I bought the new iMac

[swhitset]

In the past year my primary machine has become my Macbook Pro.  The 800 Mhz G4 imac sitting on my desk has been used less and less.  I have been delaying its replacement simply because I love the design.  I have finally decided to let it go.  I bought the new 2.4 ghz 20" iMac and so far, I am loving it.  I am currently trying to get the old 800 mhz g4 ready to list on ebay. It appears that it may still have a value somewhere around $300.00.  I currently have the drive doing an 8x overwrite of random data on the 60GB drive.  It appears it is going to take a VERY long time  

The new keyboard on this iMac is taking a little getting used to because of its low profile, but it sure looks nice. I didn't think I would like the glossy screen, but in fact it looks beautiful.  The colors are extremely vivid.  As far as speed is concerned, I transcoded the same DVD Video_TS  folder to Apple TV format using Visual Hub on the new iMac and the Macbook Pro.  The Macbook Pro is a 2.0 ghz Core Duo, While the new iMac has a 2.4ghz Core 2 Duo.  The Macbook Pro did it in 2 hrs. and 36 min.  The new iMac did it in 1 hr. and 35 Min.  While this is a pretty significant speed increase, It doesn't really feel any different in normal day to day web surfing etc..  However, it feels much faster than the old 800mhz G4.  Just for the heck of it I tried the video conversion on the old G4 and Visual Hub reported that it was going to take 26 hours.  The estimated time was still going up when I killed the process.

I guess this topic became tech related too so feel free to move it if you wish...  (still not sure I like the separate forums... oh well).

Steve

[sandbox]

That is a significant speed bump Steve, 40% bump in speed with a 20% increase in processing power, if I did the math right!

I find that in some instances my eMac is faster than my iBook though the iBook has a faster processor. I never looked into why, though I took notice of that fact from the start.

I'm up in the air on shiny screens, I use a Toshiba notebook with one and sometimes it has it's advantages, in brighter light, but I can't say it's a total improvement.

iMoved the thread, though I guess it could go either way, but since it was Mac specific, hardware, purchase, comparative analysis, I made a judgment call.

Good luck at eBay!

[swhitset]

Your math is right.... but remember the iMac is not just rated at a higher frequency, but also has a Core 2 duo processor while the Macbook Pro has the original Core duo.  There should be some additional improvement attributed to the next gen. processor.  However, as I said above, unless you are doing some very processor intensive tasks (like video compression)  you probably will never notice the difference.  I think we are at a point where any modern processor rated at normal speeds is capable of performing the most common computer tasks such as email, web surfing, word processing etc... without a hiccup.

Steve

[danf63]

Congratulations! Enjoy it and let us know how it runs!

Dan

[Gregg]

How's it look on the desk?

That is/was a big concern for me. Our computer desk is a rolltop. I'm afraid by the time I'm ready to retire my old G3, Apple won't make anything that will fit. Not that we close the tambour that often... maybe once a year! But, they killed the 17" model this time. What's next? :nailbite:

[jepinto]

LEADER

[swhitset]

Well it is somewhat large on the desk, but for me it was an improvement, because I always had my Macbook pro sitting in front of the keyboard for the old iMac.  With this new one I don't really need to use the laptop at the desk anymore, so I actually have more room.  I have my doubts as to whether you could fit this on a rolltop due to its height.  My dad's wife uses a rolltop desk, but also has a small computer cart next to it that she has an eMac on...

In other news.... the 8X  overwrite of random data on the old G4, which I started yesterday, just before my first post... is about one third of the way finished  

Steve

[Gregg]

My son has the now "old" 20" iMac. Before he moved out, I set it on the desk. It did not fit under the top of the monitor "compartment" but sat just in front of it, with enough room to close the tambour. As far as I can determine, the dimensions have not changed.