iMac Purchasing Advice

caliminiuscaliminius
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
I am soon going to take the plunge into Mac ownership with the purchase of a 20" iMac. I was wondering if it was worth it to upgrade the video ram from the standard 128MB to 256MB. Under what circumstances would this upgrade benefit me? Or am I better off saving my money?



Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 7
    galleygalley Posts: 971member
    I would say you would benefit if you were a gamer, but no so much otherwise.
  • Reply 2 of 7
    pbpb Posts: 4,255member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Galley


    I would say you would benefit if you were a gamer, but no so much otherwise.



    There is always benefit from that. One is longevity of the machine. The other one is mainly for "power" users. That is for users that have the habit or the need to have many applications open and/or running at the same time. Now terminal applications take minimal VRAM, if at all, but all the others (99.9% for the average user) need VRAM to draw windows and UI elements. So, the more the VRAM the better the overall experience in the UI level (reactivity of the graphics subsystem) under heavy graphics load (many windows open or applications hogging VRAM). But you won't notice a difference between a 128 MB and a 256 MB system under light graphics load.
  • Reply 3 of 7
    caliminiuscaliminius Posts: 944member
    Well, I was hoping to do some gaming, at least try out World of Warcraft. I haven't been much of a computer gamer for quite some time considering my Wintel box is approaching 7 years old and hasn't met the minimum requirements for most games for more than half its life (playing Freecell seems sluggish at times).



    I was also planning on getting into some light desktop publishing with Adobe software if/when I can afford to buy it. Nothing professional, just personal projects.
  • Reply 4 of 7
    sthiedesthiede Posts: 307member
    you should be fine with 128. WoW works even on the MacBook's 64MB integrated graphics so you should be fine there. Also im pretty sure most of the Adobe stuff relies more on processor power (which will DEFINETLY not be a problem) instead of graphics power. your going to love your new iMac
  • Reply 5 of 7
    lundylundy Posts: 4,466member
    Leopard is only going to use even more VRAM than Tiger, so if the $75 extra isn't a huge problem for you, I'd get it. Even though you probably won't perceive the difference, if Core Animation takes off and a lot of apps start using it, you might be ahead of the game.
  • Reply 6 of 7
    ricksbrainricksbrain Posts: 517member
    I am of the mind to buy as much as you can afford, if you're the type to hold on to things. I keep my macs a long time and this has worked out for me. If you like to upgrade fairly often (coupla'/three years), buy for your needs.
  • Reply 7 of 7
    oldcodger73oldcodger73 Posts: 707member
    Another possible reason to upgrade the VRAM is if at some point you plan on going to a dual monitor setup.



    Another thing to consider is where you plan to buy your iMac. I think, but I could be wrong, that the only way to get the upgraded VRAM is through the on-line Apple Store as a build-to-order. If you live in a sales tax state and was planning on ordering from one of the on-line authorized Apple dealers, the upgraded VRAM option isn't open to you
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