It's a 256 mb GPU. I agree it sounds steep, but my options are somewhat limited because there's no option for a matte screen with the new iMacs.

Can any photographers out there chime in about the glossy screen thing? Is it that much of an issue?

 

[JBat]

No way, that's hella overpriced! You will be paying almost $3k for an iMac and the old one for that matter. For that model with those specs you shouldn't pay more than $1700.00 and 2GB of ram cost pennies nowadays.

Well, $2747 is $253 short of $3K and I did say that was an out the door price. $253 is $253 and nothing to sniff at. That said, I can get a 2.8 GhZ extreme iMac at B&H Photo for $2300 out the door, and that's a helluva lot cheaper obviously. If it wasn't for the damn glossy display, I'd have it now.

I went to the Apple store tonight to look at the new iMacs again and I still just don't know. I love the way they look and I actually do like the display, but I don't know if it'd grate on me over time. It's really reflective.

 

[Thunderbird]

Hey all,

I can get a white 24" iMac with the following specs for $2747 out the door:

Customized 24" iMac with 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, 2GB (2x1GB) RAM, 500GB SATA Hard Drive, Dual-Layer SuperDrive, nVIDIA GeForce 7600GT Graphics, 24" Widescreen Display, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, Airport Extreme, Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger

I want the white as opposed to the new aluminum iMac due to the fact that one of my primary uses for the new computer will be to edit photos, and the non-glossy display is considered to be better for that use.

I checked out the new machines in the Apple Store and I think they are beautiful, but the glossy display may be problematic down the road. The reflectivity of the display actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be (based on what I've read here and elsewhere), but I want the most accurate color reproduction I can get. That point is critical.


Again, that's $2747 including tax and shipping. Opinions?

Where are you getting this from; who is selling it for that price? It sounds high.

 

[JBat]

Where are you getting this from; who is selling it for that price? It sounds high.

B&H Photo. They are reputable and I've bought thousands of dollars of camera gear from them.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=cart&A=details&Q=&sku=459412&is=REG

 

[JBat]

FWIW, I just checked one of my old saved carts at the online Apple store and the price for the exact same iMac as the one B&H is selling was the same price there ($2747). It's not marked up, it's the same price as it was when it was still available from the online Apple store. In fact, it's cheaper, because I don't have to pay tax or shipping if I buy from B&H.

It's just that the new iMacs are out now, and they been reduced in price.

 

[KennyW]

The glossy screen seems to be a main reason to choose the old model of matte screen here. I recently bought the 24". It is reflective but not that disturbing or noticeable after a while. Anyway, since the monitor is glass plated and I have some left over dark window films for my house's windows as sunshield, I apply one on the iMac's glass screen. It kills 2 birds with one stone. The reflection is much reduced and the brightness is damped down as well by the film which carries only about 60% light transmission.

I prefer the new model than the old one (early 2006 model) that I use in my Office. Though the ATI 2600Pro trails the Nvidia 7600 and 8600M in raw graphic power, it can do hardware decode of H.263 and should contribute to better experience in videos.

Kenny

 

[MK2007]

I paid $2,575 a year ago for the same model white iMac with a 250 GB drive direct from Apple. I used to order photo products from B&H but their prices are higher than other vendors.

Nevertheless, you won't find it easy to buy a white iMac like that one, so B&H can charge whatever they want. I love my white iMac and would not consider switching to the new horrible glossy model. Buy the iMac from B&H and enjoy it. The white iMac supply will not last forever.

 

[ricgnzlzcr]

Definitely overpriced. Try to get one at a lower price if you really want the matte screen.

 

[JBat]

I paid $2,575 a year ago for the same model white iMac with a 250 GB drive direct from Apple. I used to order photo products from B&H but their prices are higher than other vendors.

Nevertheless, you won't find it easy to buy a white iMac like that one, so B&H can charge whatever they want. I love my white iMac and would not consider switching to the new horrible glossy model. Buy the iMac from B&H and enjoy it. The white iMac supply will not last forever.

That's what I was thinking. I can't find one anywhere specced like this one. I realize the price is on the high side given that the new model are out, but it's exactly the machine I want. BTW, B&H may be on the high side price-wise, but they are an excellent vendor. Very good customer service.

Thanks for the input.

 

[The Stig]

Get a old white one! Don't listen to these people about getting a new one! Stay true, stay white.

The Stig

 

[Naimfan]

That sounds awfully expensive even for a maxed out white iMac. Surely you can find a similar one elsewhere for less? Or get a Mac Pro with a display....

Bob

 

[kixsand]

I think that you should check out ebay and/or Craigslist if you are going to go with the older model. There are a lot of them for sale right now...presumably from folks that want to move up to the new model.

I was thinking of selling my 24" equipped identically to the one that you have priced and was counting on it bringing no more than $2000 Canadian Dollars.

Hope that helps.

darren

 

[imac/cheese]

You will have a hard time finding one cheaper in my opinion unless you buy on eBay.

 

[JBat]

Thanks a ton for all the advice guys. I took the plunge and purchased the white 24" iMac. Yeah, it was pricey, but I was kind of backed into a corner with the release of the new, glossy-only machines, and it is a brand new, fully-loaded and fully-warrantied computer. I honestly could not find an equivalent machine that wasn't used, and since it's been six years since my last machine, I wanted to go new.

I'm very excited to be joining the ranks of Mac owners after years of Windoze frustration. This forum has been very helpful. I'll report my impressions once I receive my iMac.

Thanks again!

 

[jczubach]

Or, you can buy a new one, try it out for a while and if it's bugging you, buy a matte film screen cover? Not that expensive, and added protection for the display.