12-16-2010, 12:10 PM

Hi all, I am getting ready to purchase my first mac, specifically an imac. I am looking at getting the i5 quad core i5 model unless there is a good reason I should upgrade to the i7. Also, is the 4gb of ram enough or should I upgrade? If I get the base 4gb, is it easy to upgrade in the future? If so, is it easy enough for someone with decent computer skills to do it themselves or should it be done by apple?

I am trying to keep cost down as much as possible but if there is a good reason to expand then I will, I want this computer to last me a number of years so I would rather not cheap out if there is a solid reason.

I will mainly use the computer for internet and office apps with the occasional higher powered app.

Thanks!

12-16-2010, 12:32 PM

Originally Posted by skywalkrncsu

Hi all, I am getting ready to purchase my first mac, specifically an imac. I am looking at getting the i5 quad core i5 model unless there is a good reason I should upgrade to the i7. Also, is the 4gb of ram enough or should I upgrade? If I get the base 4gb, is it easy to upgrade in the future? If so, is it easy enough for someone with decent computer skills to do it themselves or should it be done by apple?

I am trying to keep cost down as much as possible but if there is a good reason to expand then I will, I want this computer to last me a number of years so I would rather not cheap out if there is a solid reason.

I will mainly use the computer for internet and office apps with the occasional higher powered app.

Thanks!

Which high powered app are you talking about?
The i5 quad would be sufficient for all the tasks listed, even a higher powered app. The only thing you would want an i7 is when doing extremely cpu intensive tasks or playing cpu intensive games. The i5 quad is 4 cores / 4 threads, whereas the i7 quad is 4 cores / 8 threads (i5 quads do not support hyper threading.... dunno why).

And here is a guide for a 21.5" iMac RAM replacement: Installing iMac Intel 21.5" RAM - iFixit

And yes, 4gb of RAM is perfectly fine for what you listed.

12-16-2010, 12:35 PM

Thanks for the info! I think I will just go with a base i5, 4gb ram setup then. That ram upgrade looks like one of the easiest things I have seen.

12-17-2010, 02:27 AM

I agree that should be fine. But do get the biggest hard drive option if you're going to store any movies or music.

And, GET A BACKUP EXTERNAL DRIVE!!!