Base 20″ iMac
Processor: 2.66Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory: 2GB 1066 DDR3
Video: Integrated GeForce 9400M
Hard Drive: 320GB SATA
Monitor: Integrated 20″ LCD
Other features: Keyboard, Mouse, DVD Burner, Mac OS 10.5
Price: $1199

Fully Loaded 24″ iMac
Processor: 3.06Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory: 8GB 1066 DDR3
Video: ATi Radeon 4850 512MB
Hard Drive: 1TB SATA
Monitor: Integrated 24″ LCD
Other features: Keyboard, Mouse, DVD Burner, Mac OS 10.5
Price: $3249

Now, Mac OS 10.5 retails for $129, the Mighty Mouse and Apple Keyboard retail for $49 each. So we’ll round this up to $230 and credit each iMac. This gives us adjusted prices of

Base 20″ iMac
Original Price: $1199
OS/Accessory Credit: $230
Adjusted Price: $969

Fully Loaded 24″ iMac
Original Price: $3249
OS/Accessory Credit: $230
Adjusted Price: $3119

Now, for comparision, I’ve composed 2 systems from parts at Newegg.com. For each I’ve tried for a rough approximation of the hardware in the iMac. I’ve created “Wish Lists” for each to share them.

20″ dwotMock
Processor: 2.8Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory: 2GB 1066 DDR3
Video: GeForce 9400 GT 512MB*
Hard Drive: 320GB SATA
Monitor: Acer 20″ Widescreen LCD
Other features: DVD Burner, MicroATX Motherboard, MicroATX Case, 500W Power Supply, no OS
Price: $629.91

24″ dwotMock
Processor: 3.06 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory: 8GB 1066 DDR3
Video: ATI Radeon 4850 512MB
Hard Drive: 1TB SATA
Monitor: Acer 24″ Widescreen LCD
Other features: DVD Burner, MicroATX Motherboard, MicroATX Case, 500W Power Supply, no OS
Price: $1005.90

Savings over Adjusted Price

20″ dwotMock vs 20″ iMac
$339.09

24″ dwotMock vs 24″ iMac
$2113.10

Verdict? Well there’s certain concessions to be made, for certain. System building may not be for everyone, though it is certainly more simple that most would imagine. It’s not without it’s challenges, no one enjoys DOA parts and not everyone can troubleshoot a build gone bad. Off the shelf systems like the Mac often come with support, which I suppose someone has found useful sometime, though I couldn’t provide any evidence to support that conjecture.

There’s also the issue of Mac OS. No Apple Hardware, no Mac OS, right? Not quite. While Apple has certainly made their position clear with litigation, Macs run on standard hardware and there is an active underground scene dedicated to running Mac OS on non Apple hardware. It may not be for the Technophobe, but it’s certainly not impossible. Check out Lifehacker’s amazing Hackintosh guides.

That said, the 20″ dwotMock / iMac showdown gives the dwotMock a $339 edge, or 35% of the adjusted price. System building certainly has some financial benefit.

The 24″ dwotMock / iMac matchup, however, is a blow out. The dwotMock’s $2,113.10 edge is 68% of the loaded iMac’s price. For the cost of a loaded iMac you could build 3 equally spec’d PCs.

Check back later this week for our Mac Mini comparison.

With the weekend now gone, it’s time to recap what we saw at PAX08.

PAX was, in short, fucking amazing.  Ken Levine of BioShock fame lead things off with a tremendous Key Note, audio available at Joystiq on what it was that all brought us to Seattle.  As Ken put it, we’re all just a bunch of fucking nerds.  PAX is a nerd mecca, with panels, concerts and guests tailored to the nerdish pallette.

Following Ken’s were Gabe and Tycho, the Kings of PAX and creative geniuses behind Penny Arcade.  They announced the date and location of the new PAX flavor, PAX East Coast, to grace the fine city of Boston in March of 2010.  This is certainly excellent news as cross-country trips to Seattle are not trivial for East Coasters such as myself.

