Would the 21.5" iMac be big enough?

macally · 30 May 2013 at 15:14

I was recently toying with the idea of replacing my ageing Core 2 Duo 3.16GHz PC with a new Core i3 machine and even got as far as ordering the processor, ram and power supply which they were on offer.

However, I'm now looking at the possibility of leasing a couple of iMacs for our office instead. We do web hosting (which is mostly admin/support) and web design but I'm just wondering whether a 21.5" iMac would be big enough for web design or would I be better off getting 27" iMacs?

Is there anyone here that does web design on 21.5" iMacs? How do you find it?

passey89 · 30 May 2013 at 16:25

I build my website on my 21.5" imac and it was perfectly fine. 27" would probably be nice for it but if you can't afford / don't want to the 21.5" was fine for me.

theheyes · 30 May 2013 at 18:23

Of course you CAN do it, but I'd take a 27" monitor any day of the week. 21.5" is a bit on the small side.

PooBrain · 30 May 2013 at 20:14

theheyes said:
Of course you CAN do it, but I'd take a 27" monitor any day of the week. 21.5" is a bit on the small side.

That's what she said.

snitcher · 30 May 2013 at 21:11

the 21.5" inch would be fine for web designing and gaming, the 27 is likely to be massive.

Karl · 30 May 2013 at 21:17

Personal preference, innit. I've done web development on a 27" Thunderbolt display, and I'm currently building sites on a 17" Dell XPS laptop screen. I do miss a larger display on occasion, but not often.

slinxy · 30 May 2013 at 22:35

its depends on the spec.. normally with macs.. the bigger the better.

Thou I personally prefer multiple monitors over one big one.

theheyes · 30 May 2013 at 22:43

PooBrain said:
That's what she said.

I'd carefully avoided "I'd take a 27 incher any day"

The multi monitor thing is an option too if you have the desk space, although I'd want them calibrated to match.

passey89 · 31 May 2013 at 07:09

there are a few issues with the 27" 2012 model as well. suffers really badly from image burn for some reason that the 21.5" doesn't

Karl · 31 May 2013 at 07:41

passey89 said:
there are a few issues with the 27" 2012 model as well. suffers really badly from image burn for some reason that the 21.5" doesn't

That's incredible isn't it? They've been building the iMac for decades, and we're still suffering from image burn despite paying ~£2k for a desktop!

macally · 31 May 2013 at 11:16

Thanks for all the advice guys. We've been offered a good deal leasing two 2011 27" iMacs so may go for them. Personally, I do love dual monitors but it would annoy me having an odd setup (i.e. two different screens). If Apple made a 21.5" Cinema Display, I'd have gone for a 21.5" iMac and a Cinema Display.

reflux · 31 May 2013 at 11:22

I have 2x 22'' at work for web design and those are slightly small... I'd say you want at least 24''

macally · 31 May 2013 at 11:45

reflux said:
I have 2x 22'' at work for web design and those are slightly small... I'd say you want at least 24''

Yeah, I really liked the 24" iMac (in fact, we had two) but when Apple ditched it in place of a 27" iMac it was a big fail in my opinion.

Don't get me wrong, there is definately a market for a 27" iMac, in the same way that there is a market for 30" Dell screens, etc, but cutting out what I would say has become a pretty much standard size (23-24") is daft.

zyfar · 31 May 2013 at 12:23

I work in a web design firm and I'm currently on a 21.5" screen. Works fine, just depends on your developers preference really, dual screens is nice but not generally needed.

theheyes · 31 May 2013 at 16:57

The way I see it, one of the compelling advantages -if not THE most compelling advantage - of a desktop computer is simply not having to worry about the size, weight and power draw of a large screen.

So if it's practical and economical enough, maximize that advantage.

Gilbert89 · 1 Jun 2013 at 18:17

Im pretty happy with the 27" for design work, but with all the work I do a 21 would also be fine.