[ChrisB]

I would think that Apple would be shooting itself if it were to put out an iMac at full HD rez (the 24 inch model) that could not playback high definition video acceptably. Hence, the choice of the Nvideo video chipset I think was a good one. Starting out at 128MB of VRAM is great, and having the option to upgrade that to 256MB is even better.

I'm quite impressed.

Makes you wonder what they have up their sleeve on the 12th.....

[zac4mac]

My pop told me a month ago he was ready for a new iMac - he has a RevA G4 "basketball", and I told him to wait a little bit.
I called him this morning and said "It' time now".

I've had PowerMacs since 1997, but the new Mac Pros are a bit more than I need and the iMac has really matured well. hmmmmmm G5 is getting old and my plastic 23" ACD is getting dim. Might be time for a new iMac when I get the MBP paid for.

[Scampi]

Ok, thanks for the previous answers (from 1st page), C.A.T.S. no worries, I know I was whining a bit.

I've decided to order the 24" with 2 gigs of RAM, the 500 gig drive, and the 256kb graphics card. I wish it had space for more storage, but maybe later.

Now I'm considering a wireless keyboard (I have a wireless mouse at the office and it works well). Without the wireless it all comes out to $2350 or so (educational discount). So, not bad for a fairly basic Mac.

Anything else I should add to make this an even better Mac?

I want to be able to add my music, an AirTunes thingy, etc. Now, two other questions for anybody here:

1) What do I need to establish a wireless network in the house? Just the airtunes device?
2) Should I get an Elgato EyeTV device? That is, will this iMac be good enough to handle that load? (I know I'll probably need more storage)

Best,

S

[iREZ]

500gb dude...why would you need more storage for a device that lets you watch television and record it occasionally? are you going to be recording and keeping ALL of what you watch?

[ajprice]

This is impressive, especially the 24" (thinks of an iMac/Dell dual 24" screen setup... mmmmm).

Also to repeat an earlier question, how does the 3GB RAM work in the 24", I was thinking the maximum capacity would be 2 or 4, not 2 or 3??

[tooki]

Apple is selling that with one 1GB and one 2GB module. My guess is that perhaps there isn't enough physical space for the extra thickness of a 2GB module -- assuming that 1GB modules have chips on one side, and 2GB ones on both.

Or it could just be that Apple doesn't feel like selling you two 2GB modules. I seriously doubt that the memory controller can't support two 2GB sticks.

tooki

[bmd6491]

i might go with the higher end 17 inch imac over the macbook

[CheesePuff]

Originally Posted by C.A.T.S. CEO

Werid 1st post. What are you saying? you bought a 24" iMac then told your wife and she didn't appove of it and now you want to sell it?

Retarded

Are you just plain ****ing retarded here or whats your issue?

[jebjeb]

Originally Posted by toddtmw

"The Versatile 24
If you’d like to show off your new 24-inch iMac — in a kiosk, hung on a wall (as pretty as a picture), or mounted on an articulating arm — the optional VESA mount adapter offers considerable flexibility, letting you choose any VESA-compliant mounting solution."

Something that has been missing since the first G5 iMacs. ...

You sure about that? I know for a fact that the first gen iMac G5 can be mounted on a VESA mount. All one needed was the official Apple adapter.

[kman42]

Do the Apple Stores generally get stock of new items around the same time as what a direct shipment would be from the online store or do they get some quantity earlier? Should I order online or start calling my local stores for the basic 24"?

kman

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Scampi

1) What do I need to establish a wireless network in the house? Just the airtunes device?

Any wireless router would work. The Airport Express would be one example.

Originally Posted by Scampi

2) Should I get an Elgato EyeTV device? That is, will this iMac be good enough to handle that load? (I know I'll probably need more storage)

That computer is more than enough.

[b11051973]

I wish Apple would release something between the iMac and Mac Pro. I would like a Mac that uses the Conroe processor and doesn't have a built in screen. I don't like that every time you buy a new iMac, you also have to pay for the LCD screen. I also want it to be able to hold at least 1-2 full sized hard drives. I'd be fine with only one optical drive.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by b11051973

I wish Apple would release something between the iMac and Mac Pro. I would like a Mac that uses the Conroe processor and doesn't have a built in screen. I don't like that every time you buy a new iMac, you also have to pay for the LCD screen. I also want it to be able to hold at least 1-2 full sized hard drives. I'd be fine with only one optical drive.

Wrong thread.

[Wolvin]

Hey folks, I am thrilled with the new 24" iMac, and definitely with the lower prices in the other ones. The 20" is also a good deal.

