Saving to buy my first iMac

By DrewJW
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DrewJW

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Hi guys.

I have decided long and hard to let this gaming computer sit on the side as a gaming machine for purely single player oriented games since online gaming pc wise is full of people whom enjoy nothing more than to cheat.

I have my eyes on the 3.06GHZ 24inch I-Mac with 4GB ram Upgrade.

I am heavily into music, and do plan on perhaps mixing a few of my own tracks in time, probally starting small of course.

Now a few questions.

--I like my Logitech G9 could I put this on the Mac without a problem?

--I would like to know what games are out for the I-Mac, and what it's fully capable of.

-- How did this huge community grow without me seeing it :D

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APH-Alex

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Hi guys.

I have decided long and hard to let this gaming computer sit on the side as a gaming machine for purely single player oriented games since online gaming pc wise is full of people whom enjoy nothing more than to cheat.

I have my eyes on the 3.06GHZ 24inch I-Mac with 4GB ram Upgrade.

I am heavily into music, and do plan on perhaps mixing a few of my own tracks in time, probally starting small of course.

Now a few questions.

--I like my Logitech G9 could I put this on the Mac without a problem?

Yep.

--I would like to know what games are out for the I-Mac, and what it's fully capable of.

http://www.apple.com/games/

http://www.apple.com/imac/specs/

Up to an 8800GS with 512MB GDDR3

-- How did this huge community grow without me seeing it :D

We're pretty much cooler than Muhammed himself, so that's probably why.

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DrewJW

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The only thing I dont like about the imac is the fact it is far behind the PC platform in terms of hardware, just now they are getting the 8800 in those :argh:

Well since I shall have a ps3 and I have a quad core gamers computer it would be mainly a surfing and audio editing station, this pc rules at gaming but hates doing the nitty gritty rendering work and audio editing applications.

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giga Veteran

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The only thing I dont like about the imac is the fact it is far behind the PC platform in terms of hardware, just now they are getting the 8800 in those :argh:

It's a bit tough to fit the latest GPUs into all-in-one PCs, but they're certainly doing better than other competitors offers in terms of the latest parts. (XPS One, Gateway One, Sony LT)

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DrewJW

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Prepare to be disappointed! If you don't see much you like (and it's likely) keep a spare copy of Windows and get Boot Camp set up.

Shall do, I am in the camp of perhaps getting the Macbook as a lounging tool while this hulk of a PC is shutdown because I see little point in running a Quad Core powerhouse all day long when I am just doing basic photoshop work and listening to music, may aswell keep it for when i am in the mood for some single player Crysis.

Grand Master

Cara Veteran

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Shall do, I am in the camp of perhaps getting the Macbook as a lounging tool while this hulk of a PC is shutdown because I see little point in running a Quad Core powerhouse all day long when I am just doing basic photoshop work and listening to music, may aswell keep it for when i am in the mood for some single player Crysis.

The iMac is a wonderful machine for most tasks, intense gaming however is not one of them. This is rapidly changing with the release of several major gaming titles, and commitments from other labels, for the OS X platform I have a strong feeling that we will start to see more 'game oriented' updates to the forthcoming consumer Mac lines.

That being said, with the PC you currently have I see no purpose to play games on your Mac, a Quad is going to outpace nearly everything in Apple's lineup (Pro / Xserve not withstanding) so like you said, keeping it around for games might not be a bad idea. :)

For the other items listed however, I would venture to say a 15-inch MacBook Pro might be more suited to what you are looking for, with a full sized DVI port you will have the option, when you want, to run it off any monitor you want in addition to it's internal screen thus giving you the versatility of a notebook and the power of a desktop. 

Grand Master

Cara Veteran

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I have been wanting an imac for a while, but every time i save up enough, i spent on alchole and ciggarettes or even computer parts, and now iam thinking either a stock imac or a decent gaming machine... :s not to sure ay...

All about priorities mk1990, personally I have a hard time suggesting the iMac over a MacBook / MacBook Pro given the portability but it's a lovely machine that serves as Apples current workhorse and until that changes it is a very viable option.

I always tell people to evaluate how much they really play games, which ones they play, and go from there as the iMac (or MacBook Pro) both have discreet graphics which make Boot Camp very viable for game playing.

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DrewJW

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True Cara, I am looking at the Macbooks and if I am honest the basic one would suit me, is it a good purchase at the base spec, as in screen and overall quality? don't fancy purchasing something * would add the extra support though * and ending up with a lower quality product.

Grand Master

Cara Veteran

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True Cara, I am looking at the Macbooks and if I am honest the basic one would suit me, is it a good purchase at the base spec, as in screen and overall quality? don't fancy purchasing something * would add the extra support though * and ending up with a lower quality product.

Elven, the MacBook 13-inch is a wonderful product. The screen quality, aside from being required to use a glossy screen, is amazing for its size and the price/performance ratio is another aspect that can't be beat on the low end of things.

