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Apple iMac Desktop with 20" Display MB323LL/A (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 1 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD SuperDrive)

Apple iMac Desktop with 20 Display MB323LL/A (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 1 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD SuperDrive)


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Brand: Apple
Category: Personal Computer

List Price: $1,199.00
Buy New: $1,194.00
You Save: $5.00


Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars 44 reviews
Sales Rank: 25

Media: Personal Computers
Operating System: Mac OS X
CPU Manufacturer: Intel
CPU Speed: 2.4
CPU Type: Intel Core Duo
Processors: 2
System Memory: 1000
Memory Type: DDR2 SDRAM
Hard Drive Size: 250
Display Size: 20
Shipping Weight (lbs): 35
Dimensions (in): 23.7 x 22.5 x 9.2

MPN: MB323LL/A
Model: MB323LL/A
UPC: 718908999349
EAN: 0885909203079
ASIN: B000X3GTMM

Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Promotion: Save $10.00 when you spend $50.00 or more on qualifying items offered by Amazon.com. Enter code BMLSAVES at checkout. Terms and Conditions
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

Features:
  • All-in-one Mac desktop with 20-inch glossy screen and sleek anodized aluminum enclosure
  • 2.40 GHz "Penryn" Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 250 GB hard drive, 1 GB RAM (4 GB max), 8x multi-format/dual-layer SuperDrive
  • 802.11n Wi-Fi (as well as 802.11a/b/g); Gigabit Ethernet; ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT video card (128 MB memory)
  • Three USB 2.0, one FireWire 400, one FireWire 800, Mini-DVI output, audio line in/optical digital audio input (minijack)
  • Pre-loaded with Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard and iLife '08; includes wired keyboard and wired mouse

Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com Product Description
Speedier than ever with the latest Intel dual-core processor, the Apple iMac all-in-one desktop PC sports a sleek, professional aluminum enclosure that's joined precisely to a 20-inch glass cover to create a virtually seamless front surface. It's powered by a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, which includess an amazingly fast 1066 MHz front-side bus speed and super-sized 6 MB L2 cache. Part of Intel's 45-nanometer (nm) Penryn series, this processor boosts both speed and efficiency while helping to reduce power consumption. This dual-core processor also provides an optimized, multithreaded architecture for improved multitasking, video, and gaming performance.

The iMac also features an ultra-thin aluminum Apple Keyboard--with an extended layout and dedicated keys for Mac features such as brightness, volume, eject, play/pause, and Expose--as well as the wired Mighty Mouse. It's pre-loaded with Apple's Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard operating system, which enables easy backup of your most important data via Time Machine, a redesigned desktop that helps eliminate clutter. It also comes with the iLife '08 suite of applications--including iPhoto, iMovie, Garageband, and iTunes--and the newest version of the fast-loading Safari web browser.

Hardware features include a 250 GB hard drive, 1 GB of RAM (with a 4 GB maximum capacity), 8x SuperDrive for burning movies to DVD and music mixes to CD, integrated 802.11n wireless LAN, Gigabit Ethernet wired networking, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR connectivity, and ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT video card with 128 MB dedicated memory.

Power on a Pedestal



Designed with a recyclable anodized aluminum frame and glass cover, the iMac is friendlier to the environment..


The new keyboard's ultrathin anodized aluminum enclosure features low-profile keys that provide a crisp, responsive feel.
With its anodized aluminum frame set upon a sleek pedestal, the new iMac instantly transforms your workspace from cluttered desktop to brilliant display podium. Because the iMac's housing is made from a single sheet of aluminum, you won't see any seams or screws except for a single compartment on the bottom that provides easy access to the memory slots. The glossy widescreen 20-inch glass display makes photos and movies come alive with rich color. And the built-in iSight camera and microphone are integrated so neatly you barely notice they're there. Aside from the design details, the iMac is also friendlier to the environment with highly recyclable and durable materials including scratch-resistant glass and professional grade aluminum. The power-efficient iMac also meets the stringent new Energy Star 4.0 requirements.

With its elegant anodized aluminum enclosure, the new Apple Keyboard looks equally at home in your living room or on your desk. Just connect it to the USB port on your iMac and start enjoying the crisp, responsive feel of its low-profile keys. The extended layout has a full complement of keys, including document navigation controls, a numeric keypad, and special function keys for Mac features such as brightness, volume, eject, play/pause, Expose, and more. Two USB 2.0 ports provide high-speed connectivity for your iPod, Mighty Mouse, digital camera, and other USB-based electronic devices.

Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
Experience faster, more nimble application performance and improved energy efficiency with this 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo processor from Intel's 45nm Penryn lineup. The new hafnium-infused circuitry--which reduces electrical current leakage in transistors--helps to reduce power consumption while delivering. powerful processing speeds. This 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo processor is aided by a 1066 front-side bus speed and a super-sized 6 MB L2 cache--both top-of-the-line for Intel's Penryn processors. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)

The Intel Core 2 Duo's 128-bit SSE3 vector engine handles 128-bit computations in a single clock cycle, accelerating data manipulation by simultaneously applying a single instruction to multiple data. And its two execution cores are designed to share resources and conserve power, helping it to achieve higher levels of performance since it uses fewer watts.

Hard Drive and Memory
The 250 GB Serial-ATA (SATA) hard drive (7200 RPM) quickens the pace with a higher speed transfer of data--akin to FireWire and USB 2.0. The 1 GB of PC6400 DDR2 RAM (one SO-DIMM) has an industry-leading 800 MHz speed, and the RAM capacity can be increased to 4 GB.

Graphics and Video
The 20-inch widescreen TFT active-matrix LCD offers a resolution of 1680 by 1050 pixels. It has a brightness rating of 290 cd/m2 (candela per square meter), a contrast ratio of 800:1, and a viewing angle of 160 degrees (both horizontal and vertical). An ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT graphics processor powers the iMac with 128 MB of dedicated GDDR3 memory. It features some of the most advanced graphics technology available and delivers new levels of visual realism and a huge texture fill rate for smooth surfaces and complex character details. GDDR3 (Graphics Double Data Rate, version 3) is a graphics card-specific memory technology that's better able to deliver fluid frame rates for even the most advanced games and applications.

This iMac also enables you to connect a second display in either extended desktop mode or video mirroring mode. The mini-DVI port connects to DVI displays, VGA monitors and projectors, and S-video and composite devices using the appropriate adapter (sold separately).

Wired and Wireless Connectivity



You get a full complement of ports on the back of the iMac, including three USB 2.0 and two flavors of Firewire--400 and 800.
The iMac gives you plenty of room to grow, accommodating as many as five peripherals at a time thanks to its three USB 2.0 ports and the two USB 2.0 ports on the Apple Keyboard. It also includes two powered FireWire ports--one FireWire 400 and one FireWire 800 (one of the fastest peripheral standards available)--enabling you to quickly transfer content from digital video cameras, hard drives, and other high-speed devices.

Share files around your house with built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet as well as the next-generation high-speed wireless 802.11n technology, which is integrated into the latest Apple Airport Extreme Base Station. The iMac is also Wi-Fi Certified to work with base stations and routers that use industry-standard 802.11a, 802.11b, or 802.11g wireless technologies.

The integrated Bluetooth wireless connectivity--version 2.1 + Enhanced Data Rate (EDR)--allows you to use a wireless keyboard or mouse, and synchronize peripherals such as cell phones and PDAs. Enjoy high-quality sound on almost any speaker system with double-duty analog/digital audio. Record digital and analog sources through audio line in, perfect for your latest podcast in GarageBand.

SuperDrive
Integrated neatly into the iMac is a slot-loading SuperDrive that lets you play and burn your own CDs and DVDs--including double-layer DVDs. And there's no disc tray--just slide the disc right in. It offers the following speeds:

  • Writes DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL discs at up to 4x speed
  • Writes DVD-R and DVD+R discs at up to 8x speed
  • Writes DVD-RW at up to 6x speed and DVD+RW discs at up to 8x speed
  • Reads DVDs at up to 8x speed
  • Writes CD-R discs at up to 24x speed
  • Writes CD-RW discs at up to 16x speed
  • Reads CDs at up to 24x speed

Other Features

  • Two SO-DIMM slots support up to 4 GB of RAM
  • Built-in stereo speakers with internal 24-watt digital amplifier
  • Support for external display in extended desktop mode: 1920 by 1200 pixels for digital and 2048 by 1536 pixels for analog
  • Meets ENERGY STAR requirements with maximum continuous power rating of 200 watts
  • Dimensions: 19.1 x 18.5 x 7.4 inches (WxHxD)



Preloaded with Leopard, you'll enjoy enhanced productivity and a clutter-free desktop (thanks to the the redesigned 3D Dock with Stacks).

