Bought a 21.5" now want the 27"

[iubhounds]

I did a lot of studying about the systems and reading on this forum BEFORE buying the iMac 21.5". I then went to the local Apple Store and looked at both the 21.5 and the 27" system. In October 2010 I decided on the 21.5.

Don't get me wrong, I love this system after converting from a PC (15 yrs) and the system has not given me any problems at all. One thing that kinda kept me from buying the 27" were the monitor problems I was reading about. Price was NOT a factor. I had also measured the distance between my monitor and my face and decided that the 21.5 would be a better system for me.

Buttttttttt......recently I have had more and more desire for the 27" system or even a separate 30" monitor. So much of a desire that I am wanting to purchase the 27" iMac or the 30" monitor....just for the bigger monitor....not the system.

So I am asking the forum, what do you suggest I do in making the transition. My iMac is the basic i3 system, bought 85 days ago.

 

[Hellhammer]

Selling it and buying a new one (or refurb) would probably be the cheapest option. A new 27" or 30" monitor will cost you at least 1000$ or so

 

[ZilogZ80]

I did a lot of studying about the systems and reading on this forum BEFORE buying the iMac 21.5". I then went to the local Apple Store and looked at both the 21.5 and the 27" system. In October 2010 I decided on the 21.5.

Don't get me wrong, I love this system after converting from a PC (15 yrs) and the system has not given me any problems at all. One thing that kinda kept me from buying the 27" were the monitor problems I was reading about. Price was NOT a factor. I had also measured the distance between my monitor and my face and decided that the 21.5 would be a better system for me.

Buttttttttt......recently I have had more and more desire for the 27" system or even a separate 30" monitor. So much of a desire that I am wanting to purchase the 27" iMac or the 30" monitor....just for the bigger monitor....not the system.

So I am asking the forum, what do you suggest I do in making the transition. My iMac is the basic i3 system, bought 85 days ago.

Sell it for as much as you can get and buy a new (or refurb) 27" system?

I bought the 27" about a year ago, wondering if I had made a mistake buying such a big screen. No. It is perfect. My friend's 21.5" feels painfully small in comparison.

 

[iubhounds]

For selling the iMac 21", any recommended sites?

I am familiar with eBay, as I sell there full time. I have rarely looked at Craigs List but have friends that sell there at times.

Also I have a dedicated external drive that does nothing but the Time Machine. Will those Time Machine backups be all that I need to load my files into the new iMac?

Ill look after I type this but what is the process for wiping the current iMac hard drive clean before selling? I have the orginal box.

 

[Hellhammer]

For selling the iMac 21", any recommended sites?

I am familiar with eBay, as I sell there full time. I have rarely looked at Craigs List but have friends that sell there at times.

Craigslist is usually good as there are no fees. You could try it first.

Also I have a dedicated external drive that does nothing but the Time Machine. Will those Time Machine backups be all that I need to load my files into the new iMac?

Yes

Ill look after I type this but what is the process for wiping the current iMac hard drive clean before selling? I have the orginal box.

http://guides.macrumors.com/Clean_Install_of_OS_X_10.6_Snow_Leopard

And while in Disk Utility, select security options and 0-pass erase so your data will be unrecoverable.

 

[iubhounds]

Thanks 'Hammer.....great fast info.

 

[Rapscallion]

I used kijiji to sell a used macbook and it was gone in a flash for more then I purchased it for. Its worth a try.

 

[Bevz]

I recently debated the same thing; 21.5" or 27" iMac... I decided on the 27". Money was a factor for me so i got a 27" refurb for the same price as the 21.5".. It's supposed to be arriving tomorrow...
I plan on selling my old macpro (original 2006 version) via a company called trading4u.com. They've offered me what seems a quite reasonable price for my old mac. Just email them with details and they'll send you a quote. I've read some good things about the company so i'm hoping they're legit!!

 

[chris98vf]

Load it up with the latest OS X and iLife and sell it on eBay with the original box and you'll get a good return on it. Also expect eBay to rape you on fee's. Craigslist is worth a try but expect to get a lot of emails from Nigerians trying to get you to ship it to Africa and when you get real emails expect people to offer you insulting prices and or trades in Lawn mowers and the such.

I sell a lot of iMacs on eBay and CL. That's my 2 cents...

 

[iamthedudeman]

I was in the same situation as yourself recently.

I own my own business and own quite a few imacs, mac pro's, mac mini's. Of the 17 imacs for my business, about half of them have some kind of defect of some sort, dead pixels, yellowing etc.

