Switcher about to buy refurb

[Qgirl]

Well, I've researched and stalled and researched and waited and driven my husband and children nuts and I'm finally ready to replace my 8-year-old Dell with my first-ever Apple. An iMac, that is, and I'm going for a 20" white refurb. Having decided the 24" is too big for me, and preferring the non-reflective non-glossy S-IPS display of the white version (although I do like the look of the alum-&-black, sigh) I would like to ask the following:

am I going to have any regrets over the video card? the 2.16 C2D 20" white refurbs currently available from Apple have the ATI x1600 128 mb. I am not a graphic designer, do not do video editing (I may tinker with photos from time to time) and am definitely not a gamer (well, since Myst). I have the impression nobody has a very high opinion of this ATI card, and I know it is not upgradeable.

Also, do you recommend I throw an alum-iMac keyboard in my shopping cart? People seem to prefer them to the white - ?

I will immediately max out the RAM from crucial, so that is not an issue. And I will get AppleCare.

Thanks in advance for you guidance

 

[Goldenbear]

For the uses you list, the graphics card will do just fine. It may be "old", but it's not a "bad" video card. Even the much slower integrated video on the Mini and MacBook would work for you.

You may want to check and see if the iMac comes with the older iLife or the latest iLife '08.

Another good place for RAM is OWC and DMS. I've bought from both and recommend them highly. OWC will also buy back your old RAM.

The new keyboards look nice, but if you want the Bluetooth version, be aware that it doesn't come with a dedicated number pad.

One other thing is, for some reason, the 20" iMac supposedly can't be wall-mounted with a standard VESA mount. I haven't verified this, but only the 24" iMacs are compatible with VESA mounts. Not an issue if you don't plan on wall-mounting the iMac or attaching it to a swing-arm mount.

 

[dborja]

I have exactly that version of the iMac. I did max out RAM, use the white BlueTooth keyboard and I just switched to a Logitech MX Revolution mouse. I run MSOffice, write code with XCode, keep my music and video library on iTunes, synch my AppleTV/iPod/iPhones with iTunes and iPhoto, create and burn movies/slideshows with iMovie and iDVD, create webpages with iWeb, download pictures from my camera, print photos, play music/videos/slideshows, browse the 'Net, shop on the 'Net, sell on the 'Net, synch with my iBook and MacBook among other things and I don't see replacing it in the foreseeable future (I did buy AppleCare also). The video card is just fine BTW.

I do have an external drive directly connected to it for Time Machine as well as a scanner and a photo printer. I also have two "network drives" and a network laser printer connected to via an Apple Extreme Base Station (non-Gigabit Ethernet). It's running Leopard and works just fine.

Apple customer care treats me no different with my refurb iMac than it does with new products; I get excellent support. If I were to buy another iMac (and I might because my wife wants one in the family room), it would definitely be a refurb and I may consider another white one...

I hope that describing my situation helps you decide which generation to go for and whether you want the refurb or the current models.