[dfbennett]

Hey everyone,
Well now that I've got a job and a new car, I figure it's time to upgrade my agine Sawtooth G4 350. I thought about getting another powermac but the g5 is out of my price range and the G4 tower would offer less bang for the buck for me, that and I really like the 17" LCD on the imac, and I couldn't afford to buy a seperate LCD to replace my 17" CRT that while good is a bit small. I've been getting by just fine with my 350mhz G4 with 512mb of ram so I'm sure a 1ghz G4 iMac will serve me well. 80gb will be more than enough HD space for me, the superdrive will be great for me(I've also got a firewire CD-RW that i could keep) and the Geforce 4mx will blow away my Rage 128 Pro. I've been reading the rumor mills and it seems like there's no evidence of a new iMac being released until late September at the earliest. Even then, it seems like a small speed bump will be the only changes. Frankly, the difference between a 1.25ghz and 1ghz g4 is nothing(both will fly compared to my sawtooth!). Anyhow, has anyone heard anything remotely conclusive otherwise? Second, I'm thinking purchasing from Amazon.com is gonna be my best bet. I can get the iMac for 1794 with free shipping and no sales tax. I'd then get a 512mb ram upgrade from a place like OWC for 100 bucks. I really prefer not to deal with these "free" ram upgrades from the etailers(yeah free after rebate and free minus a $40 install fee). Is anyone aware of a better deal? I'm in CT if that helps in terms of figuring out taxes. Lastly, is there anything else I should know before I bite the bullet and say goodbye to my trusty Sawtooth? Thanks for the help!
Edit-Forgot to add, what are your thoughts on getting Applecare? I didn't have it on my G4 and I never had any problems, though since the LCD is integrated into the machine I think I'm more likely to go ahead and get it. Any thoughts?

[Nebrie]

Nothing on the new imacs, and no indication that there will be new imacs anytime soon which is why I just went and ordered one last wednesday from the Apple Store. It'll be arriving tomorrow.

I'd say go right ahead and get yours too.

Your plan sounds good. Applecare isn't really worth it for Desktops as it is for laptops.

[dfbennett]

Well I went ahead and ordered.
17" 1ghz iMac from Amazon and I did end up going for the Applecare. Something about having the LCD attached to the computer made it seem to be a reasonable purchase to me.
i also ordered a 512mb ram upgrade from OWC for 100 bucks. Over 2 grand total, but if this one lasts me the 3.5+ years that my Sawtooth did I'll be happy.
It won't be here for a while since I did Amazon's super saver shipping, which is good and bad. Good because it saves me $45 and won't ship for a while so my credit card won't get charged until later. There's a good chance I'll already have had my next paycheck direct deposited by the time my CC is charged It stinks though because I'll be eager to play with my new machine. Oh well, I'm really looking forward to it.
Hmm, anyone looking to buy a good old reliable Sawtooth

[Manimac]

I caught your post a bit late. I think I may follow you soon and get a 17" iMac. For me it will be a switch to a Mac from PC's. It seems like the iMac is due for an update. I have been reading the Mac sites, and haven't heard any solid leads on an update - not that I would really expect one.

I haven't checked Amazon yet - I'll have to do that. I did notice that Apple still has some "refurbished" 17"ers for $1,599. I think there is sales tax but free shipping. Not sure how good a deal the refurbished items are though.

I hope you enjoy. I look forward to getting mine soon.

[striker100]

Please do yourself a favor and get the AppleCare Warranty.
I know at this point it's money you would rather not spend, but if you plan on keeping your iMac for more than one year (I assume you are, believe me it is well worth it.

I just had a problem with my flat panel iMac, it wouldn't power up and it's only 3 months after the one year warranty ended.

Apple sent a certified tech to my home within 2 days, and I'm up and running.
No hassle, and peace of mind, believe me things can happen to dektops.

Remember, you have within the year of your purchase of an iMac to buy the AppleCare Warranty.

[dfbennett]

I decided to go with the Applecare warranty. The deciding factor for me was the fact that the iMac is all integrated. If I was buying another tower I'd probably not have gotten the apple care. The all in one design coupled with the flat panel sealed the deal for me on the Apple Care. 170 is a small price to pay for the piece of mind and the service should i need it.