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Should I buy a iMac now? Also 17inch or 20inch?


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I have decided to jump on the Mac bandwagon. Saw a nice Core Duo 17Inch Refurb for $949 and a 20 Inch for $1199. What do you recommend, I go for? I currently have a 19 inch CRT, which works amazingly well, and the display area is big enough for me. Also I would probably use my iMac for games, browsing, Office etc.

 

Also, will the iMac graphic card, be able to handle all the latest games as the come out. I mean Hitman Blood Money, Caesar IV, Double Agent etc. I am not an uber gamer or such, infact am quite content with my GF4 Ti 4600. If I buy this, I would like to run it for approx 3-4 yrs more, after which, I will graduate and buy a new computer.

 

Oh ya, if I run my games at 640x480 on my 1200x800 Laptop LCD, they appear blurry and stuff. Will the same happen on the iMac? 1680x1050 just aint a option on most games. Not that the x1600 could handle anything more than Q3 at that res.

 

So lemme know, should I wait for the new iMac's based on the Viiv chips, and hopefully new graphic cards, or go for it know and which to go for.

 

Thanks a lot

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I feel like I should clarify this.

 

There's no such thing as a VIIV Chip, or VIIV technology or anything like that. VIIV is a buzzword by Intel to market computers with Intel-based almost everything and running Windows XP Media Center Edition. They get a pretty VIIV sticker if they qualify. Awesome. And because of these requirements (ie coming with XP MCE, not running Intel networking, etc), a Mac will not qualify.

 

It's basically the media equivalent of "Centrino Technology" which was just any laptop with an Intel chipset, processor, and wifi.

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SO there is no Viiv, i mean as a processor. Also what is the Santa Rosa chipset?? Somebody was saying, the Mac is going to be updated with it in Dec or something.

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Thanks a lot, I think i will go in for the 17inch. Budget is a bit tight, plus I may have to pay like 30% import duty on it.

 

Just a few more questions

 

1) If I buy a Refurb from US, will it have Worldwide warranty? The Apple documetation says it 'may' have worldwide warranty.

 

2) For all you Intel Mac owners, when you play Oblivion or HL2 or whatever, do you play it at 1680x1050 or lower res? If you play it at lower res ,eg: 1024x768, is it blurry or perfectly sharp??

 

3) Is it worth paying more for a Core2Duo than a Core Duo??

The 17Inch C2d is $1099, so thats a difference of $150.

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2) For all you Intel Mac owners, when you play Oblivion or HL2 or whatever, do you play it at 1680x1050 or lower res? If you play it at lower res ,eg: 1024x768, is it blurry or perfectly sharp??

 

yes it will look really crappy and stretched out, unlike CRTs, LCDs only look good at one "native" resolution and scaling is a stop gap measure at best... So, if you can at all afford it, go for the 20" with a real video card. Unless you plan to upgrade your computer very soon you'll find the GMA950 becoming a less and less satisfactory option.

 

3) Is it worth paying more for a Core2Duo than a Core Duo??

 

Not IMHO, better a CD w/ a real graphics card than a C2D w/ a 950...

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Umm the 17 inch comes with a X1600 128MB VRAM GFX. About LCD monitors, atleast the ones I have seen, they have a Auto button, which fixes, the screen stretch. So I was wondering??

 

NOTE: The $949 17Inch and $1199 20Inch are both refurbs, as mentioned in the first post.

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Ok, I went and saw the 20-Inch iMac today and WOW. I am hooked.

 

This is the final config I will take

 

20 Inch

Core 2 Duo 2.16 Ghz

1 GB Ram

250 GB HDD

X1600 128 MB VRAM

3Yr Apple Care

etc .....

 

Can I add my own 160 GB to it internally, I mean get two HDD's??

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  • 1 month later...

I personally am waiting until after the Macworld Expo in mid-January on the off chance that the iMac line is reshuffled or prices altered. It's only a month away and could be well worth the wait.

Edited by Xenctuary
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Ditto on waiting. Unless you really know what you are doing, need something now and find a killer deal on a refurbished Mac, it is best to wait until after MacWorld SF, when new models are certain to be introduced.

 

I know for a fact that Appe has a revised iMac based on the 965 chipset in the works too.

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  • 2 weeks later...

As many people have said already, i nearly bought an iBook just before WWDC, and my god it was a good job i saw some rumors on DIGG.

 

Never ever buy anything before some apple related festival thingy.

 

BaYlisS

Edited by Bayliss
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