Which iMac should I buy?

[NiroNavro]

I know for sure that I want a 24" iMac and these are most of the things I'll be using it for:

I go on the internet a lot and stream videos often.

I download and play a lot of music.

I want to play movies.

I do my gaming on other systems.

I use writing and basic office tools.

I have a digital camera with some but not too many photos.

I also want to get into live video chatting and recording video for YouTube.

So what should I get?

PS - I apologize if people have done this a million times already.

 

[alam]

as long as your not using your imac for games
then go for the 2.4ghz, you will find it more than enough trust me
good luck

 

[NiroNavro]

Awesome, thanks.

That's one vote. Keep them coming.

 

[Chaszmyr]

We really can't give you any good advice here, as we have no way of knowing how much the price difference means to you. Personally, I'd want to go for a new one, but if money is tight, there's nothing wrong with a refurbished machine. Also, while a faster processor is always better, I would be less concerned about the CPU and more concerned about the RAM, you're going to want at least 2gb (though you can add more after you buy the machine, if you need to).

 

[godmachine12]

Get the refurbished 2.4. If you put 4 gigs of RAM in that machine you will be very happy. I have the 2.0 20" model and once the RAM went in it was perfect. I do about the same things you do and it is more than adequate.

 

[NiroNavro]

we have no way of knowing how much the price difference means to you. Personally, I'd want to go for a new one, but if money is tight, there's nothing wrong with a refurbished machine.

Money is tight nowadays. I'm a student and I've listed the price of the new machine as $1801. That's the price after the student discount and the added sales tax. I figure that the lower the cost, the better. I just want to get the most "bang for my buck" that's why I'm asking for advice. If the new iMac gives me more for the dollar then I'll go with that over the refurbished product. If not then maybe I should lean toward a refurbished product.

 

[Chaszmyr]

In that case, my vote is for the refurb 2.8

 

[Jack Flash]

I suggest getting the refurb 2.4 GHz and buying 4GB Ram from NewEgg. They have a set for $52 after rebate.

 

[NiroNavro]

Thanks for the opinions. Keep them coming. I want to make sure that I make the best decision possible.

 

[jasko]

All 3 of them would need extra ram.. depending what you need it for, but besides that... all 3 will keep you good from upgrading again for about 3 or 4 years. so it's whatever you have the money for. they're all good.

I just bought option 2 and it arrives on Friday, so I'll reply then when I get it and let ya know how it is

 

[NiroNavro]

Thanks for posting Jasko. Be sure to let me know how it is.

Any other opinions?

 

[gehrbox]

I know for sure that I want a 24" iMac and these are most of the things I'll be using it for:

Any of the new or Apple refurb iMac's will do what you are looking for. Let the price be your guide. 2GB of memory is more then enough for most tasks. If you are planning on running Windows or Linux in Fusion or Parallels opt for 4GB.

 

[Galley]

The latest model has 6MB of cache.

 

[Jack Flash]

The latest model has 6MB of cache.

And this guy checks his email with this computer.

Honestly, a Mac Mini would be overkill. The cheapeast option is the best one in this situation.

 

[NiroNavro]

According to the posts it sounds like I should go cheaper. According to the poll, the most expensive iMac is winning. How much better is a new product over a refurbished one?

 

[Jack Flash]

According to the posts it sounds like I should go cheaper. According to the poll, the most expensive iMac is winning. How much better is a new product over a refurbished one?

Refurb iMacs are brand new quality and condition; they simply use the older chipset.

 

[robbier]

Definitely, it sounds like you don't need a 2.8 GHz new iMac. If all you are going to be doing is what you listed, and are not going to be doing many graphically intensive and processor intensive tasks, most prominently gaming, then you should be just fine with a refurbished 2.4GHz iMac. Consider upgrading to 2GB or memory though, it will help a lot.

 

[NiroNavro]

Yeah, people keep saying that most of the speed is in the RAM.

 

[sassenach74]

If I was in your position, I would go for the refurb 2.4ghz purely because it should be quite capable of doing what you want, and money is tight...this is an uneducated guess since I have never owned a Mac (yet, see sig.) so take it with a pinch of salt (or a bucket load).

 

[NiroNavro]

this is an uneducated guess since I have never owned a Mac

I don't think that you have to be a mac owner to make educated statements about them. I think your answer was very educated.

Best of luck with your new mac and thanks for your input.

 

[Sandman1969]

They have a 2.8 Extreme in the refurb area for 1595. It is basically the same as I have minus I have 4gb and a lil bigger drive.

Refurbished iMac 24-inch 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
24-inch glossy widescreen display
2GB memory
320GB hard drive
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB memory

That would do you well now, and later you can upgrade the memory if you like.

 

[NiroNavro]

Oh wow! They have a bunch more refurbs. This has to be posted as a new thread.

 

[Jon.Stewart87]

no it doesn't.. i think you've gotten a lot of good feedback already - if money's tight and you have minimal use for your mac.. get the cheapest one you can find.. they allllll do email/web well.