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20" iMac question...

S

seamlessvision

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 30, 2008
2
0
I am about to purchase my first Mac and I don't really know a great deal about computers, but...

Is there a huge difference between the:

Refurbished iMac 20-inch 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
20-inch glossy widescreen display
1GB memory
250GB hard drive
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT with 128MB memory
Built-in iSight Camera

and the:

* 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* 1GB memory
* 250GB hard drive1
* 8x double-layer SuperDrive
* ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT with 128MB memory

Ships: Within 24 hours
Free Shipping
$1,199.00?

Does the .4GHz make that big of a difference for a $250 savings?
Also, how reliable are refurbished models? Are there usually cosmetic flaws?

Thank you in advance! :)
 
The refurbs are great values. They carry the same 1-year warranty as the brand new ones and they're brought up to like-new condition. In other words, the casing and screen are flawless; same with the mouse and keyboard... I've had 2 MacBooks, 1 iMac, 2 iPhones and an AppleTV from the refurb store and have had no problems.

The $1199 you quote appears to be the white 24" 2.16GHz iMac. That's a great value if you don't mind not having the current generation. In fact, I may get one as my wife wants a computer in our family room...
 
dborja said:
The refurbs are great values. They carry the same 1-year warranty as the brand new ones and they're brought up to like-new condition. In other words, the casing and screen are flawless; same with the mouse and keyboard... I've had 2 MacBooks, 1 iMac, 2 iPhones and an AppleTV from the refurb store and have had no problems.

The $1199 you quote appears to be the white 24" 2.16GHz iMac. That's a great value if you don't mind not having the current generation. In fact, I may get one as my wife wants a computer in our family room...
Click to expand...


Thank you SO much for answering so promptly! Actually, the $1,199 model was the aluminum model on the main store page. Is the .4GHz that big of a difference? I'm sorry to repeat questions. I just want to make absolutely sure that I'm making the right decision. It seems of though, right now, I'm looking more and more towards the refurbished model.
 
I'll put it this way, there's a lot of people that do quite a bit on a lot less processor speed.

Depending on what your going to do now and in the next few years to come, that's your call. The .4 might make a difference down the road. You could also sell and rebuy as well later down the road.

I would actually shy away from the 20" due to the LCD issues but if cost is an issue then you probably won't need the .4ghz let alone the 24" screen. A lot of people will argue otherwise, but it boils down to what you plan to do with the machine.

I can't offer any comparison since I have a 2.8ghz but going to the store before I bought mine, playing with the machines with the default apps there didn't seem to be much difference (store didn't have anything above 2.4 in the iMacs at the time).

How's this for an idea. Get the 2.0, take the 250 you saved and spend half of it on upgrading the Ram to 4g and the rest on some nice accessories or even a comfy chair. Then you will have a pretty smokin machine.
 
seamlessvision said:
Thank you SO much for answering so promptly! Actually, the $1,199 model was the aluminum model on the main store page. Is the .4GHz that big of a difference? I'm sorry to repeat questions. I just want to make absolutely sure that I'm making the right decision. It seems of though, right now, I'm looking more and more towards the refurbished model.
Click to expand...

Unless you're doing CPU-intensive work (heavy number-crunching, graphics, etc), you won't miss the 400MHz. As kkat69 says, max out your RAM and you'll realize more performance gain. I'd spend the remaining on an external drive for backup and Time Machine, though, rather than a new chair...:)
 
It depends what you want to do with it....if its just surfing, music etc... then there is no difference. You will start noticing a difference when you do hardcore video editing and things like that!
 
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