Thinking about purchasing iMac. Need recommendations.

-nova-

This is a huge post, so sorry about the size. I really need to know my options though, and this is very difficult for me to decide, etc. If you are so kind to read and post your suggestions, I would be very grateful. On a side note, this is going to be a Canadian Purchase.



Well, I've decided to go Mac. I know they cost a lot more than PCs, but they seem to be able to do a LOT more too. I have had my Windows XP computer for a while now (2.5 years), and it's starting to show its age.



I am pretty serious into thinking of becoming a music composer, especially for videogames. I just love music found in videogames. My main inspirations are remixes of classic pieces and amazing pieces. If anyone has heard the Zreo Remixes of the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time tracks, those to me are my main inspiration. (Well, the good ones anyway, lol). I'm not 100% sure if music will be my final path, but I think it's worth making the jump.



I usually make MIDIs, and then I also make MP3s every once in a while with Fruityloops. I feel very limited though. I just don't understand FL, and the sounds themselves, to put it bluntly, are all techno, with no actual real-sounding instruments. I've heard some files on GarageBand, and they're amazing! Better than I've ever used.



I would like to play games and use other applications too with BootCamp and using the old XP, but from the looks of things, I'm not going to be able to play them very well. I'm giving up on playing Crysis right now, but I would like to play the games I currently own right now to their best, and maybe even play Bioshock or something pretty well. My core games are Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 (which I'm slowly leaving from) and Source engine games (Half-Life 2, Portal, Team Fortress 2, etc). This is not necessary, but would be very nice to use if possible. I'm actually thinking of not worrying about games and just purchasing an Xbox 360 later. It's a real shame the GPU in an iMac is not upgradeable (as far as I know), but oh well.



I know the Mac Pro is a lot easier to upgrade, but it's almost twice the cost, and it's just not really worth it. The iMac can do most my needs anyway; it's just gaming and upgrading stuff later. Anyway, here are the specs I was looking at:



iMac

CPU: 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme

OS: OSX 10.5 Leopard

RAM: 2GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM - 2x1GB

Hard Drive: 750GB Serial ATA Drive

GPU: ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB memory

Display: 24-inch glossy widescreen LCD

Optical Drive: SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)

Apple Mighty Mouse

Apple Keyboard (English) + Mac OS X

iWork: Preinstalled

Aperture: None

Logic: None (getting Pro later)

Printer: Will my HP Inkjet on PC work? Uses USB.

.Mac: Not for now, later with the rest of the software.

Modem: None

Wireless: AirPort Extreme, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR

APP: AppleCare Protection Plan for iMac - Auto-enroll



For Software, I plan on purchasing Logic Pro, GarageBand Jam Packs, Final Cut Express 4 (why not, lol) and Photoshop Elements 4.0. Not at first, but later for personal reasons.



For my games, I plan to download demos of the games, and if they perform well, purchase them. If not, buy them for the Xbox 360 later. Oh, all for Windows XP, I'll use BootCamp.



Finally, a few last upgrade questions.



MIDI Keyboard. I'm okay at playing piano (hit quite a few wrong notes usually, etc), but I've been advised to get a MIDI Keyboard for my music. I looked at Apple's sites, and all of M-Audio's keyboards got good reviews. One has 49 keys, the other two has 29 keys, extra sound effects. For Logic and GarageBand (and to some extent, Anvil Studio for making MIDIs), which of the three seem best? Any other suggestions?



http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/canadastore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=AB3FC8C4&fnode=home/shop_mac/mac_accessories/music_creation&nplm=TN529ZM/A



http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPL...nplm=TL159LL/A



http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPL...nplm=TK609LL/A



Headphones. Well, I'll need good headphones for my musical needs. Audio Technica was advised, and they're good price it seems. I was looking for reviews, but couldn't find any. I like hearing individual sounds, but I also like high quality.



http://www.audio-technica.com/cgi-bin/product_search/headphones/headphones.pl?select_3=Studio Headphones



Microphone: I've been advised to get a Rhode NTG-1.

Memory Stick: Verbatim was, again, recommended.

Portable Hard Drive: Again, I was advised to get the G-Tech G-DRIVE Q 500GB Quad Interface Hard Drive.



http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/canadastore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=55EACFDD&fnode=home/shop_mac&nplm=TP971LL/A



Music Board. Do you think I should purchase one, or do you think it's not currently worth it?



Speakers. I was hoping my Logitech ones would work, but if they don't, these seem to be nice.



http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/canadastore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=36944758&fnode=home/shop_mac/mac_accessories/audio_speakers&nplm=TM097ZM/A





Thanks for your time. All I really would like is advice, if I’m on the right tracks for most things, and if there’s anything you disagree with.

splinemodel

Without going into too much detail, I think you're all set. If I were you, I'd put in the minimum amount of RAM and then buy 4GB from Other World Computing. I think they'll even give you a rebate if you sent them the modules that came with the iMac.



