Buying an iMac - Advice from GDers needed!

[stevie boy]

Hi guys just a quick question, I'm set on getting an iMac as soon as funds allow, however I just wanted a quick idea of what any designers who use the 20" or 24" screens think. Of those of you using 20" screens, are you satisfied with it, is it not enough screen space? Lots of people advocate the 24" but I've heard of a few problems with the resolution of them and so I have a bit of a dillema. I'd just like to hear what professional Designers who work with these all day think.

Cheers!

[(gra-ph!c-D'sig-nah)]

RESOLUTION PROBLEMS!!! I have that 24" you speak of and I have no resolution problems. i love that I can have 3 website screens going at once and I love that I can watch a dvd on it and feel spoiled. If you are a hard core user of Photoshop (i don't mean you like to use it all the time. I mean if you use it really hard and make the computer want to bend) then you do not want this machine. It is fast and pretty, but it is not photoshops friend. The software works on it, but it will not survive the large files and overload on layers. Illy and dreamweaver, flash and more work fine....

[tinmanton]

If I were to buy one, I'd actually save more cash and settle for a mac pro rather than buying an imac but if that's what you want then i think you should go for the 24" because it has a better video card - NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT graphics. The 20" has ATI Radeon X1600 graphics which i think is a bit lower in term of hardware specs. In buying stuff like these, always research for the hardware specifications so you'll know which one is better.

[Patrick Shannon]

I have a 20'' at home and have no problems designing on it. You can even still do a dual monitor rig with the right adapter, too. (Sometimes having seperate monitors is preferable to one large one.)

It doesn't really matter what Mac you get, the Adobe products are not Intel native yet (though the Mac Pros run PowerPC/Rosetta apps the best, obviously). But CS3 is on the horizon during the first half of this year.

[stevie boy]

Yeah I intend on getting CS3, when the native apps should start to fly, which is why I am planning ahead for my harware. I like what I've seen and heard of the iMac so really I'm just finding out what other people have experienced.


In all honesty its more a case of 2 models for me. I can get the mid-range 24" with 2g RAM and upping the graphics card, or I can max everything on the 20" ie 2.33gh processor speed, 3gig RAM, and upping the graphics card. Its a tough one, and because the price is pretty much the same I have to decide if the screen size is more important than the performance. I hope to be able to use the mac for a good while so specs are quite important to me. Any more thoughts greatly appreciated!

[PrintDriver]

If you are a hard core user of Photoshop (i don't mean you like to use it all the time. I mean if you use it really hard and make the computer want to bend) then you do not want this machine. It is fast and pretty, but it is not photoshops friend. The software works on it, but it will not survive the large files and overload on layers. Illy and dreamweaver, flash and more work fine....

This is the second time you've posted this. As I mentioned in another thread, the problem is with your specific machine. I spoke to a buddy of mine this morning to see if he had any troubles with his iMac 20" and he tells me it purrs like a kitten running everything from Photoshop 7 to all three CS2 apps (InD, Illy,PSCS2) at the same time. And he does the same kind of large format work I do, only more of it and much faster. If you are having problems with Photoshop and layers, my guess is you do not have enough scratch space or you don't have a large enough block of free scratch space (disk fragmentation). Maxing the Ram would help too.

(There are some of us production people with up to 3 versions, or more, of the same software on their comp...in case anyone asks why PS7...)

I'm not a fan of the iMac simply because there isn't much room to upgrade and because it is an All-in-One.

Definitely a machine where I'd buy the extended AppleCare coverage.

[stevie boy]

Definitely a machine where I'd buy the extended AppleCare coverage.

I have looked at this and it does look like a decent deal, and I will probably get the extra Applecare. I have to say I am tempted to get the 20" with the specs maxed on it Iat the moment!

[colonel5]

I have the 20" iMac (the last rev of the G5 versions) here at work and i love it. I have played with the 24" and it is amazing.

I think you just need to decide if the $500 dollars more you'd pay for the 20" is worth it. (you get the upgraded graphics card and 4 inches of screen)

I know if I was in that position now I'd be stuck too but probably end up buying the 20" and save the extra $500

[BJMRGTIVR6]

I too have thought about an iMac and think the 24" screen is awesome as it is close to twice the 20" (i think, unless i am remember the difference between my current monitors resolutions and the 24")

An iMac is similar to a laptop in upgradability though. With the 24" iMac, you can always add another 2GB module of RAM and the difference between the 2.16 to 2.33 isn't much of an upgrade and you may be thinking about that extra screen space afterward, whereas you would only be thinking of the RAM issue with the 24" and that is somewhat easily updated (not $wise ubt easy to install)

[stevie boy]

I too have thought about an iMac and think the 24" screen is awesome as it is close to twice the 20" (i think, unless i am remember the difference between my current monitors resolutions and the 24")

An iMac is similar to a laptop in upgradability though. With the 24" iMac, you can always add another 2GB module of RAM and the difference between the 2.16 to 2.33 isn't much of an upgrade and you may be thinking about that extra screen space afterward, whereas you would only be thinking of the RAM issue with the 24" and that is somewhat easily updated (not $wise ubt easy to install)

Still debating it but I have to say my head is saying max out the 20" one, due to the price of it really. Thats all it is down to. A lot of people have said the 20 is plenty, and basicly the 24 is more of a luxury if you can afford it. At the moment I do not think I can justify the extra, but we will see what the next few months bring!

I think judging by the prices my decision is between these 2 machines (for everyday designing, having CS suite on most of the time plus various text editing apps and safari)

20" with 2.33gh | 3gb RAM | 256mb Graphics or
24" with 2.33gh | 2gb RAM | 256mb Graphics

So my decision lies on the screen size and the RAM. In this case how do people see CS3 reacting to ram. Will 2gb be a minimum and 3gb a luxury? So many questions, but it is a big purchase I guess! Thanks for everyones informative replys so far.

[Drorain]

i have 1 dual core 1.83 gig 17" one, upped ram to 1.5gig.

this baby sings! CS2 does cause problems, especially Illy CS2 quitting when I use text, and pathfinder tools in the same document. but CS3 will clear this up...in fact photoshop CS3 is running quite nicely!

download CS3 beta at adobe.com to see what I mean

[Rocketpig]

If I was you, I'd buy the 20" and the Dell 20" monitor and run dualies. The overall price would be virtually the same but you'd have A LOT more space to work because the entire 20" monitor would be free for work while the other would hold palettes, movies, yadda yadda yadda.

I always prefer a dual monitor setup over one large monitor. But, to each their own.

[Nekolove]

I also have a 20" and I think it's plenty large. The screen seems to have a LOT more real estate than my 19 inch monitor at work (since it's wider). PLUS, it's nice and compact for my small apartment and can easily be moved out of the way if needed. I'd max out the 20".

Enjoy it!!

[mcremixdesign]

hey ive got the 20" and it is plenty big enough. and if you're going to soup it up anyways, take a 4" hit on the monitor and just get a supersized 20".

there's my suggestion.

btw...the entire CS2 package (which, unfortunately is all i can use until CS3 comes out) runs perfectly on mine.