iMac Questions

[RobDeer 45]

Wife and I really don't need laptops anymore for our personal computers. With us both having work laptops and an iPad, we feel covered. So we decided to get an iMac to replace our old mac book pro. Cheaper to go this route. Mainly just use it for internet, spread sheets, and then pictures and video. I like how apple keeps it simple with their choices, but just wanted to see if there is anything I should be thinking about. Do I really need the 27 inch? Please, any advice would be great.

[adamb100]

I don't have an iMac but I think screen size comes down to if you want the higher resolution. The 21" is 1920x1080 (native HD) which is more than acceptable unless you're doing tons of things at once.

[rwa12]

We bought the smaller one for my son for school, and it is more than enough. We bought the larger one for my wife's office, and when working on it, I always felt I was sitting too close. They are really nice computers.

[DHonks]

If you have a child, remember you can get a decent discount by saying you are buying it for him/her. As a teacher, I use my savings to upgrade my RAM and processor. I get it shipped to our family condo in Montana with no sales tax to avoid the 9% I would otherwise pay in Arizona.

[1992casey]

Screen size is really up to you. I love as much screen size as I can get after considering the other logistics, such as price and the amount of room I need to place the computer. Having said that, if you can function with a laptop, you can consider anything you get on a desktop to be a bonus. Also, the fact that you can spread your work across multiple desktops can keep things from getting too crowded.

 

The one thing I'd really consider is storage. You'd feel the benefits of an SSD or a fusion drive every time you use the machine. I'd highly recommend opting for one or the other, and I think the speed advantages of SSD or fusion would definitely trump the capacity available on a standard hard drive. I'd definitely spend $200 for either the 1TB fusion drive or the 256GB SSD.

 

The other question is graphics. The low end iMac uses Intel's Intel Iris Pro 5200 integrated graphics, which are as good as integrated graphics currently get. The upgraded 21" and both 27" models have discreet graphics from Nvidia.

 

FWIW, I prefer the Magic Trackpad over the Magic Mouse, but if you and your wife don't agree on which one to get, for $69, you can have one of each.

[RobDeer 45]

Thanks guys!

 

Casey, are you saying that the Nvidia is the best option for graphics? I like the track pad as well, not sure what my wife likes but will find out. I hear you on the extra screen size, as right now I have a monitor hooked up to my laptop so I can have multiple screens going.

[1992casey]

Nvidia would be better, but the Intel graphics might be more than enough for your needs. Apple wouldn't be offering integrated graphics if they were woefully inadequate.

 

As you'd know, multiple screens would be something you can do with an iMac too. It'd be a cheap and easy option of you went with 21 inches and subsequently found that you could use more room to maneuver.