imac or pc+killer monitor

I'm fairly new to photography and I'm not a computer geek. My question is should I spend the money on an imac 24" maxed out (2500+$) Or should I go the pc route with more powerful hardware and a better monitor? I have a 50d and shoot raw. I am using LRII (haven't gotten to deep in the software world due to the need for hw upgrade). My current computer is a 3+ year old hp pavilion lap top with 1g ram, 80g hdd, 17in mon, centrino duo 1.6gh, and a nvidia gf 7600 gc. I plan on getting an external hdd to get me by space wise but one gig of ram is not cutting it. I plan on suffering through until windows 7 comes out and I here that apple announces new products in the fall (imacs, snow leopard osx..). I'm not into video editing (at least not yet)and games are for consoles but it would be nice to have the option for these apps. Basically I want a system that will allow me to run multiple programs without bogging down, last for at least five years, and has a monitor that will display as much of the rgb as possible for $2,500 +/-. The system I'm looking for is going to be used mainly for still photography (running LRII, cs4, and dpp at the same time).

thank you for any input.
jic2

*sigh* - there are a dozen or more threads on this very topic.

The ONLY reason to go with a Mac is because you love OS X ... same with the PC. If you don't care, then just go get a PC and save yourself (and us) a headache

If you love OS X then wait a month or two for the new iMac's which will drop in price and have (hopefully) better specs. Mac's cost more, so if you 'like' OS X but cannot afford it then there are options on easy ways to put OS X on your PC. It takes a little knowhow and putting a computer together yourself - again, pretty easy but def. hands on work.

That laptop is a bit outdated now...

If you have a 2500 budget, you can get yourself a great system, 1.1k on the computer (i7 920+6gb ram) and the other 1.4k on the monitor (EIZO and LaCie monitors are that price, as are the better NEC. you can also go for a 30" dell if you like overkill). It'll be as fast as the baseline mac pro (likely with a few better upgrades like video card, memory, and hdd space), and will smoke a iMac of any type. And you also get a monitor all in that price. You can also try your hands at getting two 22" dell 2209WFP (500-600 total) or even two 24" U2410 (about 1440 total) if dell releases them outside of japan sometime soon.

MaxxuM wrote in post #8521740
*sigh* - there are a dozen or more threads on this very topic.

Lots of great threads on the subject, but everyones needs are different


I can't see any reason to get an iMac, unless you have some irrational need to use OS-X.

A quad core desktop running Vista (and soon Windows 7) will be 2-5 times faster, just as stable, give you options for internal and external HDDs for back ups, and you get to choose your own monitor.

The iMac will look pretty, has a fixed, built in monitor known to have brightness issues on some examples, has a single, non-user upgradeable HDD and use's an out of date lap top based processor.

Moppie wrote in post #8522679
Lots of great threads on the subject, but everyones needs are different


I can't see any reason to get an iMac, unless you have some irrational need to use OS-X.

A quad core desktop running Vista (and soon Windows 7) will be 2-5 times faster, just as stable, give you options for internal and external HDDs for back ups, and you get to choose your own monitor.

The iMac will look pretty, has a fixed, built in monitor known to have brightness issues on some examples, has a single, non-user upgradeable HDD and use's an out of date lap top based processor.

+1 And thats coming from a MacPro user. If you are diehard about OSX, then get the Mac, simple as that. You can, on-the-otherhand, get the same power and what not from a desktop with Vista or Windows 7. An iMac, in my opinion after much deliberation, seems to be a glorified latptop. Once you purchase it, you cant do much in terms of hardware replacement or expansion. If you truly want the Mac machine to do it all, the MacPro is the way to go. Granted thats if you want/or need OSX. I cannot go back to Windows after using Mac, but thats just me. I find it more convenient using Mac. But there are better, and cheaper alternatives than the iMac. Have you thought about either a MacPro or MacbookPro with the display? You can get refurbished ones for $599 on Apple.

I bet you never would thought to hear a Mac user suggesting a PC in my entire rambling would you

The other option would be a second hand, last generation MacPro.
I have no idea what they are worth in the US, but a single quad core model with basic ram and HDD can be had for less than US$2,000 here. You could then add extra discs and RAM and your own monitor to have what would be a low end Quad Core today, but it will still have 2-3 times the performance of a new iMac.

