Desktop PC / iMac ADVICE needed!

janinie7

Hi,

I have been thinking about getting an iMac for a while now and have today decided that I have been thinking too long and am going to buy either an iMac or a desktop PC.

Basically I am coming on here for advice from anyone who knows what they are talking about, or peoples opinions on what is best.
The iMac I want would mean spending just over £1100 which is a LOT of money... does anyone have any recommendations of desktop PC's with the same sort of benefits of an iMac?

I have no issue with spending the amount of money and I would say my budget is £1200... but I want to know that what I am getting is a QUALITY product and worth the money.

I am looking to get into my Photography (I have a DSLR camera which has not yet had the use it should have) and music (possibly making music/photo montages) as well as my usual internet browsing and music listening... so a computer that can give me the best for these activities would be best!

I currently own 2 laptops... my old Dell which is rarely used now and I need to get the photos from it onto a hard-drive or CD's, and my current HP laptop.

Will stop waffling now... any advice much appreciated )

J

davester

your opening a can of worms here Janinie. Well heres my 2 cents to add to the fuel

Well Macs are about 100% more expenisve than a PC hardware equivlent. As operating systems go Vista stinks (its a 21st century Win95), OSX is considered better.

Software prices are pretty comparable, but more likely to find a slightly better deal on PC software as there are more copies made. Easier to find upgrade parts for a PC

95% of computers are PC based.

Your used to windows and PCs so transistion is less than to a Mac

janinie7

Davester - thank you for the advice. I saw a previous post similar to mine but it was comparing laptops... and it certainly got some very opinionated responses... hopefully the same wont happen here.

So PC would be cheaper, easier transition, as well as easier to find software...

Anyone out there with an iMac able to justify the cost Vs desktop PC prices? Or able to comment on the usability for photos/music... is there a huge difference (pros/cons)?

davester

what was the iMac you saw at £1100? With the specs at hand someone could find you a PC alternative thats cheaper.

janinie7

This is the one I have seen and interested in.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/24inch-2-66GHz-640GB-GeForce-9400M/dp/B001UH5S3G/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=IW7WN3KRJCP6Q&colid=2H87MORIG0OHQ

As mentioned before I have been thinking about it for a while now... but my indecision is due to the cost mainly in comparison to some desktop PC's.

Probably worth me mentioning that I would be paying the tax-free cost if buying from amazon as they would be shipping to my BFPO address, entitling me to tax-free goods (for some items, not all)

prowla

The problem with the iMac for me is that it's all your eggs in one basket, as opposed to a separate processor unit and screen.
That means when the time comes to upgrade, you have to replace the whole shebang.

janinie7

prowla wrote: »

The problem with the iMac for me is that it's all your eggs in one basket, as opposed to a separate processor unit and screen.
That means when the time comes to upgrade, you have to replace the whole shebang.

Thank you Prowla, not something I had thought about.
Think I will have a look at some desktop PC's in a bit more depth before getting my money out...

davester

You will be looking at a Intel core 2 duo P9600. as the quivlent processor from that Mac.
There are Quad core processors around, but I haven't got my head around the comparisons yet.

I just did a quick match up , ended up looking and configuring a Intel® Core™ 2 Quad-Core Q9400 Processor 1TB 7200rpm HDD and nVidia GeForce GT220 1024MB graphics card 4GB DDR2 RAM 23inch Monitor and wifi card rest standard stuff for £769 at Dell, ( Dell Studio Desktop)

mrchris

i am a pc user of some 12 years, i can build pc's and install all software i have worked on mac's also, go and buy the mac. If your not happy give it me, please...they are a gorgeous piece of kit.The wife dosn't understand and won't let me buy one

BikerEd

Do you have an Apple store within easy reach? If you do then go online and book at 1:1 personal shopping appointment and have one of the specialists show you what you want to see on the iMac. I did that a couple of times for both hardware and software.

prowla

janinie7 wrote: »

Thank you Prowla, not something I had thought about.
Think I will have a look at some desktop PC's in a bit more depth before getting my money out...

No worries.
BTW, there is also the Mac Mini, which is a really neat piece of kit.