iMac

[Moon Rabbits]

Okay, so about....a year or two ago my old computer sort of melted and stopped working. :)

My mother, being in financial hardship, was unable to get a new one. However, later we did get one free from a charity. It does, however, seem to be older than me.

250mhz
32mb video card
64mb ram

You get the picture.

For awhile I've wanted a new one. I plan to get a summer job and save up for a new computer. The problem is that I'm very interested in an iMac.

I, being a gamer, would like to progressively update my Mac as games get better and better. However the <a href=http://www.apple.com/imac/whatsinside.html>iMac</a> doesn't seem to be upgradeable. Is this true, or am I not looking hard enough, cuz I don't get how it would be upgradeable.

Anyways, if anyone knows if the iMac is upgradeable please tell me. Or point me in the direction of another Apple product that is (other than the MacMini).

Thanks.

[Yamaneko]

It's upgradable, but you'll void the warranty if you decide to upgrade anything besides the RAM. The CPU is socketted and the current Yonah architecture will be compatible with the 64-bit Meroms that are set to be released in August, albeit it you will still be at the mercy of the 533MHz frontside bus that the motherboard can perform on. The GPU is also upgradable, but requires some effort because it's not easy to access. Again, you will void the warranty doing this. The iMac right now is a mid-level gaming rig, but the difficulties of upgrading it will quickly make it not so great for playing the newest games.

If you really want a Mac (and have the cash to blow), the new PowerMacs are set to be released sometime between now and September. They will utilize the new 64-bit Conroe desktop processor line from Intel and some speculate the high-end models will use the Woodcrest server processor. PowerMacs are much easier to upgrade because it's basically just a PC tower. Everything is user accessible. Of course the cheapest PowerMac will probably retail for around $2500.

If you're a PC gamer, I would suggest you stick to PCs. If you're tired of the Windows OS then you should try out a Linux distro.

I'm going to move this to the help forum because you will get more help there.

EDIT: They probably won't be called PowerMacs (moving to intel processors) since Apple wants to get rid of the "Power" moniker from all its products. The most likely name will be Mac Pro.