IIRC a refurbished previous generation Mac Pro 8 core 2.8 GHz runs about $2200-2300 when available in the Apple Store.

wlescall wrote in post #8525155
IIRC a refurbished previous generation Mac Pro 8 core 2.8 GHz runs about $2200-2300 when available in the Apple Store.

Yea, that's the problem with mac pros, they just don't drop in price even after showing their age. Not many options left for the monitor that way.

iMac has been good to me, 24" screen is great. Now I just want a Macbook Pro to accompany it..

wlescall wrote in post #8525155
IIRC a refurbished previous generation Mac Pro 8 core 2.8 GHz runs about $2200-2300 when available in the Apple Store.

What about a 4 core?
Still heaps of performance, but should be a lot cheaper than an 8 core.

jic2 wrote in post #8521358
I'm fairly new to photography and I'm not a computer geek. My question is should I spend the money on an imac 24" maxed out (2500+$) Or should I go the pc route with more powerful hardware and a better monitor? I have a 50d and shoot raw. I am using LRII (haven't gotten to deep in the software world due to the need for hw upgrade). My current computer is a 3+ year old hp pavilion lap top with 1g ram, 80g hdd, 17in mon, centrino duo 1.6gh, and a nvidia gf 7600 gc. I plan on getting an external hdd to get me by space wise but one gig of ram is not cutting it. I plan on suffering through until windows 7 comes out and I here that apple announces new products in the fall (imacs, snow leopard osx..). I'm not into video editing (at least not yet)and games are for consoles but it would be nice to have the option for these apps. Basically I want a system that will allow me to run multiple programs without bogging down, last for at least five years, and has a monitor that will display as much of the rgb as possible for $2,500 +/-. The system I'm looking for is going to be used mainly for still photography (running LRII, cs4, and dpp at the same time).

thank you for any input.
jic2

Go for the Pc. Imac is approaching the end of the cycle as you already stated.

Thanks for the input. sorry It took so long for reply. had to deal with unfortunate business(death in family). I think I will go pc route and use the extra money on the most important thing a new lens. Thanks again.

jic2

I just had the same doubt.
Finally I decided for a good monitor + desktop PC spending around 1400€ for monitor and 800€ for pc.
After reading thousand of posts I restrictd the field as below:
- monitor: NEC SV 2690 or LaCie 526 or EIZO 241/243
- PC: Intel core I5, with Win7 (32 or 64?).

sfocato wrote in post #8825677
I just had the same doubt.
Finally I decided for a good monitor + desktop PC spending around 1400€ for monitor and 800€ for pc.
After reading thousand of posts I restrictd the field as below:
- monitor: NEC SV 2690 or LaCie 526 or EIZO 241/243
- PC: Intel core I5, with Win7 (32 or 64?).

You can also go cheaper for the monitor, so far the U2410 has stellar reviews.

Core i5 + 7 64bit sounds good, just make sure to get 8gb ram. If you can spend a bit more on the desktop and a bit less on the monitor, I would highly suggest swapping the i5 for an i7 860, you'll get a large increase in speed. And best of all, i7 860 is pin for pin compatible with the i5, so it's usually offered as an upgrade, or you can just keep the motherboard and order a better chip

Basroil,
I really appreciate your post. At office I am using a Dell 24 TN and I did not know the model you said. I read some review and it seems a good monitor (IPS panel based). It sound very "strange" the price. Here 549€ including VAT and shipment! So 1/3 of my budget. I am surprise. Do you think this monitor will be enough for me? I mean: is it comparable to LaCie 526 or NEC SV Reference 2690 or others in the normal "photo editing" use?
Does it have hte possibility of hardware calibration? Do you own it?

And abot PC: I also read about i5 750 vs i7 860 but i7 860 here costs a lot: more than i7 920 so my opinion, as you said was to stars with i5 750 and maybe switch to i7 860 in future without change mobo. Otherwise to start with i7 920 (different socket) to switch to other i7 so the doubt is between i5 750 and i7 920. Here on forum I read a lot of guys have i7 920. Is it maybe better for our purposes?
Finally do you suggest to buy a complete system ex. dell sell good config i5 and i7 based (but I do not know abuot mobo type, ram brand, HDD, grafic card) or to put together the pc myself?

Thanks to you and other guys that can help me