Review: Apple 24-inch iMac (aluminum) - Page 4

Correct me if I'm wrong (I've been a Mac user for @ 5 years) , but didn't Mac gain its early reputation for being THE go to computer for GRAPHICS? What happened along the line? Is the ball in the PC court now (rhetorical)?
A travesty and a tragedy!

Define a "good graphics card...for 3D applications." Does this school have the very latest and greatest versions of 3d software? I've run Maya 8.5 PLE on my iMac for the last month and have been fairly impressed. Blown away? No. But it works as good as a three year old HP Xeon machine I have at work. And that was an expensive machine in it's day.

It may not be fair but GPUs these days are simply judged by their ability or inability to play games. If the frame rate for <insert game title> is below 60 frames/sec the the card sucks.

Macs are still the best machines for Graphic design, video etc. Including the iMac. IMO.

The graphics cards are also plenty for 3D architectural/design etc... but I don't know of the Mac being any better than PCs for this (anyone?). I'd guess the apps are more on PCs, which isn't fixed by a bigger graphics card since the hardware is plenty... it's an OSX byproduct.

What they are not the best for is 3D games - since they don't come with the best 3D gaming cards. IMO.

$150 for a 7300gt is rip off any way you look at it for that price you should at least get a dual dual link card with 256 of ram.

It's not that they need to include a 8800GTX.

Their last gpu on the 'white' iMac sucked. There was uproard. So they quickly issued the rather decent at the time, 7600GT.

If they'd have gone iwth the 8600GT this time? I'd have bought one.

Why no uproar this time? I don't know. But I suggest we all put the boot in on Apple's suggestion box on their site.

The gpu update is basically 2600 Pro. It's lame. They could have at least gone iwth the XT variant.

You go upto a 2.8 extreme cpu, a 1 terrabyte hd...but can't have a 'high-mainstream' card? eg 8600GT? It's not like the other components won't get 'warm'. Shakes head. Great cpu option. But you'd need a great gpu option to make it shine.

Shakes head. What happened? Ati is late to market and offered Apple a good deal. It's not the 1st time Apple has 'side graded' a machine. The mini mac got it on the transition to Intel. And the Macbooks.

Apple. Just offer a choice. How can you have no choice? HOW can you have the same gpu on all iMacs from £900-£1400? Oh. I have a choice of 2600 Pro...or...or...scratches...looks down list of options.

Poor. Very, very poor. Because the iMac is superb in every other aspect. The 24 incher is flat, out gorgeous. If I could get a 8600GT in there with a 2.8? I'd have bought one by now. Guess what? I'm waiting. AGAIN.

The thing is...the 24 inch iMac is pushing around way more pixels than the 20 inch version. IT NEEDS a more powerful GPU to run in it's native resolution.

And the crap gaming performance? Partly 2600Pro. Lame compared to 2600xt. See Tomshardware for comparative gpu table. Partly? Shocking AMD/Apple drivers. Go to barefeats and see gaming performance in Vista to Tiger. Shocking. Just shocking. 6 times slower in some instances.

Leopard better address this.

Lemon Bon Bon.

This might not be the right thread for this question: however, there have been quite a few comments about the iMacs glossy screen in this thread.

Not too long ago, a member of AI commented on a company that sells matte films that are cut to size for different displays.
I believe the film for the 24" iMac sold for about $30. That's the good news. The bad news is that I didn't bookmark the site. and now I can't recall the company name.

I tried AI search, but it didn't help. If you wrote the comment or if anyone remembers it, please post the info.
Thanks

Yes, I just found the link after a bit of searching through my folders.....
Anti-glare, non-glare, anti-reflective (whatever) at a place called PhotoDon.

http://www.photodon.com/lcdprotect-sheet.htm#buynow

Hope this works and helps. If you get it and it really does help, post back and let us know.

How about a replacement for the glass? I think it's held in place with magnets. If I buy one of these, I would prefer to have a drop-in replacement that has the special optical antiglare coatings than apply a film. I wouldn't even know what that would cost, but I think it's worth a premium over the add-on films.

Graphics are a niche market and while you're right that it gained early reputation as the go to computer for graphics, Apple is outgrowing any one niche. An iMac ill-suited for graphics work is a healthy sign of Apple's wider success.

I know I may just be a cat, but that's insane.

