Apple iMac 2.1GHz 20" (2.1GHz PowerPC G5, 512MB DDR2, 250GB, DVD?RW DL, Mac OS X version 10.4 Tiger, 20" LCD)

PowerPC Processor Works Well With Earlier OS X Versions

The presence of a PowerPC CPU on the motherboard indicates that this system is almost certainly an older Mac machine. Apple switched over to Intel processors in 2006 and has gradually dropped PowerPC-processor support from the Mac OS X operating system. A late-model PowerPC-based Mac is fine if one of the still highly competent earlier versions of OS X meets your needs. But if you want to keep up with Apple's latest operating-system revisions going forward, you should opt for a newer Intel-based Mac.

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A PC With Little Included RAM Can Do Light Work

This system offers less than 1GB of memory, which is the bare minimum that any full-featured new computer should include. Whether this amount of RAM is optimal for you depends on the PC's operating system: Windows Vista and Apple's Mac OS X don't run well with less than 1GB, Windows XP is fine with 512MB and not too bad with 384MB, and Windows 98 is good with 256MB. Depending on the distribution, Linux can run with as little as 128MB, but most Linux users are better off with at least 512MB--and 1GB is better.

The more installed memory your PC has, the more applications you can run smoothly at once, and the better the system will perform. Upgrading memory in a desktop after you purchase the PC is a snap, but usually it's worthwhile to buy the amount of memory you want preinstalled with the system.

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Adequate Hard-Disk Capacity for Business or Light Home Use

With respect to hard-drive space, this system is in the low-to-midrange tier. Whether that's important depends on your needs. Though video gobbles up drive space at a prodigious rate, most other data types take up far less than 500GB.

For basic business purposes or light home use, even 80GB or 120GB might be enough. A better minimum is 300GB, especially if you download movies or music. Compact desktops that use smaller, 2.5-inch laptop drives offer less capacity. In that kind of setup, 120GB is a more realistic minimum, though 80GB will be enough for most users.

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Included Disc Writer Burns CDs and DVDs

The DVD burner on this system will allow you to burn CDs and DVDs (including movies, with the right software), play DVD movies, install software from CDs and DVDs, and play audio CDs and other types of discs. Most DVD burners have a slide-out media tray, though you'll find some slot-loading models on smaller or more-stylish PCs. Half-height drives exist, too; you'll find them mostly in laptops or external boxes. Since DVD burners are now a commodity item, even entry-level models are fast.

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Monitor Size Is Standard for Most Systems Today

This computer's bundled flat-panel monitor falls within the typical size range for the majority of systems sold today. Resolutions on a 19-inch normal-aspect 4:3 monitor will most likely top out at 1280 by 1024; a 19-inch wide-screen model will reach up to 1680 by 1050. Both are suitable for most tasks and will display moderately more information than a 15- or 17-inch monitor will.

Newer 20- and 22-inch displays tend to be exclusively wide-screen and offer features very similar to those of 19-inch models (often adding options such as tilt, swivel, or pivot maneuverability), but their typically higher native resolution (1680 by 1050 to 1920 by 1200) lets you fit even more on screen.

Note: Only monitors capable of at least 1920 by 1200 resolution can play Blu-ray movies without down-converting the image. Down-converting causes details to appear less sharp than they would be on a monitor with a higher native resolution. 

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Aging ATI Graphics Card Is Unsuited for Today's Games

Because of this system's aging (in industry terms) graphics card, you won't want to use this PC for gaming. However, the board does support DirectX 9 and OpenGL 2.0--and if you want to upgrade down the line, most likely this system offers the currently preferred PCI Express slot (AGP models of this graphics card were also produced). The card will certainly drive any modern monitor, but you should buy this system only if you get a very good price.

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Apple Mac OS X: Elegant, Stable, and Intuitive

This system is running the elegant Mac OS X operating system, the current version of which is OS X 10.5.x (Leopard). Though OS X itself can't run Windows programs, you can run Windows (or Windows applications) on the latest Intel-based Mac hardware using software utilities such as VMWare Fusion, Parallels Desktop, or Apple's own Boot Camp. Because OS X has robust Unix underpinnings and isn't required to support as wide a range of hardware as Windows is, it's extremely stable as well as visually pleasing and intuitive to the new user.

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