[sarends]

I am new to Macs

Is the display in the iMac 24 the same as the 24" ACD?

What would you rather have?

Refurb iMac 24 - via Apple Store (3.06 GHZ, 2GB RAM, 500GB hard drive, NVIDIA 8800 - $1,149)
or
Latest Mac Mini (2.5GHZ,4GB,320GB,9400M - $1,400)
+ a Refurb 24" ACD

What do you see as the Pros and Cons?

[KuZu]

I think the first question would be, what are you planning to do with a mac...

it's my understanding, the mac mini is basicly for people who are just surfing the net and running MS Office... but based on the tech spec's for the current mini, it seems to have evolved. the mini has more usb ports, which, may or may not be a plus, depending on what you want to hook up... also i don't think the mini comes with a keyboard, which may or may not be an issue.

the ACD is a waste of money (IMO) since you can get the same sized display/monitor by another manufacture for a fraction of the price at places like costco, best buy or other computer stores.

at $1400, you could set your self up with a Macbook that comparable, if not more powerful and a large monitor.

i'd say go with the imac... but that's an opinion. I'm sure others might have a different opinion

[Aetherhole]

I agree with the idea of going for an iMac. The idea behind the iMac is simply to reduce clutter around your desktop by including everything in an all-in-one package. On top of that, you get a faster processor and a better graphics card compared to the integrated 9400 that they include with the Mac Mini. With the money you save by going with an iMac you can also buy more RAM to match the 4GB RAM you would've gotten in the Mini.

[ZorroAMG]

iMac.

The ACD is a bit better screen BUT the computer would be way slower.