Looking to buy a new iMac 27"

Hi to all and thanks for looking,
As the subject suggests I'm on the edge of buying a new iMac 27" i7 with 8GB of RAM but what puts me off at the moment is the Graphics Card. I mean ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics with 512MB is the best Apple can do on such a beast? Any news on a new Graphs Card or maybe a option where you can choose a better Graphs Card? I intend to use this machine for gaming, DX11 would also be nice....
Many thanks in advance!

Better to post this on the iMac Intel forum
http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=132
My two cents. I'd wait for some revisions. I've heard from a tech that they are still suffering from various problems, the flickering screen among them.

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I am looking to buy a new iMac....help please.

I am looking to buy a new iMac, and I started a search on Craigslist for fun, and it seems as if some people have some really good deals on the model mb325ll/a. It is the 2.8 ghz version with 2 gigs of ram and a 320gb hard drive.
This is not a model sold in the Apple Retail store, so I am a little hesitant, but the guy said it is the business model. Is this true?
What kind of warranty would it come with if I am an individual user and not a business? Do I miss out on anything? Please give any advice you may have. Thanks.

There is no such thing as a "business" Mac, versus one for an individual consumers. You should look at this list, and find your model and complete specifications.
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/index-imac.html
Based on the information you provided, it sounds like this one
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/stats/imac-core-2-duo-2.8-24-inch-alu minum-early-2008-penryn-specs.html
which is last year's (early 2008) model, not the current model (early 2009).
If it is being sold as used, the standard warranty is in effect for one year after its original sale. If it is being sold as new, the standard warranty is for one year. You can check the warranty status using the iMac's serial number.
You can also compare the price to the same iMac model on Apple's +Special Deals+ (refurb) page. It happens to be available currently as a refurb, if this is the same model.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FB325LL/A?mco=MjE0NDk5Mw
Apple certified refurbished Macs have the same warranty as new. From my experience, they look and operate like new.

I'm looking to buy a new iMac 27 in is it worth upgrading the ram to 8 gig from 4 gig thank you

im looking to buy a new imac 27 in is it worth upgrading the ram to 8 gig from 4 gig thank you

Yes, but it's much cheaper to buy RAM from a reliable supplier like Crucial or OWC.
Crucial Memory Upgrades for Macs - Apple Memory
Upgrade Apple iMac Memory & more – Easy Guide, Free Installation Videos.

I am looking at buying a new iMac but not sure if I need the Nvidia Geforce GTX 680 MX 2GB or put the money into Memory I will not be gaming

I am looking at buying a new iMac but not sure if I need the Nvidia Geforce GTX 680 MX 2GB or put the money into Memory I will not be gaming
New to the iMac and apple

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities
If you aren't going to use your Mac for anything special (Final Cut, Aperture, Photoshop, games...), you don't need that graphic card and you will save money.
Also, as it looks like you are going to buy the 27-inch iMac, I recommend you to buy the Mac with 8 GB of memory, and then, buy the memory that your iMac needs in OWC or Crucial (the iMac supports 32 GB of RAM) > http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/iMac/2012_27/DDR3L
Doing this, you will save a lot of money. Also, it won't void the warranty of the Mac. If you need help installing the RAM, see > http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5540

Looking to buy a new iMac to do Open Uni course using Windows

Hello,
I've been using Mac since summer of 2007 when we got a MacBook Pro. In October I'm starting an Open University course and will require to buy a new computer that runs Windows in order to do this course.
As I've now become familiar with Mac I am somewhat loathe to buy another PC and have learned that it is now possible to run Windows on a Mac using Bootcamp.
Last week I visited my local Apple Reseller (we don't have Apple Stores in Switzerland yet) to get some advice about this. I told the lady behind the desk I wanted to buy a 24" 3.06GHz iMac but she wasn't much help and found her computer screen more interesting than trying to sell me a 2600chf computer. She wasn't able to tell me where I could get Windows from to run on a Mac, nor how much it would cost. Infact she couldn't tell me very much as unfortunately I'm not 100% familiar with the Apple product range, I never knew the exact specifications of the machine I want to buy. It was pretty much a wasted trip and her efforts to get me to hand over my green were seriously limited.
Hopefully someone on here can give me a bit of advice about running Windows on a Mac, or at least point me to a place where it's already been discussed.
The main things I want to know are: How much is Windows for a Mac? Is it as easy to use as all the Mac applications I have become familiar with? Can I buy an iMac with Windows pre-installed, including adequate virus protection and internet security?
Cheers

