Best Refurb iMac Deal???

[icemantx]

I currently have an early 2009 iMac and I have been tempted by the 27" iMac ever since they came out a few months after I bought my 2.93 GHz C2D 24" iMac with the GT 120 video card. I like my machine quite a bit, but the 27" adds a lot to the resolution and screen size in comparison.

I doubt I want to drop $1700 on the new i3 and i5 takes me up to $2000.

So with that in mind, I have started to look into Refurbished machines. There are currently 4 different models on Apple's site available.

Here are the specs:

Refurbished iMac 27-inch 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

27-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
Built-in iSight camera $1,269.00


Refurbished iMac 27-inch 3.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

27-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
Built-in iSight camera $1,439.00


Refurbished iMac 27-inch 2.66GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5

27-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display
4GB memory
1TB hard drive
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics with 512MB memory
Built-in iSight camera $1,529.00


Refurbished iMac 27-inch 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7

27-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display
4GB memory
1TB hard drive
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics with 512MB memory
Built-in iSight camera $1699.00

Which one would you say is the best deal? I still wonder if it is really even worth it to upgrade, but still the 27" iMacs are very nice machines. Since mine has AppleCare through March 2011 I can probably fetch $1000-1200 for it on eBay.

The 27" iMac is more of a want than a need as mine works perfectly (iTunes and iPhoto can be sluggish). Primarily I use the computer for iMovie, iTunes, iPhoto, iWork, Numbers and email/internet. Occasionally watching movies.

Thoughts?

 

[stridemat]

The i5/7 machines will be overkill for what you would use them for now. However I would urge you to think about what you might need them for in the future. It could be beneficial to pay the money now.

 

[redshift1]

1269.00 looks good or you can wait for 2010 refurbs if you really want the upgrades.

 

[jokemjokester]

go with the i5 if you are unsure of what you'll be doing in the future. I would say the i7 but that would probably be overkill. the i5 is the mid range model right now and imo is the best bang for your buck. You get an awesome 27in with a pretty good processor and all for 1529 plus tax. not bad at all!!!

 

[robabroad]

I went with the i5

Refurbished iMac 27-inch 2.66GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5

27-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display
4GB memory
1TB hard drive
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics with 512MB memory
Built-in iSight camera $1,529.00

Thoughts?

I went with the 27" i5 refurb and couldn't be happier. FYI, the price I paid in June was $1,699, so your timing is good.

Perfect condition cosmetically. No yellow tint that I can detect. No problems.

I considered not getting the 27", but I'm glad I did. It's like having dual monitors (if you do a lot of side-by-side work like I do).

Cheers.

Rob