I expect to order a 24" soon. I'm not sure it is yet the mythical "prosumer" Mac, but it goes a long way to help. Now, as I say this I realize that for the home users, a 24" with 2gigs of ram, and a 500gig drive might be more than they need. I know my brother, and sister, for example, use their macs primarily to send email, write a few letters, and browse the internet. A game or two here or there (Tetris, minesweeper clones, and they are set). I know a lady that has an iMac and she hardly ever touches the thing.

For me though, the ability to put 2 or 3 gigs of memory is nice (I suspect that Leopard and other applications will want plenty of memory). I usually have Garageband, Word, Mail, a couple of browsers, Photoshop, and other demanding software open, and the more mem the better.

I do wish for more storage. In my estimation, 500gigs is but a beginning nowadays, especially if at home you share the Mac with others. I can see myself adding plenty of games, backup files from work, work files, tons of images, tons of videos as I make DVDs enough now, and of course a large music library. Adding large capacity external storage will be something I do soon enough. I would love to use EyeTV, I like the ability to burn stored programming, but I wonder how much of a performance hit it would be to have the Mac be doing that while all the other use is going on. I would buy another drive and dedicate it to storage.

So for me a "prosumer" Mac ought to be a viable media center at home (airtunes, PVR capable, etc.). I think that's where Apple has been going of course, but they need to update the AirTunes so that it allows you to remotely change music, and it'd be great if it could do it with video.

For now, a 24" iMac with 2gigs of RAM, 500gb of storage, the NVIDIA 7600 GT, and another external 500 gb drive for backup and archival of video, etc., sounds really nice indeed.

[WOPR]

Don't worry about EyeTV, buy one with hardware encoding and it hardly uses the CPU whilst recording. Even my humble 1.25ghz iMac G4 handles it fine. It's hopping between 10 and 15% cpu use as I type this whilst it's recording a film for me.

[WOPR]

My EyeTV 410 uses about 2gb per hour recording widescreen freeview output.

[C.A.T.S. CEO]

Originally Posted by CheesePuff 2.0

Are you just plain ****ing retarded here or whats your issue?

I already apologized for that comment, i misunderstood his post. You should read the other posts.

[ChrisB]

Originally Posted by WOPR

Don't worry about EyeTV, buy one with hardware encoding and it hardly uses the CPU whilst recording. Even my humble 1.25ghz iMac G4 handles it fine. It's hopping between 10 and 15% cpu use as I type this whilst it's recording a film for me.

What product do you use that has the hardware encoding? I'm looking for something myself.

[Dark_Lotus]

So apple will give me store credit if I tell them I just received my iMac less than a week ago?

[EmmEff]

Originally Posted by tooki

Apple is selling that with one 1GB and one 2GB module. My guess is that perhaps there isn't enough physical space for the extra thickness of a 2GB module -- assuming that 1GB modules have chips on one side, and 2GB ones on both.

Or it could just be that Apple doesn't feel like selling you two 2GB modules. I seriously doubt that the memory controller can't support two 2GB sticks.

tooki

It seems like it's a software limitation rather than hardware:

iMac (Late 2006): Memory Specifications

I suspect it has something to do with 32-bit memory addressing in OS X.

[Dog Like Nature]

Anyone tried 2GB SODIMMS in the original Core Duo iMac?

[kmkkid]

Originally Posted by Dog Like Nature

Anyone tried 2GB SODIMMS in the original Core Duo iMac?

1GB barely fits, so I doubt it.

[chefpastry]

Originally Posted by harrisjamieh

An Apple product intro on a Wednesday?! What has the world come to...


Oh, and I also find it odd that you can have 3 GB RAM, but not 4....


And finally, Apples entire line is now dual core....

It's still the second work day of the week since Monday was a holiday...

[KeriVit]

Originally Posted by CheesePuff 2.0

Are you just plain ****ing retarded here or whats your issue?

Your name is CheesePuff

you have less than 50 posts

and you are picking on CATS for doing exactly what you didn't do... Read thoroughly.

Be nice to CATS.

[tooki]

Originally Posted by EmmEff

It seems like it's a software limitation rather than hardware:

iMac (Late 2006): Memory Specifications

I suspect it has something to do with 32-bit memory addressing in OS X.

Most unlikely, considering that the Power Mac G5 supports 16GB of RAM under Mac OS X. 32-bit applications can only address 2GB of RAM for the application, but Mac OS X has supported 64-bit memory addressing since the G5 came out, both at the OS and application level.

tooki

[kman42]

I just put my name on the waitlist at the bookstore. I called around to the local stores and they have the new 17 and 20" iMacs, but no 24". He said they are hoping to get some in tomorrow's shipment.

kman

[Velocity211]

So the only things that got upgraded are the imacs and mac minis?