There is no such thing as Windows for a Mac. You simply purchase any Windows installer package from any software vendor that sells it. See Boot Camp 2.0- Which versions of Microsoft Windows are supported? to find out which Windows versions are installable under Boot Camp if that's the method you decide to use to run Windows. See below for other options.
Windows on Intel Macs
There are presently several alternatives for running Windows on Intel Macs.
1. Install the Apple Boot Camp software. Purchase Windows XP w/Service Pak 2 or Vista. Follow instructions in the Boot Camp documentation on installation of Boot Camp, creating Driver CD, and installing Windows. Boot Camp enables you to boot the computer into OS X or Windows.
2. Parallels Desktop for Mac and Windows XP, Vista Business, or Vista Ultimate. Parallels is software virtualization that enables running Windows concurrently with OS X.
3. VM Fusionand Windows XP, Vista Business, or Vista Ultimate. VM Fusion is software virtualization that enables running Windows concurrently with OS X.
4. CrossOver which enables running many Windows applications without having to install Windows. The Windows applications can run concurrently with OS X.
5. VirtualBox is a new Open Source freeware virtual machine such as VM Fusion and Parallels that was developed by Solaris. It is not yet fully developed for the Mac - some features are not yet implemented - but it does work otherwise.
6. Last is Q. Q is a freeware emulator that is compatible with Intel Macs. It is much slower than the virtualization software, Parallels and VM Fusion.
Note that Parallels and VM Fusion can also run other operating systems such as Linux, Unix, OS/2, Solaris, etc. There are performance differences between dual-boot systems and virtualization. The latter tend to be a little slower (not much) and do not provide the video performance of the dual-boot system.
See MacTech.com's Virtualization Benchmarking for comparisons of Boot Camp, Parallels, and VM Fusion.
Boot Camp is only available with Leopard. The Boot Camp Beta that was used with Tiger has expired and is no longer available for use. So contrary to the other poster's comment, Boot Camp isn't truly "free." You must purchase Leopard to get it.
You can visit the Apple Online Store website to learn about the various Apple models, find downloadable manuals, machine specifications, tutorials, etc.
Retailers generally do not sell Macs with Windows installed. There you are on your own.

Looking at buying a new iMac - questions about a new one or refurb??

I am eyeballing the newest quad core iMac 27inch configuration with the i5 CPU and standard ati 5750 video card for $1999. I want something for gaming that will last me a while. I also saw a refurb quadcore 27inch, with i7 cpu. but with the 4850 video card..for only $1700 much more affordable to me. I am thinking the CPU is much quicker in the refurb...but is the video card lacking? it is worth the $300 extra for the better video card but slow i5 setup? :\ Any other recommendations? It also looks like I can also get a non quadcore refurb setup, but the video cards seem mediocre and I think I will be looking at something new in another 1.5 year or so.. most of them are coming with a 256mb video card..

More data here: http://www.barefeats.com/imac10g.html
Assuming Apple releases updated drivers in a future update, the 4850 is not much slower than the 5750. It's still slower though, so for games the new model will be faster. Also, if gaming is indeed your primary use, the graphics are more likely to be a bottleneck than the CPU, so you could get a built-to-order 27" with the 3.2 GHz i3 processor and the 5750 graphics for $1849 instead of $1999.
Example for the Late 2009 model:
http://www.barefeats.com/imi7g2.html
Almost no difference between the Core 2 Duo, Core i5 and Core i7 processors for games.
Finally, if gaming really is what you do with your computer most of the time, a PC would be a better choice (easier and/or cheaper to get a configuration ideal for games - the iMac is more of an all-around compromise).

