iMac 20" or 24"

for those that have been following/recognize my posts (lol), i have decided to get the imac instead of the laptop. I read something someone said and he said to get the 24" imac as opposed to the 20". I would only be upgrading to the 24" not the 24" with 2.8GHz cause that costs too much. My parents would make me pay half of the $200+ plus difference a.k.a. around 120$. If you want to, look at it from my point of view, Is the extra 4" worth about the 100$ that i would have to pay? are there different issues for each size. e.g. ive head that one size has color distortion the other doesnt (?) anyways, let me know what you think.

For an extra $100.00 I would go for it. But Im an old guy that can't see to well.

Totally worth it.

arich6 said:

for those that have been following/recognize my posts (lol), i have decided to get the imac instead of the laptop. I read something someone said and he said to get the 24" imac as opposed to the 20". I would only be upgrading to the 24" not the 24" with 2.8GHz cause that costs too much. My parents would make me pay half of the $200+ plus difference a.k.a. around 120$. If you want to, look at it from my point of view, Is the extra 4" worth about the 100$ that i would have to pay? are there different issues for each size. e.g. ive head that one size has color distortion the other doesnt (?) anyways, let me know what you think.

Click to expand...

Don't get the twenty, Mac really screwed up here, unless your in a neck brace and body cast and can't move an inch. Really, the color does distort when you move your head six inches from center. The twenty four inch for whatever reason doesn't.

Late said:

The twenty four inch for whatever reason doesn't.

Click to expand...

Because they don't use the same LCD in the 20" and the 24".

$100 - no doubt in my feeble mind - go for the real estate

Am guessing you're in high school? Ever spend $100 for a pair of shoes or another piece of clothing you just had to have. If so, when you get that 24" baby sittin on your desk, you'll know that's the best $100 you ever spent.

I have another question for you guys. The options are as follows:
- $1300 20" model 2.0GHz with the added GB of memory,wireless mouse/keyboard
- $1600 20" model 2.4GHz with added GB of memory
- $1900 24" model 2.4GHz no added memory or wireless(ness)

What setup should I get?

I am a highschool student who is not into high performance video, animation, audio stuff. I would be doing recreational activities and the occasional computer game. This mac would also act as my entertainment centre with the great display being the key point. I have narrowed my options down to as follows:
- $1300 20" model 2.0GHz with the added GB of memory,wireless mouse/keyboard
- $1600 20" model 2.4GHz with added GB of memory
- $1900 24" model 2.4GHz no added memory or wireless(ness)

For the jump between the 20" and 24" I would have to pay 150$ out of my pocket (remember, student on tight budget). I have heard that the extra GB of RAM really makes the iMac's fly! Is it worth it? Are the upgrades essential? Are there any other upgrades out there that I would benefit from?

-Cheers!

Are you going to start a topic every time you have a question that's barely different than the last??

I would recommend the 24" version. The size is nice and the LCD is better than what is in the 20" version. You can upgrade the RAM later. It should only cost $100. Ask for it for christmas or something.
The wireless stuff isn't really beneficial.

edit: snip

Everyone that has responded to your other thread so far has recommended the 24". But bottom line - if it's not worth it having to pull cash out of your own pocket, there's no need to get confirmation here. Just get the one you want. You'll probably be happy with either one. Go with the smaller screen and you've got some cash left for software you may want for it.

*Merged threads - Please don't start threads when the discussion can be continued in your existing thread*

bryphotoguy said:

Are you going to start a topic every time you have a question that's barely different than the last??.

Click to expand...

I'm a noob at forums OK.

I doubt you'll really appreciate the difference between a 2.0 GHz model vs the 2.4 GHz model. Additionally, while a wireless mouse and keyboard can be convenient, they can also be very inconvenient. My last Mac had a wireless keyboard, and it's quite irritating to have batteries go dead in them. I'm much happier with my wired keyboard and wireless Logitech mouse (don't like Apple's mouse at all, and this Logitech easy to keep charged via docking station). And as for the memory, you probably will see a difference with 2 GBs of RAM, but for your needs and budget I believe you'll do well enough without for now. You can always upgrade.

So... the way I see it, it boils down to a 20" vs 24" monitor. Larger monitors do make for greater ease in managing multiple windows. You may see a performance hit with the larger monitor though since it has a higher native resolution. I personally have a 20" Cinema Display and while I'd like to have a larger one (actually... I'd rather have a 2nd display), this still suits me well enough. You could go with the cheaper iMac AND get a 20" Cinema Display for the same price as your 24" iMac option. That's something to seriously consider.

I would say trek down to the apple store and check out the two versions side by side. Set both backgrounds to a solid color like light gray and if you can live with the lower quality monitor (note quality not just quantity) then go for it. If the tn panel in the 20 bothers you then get the 24. As another poster stated ram can be added at a future date but the base computer ur stuck with.

Get the 24 inch. It's definitely worth it.

I'm going to actually not follow the crowd. And recommend the 20 inch one. And instead of buying the 4 inches of screen real estate, you should get at least 1 GB more of ram from a 3rd party seller (I recommend you do this) + maybe a bigger hard drive from apple as you order the mac. But that depends if you really need it. (Nice but not necessary)

Why I say this is cause I have a 17 inch imac at the moment. And it's great. I love it. And I have used the 20 and 24 inch imacs at the store recently. and the 20 inch one for me is really nice. Fits my needs well. And for me I have to actually move my eyes around the 24 inch screen to see it all but I can see everything in the 20 inch ones with out moving my eyes. Also more screen inches equals more pixles which equals more strain on the graphics card. But this really isn't an issue as the one in the 24 inch can handle it just nicely.

For me if I was in your situation I'd go for the 20 inch one. But I think in your case just go down to the store and play with both to see which suits your needs well.

24" all the way then later you can add the extra ram

In Fall 2006 I bought a 20" white iMac (first Mac) and absolutely loved it.
In Fall 2007 decided to buy a new 24" iMac, and gave the other to my mom.

Bottom line, both are great machines. I like the 24" better.

Or do like im doing, get the 20" and spend the $100 on extra ram then save up for dual monitors.!!! yaya I love my computer!!!