[tooki]

Yes.

tooki

[awcopus]

Hoping to convince my wife to replace her honking loud dual 1.42G4 with the 24" iMac, maxed out. The storage limitation (1 drive) isn't so bad in light of the availability of external FW800 solutions. I do think, however, that she'll resist the built in display issue. My argument will be that she takes so long to upgrade her computers anyway that she actually ends up saving my going with the iMac.

Her professional work is designing, primarily in QuarkXPress, but increasingly in web apps. I'm sure this is more than enough machine for her needs.

On paper, Apple appears to have really hit it out of the park with the 24" model. As a professional video editor, I need the Mac Pro (and will upgrade when it ships with Leopard preinstalled), so I think I'm pushing my wife in this direction just so I can sort of have it, too.

[kman42]

Anyone have a link to some benchmarks that might compare a 2.16Ghz Merom to a single 1.8 G5? I found lots of Merom to Conroe, but I'm more curious about comparisons to some of the last generation G5 Macs.

kman

[tutelary]

if you intend to run windows vista with aero glass you'll absolutely need the 256meg 7600gt. MS has already specified that 256meg cards are needed for resolutions at and above 1650x1080.

[CheesePuff]

Originally Posted by KeriVit

Your name is CheesePuff

you have less than 50 posts

and you are picking on CATS for doing exactly what you didn't do... Read thoroughly.

Be nice to CATS.

excuse me? when the hell does post counts mean everything? why don't you try looking under the username CHEESEPUFF like you actually said sans the 2.0. i forgot my password over a year ago and never bothered with it. so, if you care that much about post counts, i have almost double you. but then again, you brought it up.

oh yes, and i did read thoroughly, he didn't. i just didn't read the remainder of the posts.

[kman42]

Presumably one would be able to remove the 7300GT graphics card and replace it with something in a year?

[CheesePuff]

Originally Posted by kman42

Presumably one would be able to remove the 7300GT graphics card and replace it with something in a year?

are they not attached to the motherboard?

[Jasoco]

Wow. This is a great Apple day. I was looking at the 20" anyway, and am so glad to see that the 20" came down to make room for the 24" and got even better. Now I don't have to configure stuff like the RAM and HD anymore to make it what I want. I can just pick the stock model with maybe a little more VRAM and be done.

I'm tempted by the 24" though. The large screen mmmmm.... Dang, I'll have to look some more.

[Cadaver]

Originally Posted by kman42

Presumably one would be able to remove the 7300GT graphics card and replace it with something in a year?

No. Do not presume this.
In fact, you should presume just the opposite. Buy the upgraded video chip now or do not ever plan on upgrading it without replacing the whole computer. No iMac has ever had user-upgradable video.

[Chuckit]

Yeah. RAM, the hard drive and the optical drive are the only things that you can normally upgrade in an iMac (though I seem to recall hearing that the new ones had upgradeable processors as well).

[frankthetank966]

Why did they release a new iMac? Didn't they already have an iMac with duo core that they just released in the beginning of the year?

[Chuckit]

And now it has a better dual-core processor and other upgrades.

[kman42]

Originally Posted by Cadaver

No. Do not presume this.
In fact, you should presume just the opposite. Buy the upgraded video chip now or do not ever plan on upgrading it without replacing the whole computer. No iMac has ever had user-upgradable video.

Well that bites.

[kman42]

Is the Apple Store price of $175 for 2GB or RAM reasonable? The Chip Merchant is selling the sticks for $121 each, but I always thought Apple was expensive on RAM. I guess they get to keep the 512MB chips, but still. Is the Chip Merchant just not as cheap as I remember?

kman

[kman42]

Originally Posted by tutelary

if you intend to run windows vista with aero glass you'll absolutely need the 256meg 7600gt. MS has already specified that 256meg cards are needed for resolutions at and above 1650x1080.

Can you run it without?

[ourisman]

Apple has gotten reasonable with the cost for RAM in BTO computers. If the price is close, I'd go with Apple. Everything is covered under warranty (or AppleCare) that way.

[Donots06]

I was actually wondering this too. I'm thinking about selling my Powermac G5 2.0ghz for one of the 24" with the 256mb video card. Will it be able to handle FCP as good as my powermac?

[frankthetank966]

Apple's 1gb of ram is reasonable the 2gb is outragous.

[kman42]

You mean the 1gb upgrade to 2gb is reasonable or outrageous?

[zerock]

my 23" cinema display will maybe go great along the 24" imac

[kamina]

Well here the extra 1GB is not alot more then 1GB of apple approved ram from any online store.

[fisherKing]

Originally Posted by kman42

You mean the 1gb upgrade to 2gb is reasonable or outrageous?

it's $750 for a 2-gig chip (at the applestore...)

[SeSawaya]

I think 2 gigs is pretty cheap really. Newegg.com is at least that much and more most of the time. At least what I've found. Now on the Edu discount it's only like $150ish. I think 3 gigs is insane.