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Post by millstonebarn on Jul 27, 2010 14:51:45 GMT
intel quad core niceness. solid state drive options. you can easily double the price by adding extras! (processor upgrades, memory and disk.)
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gavin
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Post by gavin on Jul 28, 2010 18:31:12 GMT
Is it me or are these machines getting even more expensive vs. an equivalent PC? I totally get the whole Apple/nice design/package argument - I have a two year old iMac myself. However there comes a point where you have to consider performance per £££. In that regard these machines seem worse value than ever.
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Post by millstonebarn on Jul 28, 2010 18:40:40 GMT
I agree, really expensive. Even the new Mac mini is significantly higher cost too.
That 27" monitor is quite a draw though!
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gavin
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Post by gavin on Jul 28, 2010 18:44:44 GMT
It is indeed.
Out of interest, I just did a comparison on a 27" iMac with 8Gb of RAM and the Core i7. I went to the PCSpecialist website and specced as near as I could the same components (got pretty damn close) including a 28" LED backlit monitor. The iMac came to £1969 and the PCSpecialist was £1668. So £300 in it - which was less than I expected.
Adding all the extras like webcam, speakers, wireless keyboard and mouse certainly ramp up the cost.
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gavin
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Posts: 139
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Post by gavin on Jul 28, 2010 18:48:35 GMT
Being fair to Apple then, they do premium machines. If you can afford the prices then they are competitive in the market they operate in. However, if you want loads of power for under £1000 they fall way short of the mark.
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Post by Alex on Jul 28, 2010 23:22:08 GMT
Ahh.. It's a sad day when your ye olde 2008 20" iMac slips slowly further into the darkened cave of antiquities... Edit: I think I'll choose to upgrade my iMac in 2016. Seems like a good year, and by then this one might start slowing down and being unable to run things.
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Post by Forum Cat on Jul 28, 2010 23:26:41 GMT
It is indeed. Out of interest, I just did a comparison on a 27" iMac with 8Gb of RAM and the Core i7. I went to the PCSpecialist website and specced as near as I could the same components (got pretty damn close) including a 28" LED backlit monitor. The iMac came to £1969 and the PCSpecialist was £1668. So £300 in it - which was less than I expected. Adding all the extras like webcam, speakers, wireless keyboard and mouse certainly ramp up the cost. Hmm. iMacs have been pretty good value for a while. There has been no integrated computer to match it on price for quite some time. Tower based Mac Pros do tend to cost more than their tower based PC rivals though. On the mini computer space there are very few competitors. Last time I looked it was about a match for the only computer I could find which was the Dell Studio. In the laptop space it has tended to depend on where you were in the cycle. On release they were good value for money but by the end of the year they tended to look expensive because Apple don't discount the price when they get a bit long in the tooth. Out of interest did you comparison include Firewire Displayport Microphone Optical IN and optical OUT (often forgotten about) Copy of the OS on a disc One year free "Applecare" support and two white Apple stickers
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Post by Alex on Jul 29, 2010 0:00:10 GMT
^ Speakers Bluetooth IR Receiver with remote Keyboard and mouse Built in WiFi Webcam
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Post by Alex on Jul 29, 2010 0:01:11 GMT
And since when did iMacs have optical in/out? I'm certain mine doesn't... Edit: Just checked. It doesn't.
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Post by Alan on Jul 29, 2010 6:23:47 GMT
And since when did iMacs have optical in/out? I'm certain mine doesn't... Edit: Just checked. It doesn't. I bet it does. It uses the same jacks as the analogue audio in/out. Alan.
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gavin
Senior Member
Posts: 139
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Post by gavin on Jul 29, 2010 8:24:37 GMT
Ahh.. It's a sad day when your ye olde 2008 20" iMac slips slowly further into the darkened cave of antiquities... Lol, hardly. I'm just comparing the new Macs to the market they have arrived into.
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Post by Alex on Jul 29, 2010 11:50:37 GMT
And since when did iMacs have optical in/out? I'm certain mine doesn't... Edit: Just checked. It doesn't. I bet it does. It uses the same jacks as the analogue audio in/out. Alan. So how do I get the optical cable to plug in then? On the back of my surround sound box and Xbox there is a little red laser thing which you plug the optical cable into, and it converts it to a digital signal.
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Post by HeatherKay on Jul 29, 2010 14:01:17 GMT
So how do I get the optical cable to plug in then? On the back of my surround sound box and Xbox there is a little red laser thing which you plug the optical cable into, and it converts it to a digital signal. A good hifi store will sell you cables with adaptors to fit the 3.5mm socket. I use it here on my 2007 MacBook Pro for optical I/O goodness.
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Post by Alex on Jul 29, 2010 14:13:15 GMT
^Well I never knew that. Looks like my iMac's gonna be getting some 5.1 love!
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Post by Forum Cat on Aug 2, 2010 23:41:28 GMT
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