2.8 Ghz, Quad Core i7 27" iMac... tempting....

[M A V I C]

decay wrote:
i wouldn't have a problem paying for a faster CPU or GPU in an iMac - I'm not going in to replace it myself.

Installing a CPU is only slightly harder than installing RAM or a HD. At microcenter, the i7 sells for $200... Apple wants $200 on top of the i5 for the i7. It's no harder to install a i5 than an i7. There's easily an extra $130 in "Apple Tax" that's being added, just on the processor.

[mikebw]

I wonder what the possibilities of upgrading the processor in any of these new iMacs are. I would be tempted to get the "cheap" quad-core model (2.66GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5) and then upgrade it in a year or two and i7 prices came down.

[C(-)ris]

mikebw wrote:
I wonder what the possibilities of upgrading the processor in any of these new iMacs are. I would be tempted to get the "cheap" quad-core model (2.66GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5) and then upgrade it in a year or two and i7 prices came down.

Pretty much every Intel iMac has been upgradable, along with the Mini. They all use socket processors.

[RAMd®d]

my point is Apple will overcharge wherever it can.

even on user-installable RAM or hard drives.


True, but I wouldn't use an iMac as an example of Apple Tax. To my way of thinking, the last User Replaceable iMac HD was in the pre-iSight G5s. And I don't consider the G3-G4 HDs as User Replaceable, although they are user replaceable.

It can be done, but is not like replacing an HD in say- the various MacBook lineup.

[M A V I C]

C(-)ris wrote:
[quote=mikebw]
I wonder what the possibilities of upgrading the processor in any of these new iMacs are. I would be tempted to get the "cheap" quad-core model (2.66GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5) and then upgrade it in a year or two and i7 prices came down.

Pretty much every Intel iMac has been upgradable, along with the Mini. They all use socket processors.
The i5 & i7 use the same socket and chipset. You could not get a C2D iMac and upgrade it to an i5 or i7.

i7 processors are actually less expensive than a lot of C2D processors. You can buy an i7 at microcenter (in store) for $200, then sell the i5 used. Not sure how much you could get for the i5, but probably $100-150.