Preloaded with Leopard and iLife '08
The biggest Mac OS X upgrade ever, the Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard operating system features over 300 new features, including:

  • Time Machine, an effortless way to automatically back up everything on a Mac
  • A redesigned Finder that lets users quickly browse and share files between multiple Macs
  • Quick Look, a new way to instantly see files without opening an application
  • Spaces, an intuitive new feature used to create groups of applications and instantly switch between them
  • A brand new desktop with Stacks, a new way to easily access files from the Dock
  • Major enhancements to Mail and iChat
Leopard's new desktop includes the redesigned 3D Dock with Stacks, a new way to organize files for quick and easy access with just one click. Leopard automatically places web, email and other downloads in a Downloads stack to maintain a clutter-free desktop, and you can instantly fan the contents of this and other Stacks into an elegant arc right from the Dock. The updated Finder includes Cover Flow and a new sidebar with a dramatically simplified way to search for, browse and copy content from any PC or Mac on a local network.

Time Machine lets you easily back up all of the data on your Mac, find lost files and even restore all of the software on their Mac. With just a one-click setup, Time Machine automatically keeps an up-to-date copy of everything on the Mac. In the event a file is lost, you can search back through time to find deleted files, applications, photos and other digital media and then instantly restore the file.

The iMac also comes with the iLife '08 suite of applications that make it easy to live the digital life. Use iPhoto to share entire high-res photo albums with anyone who's got an email address. Break into indie filmmaking with iMovie and iDVD. Then take all the stuff you made on your iMac and share it on the web in one click with iWeb.

iLife '08 also features iWeb '08, with live web widgets such as Google Maps that let you create even more dynamic websites, and GarageBand '08, with its new Magic GarageBand feature that makes it fun and easy for both musicians and non-musicians to create great sounding songs.

Included Software
Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard (includes Time Machine, Quick Look, Spaces, Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, DVD Player, Photo Booth, Front Row, Xcode Developer Tools); iLife '08 (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb, GarageBand)

What's in the Box
iMac, Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse, Apple Remote, cleaning cloth, power cord, install/restore DVDs, printed and electronic documentation

Product Description
The all-in-one iMac packs a complete, high-performance computer?including the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors?into a beautifully thin, anodized aluminum and glass design. The latest Intel Core 2 Duo processor runs at 2.4GHz with advanced 45-nm process technology and 6MB of shared L2 cache, allowing you to run your applications faster and more efficiently than ever before. iMac features a glossy 20-inch widescreen display and ATI Radeon HD graphics that gives a blow-you-away level of detail and realism in games, three-dimensional graphics, high-resolution photos, and high-definition video that comes alive with rich, vivid color. Built into the top of iMac is an iSight camera. You'll hardly notice it's there until you want to launch iChat, Photo Booth, or iMovie. iSight is easy to use and highly advanced. The remarkable picture quality and color accuracy make this tiny feature huge. With iLife '08, Mac OS X Leopard, built-in wireless, speakers, and ultrathin anodized aluminum Apple Keyboard, you'll be creating, sharing, surfing, and playing within minutes of opening the box. 20 Glossy Widescreen TFT Active-Matrix (1680 x 1050, 290 cd/m2, 800 - 1 contrast ratio, 160H/V viewing angle) Liquid Crystal Display Built-in iSight Camera with Microphone ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT with 128MB GDDR3 Dedicated Video Memory Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with 4x Double-Layer burning (DVD+-RW/CD-RW) Stereo speakers with 24-watt Digital Amplifier AirPort Extreme (802.11a/b/g/n) Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit) 3 x USB 2.0 (2 x USB ports on keyboard), FireWire 800, FireWire 400, Optical Digital Audio Output/Headphone out, Optical Digital Audio input/audio line in, mini-DVI with support for DVI, VGA, S-Video, and Composite Video connections via Optional Adapter, RJ-45 (LAN) Approximate Unit Dimensions - 18.5? (H) x 19.1? (W) x 7.4? (D) Approximate Unit Weight - 20 Pounds


Customer Reviews:   Read 39 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars Fabulous computer   July 17, 2008
Sean McDermott (Long Beach, CA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

My G4 tower died about 16 months ago and I've been working on an Intel Core Duo MacBook 13" since then. But this iMac Intel 20" that I just bought is an incredible machine. It's quiet, extremely fast (since I maxed out the RAM at 4gb) and just gorgeous to look at. Watching movies on it with the infrared remote before sleep is quite a nice cinematic experience.