I also own a few 21.5's. Five to be exact. Four are for my business, and I use one for home use.

I just moved a quad core i5 2009 model back to the office from one I was using for my home. It had slight yellowing. Very annoying.

I now have a 21.5 3.2 hooked up with a HP 2511 running in dual mode. And i love the HP monitor.

It has a bright view screen which has all the benefits of a matte screen and the benefits of a glossy screen. Hardly any glare at all. It is a 25 inch screen.

It is not a IPS screen, but a MVA LED screen which is not as good as a IPS LED screen supposedly but it looks better than my 27 imacs straight on and has it's advantages. The Pixel pitch is not as high, but then you don't have a problem reading text due to the super high resolution. Font is better. Easier to read.

Brightview screens are the best I have ever seen, and I seen them all. All brightview is a coating on the glass to reduce glare. And it works flawlessly. Hardly no glare at all. Big difference from the imac screens. Dell also uses bright view on more than quite a few of their screens. Apple screens are some of the best, but they have their disadvantages.

Of all you need is more screen real estate i would consider another screen, a bigger one. And dual screen mode is better than a single screen. It wouldn't hurt to check one of the HP screens out and see if you like it. They also make a 27 but I don't thing the new LED 27 is out yet.

The 25 inch LED HP screen is almost as big as the imac 27 inch. Hardly any difference at all. None you will notice.



No yellowing, not dead pixels, no color shifting etc. It is a perfect screen.
Head on the color and clarity of the screen is fantastic. Deeper black levels and a superior color profile. The viewing angles are not as great at 170, 160 but still not as bad as a TN panel at 160,160. Blacks and contract tend to be better on a MVA panel.

But then again, I am not going to be viewing it at a angle. I now have more screen real estate. The monitor cost me $300 for a monitor as good as quality as this one is a bargain. Try to find one negative review on this screen, you can't. I tried. It is worth a shot. You have nothing to lose but to save some cash.

If you sell your imac, your going to take a loss of at least 200 US or more. Add to the fact you will be buying a more expensive computer in the 27 inch model and you could be out $700 or more.

I bought a HP LED and couldn't be happier.

The pictures are turned sideways? But you get my meaning. Hopefully you can view them.

 

[Rob.G]

Can you wait 2-3 months? A refresh is coming that will likely see the new Sandy Bridge chipset in the iMac and MBP line (among other things). At least then you'd really get a nice upgrade in addition to the larger screen.

Rob

 

[Deeya]

If you happened to purchase the computer with an education discount, it's possible to sell it for more than you paid for it. I sold my 15" high res i7 MBP for $100 more than I paid for it after ~6 months of owning it. If you use craigslist, make sure you deal locally and in cash at a public place.

 

[coolspot18]

So I am asking the forum, what do you suggest I do in making the transition. My iMac is the basic i3 system, bought 85 days ago.

Wait for the 2011 model.

 

[Deeya]

Wait for the 2011 model.

If you take that advice, you should sell your current model before the release of the next ones, because then prices will fall. Usually when Apple releases new products, the old ones go on even steeper discounts in the refurb store, so you will have to contend with that price drop.

Keep listening to rumors and speculation if you have to keep it, you could time the sale to be a few days/weeks before the release and keep your profits up.

 

[iubhounds]

iamthedudeman:

Thanks for all your info and I could see the pics without a problem. After seeing that I added my LG 24" and it seems to be working out quite well. I will give it some time to get use to the change, even thought my work space on the desk is the same, so nothing lost there.

I think I will find it quite efficient this Saturday when I work on my blogs on websites.

Rob G: Yes I can wait a few months.

Deeya: That's a good point and I'll keep my eye open for that.

Very helpful people on this forum for a "mac newbie".

 

[Giuly]

I was in the same situation as yourself recently.

I own my own business and own quite a few imacs, mac pro's, mac mini's. Of the 17 imacs for my business, about half of them have some kind of defect of some sort, dead pixels, yellowing etc.

I also own a few 21.5's. Five to be exact. Four are for my business, and I use one for home use.

I just moved a quad core i5 2009 model back to the office from one I was using for my home. It had slight yellowing. Very annoying.

Yellowing occurs partially on the screen, what you have there are misaligned (or better: warmer) colors, buddy. The HP shows nicer colors, because you can calibrate/configure it separately. For the iMac display, do this:

(Yeah, it's German, but you get the point.)
Calibrate it and be happy with you iMac screen