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Level 1

23 points

iMac purchase advice

I intend on buying an iMac 27" soon, probably as soon as Lion is available. I'm a 54 y/o guy. I use my desktop for all basic computer needs, for communication with my employer (bidding work schedules, keeping informed about the co., training,etc.), Internet, banking, tracking/controlling investments, tracking family budget and finances, email, some gaming (not a rampant. gamer;-), news feeds, Skyeping, some word processing, I teach an occasional class & give occasional lectures, (is iWork enough for this, I wonder?), distance learning (completing a graduate degree online), and I plan on expanding my hobby on photo and video editing, in particular, digitizing old family photos and old family videos, an creating memorable slideshows and music videos for me and my family and friends. I also have a first generation iPad, my wife an I have small iPods, and intend to each get an iPhone as soon as the refresh happens.

Can someone give me some advice on how to equip my iMac 27" so that I am not getting too little or too much? I would like to stay under $2,100 if possible.

Thanks in advance!

iMac

Posted on Jun 3, 2011 8:45 AM

83 replies

rkaufmann87

Level 10

141,078 points

Jun 4, 2011 12:44 PM in response to Narnian7

I (like a lot of others) have a decision to make with Lion on my iMac. It seems that support for Rosetta will end with the release of Lion. What Rosetta is is a tool that runs in the background that allows software developed for PPC based Macs to run. I have one application, Quicken 2007 that requires Rosetta because Intuit (the developers of Quicken) haven't kept up with the times. This means I will either have to change from Quicken or stay with Snow Leopard on this machine. Considering this machine is almost 4 years old I have a decision to make on it. However on my other machine the MacBook Air there is no doubt it will be upgraded to Lion.

Jun 4, 2011 2:08 PM in response to Narnian7

I use Aperture and iMovie to do some photo and video editing like you described and, after just a few days though, I can say that I am satisfied with the 512 Mb. I even have a separate 23" display that probably taxes the graphic memory more than your iMac will.

By the way, make sure that you order the 1333 MHz kind. When I received my Amazon order today, I realized that I had ordered the 1066 MHz by mistake. I will return it and I have already ordered a new 8 Gb kit from Crucial.com where they have an excellent search tool to ensure that you get the right kind of memory. It was just $90. I had seen it for $135 and $150 elsewhere.

Narnian7 Author

Level 1

23 points

Jun 4, 2011 4:39 PM in response to rkaufmann87

I guess that depends on if Snow Leopard will be adequate for everything else you do on the iMac, and if Apple continues to update SL (will they?). From what I hear, 4 years old is still a "baby Mac". Can you import everything you have on Quicken to something that will be supported on SL or Lion without Rosetta? If so, and if that isn't too painful, that's what I think I'd do. What's as good or better than Quicken that would work for you?

Good luck with your decision!

Narnian7 Author

Level 1

23 points

Jun 4, 2011 4:46 PM in response to Francis Gagnon

That's good to know, that 512 is probably enough for me (and less expensive!). Great tip on getting the correct MHz!

I think I also saw OWC memory, 8GB set for about $97 (?). 12GB total ought to be plenty for me. Thanks for the advice...I appreciate it!

...well, back to landscaping!

rkaufmann87

Level 10

141,078 points

Jun 4, 2011 5:14 PM in response to Narnian7

There are alternatives to Quicken and I may take one, migrating my financial information shouldn't be that difficult really it's just one more thing to do.

Narnian7 Author

Level 1

23 points

Jun 4, 2011 5:19 PM in response to rkaufmann87

...and a Quicken alternative may serve your needs even better!

Narnian7 Author

Level 1

23 points

Jun 7, 2011 1:33 PM in response to rkaufmann87

Hi, Roger...I ordered an iMac last night...hopefully, with SL on it, and the free upgrade to Lion as I have been told.

Thanks for your help and advice.

rkaufmann87

Level 10

141,078 points

Jun 7, 2011 1:37 PM in response to Narnian7

I figured you might, congratulations! Now it's time to start getting your stuff together to be ready when the new machine arrives. If I remember right you were going to upgrade the RAM, if so I'd recommend doing so today so it will be there when the new machine comes in.

Narnian7 Author

Level 1

23 points

Jun 8, 2011 7:56 AM in response to rkaufmann87

Thanks...yes, I plan to get that ordered...I'm wondering if 8 (4 more), or 12 (8 more)? Any suggestion? Are OWC or Crucial good sources?

Thanks, Roger. Have you found any Quicken alternative? Will quicken come out with a version that Lion will support?

rkaufmann87

Level 10

141,078 points

Jun 8, 2011 12:07 PM in response to Narnian7

12 GB of RAM will keep you in good shape for quite a time and I would strongly recommend both OWC and Crucial. OWC has great pre & post sale support and they specialize in Macs so you know they're products will work well. They also have how-to videos and you can talk to them on the phone or do a chat.

Narnian7 Author

Level 1

23 points

Jun 8, 2011 1:29 PM in response to rkaufmann87

Thanks...I was leaning toward OWC, actually.

Looks like, because I ordered late on the 6th that I will have 30 days to download Lion from the app. store for free. I am guessing that I will have the SL os disks, so I may have the choice of either os, thanks to yours advice.

Free Lion means my net cost for the extra 8g of memory will be, like, $70, which makes me feel a LITTLE less guilty for just spending $2000 on a computer (but, hey, back in 1995, I spent about $2,400 for a Compaq Presario w/ Win. '95 onboard and puny 14" monitor!).

Any more thoughts on your Quicken alternative?

Take good care, Roger, and thanks again for your advice!

tanya3300

Level 2

270 points

Jun 8, 2011 2:02 PM in response to rkaufmann87

You just gave me a great, great piece of information. I also have Quicken 2007 that I use every day. I also have AppleWorks 6 that I have to refer to once in a while.

I can't upgrade to Lion without extreme difficulty.

Thanx!! You just saved me one gigantic headache. 🙂

rkaufmann87

Level 10

141,078 points

Jun 8, 2011 3:14 PM in response to Narnian7

I haven't given too much thought yet to what I'm going to use to replace Quicken. There are lots of applications out there and frankly I only got Quicken because I assumed it would be close to what I used on my PC when I made the switch from Windows to Macs in 2007. I will be using the Mac App Store to do some shopping and read some reviews on what my best alternative will be. For now though I'm not terribly concerned about it.

Let us know when the new iMac arrives!

Roger

Narnian7 Author

Level 1

23 points

Jun 8, 2011 3:35 PM in response to rkaufmann87

You probably already are aware of these alternatives, but I found this site that has software that works with Mac:

personalfinancesoftwarereviews.com

Check it out :-)

You bet...I'll let you know when it arrives...Apple says between the 10th and the 14th, but not shipped yet (as of 4pm MDT). I'm (way) out of the USA right now, home by Sat. This should be exciting...I'm about to order that memory from OWC.

rkaufmann87

Level 10

141,078 points

Jun 8, 2011 4:00 PM in response to Narnian7

Thanks for the link I wasn't aware of it!

iMac purchase advice