2006 imac versus 2008 imac

[mariavoici]

I am the owner of a little G4 imac which has served me well but is on its last leg. I need a new computer and have a friend who is selling his 2006 24 inch imac - details are:
iMac, 24 inch screen, Intel Core 2 Duo chip
NVIDIA GeForce 7300GT graphics card with 128MB GDDR3 SDRAM
Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2.16 GHz
500 G Serial ATA Hard drive
3 G SDRAM DDR2 à 667 MHz
SuperDrive 8x (DVD+R DL/DVD+RW/CD-RW)
He is asking 1000 EURO - that's about 1500 American Dollars.

I am curious to know the comparisons of this 2006 model with the new 2008 model - if the savings are worth buying an older machine or if its much better to spend more for a new one. I need a computer for Photoshop, and have read on this forum the many screen problems in iMacs.
Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[gehrbox]

Check the Apple Store Refurbs before you buy used!

I am the owner of a little G4 imac which has served me well but is on its last leg. I need a new computer and have a friend who is selling his 2006 24 inch imac - details are:
iMac, 24 inch screen, Intel Core 2 Duo chip
NVIDIA GeForce 7300GT graphics card with 128MB GDDR3 SDRAM
Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2.16 GHz
500 G Serial ATA Hard drive
3 G SDRAM DDR2 à 667 MHz
SuperDrive 8x (DVD+R DL/DVD+RW/CD-RW)
He is asking 1000 EURO - that's about 1500 American Dollars.

I am curious to know the comparisons of this 2006 model with the new 2008 model - if the savings are worth buying an older machine or if its much better to spend more for a new one. I need a computer for Photoshop, and have read on this forum the many screen problems in iMacs.
Thank you in advance for your help.

If you are considering used, it might be worth a look at a refurbed iMac from Apple. The same model your friend is trying to sell you is available from Apple refurbed for $1199 right now. That includes a 1 year warranty and it will be in perfect condition. My experience with Apple refurbs has been very good. The only down side is the HDD is 250GB and memory is 1GB. The HDD can be supplemented by an external drive of any size and you can add memory at any time.

I think its safe to say that a new model iMac running 2.8-3.06 GHZ will out perform the 2.16 by a significant measure. As far as the screen issues go, as many have said it is most likely the minority of machines with issues. These forums tend to attract people looking for help, and those without issues rarely post that they have not had issues. Some of the problems reported are really nit picking things like dirt or condensation between the glass front cover and the LCD, which can easily be cleaned. I returned my first 24" 3.06Ghz iMac last week because of a whole lot of stuck pixels, but all it took was a phone call and another one is on its way to me right now. I trust that it will be 100% acceptable.

 

[phalewhale]

If the screen on this 2006 model is perfect without any stuck or dead pixels, I would go for it. I really wish I had my white C2D iMac back. I'm using only my MBP now since I sent my 3.06GHz iMac back. I really miss old whitey...

 

[sfroom]

I am the owner of a little G4 imac which has served me well but is on its last leg. I need a new computer and have a friend who is selling his 2006 24 inch imac - details are:
iMac, 24 inch screen, Intel Core 2 Duo chip
NVIDIA GeForce 7300GT graphics card with 128MB GDDR3 SDRAM
Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2.16 GHz
500 G Serial ATA Hard drive
3 G SDRAM DDR2 à 667 MHz
SuperDrive 8x (DVD+R DL/DVD+RW/CD-RW)
He is asking 1000 EURO - that's about 1500 American Dollars.

I am curious to know the comparisons of this 2006 model with the new 2008 model - if the savings are worth buying an older machine or if its much better to spend more for a new one. I need a computer for Photoshop, and have read on this forum the many screen problems in iMacs.
Thank you in advance for your help.

The late 2006 iMacs are great machines. I sold mine and I miss it every day! That machine will be great for photoshop, and the screen, in my opinion, is much nicer than the ones on the new iMacs.

It looks like he has a base model 24" with built-to-order 500 GB drive (vs. 250 GB) and 3 GB of ram (vs. 1 GB).

Currently, stock version of the late 2006 iMac (refurbished) sells from apple for $1,199 US . The ram is worth about $65 US new. The dealbreaker is that the iMac from Apple comes with 1 year of warranty and the option to purchase applecare to extend that warranty further.

Alternatively, the refurbished 2.8 Extreme w/ 2 GB of Ram (Aluminum 2007 model) is available for $1,599 US, or £1,019.00 (£867.23 ex VAT) (on the UK store, if that gives you a better frame of reference).

I think or 875 Euros would be more fair, but I must admit I'm not really in a position to estimate the value of computers in the EU!

 

[alphaod]

From my point of view; it's not worth €1000. First off it's used, so even if it doesn't have problems now, if it does in the future, how do you approach your friend?

Getting a refurbished/clearance model will probably the same price retail and if it breaks it won't affect friendships.

If you are really close to this person and you mentioned you wanted it, I guess you should go through with it, but otherwise buy a refurbished/clearance model from Apple.

 

[sinecurea]

since I sent my 3.06GHz iMac back.

Why did you send it back?