iMac purchase advice

Question

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

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Answer 1

KBowl87

Level 1

135 points

Jun 3, 2011 8:52 AM in response to Narnian7

Id get the 1999 27 in imac, but you might want to look into a refurbished model from apple, same machine, cheaper price, same quality. Id upgrade the RAM and purchase the iworks suite with it.

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Answer 2

Narnian7 Author

Level 1

23 points

Jun 3, 2011 8:55 AM in response to KBowl87

Thanks, KBowl87....But why the 1999, and not the current model???

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Answer 3

KBowl87

Level 1

135 points

Jun 3, 2011 8:57 AM in response to Narnian7

waht i meant was the cost 1999- its the bigest baddest imac... not the year, sorry

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Answer 4

Narnian7 Author

Level 1

23 points

Jun 3, 2011 9:04 AM in response to KBowl87

How much more RAM? (I intend to purchase from OWC and install myself). Which processor ? (do I need the i7, or will the i5 do?). Do I need to go with the i7 to up the graphics memory?

Thanks!

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Answer 5

KBowl87

Level 1

135 points

Jun 3, 2011 9:11 AM in response to Narnian7

Its all personal preference. probably dont need much more ram, Id get just the 8GB upgrade. As for processeor the i5 is fine, i7 is alot better, faster....

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Answer 6

rkaufmann87

Level 10

140,532 points

Jun 3, 2011 9:20 AM in response to Narnian7

For your needs the i5 would be fine, while the i7 is great and state of the art speed for what you're doing there isn't any real need. I would also stay with the base graphics card too. The ONLY reason I can think of to upgrade the CPU & GPU is if you intend to do 3D graphics such as online gaming, CAD/CAM and/or 3D rendering. From what you have stated I didn't see that was how you intended to use the machine. The slowest part of the machine will be the hard disk however again for your needs you would have a very nice machine.

I would upgrade the RAM (OWC is a very good choice) to 12GB. I agree going with the base $1999 machine would provide the best bang for your buck. Also don't forget to factor in additional costs for:

1. Sales Tax

2. RAM cost

3. Time Machine backup EHD

4. AppleCare BTW: you can also buy this discounted from Amazon or LA Computer Co for less than Apple charges direct. This is optional but a wise investment.

Roger

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Answer 7

Narnian7 Author

Level 1

23 points

Jun 3, 2011 9:31 AM in response to KBowl87

OK...good advice...just need to decide to up the RAM to 8 or 12, as Roger suggested.

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Answer 8

Narnian7 Author

Level 1

23 points

Jun 3, 2011 9:51 AM in response to rkaufmann87

Thanks for your input, Roger.

Through my employer's Apple employee purchase program, I can get the 27" (quad4 i5, 4GB, 1TB, 512 MB GPU, for $1597, add the MagMouse/trackpad combo for $65 (I understand with the gestures capabilities of Lion, a trackpad would be very useful), add iWork for $74, AppleCare for $149, taxes of $142, then get 8 more GB of RAM from OWC, about $110 w/ tax & shipping, all comes to $2137, which is about where my budget was.

Waddaya think???

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Answer 9

KBowl87

Level 1

135 points

Jun 3, 2011 9:53 AM in response to Narnian7

Id say a win. good buy and it will alst you for a long time. Congrats

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Answer 10

Narnian7 Author

Level 1

23 points

Jun 3, 2011 10:01 AM in response to KBowl87

Thanks, KBowl87...I hope it lasts for awhile, longer &. perform better than my pathetic Windows PCs...I'm getting warm fizzles about this :-).

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Answer 11

Narnian7 Author

Level 1

23 points

Jun 3, 2011 10:04 AM in response to Narnian7

( I already have an NTFS 1TB ext. HDD, but will need to reformat it to FAT32, which the iMac will help me do easily, I hope).

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Answer 12

KBowl87

Level 1

135 points

Jun 3, 2011 10:09 AM in response to Narnian7

Leaves me wishing I could buy a new one as well.

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Answer 13

Narnian7 Author

Level 1

23 points

Jun 3, 2011 10:22 AM in response to KBowl87

Well, I hope you can soon, too...I've been saving up for awhile, now...just tired of dealing with an old Compaq piece of poo !!!

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Answer 14

Jun 3, 2011 10:35 AM in response to Narnian7

I just faced a similar choice and decided to go for the i5 too. I had planned to go all out with a top-of-the line iMac i7 with processor upgrade, SSD (memory), 8 Go of RAM, etc. But the iMac form factor seems at the end of its cycle and all this iOS-MacOS integration makes me think that something's in the work (beyond the MagicPad). I can no longer wait however, so I decided to buy an i5 as a stop-gap that would last me about 3 years (instead of 5).

I got the AppleCare and 8 Go from Amazon ($83), but no hard drive and graphic memory upgrades. I stayed within my revised budget of $2000. I got about 80% of the performance I would have got with the top iMac for about 60% of the price.

In short, an endorsement of your plans, although you might want to check the RAM prices at Amazon too.

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Answer 15

rkaufmann87

Level 10

140,532 points

Jun 3, 2011 4:12 PM in response to Narnian7

I think that sounds perfect, just don't forget to get an External HD to use for your back up, that is absolutely critical! For about $150-$200 you can get a high quality HD, one I'd suggest is an OWC Mercury Elite Pro. I would format it as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) as long as it's going to be dedicated to the Mac.

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