Refurb 24-inch 2.4 or 2.8?

[gskowal]

Hi I`m getting my first MAC ever , I was a PC user for over 15 years. I want to get a refurbished Imac but i`m stuck with a decision... is it worth it to buy the :

Processor 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
L2 Cache 6MB Shared
Frontside bus 1066MHz
Memory 2GB (two 1GB SO-DIMM) of 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM; supports up to 4GB
Hard drive 320GB Serial ATA; 7200 rpm

for $150 extra or get the :

Processor 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
L2 Cache 4MB Shared
System bus 800MHz
Memory 1GB (one SO-DIMM) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300), supports up to 4GB
Hard drive 320GB Serial ATA; 7200 rpm

??? I wanted to get a 3rd party RAM MEMORY anyway increase it to 4MB, but is there any difference in the increase of L2 Cache from 4 to 6? and System bus 800mhz? I will be mostly doing video editing and music composition. What do you guys think. Thanks a lot !

btw. computers bought online are only exchanged by mail as well?

 

[FlintAlt2]

Well there is a big enough bump in power from the 2.4. And if your doing video enconding ( I think thats processor/gpu heavy ) you need the most juice?

 

[gskowal]

Well there is a big enough bump in power from the 2.4. And if your doing video enconding ( I think thats processor/gpu heavy ) you need the most juice?

I thought that .4 speed bump is unnoticeable.

 

[FlintAlt2]

It might not be noticeable when reading your emails but when your encoding it certainly is.

Your getting:

Fasting CPU
50% increases on cache
Increases on front side bus
Increases on RAM speed

Im no pro and don't know that much but for 150$ more that seems like a worthy purchase.

 

[idyll]

Yeah without a doubt I'd pay the extra $150 and get the 2.8GHz version. Even if it takes you longer to save up for it, it will be worth it down the line.

You're getting so much more!

 

[bob vansteel]

the only thing you haven't listed here is the 2.8 large front side bus...which provides a great speed up to all tasks(everyday stuff...not only heavy computing) and i'd say its well worth the update to the better 2.8ghz for this reason.

Plus you get 2gb of extra 800mhz RAM that you could turn around and sell for at least $100...even up to $200!(seeing as your buying new RAM)

 

[Yazmeen]

pay 150 extra...thats what i would do