[mi_canuck]

Which graphics to do some minor Photoshop work,, maybe some Aperture? Retouching photos, etc. Let's say skill level is higher that the average point-and-shooter, but not necessarily needing professional levels. I have a Rebel XT and wouldn't mind shooting more RAW, and use the iMac 24" to post process.

Would the 7300 w/128 be fine, or should I pony up for the 7600 w/256mb?

Can the iMac be made support a 23" Mac Cinema display? I see from the tech specs on apple.com that it supports:

Support for external display in extended desktop

* Digital resolutions up to 1920 x 1200
* Analog resolutions up to 2048 x 1536

It's not specifically called out, but I assume these are the specs that the 24" iMac w/ 7600 supports (since the verbage is "up to").


I'm debating if a 24" iMac would be plenty for my needs, vs a Mac Pro w/ 23" display. I would a) save space with the iMac, and b) save a bit of money. I don't think I need to full power of a Mac Pro setup.


thnks!


edit: when are new iMacs expected? I saw some other posts suggesting to wait for the next 24" iMac revision.
Peace.

[P]

7300GT should be enough unless you plan on using crazy large pictures. If you're not short on cash, I'd consider the 7600GT anyway - it would make the machine last longer, and might be a better deal in the long run. Both models will support the 23" display (they're the same chip, despite the naming, but the 7300GT is cut down to 8 pixel pipes and 4 vertex shaders, while the 7600GT has 12 and 5, plus a higher clockspeed).

It sounds to me like you'll be fine with an iMac 24", but if you're on the fence, maybe you should opt for the 7600GT.

The iMac uses an Intel chipset called 945PM (945GM in the bottom model with GMA 950), which is limited in may ways - most importantly you're stuck with 3 gigs of RAM. The successor, 965PM or Santa Rosa, is due from Intel in April, with upgrades to max memory and a lot of other things. We're expecting an iMac update by then. The 24"er is in slightly better shape than the others, however, having been updated later - the smaller models still use the X1600 which is looking quite weak today.

[centerchannel68]

Ditto what P said. I went with the 7600, and I'm very happy with it. The display is brilliant, it's very fast, quiet, doesn't take up a ton of space, and when I need to upgrade, I'll have the 'top of the line' of this generation, so it should hold resale value really well.

[mi_canuck]

Can the imac 24" have it's graphic card upgraded by the user from a 7300 to a 7600? Or is the card hard soldered in there?


thnx

[centerchannel68]

It's a daughtercard, and it could be upgradeded yourself if you have decent technical know-how. The real problem is that you CANT BUY THE 7600 ANYWHERE, since it's an MXM format card. The only place you can buy it is directly from apple, and you can be sure that it'll be really really expensive.

[Northeastern292]

Originally Posted by centerchannel68 

It's a daughtercard, and it could be upgradeded yourself if you have decent technical know-how. The real problem is that you CANT BUY THE 7600 ANYWHERE, since it's an MXM format card. The only place you can buy it is directly from apple, and you can be sure that it'll be really really expensive.

I don't think that Apple sells the 7600 for the iMac retail.

[centerchannel68]

No, but you'd be able to have an apple certified tech order you a replacement card via the part number of it.

[Simon]

Originally Posted by centerchannel68 

No, but you'd be able to have an apple certified tech order you a replacement card via the part number of it.

I've heard that for some parts (I don't know which exactly though) Apple requires the swapped out part be sent back by the tech. If you send in something else, you will get a replacement for that and not the improved part you were hoping for. I have no idea if this would be an issue with the 7300/7600 MXM cards for the iMac though.