Buying an iMac, but don't know which processor.

[joepic]

I'm looking into buying a 24" refurbished iMac, but I don't know what's better...


This was what I was originally going to buy:

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?nplm=FB325LL/A

It's a core 2 duo at 2.8 GHz

However, I saw this for only $50 more:

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?nplm=FB322LL/A


a core 2 extreme at 2.8 GHz

which is a faster machine?

I would normally be able to determine this myself, but this is the difference


Processor 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
L2 Cache 6MB Shared
Frontside bus 1066MHz

2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme
L2 Cache 4MB Shared
System bus 800MHz

is the core 2 duo faster?

[AlexisV]

The 'Extreme' tag means nothing in Macs. Disregard it.

The first model has a faster system bus: 1066Mhz vs 800Mhz. In basic terms, the system bus is the speed at which most of the components in the machine communicate with each other.

You'll notice no difference in actually using either machine in every day use. The 1066Mhz bus model is the newer version and you might knock a few seconds off video encoding or 3D rendering.

The newer model is worth getting though because it will be worth more if you come to sell it in a few year's time.

[ditzy]

The newer one is better but not by much. But if I am reading what you are saying right you would be paying more for the older model there is a good reason for this the older version has a larger hard drive I think the new version has a hard drive of 320GB while the older version has 500GB.
So really as there is only a slight speed difference with the new version being faster. It's up to you which is more important the extra hard drive space or the slight speed increase.

[repre]

You really will not notice a difference. The main difference between the two are the bus speeds. Go for the newer one if you can afford it of course, but there isn't much of a difference.

[LaJaca]

You'll notice a bigger difference in speed by upgrading your RAM.

[Hatchet]

Processor 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
L2 Cache 6MB Shared
Frontside bus 1066MHz

2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme
L2 Cache 4MB Shared
System bus 800MHz

1st one has a faster bus speed. Yeah, as others said, "Extreme" really doesn't mean anything, especially if its an older model. :)

2nd one has a bigger hard drive (500GB) vs 1st one (320GB).

So, it depends on your needs.