Looking to buy a new imac

i'm using the canadian store, but can't seem to find options for purchasing.
-is it possible to use multiple credit cards? the available credit on one card will not cover the entire cost of the purchase, so i have to use 2 cards
-will i have to call apple to purchase my computer (traveling to a store for a purchase is not an option)?
also, why are canadian gift cards not available for purchase/use in the apple canada store?

when i try logging in, it goes directly from sign in to verify, and there is no option to choose two cards.
finding the differences between the canadian and u.s. ridiculous. the canadian store seems to be missing a few useful options for no apparent reason.

Help buying a new iMac

Hello,
As the subject points out I'm looking to buy a new iMac but even after over a month of debating what iMac to buy I'm still puzzled. This machine will be a gaming machine, spec:
iMac 27-inch
2.93GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
1TB Serial ATA Drive
VS
iMac 27-inch
2.93GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 4x2GB
1TB Serial ATA Drive
VS
iMac 27-inch
2.93GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
256GB Solid State Drive
VS
iMac 27-inch
2.93GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 4x2GB
256GB Solid State Drive
The SSD adds a lot more to the final price and I don't know if it is worth it... Me and my wife play World of Warcraft (aka WoW) so the i7 is a must and the I know for a fact that WoW is RAM hungry as well, hence why I'm thinking 8GB of RAM(I know I can upgrade later ... ). But still the SSD...? I have upgraded my MacBook Pro 5.5 (mid 2009) to a crucial SSD and I am very pleased with it, but will it make the same difference on the iMac? The i7, 8GB RAM, SSD is affordable but ... the price makes me think twice.
I am really stuck, I want to order it but don't quite know what to do...

As you know a SSD is great for startup and opening Apps and files beyond that that there isn't major advantage. Where you benefit from a SSD is by installing the OS, Apps and critical files onto the SSD and use the internal HD only for storage. If you are in the habit of turning off your computer nightly (Apple recommends you leave it on 24/7 in the manual) then the SSD would be nice. Also if you are in the habit of opening files and apps very frequently then again the SSD would be a nice asset. IMHO though SSD's are nice but a luxury and not necessary due to their costs. My opinion mirrors my financial status, however once they are considered more mainstream and less expensive I will probably jump in myself.
So my recommendations would be to get option #2:
iMac 27-inch
2.93GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 4x2GB
1TB Serial ATA Drive
however DO NOT purchase the RAM from Apple. RAM is user upgradeable and won't affect your warranty. It takes 5 minutes to do. SImply purchase RAM from a reputable source like Crucial or OWC.
Roger

Buying a new iMac - can you use an external SSD drive as boot drive?

Here is the question: Can you attach an external SSD and use that as your boot drive accompanying an iMac? This way all the Apple warranties stay valid but I am not saddled with the expense of the Apple installed SSD price?
Now for some background ...
I am looking to buy a new iMac replacing my loved but woefully underpowered Mac Mini. In a perfect world I would like the following set-up based on how today's iMacs can be configured:
Processor: 3.4GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
Memory: 16GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 4x4GB
Hard Drive: 1TB Serial ATA Drive + 256GB Solid State Drive
Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 6970M 2GB GDDR5
Optical Drive: 8x double-layer SuperDrive
The problem is I'd rather not spend $3200+. I would imagine most people plug something similar in and then begin to ID must vs. nice to haves. So, here are my must haves:
Memory: Minimum 16GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 4x4GB (I was thinking of starting with minimum and then purchase the right RAM and installing myself)
Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 1GB
Hard Drive: 256GB Solid State Drive
I like to work the graphics side and have a media library of almost 1TB (uploading, downloading, converting, editing, etc.). With my existing setup I have 3+TB of external storage but again, am suffering massively in the horsepower department as it takes hours for me to do what I believe a new iMac can help me accomplish in a fraction of that time. This is not my profession so while I looked at the towers I still need this computer to serve as a family computer as well. Appreciate your thoughts and feedback.
Cheers,
-Jim

Ok this is great as we are progressing through.
So yes it can be done but there's the caveat of the "pipes" once you go external. The only option for an external SSD Drive with thunderbolt that I know of is LaCie's 240 GB version ... Priced at $800.
I think what I will need to do is suck it up. The new MacBooks have the core technology I'd like but we really want the larger screen.
Last question - should I wait/when might we expect an updated line of iMacs? In a few months or not for a while? That answer may provide some direction if it is anticipated to be sooner vs later.
Thank you!