I couldn't be happier with my purchase and highly recommend this computer to anyone looking for a nice desktop solution.



5 out of 5 stars An excellent computer - delivered on time   July 14, 2008
Bruce Schmoetzer (Laurel, MT USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

The Apple iMac is an excellent machine. Installs in a snap and even runs the WinXP Pro emulator - Parallels. Absolutely no problems.


5 out of 5 stars Which Mac? Why? Where? - The compelling choice.   July 12, 2008
Samuel Chell (Kenosha,, WI United States)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

My daughter--a busy MD, mom, photographer-hobbyist--suffered, in the middle of her hectic schedule, the loss of a computer and asked me for a recommendation. Powerbook or iMac? 20" or 24"? Which 20" or 24"? Apple Store or Amazon? After some deliberation and "research" (an overused and abused word by consumers these days for "shopping"), I recommended the recently tweaked and revised iMac 20" 2.66 Ghz for the following reasons:

1. Someone with her busy schedule doesn't need to think about dragging a computer on her travels. Her PDA served her well during med school, but now she has to be person-focused at all times. A desktop machine tends to force its owner (like a piano) to make time as well as a work space for the machine, rather than have it constantly serving as a distraction. I would no more allow a notebook computer to replace my desktop machine than an electric piano replace my acoustic model, or a cell phone my regular home phone.

2. The 24" model admittedly has acquired glowing reviews from pros and consumers alike and doesn't cost a whole lot more for the extra real estate. But it's a massive screen, not only devouring valuable living room space but threatening to absorb too much of the owner's and the kids' attention, as well as serve as an attractive danger to the prying hands of curious 1 and 3-year-olds. The graphics have a slight advantage over the 20" inch because they display well laterally, but lateral sight lines while good for movies are not what a serious user needs, whether for photography or professional practice. Finally, to make that 24" inch screen work up to its potential, you really need to add costly extras (or pick up the 3Ghz model with a different, more powerful graphics card--being shown at the Apple site but not as yet on Amazon).

3. The CLINCHER. I thought the entry-level 2.4Ghz would be more than adequate (it probably is) until I read the most recent reviews at Macworldddotcom. The 2.66Ghz 1. comes with double the Ram (easily and cheaply installed by the user, I'll admit) PLUS 2. a speed boost, 3. a slightly bigger hard drive, and 4. a slightly better video card--for less than $300 more. It didn't require Macworld's pointing out that the 2.66Ghz represents the better value. Moreover, their tests of the two machines revealed that the slightly more expensive machine was actually a greater improvement in terms of speed than its published stats--a mere .266 Ghz increase--would suggest: their testers registered processing times for the 2.66GHz model that were 13% faster than those recorded for the 2.4Ghz model.

4. Finally, the choice of seller. In the past I've scrutinized the numbers closely, trying to determine if the deal from Apple Store, even with Educators' Rates and various incentives like free printers, was truly better than Amazon's. At best, the numbers were "close," and were never conclusively in favor of Apple Store. And I've never realized any non-monetary advantages by purchasing Apple products from Apple Store, whereas Amazon has shown its customer-centric colors in my favor on a number of occasions, including my last two computer purchases. Apple Store, on the other hand, has in the past come up short more than once. (They certainly weren't helpful when they kept calling me about purchasing extended service contracts.) Moreover, simply checking out from Apple Store after a purchase amounts to an exercise in self-control because of all the "add-ons" they try to convince you to purchase before clicking on the "done" button. So once again, I'm giving Amazon the opportunity to disappoint me for the first time.



5 out of 5 stars iMac   July 5, 2008
Marite Plume (Chicago)
I found the iMac easy to set up and I got it in less time than I expected, I believe 3 days. My experience with Apple has been great in the past. I would definitely recommend this.


5 out of 5 stars Nice Upgrade   July 3, 2008
Richard C. Prather
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Had the iMac over night and everything was as promised.

24" display is stunning and unit has been performing flawlessly for the six weeks I have had it.