View Full Version : 17" or 20" iMac
bluebuoy
2005-05-23, 23:07
Am I dumb to want a 17" iMac instead of a 20" iMac? I'd bump up the HD of 17" iMac to $250MB, plus my brother is helping me pay for it, so the 20" would only cost me about $100 more. But the screen just feels too big. I don't think I need all that real estate, and it seems like it would hurt my eyes to be staring at that all day long.
Am I crazy?
OK, I know I'm not crazy or dumb, just looking for some positive reinforcement before I take the plunge.
nope it sounds like the only real difference is the screen size. And while i tend to follow the bigger is better philosophy when it comes to screen size, if you don't want the extra space and you'd rather have the cash i'd go for the 17 and use the saved money to up grade the RAM.
IMO HTH
DMBand0026
2005-05-23, 23:40
You'll get that 17" and you'll be wanting more. It won't hurt your eyes, it'll be better for them if anything. When you buy a computer the general rule of thumb is that you buy the best you can afford. It'll be nice to have that extra few inches of screen. Take if from someone on a 12" PowerBook. I love my PowerBook, but if I could change anything, it would be the size of the screen.
Franz Josef
2005-05-24, 01:20
Recommend you try both at your local Apple Store / Reseller. We're a PowerBook family (12" & 15") and I've been looking at getting a desktop of late - either 17" or 20" iMac. I was struck by how big the 17" screen actually is and I'd tend towards Stevuh's view - buy the 17" and spend the cash on extra RAM under the hood.
Gargoyle
2005-05-24, 03:54
I'd go for the 20.
Recommend you try both at your local Apple Store / Reseller. We're a PowerBook family (12" & 15") and I've been looking at getting a desktop of late - either 17" or 20" iMac. I was struck by how big the 17" screen actually is and I'd tend towards Stevuh's view - buy the 17" and spend the cash on extra RAM under the hood.
i playedwith one at my local high school where i do some tech support, i just saw it and spent 5 min on it but while i was on it the screen aspect ratio's looked all whacky. it was probably a fault of the teacher but at the same time i was like ZOMG so much screen space at a high resolution i'd be able to fit so much on that screen.
but i'd be using that screen for photoshop and FCP and DSP and Flash, etc... but if you just gonna use it for surfing Word, and other misc. low end apps i wouldn't worry too much about the difference between a 17" and 20".(can you do dual screens on an iMac? i don't know that much about them and their capabilities in that regards) but that RAM being bumped a GIG will be something that can be (more effectivly) utilized and will make your machine last longer than that 20 inch screen.
torifile
2005-05-24, 10:55
There is no such thing as too much screen real estate if you don't have to carry it with you. That's just absurd thinking. If you can reasonably afford to get the 20", get the 20". You can upgrade the RAM & HD later but you can't upgrade the screen.
thegelding
2005-05-24, 11:24
20"....hands down
you will love it and your friends will be jealous
g
bluebuoy
2005-05-24, 15:41
Right, so here's the other thing I should have mentioned. When I went to the Apple Store and looked at them a couple of weeks ago, the screen on the 20" model looked warped. It just didn't look flat. So that's part of what's prejudicing me. I guess I should go back and look again now that the new models are in. Maybe it was just a bad one that they had up.
torifile
2005-05-24, 19:23
I'm sure it was just the one you were looking at. There would be no end to the bitching if all 20" iMacs (even a few of them) had warped screens.
RowdyScot
2005-05-24, 19:40
There's no way to tell without messing around on both. I have to agree with Stevuh on the RAM statement. And does the current rebate go towards the iMacs too? Cos in that case, you'd be getting another $100 back, which would easily give you an extra gig of RAM.
Mine likely will be the 17". I just don't see the need for all that extra screen space for the kind of applications I run. Even iPhoto is just fine on my current 15" iMac, so I figure that 17" will be more than enough.
bluebuoy
2005-05-24, 20:58
What's the $100 rebate? I'm going to get a build-to-order, so it will be from the Apple online store. And I'm not a student (sadly).
bluebuoy
2005-05-25, 20:25
I went back to the store. I'm going to get the 20". :)
polvoronn
2005-05-25, 23:34
I went back to the store. I'm going to get the 20". :)
lol ... why the sudden change of heart?
Good decision - 20" G5 iMac is damn nice! Plus, if you're going to be stuck with a display as part of your computer, it may as well be the largest you can afford.
One more comment ... even though your brother is helping you out with this purchase, this old adage might help you out for future investments: "The quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten." :)
bluebuoy
2005-05-26, 16:26
lol ... why the sudden change of heart?
I went back to the store with my wife.
(a) the 20" iMac didn't look as oversized as I remembered.
(b) the 17" iMac looked downright small.
(c) my wife (who has been resisting the purchase of a new "big" computer) liked the 20".
So in the end it was a pretty easy decision. Now we just need to decide what to do with the $100 towards a printer that they're going to throw at us.
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