I am a photographer looking to purchase a new iMac. Which one should I buy and what should I include in the package?, I am a photographer looking to purchase a new iMac. Which one should I buy and what should I include in the package?

I am a photographer looking to purchase a new iMac. Which one should I buy and what should I include in the package?, I am a photographer looking to purchase a new iMac. Which one should I buy and what should I include in the package?

In general most macs you buy are the same. If you will be doing quite a lot of editing of photos and videos, then the big things to look for are:
Processor - 2.8ish GHz Intel i7 4-core - is about the best I have head of thus far.
RAM - fairly easy to upgrade yourself, but 16GB is typically more than you will need for the next 5 years at least.
iLife is reasonably good software for editing media, but as a photographer, you may have your own prefered software
The good thing about Apple is that they don't sell ****** computers in general. They offer little in the way of customization of hardware which is both their strength and weakness.

Hi, I am going to buy a new iMac desktop. I am going for the 3.4GHz Quad-Core Intel i7, 16 GB RAM and 2TB ATA Drive. I want to know whether I should go for the dual drives option i.e including the 256 GB SSD. I do a lot of 'heavy' media work. Brian

Hi, I am going to buy a new iMac desktop. I am going for the 3.4GHz Quad-Core Intel i7, 16 GB RAM and 2TB ATA Drive. I want to know whether I should go for the dual drives option i.e including the 256 GB SSD. I do a lot of 'heavy' media work.

by looking at the specs the laptop is better but if your not a gamer or graphics designer then you most likly wont notice a difference in the performance at all so with that said a few downsides
the processor is i5 the i7 processor is the better processor the graphics card has half the dedicated memory that the laptop has and the hdd compared to the solid state is not much of a difference unless you wanna move your computer all the time you wont need a solid state drive
but like i said before if your not a gamer or graphics designer on your computer you will not notice the difference most likely

Ok, so i bought a imac 27 about 4 months ago, and now they release a new one! ****... So my question is, should I sell this one (which by the way is the i5 2.8 with 1 gb 5750 and 4gb ram) and buy the new imac 27 i5,or keep the one i have and buy more ram

ok, so i bought a imac 27 about 4 months ago, and now they release a new one! ****... So my question is, should I sell this one (which by the way is the i5 2.8 with 1 gb 5750 and 4gb ram) and buy the new imac 27 i5,or keep the one i have and buy more ram. I mostly use my computer for photoshop cs5 and illustrator cs5 for graphics out put as well as surfing the web and music.
Please give me you thoughts on what I should do!! Thanks lot!

The new iMac is about 25% or so faster than your current iMac(comparable model would be the 3.1ghz version). There are a couple of things that you will benefit from such as the dual Thunderbolt/Mini Display ports/ which may help with multitasking. The video card in the new iMac again the comparable model being the 3.1ghz is a lotttttttt better than the current one that you have. So thinking of the long run those few things may be beneficial for you to upgrade(but it depends on what is important to you).
I had the 2.93ghz i7 version that I just bought in March this year and I turned around and sold it about a week before the new iMac's were announced. I got about $1600 for it, yeah I took a loss but to me it was worth it because my new iMac performs that much better. Now keep in mind I went from i7 to i7...3.4ghz i7 with the 2gb video card. Now I have dual thuderbolt/mini display ports. I have noticed significant gains in my video editing and also in my gaming. So to me it was definitely worth the upgrade!
One last thing, I would not have sold my 2.93 i7 and then bought the 3.1ghz i5, the big reason is because HT(hyper threading), it's only on the i7 model(3.4ghz)... If you take a look at some of the bench marks on engadget, maclife, macrumors, macworld, ****Barefeats.com(they really get into benchmarking)*** you will see charts that will help you make a better decision.
In closing I would say look into it, if you can get a good price out of your current iMac to put toward a new iMac then do it. Like others have mentioned to you, tech changes and Apple will change the tech in these machines next year or do a speed bump later this year or so. One last thing if you go from the 2.8 i5 up to the 3.4 i7, you would definitely see the difference (HT is a must especially for programs that utilize it. You can go to my youtube channel(mob1278) and take a look at my geekbench results.... my 2.93 i7 scored around 10500-11000(8gb ram)...my 3.4 i7 scores from 12700-13000 with 4gb ram....so yeah as you can see big difference. Basically the 3.4 i7 would perform similar or just under a 2.4ghz 8core 2010 Mac Pro which runs you about $3500 with no monitor.... it's your money spend it how you want....and Lion is only going to push it even more when it is released!

