New iMacs are pretty slick

[Buschmaster]

I thought we were getting this back on track to talk about the iMac and not comparable PC's.

I will either get the current generations 27" or the previous generations 24", it just depends on the discount that they'll end up giving on the last generation. Either way I'll be using a magic mouse, though!

[flippedgazelle]

Originally Posted by Gooshin

Mac's are a nice package that you buy and forget about it, the proverbial "auto mode", it works and you're happy

except that the PC world still offers much greater potential if you're willing to go far enough.

And that's fine. It may not be what you want, or what I want, or what p0opstlnksal0t wants, but the new iMacs look to fulfill their intended market admirably.

[flippedgazelle]

Originally Posted by Buschmaster

I thought we were getting this back on track to talk about the iMac and not comparable PC's.

I will either get the current generations 27" or the previous generations 24", it just depends on the discount that they'll end up giving on the last generation. Either way I'll be using a magic mouse, though!

I think what some of us (or at least me!) are doing is trying to see where the new iMacs fit in terms of value, and the only way to do that is to compare components with PCs.

It will be interesting to see how the magic mouse pans out; I like tactile feedback from clicks.

[Gooshin]

Originally Posted by flippedgazelle

And that's fine. It may not be what you want, or what I want, or what p0opstlnksal0t wants, but the new iMacs look to fulfill their intended market admirably.

you dont know what fast is until you go fast

most PC users are just as clueless as the Mac users though, so really it doesnt matter.

but for 4000 dollars i could build a nice PC

and also another thinga bout the monitor.. i dont always need to buy a new monitor, it is a separate investment.

[p0opstlnksal0t]

id definately say that value and mac do not go hand in hand...

[Gooshin]

here is a PC that will be pretty much identical to the imac sans monitor

lets go nuts with the case:

150$
Canada Computers - Cases > Mid Towers : Antec P183 Advanced Super Mid Tower Case.

case cooling:

15-30$ bunch of fans for the above case, take your pick
Canada Computers - Your Neighbourhood Computer Store and Service Centre - PC Systems and Hardware Components, Notebooks, Electronics, and more.


okay now for the core bits

mobo:

something simple that gets the job done, meaning it fits the i7 chip, 16 gigs of ram, enough USB ports to build a pyramid, and enough fan and HD connectors to do the same and more than a mac.

140$
Canada Computers - Motherboards > Socket LGA1156 : Asus P7P55D LE Socket 1156 Intel P55 Chipset CrossfireX Dual-Channel DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1600/1333/1066Mhz GigaLAN 8-Ch HD Audio 2 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 Slots 6x SATA + 1x eSATA 3Gb/s 14x USB 2.0 ATX.

chip:

the 2.8ghz i7 , 350$
Canada Computers - CPU > Desktop Intel Processors : Intel Core i7 860 Quad-Core Socket LGA1156, 2.80Ghz, 8MB L3 Cache, 45nm (Retail Boxed) (BX80605I7860).

chip cooler: (increases the longevity of your system, and provides for greater overlocking ability.. this is already something a Mac will never see)

30$
Canada Computers - Cooling > CPU Cooling : Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 130W TDP for Intel Socket Core i9/i7/775 & AMD AM3/AM2+/AM2/939.

Memory:

like said before, the 1066hz sticks that Apple offers are pretty basic by todays standards, if you want to emulate what apple does, you can go with something pricier.

600$ for 16 gigs from kingston (and this is actually a bit faster than 1066)

Canada Computers - Memory > Desktop Memory > DDR3 1333 PC3-10666+ : Kingston ValueRAM 8GB (2x4GB) 1333MHz DDR3 ECC Reg w/Par CL9 DIMM (Kit of 2) DR, x4 w/TS (Intel) (KVR1333D3D4R9SK2/8GI).

Video Card

here is the 4850 thats in your might iMac..

140$
Canada Computers - Video Cards > PCI-Express Cards > Powered By ATI : Asus EAH4850 TOP/HTDI/512M ATI Radeon HD 4850 Chipset (680MHz ) 512MB (2100Mhz) DDR3 Dual Dual-Link DVI Display PCI-Express 2.0 Graphics Card.


Hard Drive:

personaly i would go with smaller drives in raid (if i had the money to waste), but a single high capacity drive does the job well enough...

here are your 2TB's at 32mb/s and standard 7200 rpm

230$
Canada Computers - Hard Drives > Desktop Drives > 3.5" SATA Drives : Seagate Barracuda LP (ST32000542AS) 5900.12 SATA 3GB/s 2000GB (2TB) 32MB Cache (OEM).


well, we're done, add another 5 bucks for CPU sealant putty and a case of beer for the friend who is going to help you build this thing.

lets add up the costs,

roughly 1700 canadian dollars for me to build this system TODAY (as in i can leave my work right now and buy all these components)

this "system" will perform at the same benchmark levels as the 3800 USD iMac you guys are talking about.

and dont give me that crap about the OS, because yours should be transferable, so if you already have a Mac why should you pay for another copy of your OS?

same goes for all the other system softs.

not to mention with the head sized CPU fan and 2 axuillary case fans, the longevity of my system goes into infinity..

should anything fail, i dont need to go to an Apple store with a sad look on my face, i pop open the case and replace what i need.

and with the extra 2000 dollars in my pocket, i can go ahead and buy myself an Ezio monitor that would blow yours out of the water.

good day sirs.

