iMac memory?

[pianoman1976]

Hello friends,

I am trying to figure out which iMac to get. My plan is to run a DAW, and also use NI Komplete 5 and other software pianos. I've heard that 1-2 GB is perfect for any DAW. If this alone were the only factor, I could get away with a pre-owned older model iMac CD2 with the 2 GB mem cap.

..but I'm also planning on using software instruments. Should I go with a newer iMac with more memory capacity?

Thanks.

 

[dgatwood]

Hello friends,

I am trying to figure out which iMac to get. My plan is to run a DAW, and also use NI Komplete 5 and other software pianos. I've heard that 1-2 GB is perfect for any DAW. If this alone were the only factor, I could get away with a pre-owned older model iMac CD2 with the 2 GB mem cap.

..but I'm also planning on using software instruments. Should I go with a newer iMac with more memory capacity?

The advantage to buying new is the warranty. I wouldn't touch anything without AppleCare unless it is less than a year old (and thus is still eligible for purchasing AppleCare). The Intel line is still too new for me to feel comfortable about buying one without an extended warranty.

Call me paranoid, but AppleCare has saved my backside on enough occasions that I just plain don't buy machines without it anymore.

Of course, I've seen coworkers' machines crash as I walk into the office, so I may simply be cursed. Hard to say.

 

[pianoman1976]

Thanks for the input, but my question still stands. I'm not questioning new or old for the sake of reliability/warranty. I would like to know if an iMac CD2 will run a DAW, and a software piano (NI Akoustik Piano for example) simultaneously with 2 GB of RAM without any problems. If so, I can get an older CD2 and save a bunch of money. If not, I'll be looking at getting a newer CD2 with a higher memory cap.

(For those of you not hip to iMacs: 3 generations of iMac CD2's exist all with different memory capacities.)