I copied all of my CD's onto my iMac's hard drive. Now I'd like to buy a new iMac and am wondering how to transfer the music I have loaded on my iMac from CD's on to my new computer w/o going through the process of loading them into my iTunes Library.

I have copied all of my CD's, probably over 100, on to my iMac, through iTunes and now am considering buying a new iMac. Would like to be able to transfer what's in my music library w/o having to recopy all of the CD's. Any thoughts? Can I do it throught the iCloud or do I need to buy and external storage device?
Thanks Brenda

When you buy your new iMac you will be able to have the installation process transfer all your applications, data (including music, pictures, documents, etc) and settings to your new computer. In the past that was done via Firewire. I'm not entirely sure of the process with the new iMacs that don't have firewire. I think it can be done via ethernet and probably via tha thunderbolt cord using a firewire adapter but you'll want to check that out.
    With the your new computer properly connected to your old computer, the initial booting of the new computer will include the ability to move everything over.
    If for some reason you don't want to do that (smart if you have some horrible software issue that is causing problems) you can connect your old computer to the new one and start it in Target Disk mode where it will be seen as a hard drive. You can then manually copy over all your music and import that into iTunes (and any other data you want).
    Somebody here will surely point you to directions for connecting an older iMac with no Thunderbolt to a newer iMac with no Firewire.

Looking to Buy a New All-In-One Printer

I am looking to buy a new all-in-one Printer.
I have been using the Epson RX620 for a little over a year and have had great print results. Unfortunately I get a warning message yesterday that the printer needs servicing and nothing will work. After getting much less than desirable results from their Customer Support I am moving away from Epson, after three different Epson printers.
I have heard many good things about Canon printers. We will be printing bunches and bunches of photos(two small daughters + graphic artist wife = many, many photos). I am presently looking at the Canon MP600. Any goods or bads about said printer?
We do want a printer that can use cheap cartridges so HP is out of the question. Any other recommendations is appreciated.
Thanks in advance for your replies.
Nick

The only thing that ****** me off about Epson is that they shut down their toll free phone tech support!
I had to rely on their email support to set up my new Epson printer (CD/DVD loading tray) which wasn't so bad as it was very detailed & hands on. I just couldn't understand their manual. I was having one of my "senior moment" days.
Those Canon printers are handsome! I almost ended up getting one. But, the Epson printers won because they are the only ones who can print directly on CD/DVDs & all the software is included.

I bought my first iMac 27" i5 in November 2011 last year. Do you think there would be a update that will Features a Retina Display, Siri etc ?? So my iMac will be the same as the new one that will be released this year, Or will I have to buy a new iMac t

I bought my first iMac 27" i5 in November 2011 last year.
Do you think there would be a update that will Features a Retina Display, Siri etc ??
So my iMac will be the same as the new one that will be released this year,
Or will I have to buy a new iMac to get all these new updates ??
It would be a shame if I did because my iMac is only 6months old if that ..
Kind regards Simon Trott Apple user and proud of it

We're not allowed to speculate on future or rumoured Apple products, but we all know there'll always be newer tech coming along.
The iMac you have is an excellent machine, be happy with it and get a good few years use out of it. By the time your machine is slowing down, whatever comes next will have been updated numerous times.
I had the 2011 i5 27" delivered about 3 weeks ago. It's a cracking machine

Looking to buy a new iMac 27"

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