I always recommend AppleCare on any Apple system simply because one repair out of warranty will pay for the AppleCare plan, it's a no brainer.

I have a 13-inch BlackBook at home and love it for when I don't feel like touting around my 17-inch MBP, though I must admit my MacBook Air is taking that roll slowly but surely. :)

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DrewJW

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I have to admit Cara the 3.06GHZ I-Mac is very tempting to myself, since it's a three month save to afford it straight with the 4GB ram option and Apple Care.

I do fancy getting into CS3 and perhaps even 3d modeling for the stbc project.

Overkill maybe? or just the best money can buy :D as the more I read into Macs the more they seem the perfect solution for me since Windows is beginning to make my skin crawl.

Grand Master

Cara Veteran

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I have to admit Cara the 3.06GHZ I-Mac is very tempting to myself, since it's a three month save to afford it straight with the 4GB ram option and Apple Care.

I do fancy getting into CS3 and perhaps even 3d modeling for the stbc project.

Overkill maybe? or just the best money can buy :D as the more I read into Macs the more they seem the perfect solution for me since Windows is beginning to make my skin crawl.

That is a VERY nice machine, obscenely powerful. ;)

For starters, don't order your memory from Apple, EVER. I hate to say that it's a HUGE rip off of retail price, check www.crucial.com for better prices, or even www.newegg.com.

If you can wait to save for the iMac I don't think you will be disappointed, that iMac will run not only OS X flawlessly but Windows faster than any PC as has been published in PC Magazine. :) (Granted it applies to Vista but I'm pretty sure we're in the top 2 for XP too)

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DrewJW

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Then it is settled, the gf is suited because I am always loosing my temper at this quad core for crashing and lagging and generally being a Windows PC.

So I should order with the 2GB kit and upgrade myself, is this an easy job? being an all in one I assumed the ram would be buried inside, is their a pop off back place to access the ram?

Grand Master

Cara Veteran

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Then it is settled, the gf is suited because I am always loosing my temper at this quad core for crashing and lagging and generally being a Windows PC.

So I should order with the 2GB kit and upgrade myself, is this an easy job? being an all in one I assumed the ram would be buried inside, is their a pop off back place to access the ram?

Actually installation of memory in the new iMac models is exceedingly easy. There is a little memory door at the bottom of the screen that you open and have direct access to the memory chips.

Here is a detailed technical document from Apple showing you the process. :)

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1760

Hope that helps. 

Grand Master

Cara Veteran

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Cheers Thanks Cara :D

Out of interest have they sorted the Adium problem regarding latency with WLM contacts on sending messages?

My pleasure. :)

I can't speak to Adium, I've never had the problem but I believe some people still are having the same issues.

Grand Master

Chicane-UK Veteran

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If it helps it took me about 2 minutes to upgrade the RAM on my new iMac - there is just a small cover at the base of the mac that you undo with one screw and simply slot the new module in alongside the old one. Easiest RAM installation i've ever done to be honest.

I love my new iMac so far. Its quick, its quiet, and when you look around at what else is out there its excellent value. I casually browsed onto Dells website today thinking i'd see just how much horsepower I could buy for what I paid (assuming that the iMac was way above market price for that sort of spec system) and was actually pretty shocked to see how expensive Dell stuff was. Their XPS 'all in one' was slower yet more expensive than my iMac - the only bonus was that it had a TV tuner built in.

Gaming - yeah, it's not excellent. But i'm able to play the two games I was playing before (Test Drive Unlimited and Battlefield 2) just fine - probably comparable to a 7600GS in terms of FPS. The 8800GS in the new iMac will be heaps better though :)

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DrewJW

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If it helps it took me about 2 minutes to upgrade the RAM on my new iMac - there is just a small cover at the base of the mac that you undo with one screw and simply slot the new module in alongside the old one. Easiest RAM installation i've ever done to be honest.

I love my new iMac so far. Its quick, its quiet, and when you look around at what else is out there its excellent value. I casually browsed onto Dells website today thinking i'd see just how much horsepower I could buy for what I paid (assuming that the iMac was way above market price for that sort of spec system) and was actually pretty shocked to see how expensive Dell stuff was. Their XPS 'all in one' was slower yet more expensive than my iMac - the only bonus was that it had a TV tuner built in.

Gaming - yeah, it's not excellent. But i'm able to play the two games I was playing before (Test Drive Unlimited and Battlefield 2) just fine - probably comparable to a 7600GS in terms of FPS. The 8800GS in the new iMac will be heaps better though :)

Test Drive Unlimited is on the MAC! omg I would be all set with that! wondering wether my G25 or Xbox pad could be rigged up aswell.

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DrewJW

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When buying more ram for the latest model iMacs remember that the ram is now 800mhz pc2-6400 ram.

And you will have to buy 4gb because when you get 2gb of ram from Apple they give 2 1gb sticks.

Thanks out of interest would 2x4GB sticks also work? just if I managed to source them?

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