should I keep new iMac 27"... mixed feelings. new to Mac and need advice...

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hodgenutts

Senior member
Jul 26, 2007
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Ok. I'm brand new to the Mac genre. I have a custom built PC with following hardware:

i5 2500k @ 4.0 ghz evga 760 gtx. 16 GB 1333 MHz ram
Evga z68 sli mobo ocz 700 watt power supply.


I was considering Mac and the store told me I could try it for 15 days, and I got 10% off and tax free on the military base making the price of the Imav $1799 out the door. This IMac I got is 27" here is a link with the specs:


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16883104174

I loaded windows via boot camp. The Mac scored 29000 on the free version of 3dmark06 and around 6700 on the free version of 3dmark11

My PC scored around 19000 on 3dmark06 and around 8000 marks on 3dmark11

I play skyrim, W.o.W. StarCraft 2. Diablo 3, Batman, crysis 2. That's just a few games...

The PC and the IMac trade blows on top dps per title, however, the IMac played smoother and every game was playable at highest setting on Max resolution on the Mac which was 2560 x1440. Whereas the PC was only running on 1080p...

I'm not familiar with how well nvidia would keep up with drivers as it is my understanding apple is one of the few to use this new 775m chip set from nvidia.

I love the screen on the Mac... And I can already tell that Mac osx runs much faster and smoother than windows 7 on my PC. However I would still need to have windows on the mac to play the games. Also I don't know if there is a way to feed video from the Mac to a larger monitor. One final thought, I may start recording some music in the future...

So, I guess my question is for $1799 and tax free is the Mac worth it, or is it overpriced considering the hardware that's in it, and the quality of the monitor. (I love the monitor). Would I be better to keep the Mac for the $1799 price, or would I be better to upgrade my CPU, mobo and ram and buy a high end monitor. Also please note, if I keep the Mac I would be selling the PC to help offset the cost. Sorry for the questions, just not sure the best course... Also I'm not sure how long the hardware in the Mac would be considered "decent". Sorry to bother you all, and Thank you very for your time.
 
Blue_Max

Blue_Max

Diamond Member
Jul 7, 2011
4,223
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What makes it "worth it" would be the style. Let's face it, you can get the same specs in a bulky, black tower filled with whirring fans for less money... OR you can get the sleek, sexy thing that looks awesome on the desk AND has great specs.

The 1440p monitor is top-notch and worth easily 1/3 of the price of the unit.

Do you appreciate 1440P and sleek/silent design? That's why you're paying an extra premium. An ASUS all-in-one of similar specs wouldn't cost a whole lot less...
 
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hodgenutts

Senior member
Jul 26, 2007
397
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Yes. In quite a few of the games the Mac outperformed... That new 775m graphics has 2 gigs of ddr5 video memory. Same as the gtx 760. The 760 has more bandwidth. However, apple may have figured a way to optimize their bandwidth, since the card is built soecifically for that board. I really don't know, i just know what I've witnessed.

And when discussing price, also you have to consider i want to record... That's more money for a good sound card and software... The Mac already has thst, i just dont know what coukd compare in the OC workd and how much would it cost... It also has built in 720p webcam (not that is a deal breaker, just nice that it's there when I video chat)

And in regards to the monitor, I have yet to find one for a 3rd of the price with the same specs or I would consider it... It's not just the resolution, it's also the fact that it's an ISP with the glass directly on the panel to prevent glaring. Also the panel quality and color spectrum are high... I'm not saying no other companies make a monitor that nice, I'm saying I've yet to find one even close to that quality for $600, which would be a third of the price I'm getting the Mac for. Blue_Max please don't take this as me arguing with you, as I value your advice and I am new to the Mac world and need educated. I just have not been able to personally find a monitor of that quality at that price. I'm probably just looking in the wrong places... Thank you very much for your input

Edit: I'm sorry I miss read, you didn't say you could get a comparable monitor for a third of the price, you stated the monitor was worth a third of the price. Sorry, Blue_Max, I'm such a noon.

Thank you very much everyone for your responses
 
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hodgenutts

Senior member
Jul 26, 2007
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Throckmorton said:
Wait, the iMac outperforms a midrange graphics card?
Click to expand...

I also own a desktop nvidia gtx 660. The 775m out performs it... It outperformed my desktop gtx 760 in directx9 applications, but fell a little short of it's performance in directx11. This is prob because the 775m is on a 192 bit bus and the gtx 760 is on a 256 bit bus.... However I'm still amazed how the performance has been optimized to make it outperform the desktop gtx 660
 
vailr

vailr

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Oct 9, 1999
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Blue_Max

Blue_Max

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Jul 7, 2011
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Like I said, it's not abut specs - it's about style.

510-off-dell-optiplex-3010-core-i5-mini-tower-24-u2412m-ultrasharp-lcd-monitor_large.jpg
VS.
hero.png
 
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mfenn

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Jan 17, 2010
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One thing to keep in mind is that the PC is going to cost, not only up front, but in the long run. When the GTX 760 in the PC starts to feel slow, you can upgrade just the card for ~$250, With an iMac (or really any other AIO), you're stuck with what's there and have to replace the whole unit.

The iMac is absolutely a super nice machine and I certainly won't begrudge anybody that prefers it, but keep the long-term cost in mind.
 
Blue_Max

Blue_Max

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Jul 7, 2011
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It works the same in reverse - Apple computers tend to hold their value much longer than PC's - when you want a new machine and want to sell, it'll be worth much more than a PC of the same specs. Even an all-in-one PC that costs the same as an iMac, will be worth less than the apple 3 years from now.

...but if you like to tinker and upgrade from time to time, the iMac is not for you.
 
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escrow4

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Feb 4, 2013
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Its a mystery to me why you'd buy a Mac and them promptly install Windows on it. If you want Windows build a decent desktop, if you want OS X buy a Mac. I'd return the Mac, take the $1700, then buy a 27" Ultrasharp followed by a 780Ti and pocket the change.
 
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mfenn

Elite Member
Jan 17, 2010
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escrow4 said:
Its a mystery to me why you'd buy a Mac and them promptly install Windows on it. If you want Windows build a decent desktop, if you want OS X buy a Mac. I'd return the Mac, take the $1700, then buy a 27" Ultrasharp followed by a 780Ti and pocket the change.
Click to expand...

You wouldn't have any change left to pocket.

i5 4670K $240
Team DDR3 1600 8GB $63
GTX 780 Ti $700
7200RPM 1TB HDD $60
Dell U2713HM $600
Total: $1663

And that's without a motherboard, case, PSU, OS, keyboard, mouse etc.

Obviously a GTX 780 Ti is much faster than the GTX 775M, but the point is that once you throw in a $600 monitor and a $100 OS, the iMac isn't a hugely bad deal compared to a $1000 gaming PC. An equivalently spec'ed gaming PC would cost less, but not by a huge margin.
 
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