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phi · Dec 21, 2006, 10:50 AM

Hi all,

I intend to get this iMac, (on the extreme left): The lowest-end 17' model.

I already own a 20' iMac and my two sisters have an iMac and a Macbook.

Purpose:
1.I intend to use it together with the LCD TV in my living room and connect them via monitor spanning via the mini-DVI port on the Mac and then use a mini-DVI to VGA cable to connect it to my TV (which has a VGA port). I intend to use FrontRow on the TV (not on the Mac's LCD screen) to have music, video and movies on my TV streaming via Bonjour from another Mac in the household.
2. I intend to connect most of the individual printers/scanners in the household all to this Mac where other Macs and Windows PCs (my parents) can connect to and use them.
3. I intend to connect several external HDDs and run P2P programs on it 24/7, thereby relieving all the P2P downloading duties to this one Mac.

Questions
1. Is the graphics card the Intel GMA950 sufficient to power the entertainment option, ala option 1.
2. If i use the menu button on the Remote, does FrontRow appear on the Mac's screen or the TV screen?
3. Although this iMac does not come with the Apple Remote, will it work with an Apple Remote? The complete specifications lists that it has an IR receiver.
4. Is it safe to leave your Mac on for 24/7?
5. Can a Windows PC connect to resources on a Mac, i.e. printers?
6. Do i need to up the RAM to 1GB? I won't be using the Mac all day, since I'll be with my own Mac and so would my other family members.

Many thanks and Merry Christmas!

phi · Dec 21, 2006, 10:56 AM

sorry, 'extreme left' referring to this link:

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPL...&nclm=iMac

Mac_X · Dec 21, 2006, 01:20 PM

1. i believe it should work well enough.
2. Not sure
3. If it has in built IR it should work.
4. I think its fine if in sleep mode, but otherwise i wouldnt feel so safe , since its all in one,,,, i dont recomend it on an eMac atleast.
5. Im pretty sure it can
6. I've been using low-ram computers all my life. by upgrading ram to 1 gig, you would be 100 €uros away from the "high-end" - 17".... which is far better (incl. graphics)
i am no master, but if it will be used in correlation to the TV screen, why not just get the mini?

imitchellg5 · Dec 21, 2006, 01:27 PM

1) Yes
2) Whatever is the main screen
3) Yes
4) Not an iMac
5) Yes
6) Yes maybe even 2Gb.

C.A.T.S. CEO · Dec 21, 2006, 02:20 PM

Originally Posted by imitchellg5

4) Not an iMac

Why? I leave my G5 on all the time

imitchellg5 · Dec 21, 2006, 02:38 PM

Mine would melt if I left it on 24/7 ( my G5).

ghporter · Dec 21, 2006, 06:33 PM

WELCOME to the MacNN Forums. And you just earned the "Worst Thread Title of the Day" Award!

Seriously, we have a rule (read the General Forum Rules posted at the top of each and every forum) that requires thread titles to be informative. Posting a thread with the title "iMac" in the iMac forum is, to put it mildly, uninformative. (You DO get points for correct capitalization, though! Not a lot of people around here pay attention to the shift key.

)

Anyway, I'll change the title a bit for you. And it looks like you've gotten all your questions answered pretty thoroughly. Stay tuned and see how a bunch of other members now start arguing among themselves about a bunch of stuff. For what it's worth, you CAN leave any Mac on 24/7 and as long as you don't block it up or leave it laying on a quilt or something, it'll be ok. I turn stuff off our of habit and because equipment that's off uses zero power as compared to a trivial amount of power in sleep mode.

Again, WELCOME!

phi · Dec 22, 2006, 07:28 AM

thanks for the heads up. you made me aware of my mistake without putting me down. i appreciate that. =)

phi · Dec 22, 2006, 07:29 AM

Originally Posted by imitchellg5

Mine would melt if I left it on 24/7 ( my G5).

care to elaborate?

ghporter · Dec 22, 2006, 08:12 AM

Originally Posted by phi

care to elaborate?

He means that he thinks his computer gets quite hot. I have problems believing that any properly operating G5 would get too hot to safely operate, unless it's stuck in a closed container or something. Maybe really warm, but not THAT hot.

phi · Dec 22, 2006, 09:00 AM

would 512mb be sufficient to run video on the TV, acting as a print server and running p2p apps.

as i would be getting it not via the online Apple Store, taking out the 2 X 256mb RAM and selling it is difficult as honestly, no one would buy them now.