21.5inch iMac vs dual screen pc

[challis349]

Hey guys, off topic here, but I know a lot of you guys are interested in pc's etc...

So I am curious, for around a grand ish, you can buy the base model iMac, 21.5inch, i5 processor, 512mb graphics, 4gb ram and 500gb hard drive, add another 50 quid to bump the ram to 8gb, for £1050 all together.

Now, for the same price, on a windows pc, I could build one, with i5 processor, nvidia gtx 1gb graphics, 256gb SSD hard drive, 2tb storage hard drive, 16gb ram, and either one 24 inch or dual 19inch screens.

What's your opinion on this? Is the iMac worth the extra. I know ultimately this decision is mine lol, but curious of what you guys think


Kev

[Vikki]

All I can say is I love my Mac.

Personal preference only.

[Paulo uk]

get the mac and save for the extra monitor. The bottom line is the pc will give you more issues and last about half as long as the mac (que the flaming! LOL)


Paul

[challis349]

I have asked a few members already, so don't think I'm not listening lol, just like opinions.



Thanks

[Vikki]

Just upgraded my OS to Mountain Lion for £13.99 :D

[danch]

My first iMac lasted 4 years, only sold as I wanted the newer alu version, my old one is still going strong 7 years later.

I've had my 24" iMac now for going on 4 years, maxed the ram straight away & have not found a need to upgrade yet, runs Phoenix (using parallels) without issue

Can say anymore it's just a great machine, I use it to store 12'000 photos, video edit using iMovie & have 3500 songs in iTunes

To me it's a great all round machine

Also it depends on what you want to get out of it ;)

Dan

[Si Goodchild]

Mac all the way for me. If you want a bigger screen then save a few more pennies and go for the 27 inch version or take a look at the Mac Mini and add your own monitor(s)

[trexamanic]

i bought the 27 and it is aweesome picture quality. phoenix is something else on it :smile:

[Stanley Speel]

Edit: I just read your first post in more detail. out of the two the windows PC looks like a much better deal with the 24" monitor. Also it is now very easy to run OSX on a windows (intel only I think ) PC with VMware, and it runs pretty smooth even on my laptop which isn't the greatest spec.

[miniadventure]

If you want a computer that you can play the new top end games and upgrade easily then the PC will be the best option. If you want to play occasional games and run phoenix then the Imac would be the best option.

The imac would hold its value far greter than a PC and it looks far better also.

I have built all my own gaming PC's over the years but would personally go with an imac now

[RcRotaryMadness]

I'd go with a PC myself... You can get a better spec PC for the money as your not tied into the Apple brand which although are good they are overpriced imo.

Future upgrades are easy to do also..

You can get good quality HD 24" monitors pretty much anywhere these days..


All boils down to how much you want to spend and for what spec. A computer is a computer in my eyes - as long as it doesnt look an eye-sore than I think "Style" is low on the list.

[Ruston]

I've got the 21.5 inch iMac and think it's the best £1000 I've ever spent. The main advantage of the Mac is that it just works straight out of the box. No messing with configuration, etc. just had a new PC at work and it's blue screened about 4 times already. It's all personal preference but having had a Mac I would never consider a PC again.

[trillian]

I have always had PCs and still have some that are 10 years old (slow by todays standards but still working fine and OK for less demanding stuff).

I just ordered a new one that should be here Friday. i5 Ivy Bridge, Asus P8Z77,8GB Ram, MSI graphics card, 120GB SSD system drive, 1TB storage drive, Win 7 professional, 750 watt PSU and a slightly OTT gaming case. It came to almost exactly a grand but could have been cheaper if I built it myself or went with a less expensive case, used win XP I already have, etc.. I can easily upgrade the graphics card if I need to (I doubt I will as it should be fine for what I do). I could add another drive and do a RAID setup. if anything ever breaks it's easy to fix.

[challis349]

I should add, it will be used for a small amount of gaming, but mainly photoshop, illustrator, general graphic design programs and photo editing really, plus general work for accounts etc.....

[jimmyhorns]

It pains me to say it, but if its mostly going to be used for adobe work, you are probably better off with the Mac. Its a plug and play solution.

The limitations come if you want to do more, or you make the wrong choice on screen size.

I have a dual screen pc setup, 24inch and 19 inch, with the 24 inch on a desk bracket that lets me rotate through 360 degrees.

I do a moderate amount of photoshop/LR work, and have a setup that out-performs the entry level macs, even though its probably 5 years old now, which if I had of paid for it would have cost me significantly less than the entry level.

If you are going for the Mac, I would definitely save up for the 27 inch. Anything else is just too small.