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I'm setting up a composing/recording setup for home. It;ll be built around Digital Performer mkokst likely, and I'll be using a lot of virtual instruments. I can get a good deal on slightly used core duo 2.16 imacs now ($1k for a 20" or $1300 for a 24") or I'm wondering if I should wait for the new generation that will be out in a few months.

Can the current ones give me the horsepower I need, or should I wait? Thoughts? Thanks all!

The iMacs seem to deliver more bang for buck than the Mac Minis or even some of the PowerMacs, so you are essentially getting a good deal on the iMac series no matter whether you wait or not.

I think the bigger issue is whether you CAN wait. If so, you should, for the simple reason that the iMacs will ship with Leopard pre-installed, vs. you having to shell out $150 for the Leopard upgrade just a few months after buying your new iMac.

As for the 24" iMac, it's quite heavy, and may not be portable. I was afraid to try very hard in the store, but it didn't seem to want to lift very easily. To me, the iMac is a compromise semi-portable computer that I can take to sessions. But for you, it may be all about the economy of the all-in-one solution.

That said, I may stick with the iMac line after all when I upgrade (my G4 is 6 years old, has a small screen, and cannot be upgraded to meet the requirements of most VI's). It really is the best bang for buck, even though you'd think you could do just as well or better with a separate monitor and a Mac Mini.

I haven't noticed very big increments in the specs recently across the product line and wouldn't expect much this summer either. I think the main focus has been on stabilisation of the Intel switch, and mitigating the overheating of quad core etc.

Yeah, kind of what I was thinking. I have DP4.5 and could get an imac now and upgrade to dp5.0 and see if I get used to it, or wait till the new macs come out. When the new version of Logic comes out I'm going to want to try that out as well...

I think the biggest reason I'm thinking of waiting for the new imacs is I want to use a lot of virtual instruments, and the imacs have a limit of 3 gigs of ram. I'd like to stick with imacs, because, for this generation anyway, they seem to give the most band for the buck....I haven't been composing or recroding the last few years, but am eager to get back into it. I just want the setup to be as optimal as I can get it when I start back up.

Soundhound wrote:slightly used core duo 2.16 imacs now ($1k for a 20" or $1300 for a 24") or I'm wondering if I should wait for the new generation that will be out in a few months.

Can the current ones give me the horsepower I need, or should I wait? Thoughts? Thanks all!

There are several threads in the Digital Performer section asking "is imac good for DP" -- take a look over there, people seem to ***rave*** about their imacs. It is certainly a great upgrade for G4/G3 users.

--ON EDIT - here's one of those threads:

http://www.motunation.com/forum/viewtop ... highlight=



I got to use 5.11 on a mac book pro core duo 2.16 and it flew. Felt as fast or faster than mid level dual g5 tower. IMHO

There is some talk about core duo vs core 2 duo -- they are significantly faster in some areas, not so much in other. . .head over to barefeats.com to see benchmarks.

Worth noting though that as I understand it the imac processors are socketed, so you should be able to upgrade to a faster processor someday:

http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/i ... grade.html

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That's good news about the upgradeable processor; I don't think G3 through G5 iMacs could do that.

3 GB seems like a lot of RAM to me, having only recently upgraded to 768 MB, but I also realise that RAM is often a bigger limiting factor than CPU speed, and also that the need for more RAM will increase as people start moving to higher sample rates (and wider bit depth) sample libraries.

The move to Leopard may or may not be a good thing in the short run. If you want to get up and running immediately, buy an iMac now and get DP5.11. This is a wonderful combination under the current version of OSX (4.9).

I would not want to be the first to run DP or Logic under Leopard, and if you buy a machine that ships with Leopard, you might not be able to install Tiger if Leopard is troublesome. Any gains will be incremental, although the memory point is well-taken. Evenutually, with Leopard and tons of RAM, "Hard Disc Recording" may be a thing of the past, as everything will actually be streaming right from RAM!

HCMarkus wrote:Evenutually, with Leopard and tons of RAM, "Hard Disc Recording" may be a thing of the past, as everything will actually be streaming right from RAM!

?? What's all that about?? Do tell!

Yeah, I thought maybe it was an April Fool's joke .

I resisted the temptation to make a sarcastic remark about vocals (or did I?).

This site tracks best imac deals:

http://www.lowendmac.com/deals/imac.html

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