[X-Rated]

I should have waited.

The low-end $1,199 unit boasts a 21.5-inch display (1,920 x 1,080), a 3.06GHz Core i3 CPU, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, ATI's Radeon HD 4670 GPU (256MB) and a 500GB hard drive. There's also an 8x slot-loading SuperDrive with dual-layer support, Mini DisplayPort, AirPort Extreme 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, iSight webcam, gigabit Ethernet, a foursome of USB 2.0 sockets, a single FireWire 800 port and a bundled wireless Apple Keyboard and Magic Mouse.

There's a new $1,499 21.5-inch model that includes a 3.20GHz Core i3, ATI Radeon HD 5670 GPU (512MB), a 1TB hard drive and 4GB of DDR3 memory (along with the usual suspects mentioned above).

The $1,699 model is a 27-incher with a 2,560 x 1,440 LED-backlit display, 3.20GHz Core i3 CPU, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, ATI's Radeon HD 5670 (512MB), a 1TB hard drive and available CTO options that include a 3.6GHz Core i5, 2TB HDD, 256GB SSD and up to 16GB of RAM.

The flagship $1,999 flavor (27-inch) packs a 2.8GHz quad-core Core i5 with 8MB of shared L3 cache, 4GB of DDR3 memory, ATI's Radeon HD 5750 GPU (1GB), a 1TB hard drive and available CTO options that include a 2.93GHz Core i7 CPU, 2TB hard drive, 256GB SSD and up to 16GB of memory.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/27/a...ets-a-core-i3/

[CoMM]

You bought close to 6 months ago though didn't you? You'll never really get past the upgrade issues since they release new models of their main computers at least once per year it seems.

I'm pretty much in the same boat with the 17" MacBook Pro i bought last year which has Core2 tech in it yet. I decided not to get the i7 upgrade this year and i'm going to wait until the next generation of MBP with a few more features before i blow a fresh $3500 again.

[X-Rated]

Originally Posted by CoMM

You bought close to 6 months ago though didn't you? You'll never really get past the upgrade issues since they release new models of their main computers at least once per year it seems.

No, I bought it in mid May around the 15th or 16th so it's only been about 2 months or so. The biggest upgrade I'd like to see is that video card. The rest is not that big of a deal.

[BigRedDog]

Originally Posted by X-Rated

No, I bought it in mid May around the 15th or 16th so it's only been about 2 months or so. The biggest upgrade I'd like to see is that video card. The rest is not that big of a deal.

The nicest thing I could find written about that video card was something like, "if you don't mind playing last gen games on low resolution monitors..."

I must be missing it, but you've got a 2560x1920 27" monitor... And it is stuffed with a video card that can't quite muster 60 fps for L4D 1 at low setting and 1920x1280.

I think Apple wants the 3 monitor ability... Be interesting if they make it available.

Don't think you'll ever find anything but a low power very efficient video card in an iMac. Hard to dissipate the heat... And they don't like fans - lol.

I'd also be careful to check that this is the full PC card version, apple usually puts notebook (mobile) versions in...

Anyway, my impression is no great upgrade here - incremental only.

[Poker]

Yes, overall this upgrade seems rather skippable. As to games, I think Apple wants you to play them on iPads and iPhones, and that's still as far as it goes.

The trackpad looks kind of cool. Maybe.

Meh.

[BigRedDog]

Originally Posted by Poker

The trackpad looks kind of cool. Maybe.

Yeah, I agree. I've got a very tight desk "drawer - keyboard drawer" and it looks perfect for that. I'm going to wait for the reviews, and probably early firmware updates (as they have had a bad track record with them recently). But, I got my credit card at the ready.