Aside from the Ken’s kick-off, the Penny Arcade Panel with Gabe and Tycho, and concerts, most of my time was spent wandering the show’s floor playing whatever games I could get my grubby hands on.  Left 4 Dead, Fallout 3, Starcraft 2, Wrath of the Lich King, Champions Online, Resistance 2, Red Faction, Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero World Tour, Dead Space and numerous other upcoming titles were represented in delicious playable form.

Certainly the stand-out game was Left 4 Dead.  Left 4 Dead was playable on the 360 platform for those who braved the lines, which seemed interminable for the entiriety of the con, whoever, I doubt any who did were disappointed.  In fact I overheard numerous attendees planning to wait through the lines again for another brief taste.  It was that good.  The game, in case you are unfamiliar, pits you and your co-op cohorts as 4 survivors against the odds in a genuine zombie apocalypse.  However, these are no Romero stumbling, fumbling brain-dead zombies, but more the fast and deadly 28 Days Later variety, with some interesting mutations.  Wandering around the level with 3 other survivors, outfitted with Molotov Cocktails, Firearms and Med Packs, we hardly progressed a few short blocks before one of us nudged a parked car setting off an alarm and triggering a zombie blitz.  This game is challenging, creepy and a fucking blast.  This will be another hit for Valve.

Fallout 3, as well, will certainly be a hit.  The game oozes depth and complexity, and frankly that may be a bit much to try to wrangle with in one small demo play.  Plot, world size and variety, and other such lofty elements are far behind the scope of what one can glean from 15 minutes or so, so it was mostly game mechanics that were on display.  The world seemed open and ready to have it’s every ruined building and mutated landscape explored and it’s secrets revealed.  This should be a tremendous game, perhaps along the lines of Oblivion, who it shares an engine with.  Even in the short demo there were many paths to travel, although most players I observed made it little past the opening village as they immediately started a firefight with the locals.

Red Faction and Resistance were admirable console shooters, accessible and entertaining.  Red Faction’s backpack powerups seemed reminisicent of Tribes, an FPS I hold in high esteem.  Rock Band 2 appeared to correct many shortcomings and annoyances of it’s previous incarnation, building on an already stable platform.  Guitar Hero is of couse playing catch up, but World Tour appears poised to balance the scales.  It’s nice to see Guitar Hero actually evolve rather than just regurgitate the same game with new songs and a new goofy theme.  Gears of War 2 appeared to be more of what made Gears of War a blast, some kick-ass multiplayer.  I actually got a chance to play it against the guys from the Totally Rad Show, who cut to the front of the line, but fortunately not the front of the line I was in.  Always fun when you can chainsaw gun some internet celebrities.

The concerts of PAX were a mixed bag.  Although Freezepop seemed to have a following, I could have done without their dual keytar over synthesized sound.  Jonathan Coulton and the OneUps put on a hell of a show.  I only caught bits and pieces of the Saturday night shows as I was enjoying some dinner and some Rock Band free play.

And that’s roughly it.  Be sure to check out the photo galleries of those who take far better (and more) photos than I, some of the cosplay was truly outstanding.  Hit the links below to check out more info.

Kotaku’s Omega PAX Post
Kotaku’s Cosplay Gallery
Joystiq’s Cosplay Gallery Day 1 & Day 2 & Day 3
Joystiq’s PAX Posts

It’s April Fool’s Day, so take what you find on the web today with a grain of salt. Over the years April Fool’s has had a strong presence on the web. Be sure to check out ThinkGeek as they always seem to have a great series of new product releases on April 1. So who’s got the best prank today? Hit up the comments and let us know what fooled you or what you thought was a great prank.

Watch for our top 10 April Fool’s pranks of all time later today.

What is this PAX you say?  According to the official FAQ:

PAX is a three-day game festival for tabletop, videogame, and PC gamers. We call it a festival because in addition to dedicated tournaments and freeplay areas we’ve got nerdcore concerts, panel discussions, the weekend-long Omegathon event, and an exhibitor hall filled with booths displaying the latest from top game publishers and developers. Even with all this amazing content the best part of PAX is hanging out with other people who know their shit when it comes to games.

This year will be my first PAX, as Seattle is a little bit of a haul from Upstate NY.  Sounds like an absolutely amazing time, so sign up today and save $10 on your registration.  See you there!

Penny Arcade Expo 2008