Moppie wrote in post #13117464
The Mac Mini can now be spec'd pretty much the same as the Mac Books, but with the advantage of having room for a second HDD.
How is the iMac not a proper desktop?
Integrated Screen: When it gets out dated you have to throw everything away and start again.
You can't upgrade the screen, or the computer with our replacing both.
Inaccessible CPU: No chance of ever upgrading it. Ok if you buy an i7 version, there is likely to be little need to upgrade. But if you start with an i3, then buy a high end resolution camera and discover you need more power, you have to start again with a new computer.
Limited HDD capacity that is inaccessible: A proper current generation desktop will have capacity for 6+ Hard drives. I run 5 in my computer.
You can also get easy access to the drives for replacement or upgrade to a larger capacity.
The iMac has room for only 2 drives, both require removal of the screen to get to them. It's not something that can be done quickly and easily, and is not recommended if your not a tech.
I can get to all of mine with out turning the computer off.
Noise and heat: The ultra slim design looks pretty, but is really bad for air flow.
I don't know if you've ever heard an iMac at full noise, but they do not sound as good as they look. My black box might not look as pretty, but it's VERY quite.
It also runs very cool, and heat is the enemy of electronics.
Those are the big things that really matter, but the in ability to access and swap internal components is also important.
I use my computer to make a living, it's built from very high end, expensive and high quality parts, but, Murphy's law, things do fail.
My graphics card is currently sitting on my desk, but I'm able to keep working because I took a spare one out of an old computer.
I'm limited to one working monitor, but I can do what I need and my customers have no idea anything is wrong.
An iMac will last long enough at current specs, the only people who have a problem with this is people who want to upgrade every year.
The cooling thing, is a nonissue. Have you ever used an iMac? Mine has NEVER turned it's fans to an audible level under the heaviest of load. (3D gaming, heavy photo editing, sometimes both at the same time. Listening to Music, with a few apps running in the background) I have heard the fans full blast, and I can HONESTLY tell you that they are quieter than the fans in my fathers gaming PC and my iMac runs about the same temps. Plus or minus a few degrees.
I will agree with you on the hard drive, though the disassembly really isn't that difficult. The 1 TB of hard drive space is more than enough for most people, and with the thunderbolt port, USB ports, and firewire ports it becomes a nonissue. Sure, externals are inconvenient, but most photographers are using them for backup anyway - why not use them for storage too? That being said, I don't feel most users will fill their hard drive before it fails anyway.
I will also give you the screen and cpu, but at the same time I have an issue with your opinion about it. People throw away stuff too often - current generation processors will be fast enough for most people for at least the next 10 years. I have a machine with an 800mhz pentium3 that still functions, and is still fast enough to run current generation software. The screen in the iMac will probably outlast the machine, and you're right you have to replace it when you upgrade, but you have to remember that the iMac will last a long time and that it does not NEED to be replaced that often. Most PC users will replace their monitors in the time that it takes to replace one iMac that NEEDS to be replaced. (Simply because a newer, better, higher resolution, monitor will be on the market in the 5-6 years that an iMac will last)
The iMac is a perfectly acceptable desktop for someone who can understand that newer isn't something you NEED to have. You like PCs, thats great - but at the same time you need to understand that someone might not have the same opinion as you about a product, and just because you have an opinion about a product doesn't mean that your opinion is the only right one.
I can understand why someone might want a PC that they can upgrade. But at the same time I also understand that when a new generation of processor comes out, your PC motherboard probably won't support it. You will need to change that and your processor, which will be very expensive and labor intensive. Simply because you wanted something that was newer. I have been there, I built my own computer, I have dealt with the problems that come up with windows, and the problems that come up when you mix components that don't like to work together. Trust me, I understand why you would want to do it as well - you need to understand why someone would be interested in a system like an iMac. Don't just trash it as an improper desktop, when it clearly is a perfectly functional desktop computer. A desktop computer that I don't mind putting on my desk at that.
Just because something isn't conventional, doesn't mean it's a bad option.