Any savings from buying an iMac would be undermined by the elephantine cost of replacing such a central component. And it would be a mess.

The iMac is a nice economical, elegant all in one computer.

If you hate the screen, it makes much more sense to spend the money on an alternative model and a screen of your choice. But yanking out the glass panel from an iMac and replacing it with what... a frosted shower curtain...

Thanks, Bruce. That's the site I was looking for. BUT, I'm holding out until January in hopes that there will be a mini tower. I know, I know, I'm deluding myself, but I'm giving myself that leeway. If my G4 holds out until then and there's still no mini tower, I'll have to make a decision: Either an iMac because I need two screens, (so I can't use a Mini) or one of Vinea's DIY mini towers if that materializes.
Just in case I have to go iMac, I'm listing details of what I will need: anti-glare film; memory; etc.

I recognize that some AI members think it's crazy to want a mini tower, but for those who need one, it's not crazy. For example, how could I use a TV tuner or other cards if I needed one?

That would probably kill the warranty and might create other problems. I wouldn't attempt it and where would I go to get it done correctly and at what cost? I love my G4 tower - pull the ring and have the guts right where I can add memory, a secondary HDD, a USB 2 card, or any after market card or item. I feel that Apple is retreating rather than forging ahead. They are going from making it easy to making it nigh on impossible for someone like me with limited tech experience. Apple is making us take what they want to give us or scr_w you, Jack. Just another example of Apple's arrogance.

Edit: I think Apple is so arrogant that it believes that because we like OS X, that we will stand for anything they choose to throw at us or we'll mortgage the house and go for a work station. The Apple powers that be think (or know) they have us by the short hairs and we'll keep kowtowing no matter what. I wonder if they're not snickering up there in their ivory towers.

I don't really understand the cat expression, it reads like a reference to some cultural thing I've never seen.

Frosted is not the only anti-glare surface, I happen to think it's probably the worst way to do it.

Take a look at the teardown pictures available, maybe at Kodawarisan. The glass sheet is not a central component, nor would it be a mess to swap. It comes right off from the outside, and it looks like it is mostly held in with magnets.

The problem with it is that there really is no alternative model. I really don't like the frosted or glossy cover on LCD screens when there are superior optical surfaces available that are neither frosted nor glossy. I have a few CRTs that have a better surface than either and I'm disappointed that no one has repeated it for LCDs, I would actually consider an iMac if the drop-in replacement glass was available. The screen would be largely devoid of reflected and diffuse light.

I too think it's unfortunate that the current towers have such a premium.

I'm using a TV tuner stick for TV. It's not necessary to use an entire slot for something that's now only a little larger than a USB flash drive.

Thanks for pointing that out. I'm adding the USB TV tuner to my list IF I have to buy an iMac.

OK, I really am laughing out loud about the "frosted shower curtain"
. . . Can it be the kind with cartoon characters? ... What about the mildew factor though?...

But seriously, I am totally with Sequitur and the many others who prefer no-glare, anti-reflective lcd. I mean, the screen is my primary User Interface with the computer. And it should be designed to work for me, not force me to train myself to ignore the reflections (as some have reported), or to have to angle it and sit very carefully to avoid the large white windows/lights in my work environments.

I know, I have tried with a brand new MacBook, which uses pretty much the same kind of very reflective lcd screen as the new iMac. To me, in my opinion, it has too much reflection.

I just wish Apple would provide the iMac Aluminum option for matte/non-glare, the same way they currently provide for buyers of the MacBook Pro.
I have posted Apple Feedback : Please provide non-glare, anti-reflective screen option. Hope they listen.

I was saving my pennies for the new AlumiMac, but after trying out several in both Apple and general computer stores, and being able to compare Aluminum Glossy vs White Intel non-reflective iMacs in same store, I decide to wait for better option.

While I was in one of the stores, a lady came in to buy the Aluminum iMac, complained about the reflection, and the Apple rep there said, "Well, they still have stock on the white iMac with non-glare screen." Which she promptly bought.

Funny, I was just thinking about the design... Last white iMac had non-glare screen with shiny reflective white casing. New iMac has very glare-reflective screen, with non-reflective aluminum casing. Where is the sense in that?

For what it's worth, I'm using one with a Mac Pro. I also used it with a MacBook Pro for a bit.