Apple keeps sending me emails to check out the iMac. “The ultimate computer” and all that jazz. Every time, I get myself to wondering if it would be feasible to buy one. Just maybe, with my ADC discount…

So I head on over to their website and look.

$1199 (about $1050 w/ the ADC discount) would get me a 2.66 gHz processor, 2GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, and integrated graphics.

Then, I head on over to newegg and price some components:
$288 gets me a slick case, near-silent power supply, 2.8 gHz processor with mobo, and 4GB of RAM. I have a monitor from my current PC that doesn’t need to be replaced, as well as a 500GB and an 80GB hard drive (data and system drives separate for better performance) that could be “cannibalized”. The old PC would also give up its Vista license.

The point is, I don’t need two desktop PCs. Heck, I could probably sell the old one for $150, it runs well enough and I could stand to part with my old XP License. Total new computer cost? $138 + maybe $24 for a DVD burner. I’ve got an extra graphics card to put back into the old system, and I could either move the noisier, more powerful 8600GTS I’m using now into the new system.

If I did have to get a new 24″ monitor (the base iMac comes with a 20″ monitor), that might set me back $240 depending on what deal I could get at newegg.

Performance-wise, the iMac would have a slightly better processor, but a much worse graphics card.

Final tally:
iMac: $1050
homebrew: $312
homebrew + new monitor: $552

I could get myself into a mostly-new machine for $312, arguably superior to the $1050 iMac. Next year, when technology moves forward, that same machine could be upgraded to a faster processor for probably $60-100, making it undeniably superior to the iMac.

At a minimum, going the PC route would save me $500, or roughly HALF the price of the iMac. If I’m content to stay with my 19″ monitor, I’d save $800. You can argue style, “quality”, whatever, but the fact remains that by recycling parts (Hard Drives, monitors, optical drives, RAM, video cards, cases, etc.) I can put myself into new computer hardware every single year for less than the price of a new iMac every three years.

I guess I’m a PC.

UPDATE:
I went ahead and made the purchase. With a combo deal and by reusing my old Power Supply, Graphics Card, DVD Drive, Hard Drives, and Case, I upgraded into an AMD X2 7850 BE (Kuma) running at 2.8GHz, 4GB of OCZ Platinum DDR2 1066 RAM, and a Biostar TA790GX Motherboard, all for $174 after rebates. I’ll sell my old RAM and CPU on eBay for a total of around $120, bringing the net upgrade cost to around $54! I also have an old laptop lying around that I should be able to get $125-150 for on craigslist, bringing my total technology turnover to negative $75 or so! Sweet!

Now THAT is the ultimate computer.