Ordering my iMac and I have a few questions

.......before I chunk down a couple of grand.

I am ordering an iMac this week & I want to make sure before I do I want to make sure it is sufficient for what I am doing & I don't miss out on anything.

Set up is: 2.4G, 2 gigs of Ram & I am adding Final Cut

Questions are: Is there anything else I really need?

Are there any issues I need to be aware of with this machine because so far from all the magazines I read, this is the one to have.

Are there problems that will send me back to the store/or customer svc crying help?

Is it easy to use because I come from 10 years of all pc experience.

Has anyone regretted purchasing this?

Thanks!

I hope it's the 24". The 20" LCD panel leaves a lot to be desired. There are plenty of threads here and a simple google search will explain why.
The 24" iMac is a wonderful computer.

bryphotoguy said:

I hope it's the 24". The 20" LCD panel leaves a lot to be desired. There are plenty of threads here and a simple google search will explain why.
The 24" iMac is a wonderful computer.

Click to expand...

It will be the 20", I tested it out & seems fine enough for me. I have to cut coners & a large screen isn't in the cards. I need other cash to by a new video cam, lighting & pay bills.

Alright, that's really the big concern people seem to have around here.

I could search the desktop hardware section and limit the result to the iMac. See if find anything alarming. There shouldn't be; Apple makes good stuff. You should be ok.

Well I have been using a 19" screen for so long, 20" will be a big jump for me, it looks so when I used it at the Apple store.

If I up to a 24" I will have to lose some power. I only have $2000 to go towards this purchase & I don't want to go over budget or it will ruin things for me in the long run.

Should I lose that 1 gig of ram to get size?

Anyone can do the RAM upgrade themselves. Do it yourself for $70, no joke. NEVER let Apple upgrade the RAM.

How much will it cost to add final cut btw??

$199 & I need this immediately. The whole purpose of this purchase is to edit movies.


Also the price the price difference between the 20" with 2 gigs og ram & the 24" with 1 gis is $1.

Buy the 24" then. Seriously, all you need to do is remove one screw and drop the new RAM in. There are directions in the manual how to do it. I've seen 4GB of RAM for $70 too. I've done it before; it takes 10 minutes.
The 24" panel is so much nicer. It will really come in handy for your type of work when you do HD.
I would consider it. I hope others chime in here.

Mac O Licious said:

It will be the 20", I tested it out & seems fine enough for me. I have to cut coners & a large screen isn't in the cards. I need other cash to by a new video cam, lighting & pay bills.

Click to expand...

For some reason, allot of people seem to be discouraging the 20". Go ahead and order it, you won't be disappointed. There is nothing wrong with the 20" at all. In fact, I got mine at BestBuy back in early March and it is the best desktop I have ever owned. The display is top notch and nothing wrong with it.

I stayed away from the 24" because the display model at BestBuy had uneven lighting. There were light blotches on each side of the display.

Hex-
the reason people don't like the 20" model is due to color shifting and its way of displaying colors.
It's a consumer grade panel. Look at the screen at an angle. Do you see how the colors shift? That panel is actually 6-bit not 8-bit. It's only capable of displaying 263,000 colors not millions of colors.
The panel in the 24" is more of a professional display. The colors are more accurate. It's also not prone to the 6-bit issue or the color shift when viewing it at an angle.

Maybe Best Buy had a bad model.

bryphotoguy said:

Hex-
the reason people don't like the 20" model is due to color shifting and its way of displaying colors.
It's a consumer grade panel. Look at the screen at an angle. Do you see how the colors shift? That panel is actually 6-bit not 8-bit. It's only capable of displaying 263,000 colors not millions of colors.
The panel in the 24" is more of a professional display. The colors are more accurate. It's also not prone to the 6-bit issue or the color shift when viewing it at an angle.

Maybe Best Buy had a bad model.

Click to expand...

Who looks at the screen at an angle? Seriously? My MBP does that to a degree.

Also, not long ago, there was a long thread on the Apple discussion forums about the uneven lighting on the 24", so the problem is not fixed. It is hit or miss and there are complaints practically about every computer model Apple makes on uneven lighting.

hexonxonx said:

Who looks at the screen at an angle? Seriously? My MBP does that to a degree.

Click to expand...

As a professional, would you want a monitor that shifts colors depending on the angle you look at it? My monitor has that same TN panel and I cannot rely on it to edit photos.

I don't know what the OP is doing with his videos but it doesn't sound like it's just for a hobby.

As discussed, the 24" is ONLY $1 more than the 20 with the RAM upgrade he was looking to do through Apple. $1, come on?? Who wouldn't upgrade and install RAM on their own for a small fraction Apple charges??

bryphotoguy said:

As a professional, would you want a monitor that shifts colors depending on the angle you look at it? My monitor has that same TN panel and I cannot rely on it to edit photos.

I don't know what the OP is doing with his videos but it doesn't sound like it's just for a hobby.

As discussed, the 24" is ONLY $1 more than the 20 with the RAM upgrade he was looking to do through Apple. $1, come on?? Who wouldn't upgrade and install RAM on their own for a small fraction Apple charges??

Click to expand...

I agree, and this is exactly why the impending desktop replacement will be a 24" iMac. I have a S-IPS monitor that I plug my MBP into when I need screen accuracy, but don't want to have to deal with it with a desktop

So with all said I am still confused. What is better? I can buy some ram 1 or 2 months later and have the big display, but will this impede the use I need it for? I will be doing editing immediately & I don't want any problems.

I am far froma proffessional but a big screen is like being the cool guy on the block so to speak. Bigger is supposed to be better. I have no clue about color shifting or whatever.

Oh, another thing, if I order the 24" I can't have Final cut.

Go back to the Apple store or local Best Buy and compare the two. If you don't see the color shifting or it's acceptable, buy the 20". If you like the 24" better, get it.

We can't tell you which is better for you. You need to decide for yourself in person. A $1500 puchase shouldn't be decided on what any of us say.

You could order that RAM the same day so it arrives the same day as your computer. There would be no downtime.

I am actually just asking for your opinions so I can make a judgment.

My budget is thin so there is no buying anything for a while since I am on a strict budget, not only by me, but the wife also.

Now that I think of it more & more that 24" looks really nice. I need Final Cut more than I need a big screen so the choice should not be hard. My other option is to buy a cheaper camera and lighting supplies but it will be tuff shaving some money.

I had the 20" model, a previous generation, and as soon as I had a look at the 24" and had some spare change in my pocket, I was dissapointed I didn't hold out a little longer for the larger one.

I know your scenario is different and you need a Mac now. I am just saying I wanted to give myself a swift kick when I saw the 24".

Sorry if I made anything confusing. Hope I helped some.

Good luck with your puchase. If you have futher questions, you can always drop me a PM. GL!

Mac,

Go for the larger screen for the $1 (great buy) and buy the extra RAM later when you can afford another $70-80... I just bought a Macbook about 2 months ago and moved form 1GB RAM to 4GB RAM for $80 in about 15 minutes... Check out the RAM prices at Newegg and prove it to yourself. The RAM upgrade is the easiest and cheapest upgrade, so buy the expensive hardware from Apple and buy the things you can do yourself from 3rd party sellers. You'll find you can get along without the RAM for a month or two and when you get it you'll be in hog heaven

Good luck on your decision,

Noel

I am trying to scrap up the extra $158 now to have it all.