it is almost silly

[jetjaguar]

I am looking at buying my first imac since having just sold my mac pro and i noticed it almost seems silly to buy anything but a refurb because i was looking at buying a 27 i7 with ss and 2tb drive .. but if i go to turn around and sell it at the next refresh ill basically lose so much money .. because once these start to hit the refurb store the price will be so much less and no one is going to buy a used one when u can get cheaper ones on the refurb store

seems dumb to not always buy a refurb .. dunno what to do

 

[eawmp1]

I am looking at buying my first imac since having just sold my mac pro and i noticed it almost seems silly to buy anything but a refurb because i was looking at buying a 27 i7 with ss and 2tb drive .. but if i go to turn around and sell it at the next refresh ill basically lose so much money .. because once these start to hit the refurb store the price will be so much less and no one is going to buy a used one when u can get cheaper ones on the refurb store

seems dumb to not always buy a refurb .. dunno what to do

Seems dumb to buy a computer with the idea you are going to sell it at the next refresh.

 

[Schtumple]

Technology always gets cheaper, you'll never make a profit. Unless you're after the very latest tech, get the refurb.

 

[jetjaguar]

not trying to make a profit .. but not lose like 500 dollars in a month .. i used my mac pro for 6-7 months and lost 100 dollars .. maybe ill pick up a refurb

 

[Schtumple]

How would you loose $500 a month??? Your machine would be worthless after 4 months... My iMac is still worth half its value after 4 years, they do hold their value pretty well.

 

[Gov98]

Refurbished is hit and miss if you ask me. About 5 days ago they had the 24" Imac back in the store said it was 36% off. (What a deal right?!) Except that it was more expensive than the 27" with the same processor and better graphics, but because it started out at $2,199 it was a way better deal... (Not really just had a big % off amount).

You have to be very careful with refurbished, because some of them are a good deal. The latest generation quad core refurbished...Good Deal, some of the others? Not so Much.

If you get an education or government employee or other discount, it gets much more comparable, especially because you are getting something "new." The worst thing Apple does is gives Government Employees, Education Customers discounts and not the general public, I mean really why?

Government employees often make better money than private nowadays and it seems silly.

 

[PatriotInvasion]

The way I do it, is I try to buy new Mac hardware as close to when it's first released. That buys me a good 2 1/2 years with a computer that still has the same current design - spec bumps don't usually thrill me (though I did just buy the new quad i5 iMac - but there's a story behind that)...anyway...just buy a nice Mac and use it till a new model comes out, not a lousy spec bump...worry about selling it every 2+ years

PS - Would never do a refurb...I'd rather pay full price for something that is brand new and beautifully packaged than for a used machine that another guy had his grubby greasy hands on.

Also helps when you know a student, to get the education discount

 

[jetjaguar]

yea i do get an education discount so that is why at times it makes more sense to me to buy a new one .. i guess im really questioning whether to get a refurb or new is becauses its an all in one imac and not like buying something where if a new gpu is out i can just swap you know what i mean?

i really want the newer gpu just in case i get tempted to play cataclysm when its released. The other question is whether or not to ssd + 2tb

 

[theOtherGeoff]

the gift that keeps on giving.

yea i do get an education discount so that is why at times it makes more sense to me to buy a new one .. i guess im really questioning whether to get a refurb or new is becauses its an all in one imac and not like buying something where if a new gpu is out i can just swap you know what i mean?

i really want the newer gpu just in case i get tempted to play cataclysm when its released. The other question is whether or not to ssd + 2tb

The nice thing about iMacs is the 'regifting' factor. I rarely sell macs... I've got a comet's tail of gifts to family and friends (the ones who ask me to 'support' their network needs). My mom has my 5 yo G5 iMac, and my son has my 4yo 15" MBP, and my other son has my _7_ yo G4 867TiB (which we fixed with parts from my 8yo G4 800TiB) after he broke the hinge on my old 9 yo G4 400. My Daughter got her white macbook from her mother;-). and my brother has my 11 yo Lime G3 iMac (yep, still running OS X 10.3!), for his web surfing and hotmail.

Personally, buy enough computer to do the job you need today. That's why I have a Mac Mini and an iPhone. Eventually, the iPhone will be an iPad, but I really don't need it now (got a Lenovo Laptop for work... sucks but it's the std)... And this is my 2nd Mini... I had a 'trial' refurb for about 6 months... cost me $50 in depreciation (9%), when I went out and bought a new HD ready Mini (which completed my home AV system).

So, if you're supporting Mom, or visa versa, maybe she needs a nice desktop;-)

SSD+2TB? unless you're storing a huge amount of stuff locally. Personally, Apples SSD sucks. I'd get my storage externally (FW800 is fast enough), and use the internal drive for only read/only and sys stuff.

But I'm not a vid cruncher or Gamer so YMMV.

 

[jetjaguar]

well maybe i guess i could just get the i7 imac with the basic 1tb drive and i can pick up like a 4gb external g-raid or whatver

also another reason for the internal storage is less clutter on the desk