I'd also go for the 2.4GHz rather than the 2.8. It saves a bunch of money. If you buy a new computer at regular intervals (like every year or at most every two years), pocket the cash. Tomorrow will be faster than today, and the resale to some degree reflects that. The 2.4 is the best value for sure. With the money saved from the RAM and processor, you can buy a PS3 or XBox.

-nova-

Quote:

Originally Posted by Splinemodel


Without going into too much detail, I think you're all set. If I were you, I'd put in the minimum amount of RAM and then buy 4GB from Other World Computing. I think they'll even give you a rebate if you sent them the modules that came with the iMac.



I'd also go for the 2.4GHz rather than the 2.8. It saves a bunch of money. If you buy a new computer at regular intervals (like every year or at most every two years), pocket the cash. Tomorrow will be faster than today, and the resale to some degree reflects that. The 2.4 is the best value for sure. With the money saved from the RAM and processor, you can buy a PS3 or XBox.

Okay, I'll do that for the CPU. As for RAM, wow you're right. This is good, right?

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other.../53IM2DDR4GBK/



OR



3 GB because it comes with 1GB: http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other.../53IM2DDR3GBK/



That's saving $900 or so, if not more. Dude, thank you so much!



On a side note, is a TV Tuner worth purchasing from OWC while I'm at it?



Oh, and what Microphone, Headphones, and MIDI Keyboard do you recommend? Oh, and I forgot, Mouse! I heard the Mouse is unreliable, and I should get a different one. Logitech has some good gaming mouses, but I'm not sure they'll work with the Mac. Are mouses universal?

splinemodel

The mighty mouse is OK for some, not good for others. I like it, but I have oily skin that clogs up the ball too easily. Logitech has good mac drivers.



M-Audio makes great gear: enough said.



AT makes good gear: enough said.



Everything else on your list is great, too.



If you want a TV tuner, go for it, but watching TV on a computer is kind of silly. Get a used TV instead. When I used to do a lot of 3D modeling -- to be honest it has been a while since I've lived up to my screen name -- I used to do the tedious bits with a TV placed about a meter behind the computer Ever since then, I've oriented my desks so that I can watch TV and do rote work at the same time.



As for the RAM, I don't think the iMac has more than two slots, and I don't know if they need to be paired. OWC has a nice website that I'm sure will give you the lowdown. 3GB is probably fine. FYI: the OWC RAM is just OEM'ed Techworks product. OWC can save some cash on the sale price by doing the service & replacement themselves.



Good luck. I'm probably going to be buying an iMac in a few months as well. They are very good computers, and they are more than capable of doing pro work.

sequitur

Quote:

Originally Posted by Splinemodel


As for the RAM, I don't think the iMac has more than two slots, and I don't know if they need to be paired.

The following is from the Crucial site, but OWC RAM is less expensive - 4GB kit (2x 2 GB) = $99.00:



Memory upgrades for Apple iMac 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (24-inch)

4GB kit (2GBx2)

DDR2 PC2-5300

CT717419

* Maximum Memory: 4096MB

* USB Support: 2.x Compliant

* Standard Memory: 1024MB removable

* Slots: 2 (2 banks of 1)

*

Q: What memory goes into my computer

A: DDRII memory with support for DDR2 PC2-5300 speeds.



Q: How much memory can my computer handle?

A: 4096MB.

Adding the maximum amount of memory will improve performance and help extend the useful life of your system as you run increasingly demanding software applications in the future.



Q: Do I have to install matching pairs?

A: No.

No, you can install modules one at a time, and you can mix different densities of modules in your computer. But if your computer supports dual-channel memory configurations, you should install in identical pairs (preferably in kits) for optimal performance.



Q: Does my computer support dual-channel memory?

A: No.

Your system does not support dual channel.



Q: Does my computer support ECC memory?

A: No.

Your system does not support ECC. Because ECC and non-ECC modules should not be mixed within a system, install the same type of modules that are already in your system.

polvadis

Quote:

Originally Posted by sequitur




Q: Does my computer support dual-channel memory?

A: No.

Your system does not support dual channel.

I found this about a week ago when looking for more memory for my Core Duo iMac.

"All Intel Core Macs support dual channel memory access if matching modules are installed."



Here's the link:

http://guides.macrumors.com/Understanding_Intel_Mac_RAM

buddha

I would upgrade your Mouse, I use the Razer Pro 1.6. It's a great mouse but has some serious driver issues - most of which can be worked around or you can just use it without the drivers (that's what I'm doing).



http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPL...A&mco=56D19778



If you end up getting it and need the driver make sure you install the drivers from Razer's website. It's a very comfortable accurate mouse though.

-nova-

Thanks, looking into the mouse.



On a side note, some sites recommend waiting on purchasing a Mac right now, as they're "To be updated soon". Now, I don't usually listen to this rule, as if I was to do that, I'd be waiting for eternity of "To be updated soon" comments. However, it seems there's a Mac World event or something coming soon. Do you think I should wait till January or something then?

buddha

There's always a possibility but I think there's less than a 5% chance of you seeing any iMac updates for a few months. I guess it's possible with the new chips coming out, but very unlikely.