Apple Inc (AAPL)

[tfigs]

Bootz: re 0.4 of extra GHz

"Found the iMac I want locally except that it's got a 2.4GHz chip instead of the 2.8. Am I gonna miss the .4 of extra GHz?"

A question I'm also asking, as I'm about to get an upgrade Mac for my photographer/photoshopping daughter.

My take: with other specs (bus, HD, video etc) the same, there won't be a very significant real-task performance difference between 2.4 and 2.8. On the other hand, if the heat is an issue (as some on this board suggest) then conceivably 2.8 could push the system to a critical point that 2.4 would avoid.

I'm similarly debating 2GB vs 4 GB Ram, weighing real performance (mainly Photoshop) gain against cost and heat load. In this respect, I was interested to read the review a couple of days ago (see quote below) in which the author reported no difference between 1 and 2 GB RAM (hmmm...).

BTW: I'm just speculating about a heat issue. I don't know if the extra heat from a 2.8 would matter, or even if there is any real heat problem in the new iMacs. I hear the Al box feels warm, but does this mainly indicate that heat is getting through an Al case better than it used to through plastic? I'd be interested to see specs on CPU output and internal temps, for iMacs old & new.

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http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070815/tech_test_imac.html?.v=2

"I tested the middle model, but with an extra gigabyte of memory, which costs $150. When I removed the extra memory, I didn't find a difference in how fast the unit started up, switched between programs or rendered a high-definition movie in iMovie.

That tells me that most users will probably be fine with the cheapest model and the standard 1 GB of memory, because processor speed is not that important anymore. Apple's operating system clearly makes good use of memory; Microsoft Corp.'s new Windows Vista will barely give you the time of day on 1 GB..."