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Another used 24" vs. refurb 21.5" thread?

B

bee1000

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 19, 2010
3
0
I'm looking to buy my first Mac and I did a search for previous comparisons of 24" vs 21.5" models. It seems like the best option varies depending on the configurations, so hopefully you'll indulge me.

All things being approximately equal, I'd rather have the 24" screen because of the additional vertical space from the 16x10 ratio. When I do photo editing, I'd like the extra vertical lines so vertical photos can be larger. Smartshooter.com rates both screens as good (not great), and they are very picky with their evaluations so I trust that I'll get a good screen either way.

So, the 24" iMac is $1100 at Mac of All Trades (good vendor?):
  • 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
  • 2.0GB RAM (2x1.0GB) - I'd upgrade to 2x2GB
  • 500GB Hard Drive (7200rpm) - I don't expect this to be an issue for me.
  • DVD-RW/CD-RW SuperDrive-DL
  • ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO video card (256MB)
  • I'd have to buy an upgrade to the latest OS and iLife.

The refurb 21.5" is $1300:
  • 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
  • 21.5-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display
  • 4GB memory
  • 1TB hard drive
  • 8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
  • ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics with 256MB memory

Once I upgrade the 24" to the latest OS, iLife and RAM, the cost will be about a wash, but what about the other specs?

I appreciate your comments.
 
Wait for the iMacs to get refreshed, then buy a 21.5". The gap between the two will be much larger then.
 
<whining>

But how long 'til the updaaaaate? I don' wanna waaaaaiiit!

</whining>
 
I have a 24" and I've used a couple of 21.5" ones but to be honest I don't think I could go from the 24" to the 21.5, doesn't sound like a huge difference but I could definitely tell when I used it. The 24" is an amazing machine in its own right!
signature_silverapple.jpg
 
If you are not worried about the hard drive space, go with the 24". Even though it is the same amount of pixels, the 24" looks better and is easier to read because the screen is bigger.

Every other spec is basically equal in terms of what you will actually notice.
 
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