ohhhhh 20inch

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soon to be: 20'' 2.16ghz 1gb ram 250 harddrive.
so, to persuade my boyfriend that a mac is truly the way forward i took him to our local pcworld to gawp at a imac. 20inch display 1gbram 250harddrive.
i must admit i was impressed by how big the 20inch display is but i know that size doesn't matter and for 999.99gbp i can get a higher spec with a 17'' screen. but now my boyfriend as fallen in love with teh 20'' screen.

i'm considering the 17'' 2gb ram and 250hdrive with 2ghz processor, i'll be using it for photoshop cs2, downloading music, large photo storage and music library and moderate gaming. i think the specs i've picked would be best. but my boyfriend is adament that the 20inch 1bg, 250hd and 2.16ghz is the way to go.

so i thought i'd put it to you guys since your all mac users, from your experience is the larger screen a must or a vanity thing
 
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For my money as a Photoshop user and 3d Drafter, Screen Real-estate is Key. Especially wih photo editing; it is very nice to be able to veiw more of what you are working on to larger detail all at once. Leaves more room for all of your toolbars and whatnot.

you dont say what the cost of the 20inch is but here in the states with these configurations the 17inch is only 50$ cheaper that the 20inch. So after upgrading the 20inch to 2GB RAM it is 225$ more

If it were me I would get the 20inch if I could afford it. However for the difference of 225$ you could also find a good deal on a second 17" monitor and have 2 side by side

Good luck
 
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get 20inch as you can always add more ram at a later date. but cant easily add a new screen (especially a bigger one) to the imac.
 
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Another vote for the 20".... Everyone knows size DOES matter. :D:D:D

Welcome to Mac-Forums photojunkie!!!!!
 
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20" iMac 2.0Ghz, 2Gb RAM Early 2006, 30Gb iPod 5th Gen. 15" MacBookPro, 2.33GHz
Yet another vote for the 20". I have the Core Duo and it's a nice screen size.
 
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I love my 20" screen--it makes it so much easier to see the photos.
 
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My personal vote would be for the 24" iMac...size does indeed help out when doing photo work and such, but seeing as how the question is either a 17" iMac or a 20" it would be thumbs up for the 20". Get at least a gig of ram in what ever you get, and you can always upgrade it later.
 
OP
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soon to be: 20'' 2.16ghz 1gb ram 250 harddrive.
the 20'' 1gb ram, 2.16ghz, 250 harddrive would be 938.00 pound with my student discount, which is 1,848.51 dollars.
wheras the 17'' 2ghz, 1gbram and 250 harddrive is 797.00 pound with student discount which is 1,572.28 dollars. i'm going to extend the warranty a few months after buying it. if i got the 17'' i could always spend the rest on some software.
 
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The 17" iMac doesn't quite cut it for doing 3D work, I'd imagine PS is the same. Widescreen is great, but the height isn't enough. If you can afford the 20" then get it.
 
OP
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soon to be: 20'' 2.16ghz 1gb ram 250 harddrive.
20'' it is then. thanks for the advice.
 
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Great!!!! post pictures when you get it photojunkie!
 
OP
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soon to be: 20'' 2.16ghz 1gb ram 250 harddrive.
will do. can't wait, my p.c is really on its last legs.
 
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will do. can't wait, my p.c is really on its last legs.

i know that feeling.

i hope that the 20 inches is enough screen for you. I have heard from some that the 24 inch is the only way to go with heavy photoshop use. But, to each their own.
 
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The 20" iMac is a good middle ground in both price and performance. Sure, the 24" would be nice, but we can't always have what we want. If we could, we would probably all have dual 30" Cinema displays. Buy the nicest machine you can afford. Most importantly, be grateful for what you have.
 
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20" is nice, but you can never have enough screen real estate when you do photoshop/3d/video work.

I love my new 14" iBook, but the screen size kills me, so I just clamshell it to my 21" widescreen LCD when I'm doing photoshop work at home.

They have a 24" iMac at the futureshop where I live and it's sweeeeeeet.

Can't wait to see it though!
 
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Go for the 20" but consider the 24" if you think you need a big screen.

I've been the proud owner of a 20" since Thursday and I love it to bits.
The only problem is that it is a widescreen.
I already have a 19" TFT screen and although I haven't measured it the screen is taller than the imac. Not sure about the width.

Moral of the story is to compare the width and height of screens, don't just go by the diagonal size.

I am going to keep the 19" tft and run that as a 2nd screen.
 
OP
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soon to be: 20'' 2.16ghz 1gb ram 250 harddrive.
yeah i use 20'' macs at uni, for photoshop and it feels okay. at the moment i use a 17inch monitor for my pc at home and get by fine on photoshop with that but do prefer working on photos at uni.
 

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