[Gooshin]

also i would like to add...

that in MY current position, i could reuse the case, fans, and power supply, along with the HD and DVD drive, so i can save myself another 300 bucks not buying those things

and all of the compnents currently inside my system, including the video card, could fetch me anywhere between 250 and 400 dollars depending on how willing the buyer will be

so all of a sudden an "upgrade" for me will be a mere 1000 dollars to a 3 year old system.

[flippedgazelle]

Originally Posted by Gooshin

here is a PC that will be pretty much identical to the imac sans monitor


roughly 1700 canadian dollars for me to build this system TODAY (as in i can leave my work right now and buy all these components)

this "system" will perform at the same benchmark levels as the 3800 USD iMac you guys are talking about.

and dont give me that crap about the OS, because yours should be transferable, so if you already have a Mac why should you pay for another copy of your OS?

same goes for all the other system softs.

not to mention with the head sized CPU fan and 2 axuillary case fans, the longevity of my system goes into infinity..

should anything fail, i dont need to go to an Apple store with a sad look on my face, i pop open the case and replace what i need.

and with the extra 2000 dollars in my pocket, i can go ahead and buy myself an Ezio monitor that would blow yours out of the water.

good day sirs.

Yet, in your "analysis" you still state the cost of "your" PC as $1700, and the iMac as $3800, even though the iMac includes the monitor. Makes no sense.

What ever Eizo you're having a wet dream about is not going to be that much better than the iMac display. Plenty of pros use Cinema displays with no complaints.

The iMac is quieter and more stylish. You pay for that. The PC you've described is a different animal altogether. It's louder, less elegant and takes up more room. It's also more upgradeable and more "future-proof", and of course potentially more powerful.

[Gooshin]

Originally Posted by flippedgazelle

Yet, in your "analysis" you still state the cost of "your" PC as $1700, and the iMac as $3800, even though the iMac includes the monitor. Makes no sense.

What ever Eizo you're having a wet dream about is not going to be that much better than the iMac display. Plenty of pros use Cinema displays with no complaints.

The iMac is quieter and more stylish. You pay for that. The PC you've described is a different animal altogether. It's louder, less elegant and takes up more room. It's also more upgradeable and more "future-proof", and of course potentially more powerful.

actually with the 4850 video card and no plans to overclock you could potential forgoe all those fans i mentioned, in which case the only thing making noise is going to be the harddrive :/

[p0opstlnksal0t]

it really is pointless doing the pc vs mac go around, lol... most of the time the arguments fall upon deaf ears on both sides.

[Gooshin]

i just want the MAC guys to admit that they are paying a premium for their hardware.

[séamuis]

Originally Posted by Gooshin

i just want the MAC guys to admit that they are paying a premium for their hardware.

you wont have a problem with that. they know they are. and they feel its justified.

[Gooshin]

Originally Posted by séamuis

you wont have a problem with that. they know they are. and they feel its justified.

how many movie editors in this room, raise your hand?

[lithos]

Originally Posted by Gooshin

actually with the 4850 video card and no plans to overclock you could potential forgoe all those fans i mentioned, in which case the only thing making noise is going to be the harddrive :/

There's water cooling, too. Vapor phase chill, as well. Dry ice.

Or you could man up and submerge the whole thing into liquid N2. Probably still work out cheaper than a mac. And you could chill that slab of beer for your mate in about .004 seconds with it.

And you won't end up with a slot-loading optical drive, either. Or, as they're technically known, Disk Scratching Devices. Granted, tray-loading drives don't have the highly sought-after ability to leave your disk inaccessible in the event of a power failure, which is important to Apple users.

And if your monitor goes dead on a PC, then you don't get the joy of dragging the whole thing in for service. Instead, you only have to take the monitor in, which leaves you with a still-functioning non-convergent tower you can still use. Drat.

Oh, and if you want a big, decent monitor, there's always this. Dunno if it's IPS, but at 42" you can't really complain.

[Buschmaster]

Originally Posted by flippedgazelle

I think what some of us (or at least me!) are doing is trying to see where the new iMacs fit in terms of value, and the only way to do that is to compare components with PCs.

It will be interesting to see how the magic mouse pans out; I like tactile feedback from clicks.

As far as I can tell, it still clicks, but it has a multi-touch surface above it all

Originally Posted by séamuis

you wont have a problem with that. they know they are. and they feel its justified.

Sure do! Mostly just because of OS X, but also partially due to how it all looks and feels.