imac

shazrazmataz

Hi Guys,

just wanted to pick some brains as I'm a total thicko when it comes to anything technical, so here goes, we're thinking about buying a new pc & was wondering if you could tell me the pros & cons about the new imac, this is the one that we're thinking of getting:

21.5-inch: 3.06GHz


3.06GHz Intel Core i3


1920-by-1080 resolution


4GB (two 2GB) memory


500GB hard drive1


8x double-layer SuperDrive


ATI Radeon HD 4670 with 256M

Any advice much appreciated, thanks

macman

That's a lovely machine, but are you aware that a Mac is not a PC and won't run Windows software (at least not under Mac OSX)?
Sorry if you are aware of that already, but best to be sure!
Subject to that, to get advice on it's general suitability you would need to give some info on what you need to do on your computer.
The only major customisation that you can do on the base model iMac is to upgrade to 8GB of RAM, but if you wanted to do that it's usually cheaper to buy and add it yourself. Given that you are paying nearly £1000, the hard drive capacity at 500GB is very mean, but there is no upgrade option to 1TB on the base model.

shazrazmataz

thanks for your reply, like I said I'm totally thick when it comes to anything technical & no, I didn't know that it wouln't run windows, so thanks again.

gonzo127

as said the pro is its a mac, the con is its a mac!

it all comes down to what you actually want it for, i know this might seem a little silly, but

if its just for browsing the web you can save yourself a hell of a lot of money as the above is mass over kill and i would seriously say to look into Ubuntu (linux) as not only can you save on the hardware you save on the operating system

if there are specific programs you want to run make sure they will run on the mac, also try to figure in that a lot of software is also usually more expensive than the windows version

if you want it to game you will be limited on a mac in comparison to windows

quick edit please note i am not saying you should go for windows and not a mac, i am just trying to help by finding out what you actually need it for, i personally use Ubuntu for 99% of my day to day work and only boot into windows when i want to game, and i have only dabled in Mac's so dont know them inside out

macman

shazrazmataz wrote: »

thanks for your reply, like I said I'm totally thick when it comes to anything technical & no, I didn't know that it wouln't run windows, so thanks again.

That was nearly a expensive mistake then!
You can run Windows on it, but it would be a bit pointless-the whole point of a Mac is the superior (IMHO) operating system-though the hardware is very nice too.
Without knowing what you want to do on your computer it's impossible to say if a Mac is suitable for you-as pointed out by gonzo it's unsuitable as a gaming machine, but for most other purposes there is equivalent Mac software to the Windows versions, for example MS Office for Mac is compatible with the Windows version.
The Mac is certainly a more expensive choice than a standard PC, only you can decide if (for you) it's worth the extra.
If you particulalry want an 'all in one' computer then there are Windows models available, though nothing as elegant as the iMac.

shazrazmataz

We just want it to do the basics like e-mailing, facebook e.t.c. & to upload pics, maybe we should stick with what we know lol, thanks again guys, you have been a great help

gonzo127

honestly you dont have to stick with what you know!

for those basics any system will work just fine with either windows, Mac or Ubuntu (linux), so it would be worth while checking them all out if you can, just be slightly careful that each operating system has fan boys who will slate anything that isnt there beloved operating system of choice, a very very basic break down of the operating systems

Mac - beautiful systems, very slick operating system, and everything 'just works' if it has been certified by apple, basically virus and malware free, however expensive and some software will not run on it

Windows - everyone's comfort zone, lots of software, although heavily targetted by virus's and malware,

Ubuntu - totally free, lots of totally free software, virus and malware free, can be more fiddley if somehting doesnt work although lots of support online, will run some windows programs however not all and some require quite a bit of work - however 99% of all programs do have a free alternative,