Refurb 24'' imac or new 21.5'' imac, decision

[izimu]

Hey guys,
Sorry you must have seen hundreds of topics like this but I've got to the point where I feel like I'm splitting hairs.
I have been looking at purchasing an imac for sometime for editing HD video from my Canon hv40 using Final Cut.

Now the two machines I am considering are a Refurbished 24'' imac;

24-inch glossy widescreen display
4GB memory
1TB hard drive
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
NVIDIA GeForce GT 130 with 512MB memory
£1,119.00

Or the new middle of the range 21.5 imac;

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
£1,225.00

As you can see the specs are nearly identical which is why I'm having trouble making a decision, The pros of the 24'' is obviously the bigger screen which would be nice whilst editing and watching movies and I'm not sure but does it have a better graphics card?

The 21.5'' although having a smaller screen is LED backlit, so would that mean the picture quality would actually be better than the 24'' because that would be pretty important for me. Also its obviously new and you get the wireless keyboard and magic mouse. Again I'm not sure if the graphics card is better or worse?

So what should I go for?
Price wise theres so little in it but cleary one machine is brand new whilst the other is refurbished although from what I've read thats not a bad thing.
The screen is probally the most important factor, I will be making videos in full 1080p and want them to look as good as possible, so even though its smaller would the 21.5 led screen produce better picture quality?
Finally graphics cards, I have no idea which one is better, so any opionions would greatly help.

Thank you any help would be very much appreciated.

 

[juliancs]

The new one has a better graphics card. The 'non-led' backlit screens are not terrible. If you don't game or need the GFX card, its about the screen space. I'd go with the 21.5 inch.

 

[darrellishere]

OMG The 21.5" is gorgeous, plus has the same screen resolution as the 24".
The displays on the 24" are no where near as good as the 21.5".
(Yellow areas, light bleed in the corners, and an uneven uniform, and the screen will fade over time! Old tech! Plus lose its value quicker.

The graphics cards are going to be good whatever! Enjoy whatever one you get, but get the 21"

 

[EliteF50]

Depends on what you want. Personally, I'd go for the 21.5" just because it has newer tech, but the 24" has a better graphics card.

 

[FearlessFreep]

The LED screen is gorgeous (provided you don't get the yellow tint issue). When faced with the same decision, I opted for the 21.5 and I'm glad I did. the SD card slot plus the easier RAM expandability were clinchers for me.