07-10-2008, 12:09 PM

Hello all,
I would just like to re-introduce myself. For the past few years, I have had the internal debate on whether to switch from Windows to Mac. I am a big fan of Apple, and I've heard such great things about Macs. It's obvious Mac users are passionate about the operating system and Apple as a whole. After years of sporadic research and scouring these forums, I'm ready to make the switch.

I'm ordering from the Apple Store and here are my specs:
iMac 24" 3.06 GHz
4 MB memory
1 TB hard drive
Wireless Mighty Mouse and Keyboard
AppleCare 3-Year Protection

I will also be purchasing CS3 for graphics design and web development.

I'm looking forward to being a devoted Mac user and forum member!

07-10-2008, 12:53 PM

Gosh, going for all the bells and whistles

Nice to have you with us

07-10-2008, 01:06 PM

Welcome!

07-10-2008, 01:08 PM

Congrats!

07-10-2008, 01:31 PM

Great machine you have there. If you haven't already ordered yet, you can save a little bit of money by getting the bare minimum amount of RAM from Apple and load up on additional memory from Crucial or NewEgg. Again, great machine. You'll love it.

07-10-2008, 01:52 PM

Wow that is one hefty machine! I'm kinda jealous of the hard drive space.

07-10-2008, 04:03 PM

Originally Posted by wcarr3

Great machine you have there. If you haven't already ordered yet, you can save a little bit of money by getting the bare minimum amount of RAM from Apple and load up on additional memory from Crucial or NewEgg. Again, great machine. You'll love it.

I agree. if you havn't ordered i would purchase the addition ram from crucial. its very simple to fit. simply undoing one screw and then slotting it in. i upgraded my 2.4ghz imac from 1GB ram to 3GB for about £28, i think apple charge £120 for the additional 2GB.

07-10-2008, 04:04 PM

Im chuffed to bits with my imac. i've had it since december and couldn't live without it.

07-10-2008, 10:48 PM

Originally Posted by wcarr3

Great machine you have there. If you haven't already ordered yet, you can save a little bit of money by getting the bare minimum amount of RAM from Apple and load up on additional memory from Crucial or NewEgg. Again, great machine. You'll love it.

I definitely considered this. Call me crazy, but for some reason I get peace of mind with factory installed products and will pay more for them. It's almost an OCD of mine, actually. If I know I can click on the specs within the computer and see that the computer originally only came with 2MB of memory, but it really has 4MB because I upgraded, it almost detracts from the computer for me. I'm pretty picky when it comes to this type of stuff, but then again, I'm the guy that has to have his iTunes files perfectly in order or I get anxious.

Not only that, but this computer is the beginning of my Mac artillery and I plan to have it around as my main computer for a while. I'll eventually add a MacBook Pro and at some point the iMac will get outdated and I'll add a new desktop. But I look at it as a prized possession, and I'd like it perfect. Sticking third party memory in it is like painting over the original paint on a classic car. It just feels wrong for me.

Honestly, I didn't even like the idea of purchasing an iMac from the inventory of our local Apple store and installing the additional memory there. Sure, it's the same thing they do in the factory, but it just feels right for it to be done in the factory. Not in a store at my local mall.

07-10-2008, 11:51 PM

Excuse me while I steal your iMac......

.....kidding....welcome to the forums !

07-16-2008, 06:02 AM

Originally Posted by JustinRiney

4 MB memory

I Hope you mean 4GB.

07-16-2008, 08:17 AM

Can i make a suggestion, as someone who dislikes dreamweaver (a lot!), there are plenty of web design software available which are much cheaper than cs3.

If your going to be using dreamweaver a lot it might be worth checking out other software first, something like Coda or RapidWeaver.

Youd probably still use photoshop though so it might be cheaper to buy photoshop on its own, rather than $2000 on dreamweaver and photoshop.

Otherwise, awesome spec for an imac!

07-16-2008, 08:28 AM

Thanks for the RapidWeaver tip... I was going to get Dreamweaver... I currently use FrontPage on the PC but obviously need to switch to something else. Is there a cheaper graphics program than Photoshop that you recommend? Currently I use Paint Shop Pro for the PC.

07-16-2008, 09:10 AM

Originally Posted by deathcab1

Can i make a suggestion, as someone who dislikes dreamweaver (a lot!), there are plenty of web design software available which are much cheaper than cs3.

If your going to be using dreamweaver a lot it might be worth checking out other software first, something like Coda or RapidWeaver.

Youd probably still use photoshop though so it might be cheaper to buy photoshop on its own, rather than $2000 on dreamweaver and photoshop.

Otherwise, awesome spec for an imac!

I appreciate the insight. I will most likely cross the software bridge in the future, but my situation is somewhat unique and I need a platform that I am familiar with and won't require a lot of downtime to learn. I've used Creative Suite software in the past, as well as Dreamweaver. I realize it has its flaws in writing code and can be very sloppy; hopefully in the near future I will be able to streamline and be a little more efficient. Right now, after doing a ton of homework, I just feel it's the right fit for my particular situation.

Thanks again for everyone's input. My computer arrives this afternoon!

Oh, and yes, I meant 4 GB, not MB.

07-16-2008, 10:22 AM

Congrats on the switch! I just got the 24" 2.8 iMac and LOVE it! Welcome to the mac world...careful it's very addicting.