Refurbished iMac 24-inch 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

[shadoe1989]

So I got this Imac, Was going to get the new 2.93 but thats just a ripoff

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
Built-in iSight Camera

So whats the diff between this graphic card and the integrated nvidia one?
Oh and the guy on the phone said its coming in a new Imac white box, so im not sure if this is just old stock or what. I told him that most people get a brown apple box and he said yes but this one is coming in a new one.

[FoxHoundADAM]

So I got this Imac, Was going to get the new 2.93 but thats just a ripoff

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
Built-in iSight Camera

So whats the diff between this graphic card and the integrated nvidia one?
Oh and the guy on the phone said its coming in a new Imac white box, so im not sure if this is just old stock or what. I told him that most people get a brown apple box and he said yes but this one is coming in a new one.
This is the option I'm leaning owards as well. My understanding is that the ATI Radeon HD 2600 is slightly better than the NVIDIA 9400M.

And agreed, I want to go with an upgraded 2.93 new iMac but jeez it's a $650 difference!

[adam23]

Just ordered the 2.8 refurb for £950!! (And I am still in the 5% promotional cashback period for my amex card making it £900)

Considering the apparent UK price increases I think it's a cracking deal.

Goodbye Vista!!

[patricem]

So I got this Imac, Was going to get the new 2.93 but thats just a ripoff

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
Built-in iSight Camera

So whats the diff between this graphic card and the integrated nvidia one?
Oh and the guy on the phone said its coming in a new Imac white box, so im not sure if this is just old stock or what. I told him that most people get a brown apple box and he said yes but this one is coming in a new one.

Sounds to me like you got a new machine at the refurb price. I have been thinking that they must be selling new as refurbs, I mean, how many refurbs can they actually have?

[the_fellowship]

I just bought one of these :)

I went to the Apple Store after work to have a closer look at the new iMacs and compare them to the old ones. After deciding that the new ones were not worth the increase in price for my needs, I decided to go for this one. It seems like a pretty good deal.

I originally ordered the refurb 20" 2.66GHz iMac (before the new updates on Tuesday) but that was faulty (screen buzzing when adjusting display brightness). That was picked up today so I should be getting my refund soon :)
After seeing the 24" display compared to the 20", I had to pay the bit extra! lol

Hopefully this refurb will be fully working and no faults *touch wood*

[nm156]

I just bought one of these :)

I went to the Apple Store after work to have a closer look at the new iMacs and compare them to the old ones. After deciding that the new ones were not worth the increase in price for my needs, I decided to go for this one. It seems like a pretty good deal.

I originally ordered the refurb 20" 2.66GHz iMac (before the new updates on Tuesday) but that was faulty (screen buzzing when adjusting display brightness). That was picked up today so I should be getting my refund soon :)
After seeing the 24" display compared to the 20", I had to pay the bit extra! lol

Hopefully this refurb will be fully working and no faults *touch wood*

I just did the same..makes no sense to pay the premium on the new one. 1199 isnt bad, and in the future you can sell it for a good amount if you want to upgrade.

[the_fellowship]

Just ordered the 2.8 refurb for £950!! (And I am still in the 5% promotional cashback period for my amex card making it £900)

Considering the apparent UK price increases I think it's a cracking deal.

Goodbye Vista!!

Did you go via Quidco? Additional 4% if you did :)

[macabouttobe]

I've had the 2.8 for over a year, added my own ram... There was talk about how poor the graphics card was on these boards at the time. To hear that they may have taken a step backwards would be a caution flag for me. Gobble up the 2.8's while you can if that is the case. I've seen the benchmarks which are only CPU intensive without the graphics capability so the jury may still be out on that one. But the CPU benchmark's of the newer one's are slightly lower than the 2.8. Again sans graphics...

Let me just say I'm absolutely satisfied with my 2.8. Final cut express is probably my most intensive app. Not much of a gamer, but would be if I had the time. Plenty of gaming discussions on this board to make your own decision..The only time I felt like I had an inferior machine was when I rendered video on a quad-core mac pro. I have no problem with the limited production I do. I guess you don't know what your missing until you sit down at a faster machine.

When they come out with faster CPU's that's when the difference will be felt obviously with the faster ram etc... Do the math, make your decision, and pull the trigger..

[Drumerdude]

Why is everybodybody getting refubs?

[revx]

Why is everybodybody getting refubs?

If you don't plan on doing any gaming or gpu intensive tasks, they are a great deal, plus if you wanted a base model, it seems the ati 2600 is better than the new nvidia 9400m by a bit, or, at the very least, not any worse. Basically a better bang for your buck.

[Ibonic]

Why is everybodybody getting refubs?

Practically new. The latest gets the added tax of being current, like brand new cars. You can always purchase a better computer at lesser price a year later anyhow. I can't deal with my 2 year old Macbook anymore (new when it was purchased) when dealing with videos, so refurb. Just ordered one of these.

[patricem]

I've had the 2.8 for over a year, added my own ram... There was talk about how poor the graphics card was on these boards at the time. To hear that they may have taken a step backwards would be a caution flag for me. Gobble up the 2.8's while you can if that is the case. I've seen the benchmarks which are only CPU intensive without the graphics capability so the jury may still be out on that one. But the CPU benchmark's of the newer one's are slightly lower than the 2.8. Again sans graphics...

Let me just say I'm absolutely satisfied with my 2.8. Final cut express is probably my most intensive app. Not much of a gamer, but would be if I had the time. Plenty of gaming discussions on this board to make your own decision..The only time I felt like I had an inferior machine was when I rendered video on a quad-core mac pro. I have no problem with the limited production I do. I guess you don't know what your missing until you sit down at a faster machine.

When they come out with faster CPU's that's when the difference will be felt obviously with the faster ram etc... Do the math, make your decision, and pull the trigger..

Is this machine quiet? No fan noise? Thx :)

[the_fellowship]

I just bought one of these :)

I went to the Apple Store after work to have a closer look at the new iMacs and compare them to the old ones. After deciding that the new ones were not worth the increase in price for my needs, I decided to go for this one. It seems like a pretty good deal.

I originally ordered the refurb 20" 2.66GHz iMac (before the new updates on Tuesday) but that was faulty (screen buzzing when adjusting display brightness). That was picked up today so I should be getting my refund soon :)
After seeing the 24" display compared to the 20", I had to pay the bit extra! lol

Hopefully this refurb will be fully working and no faults *touch wood*

My refurb iMac 24" 2.8 GHz arrived today, I missed the UPS delivery by 10 mins! So I had to pick it up this evening from the local depot. Just un-packed it and it definitely doesn't seem it's a new machine. It came in the brown box (double boxed) and the keyboard and mouse were not wrapped in plastic (unlike my 1st iMac refurb 20" 2.6GHz).

Anyway, I connect it up and power it up...all I get is a series of beeps! I try again a few times, still a series of beeps and then nothing. I try to re-connect all the cables and wires but still no joy. So I decide to check the RAM, as soon as I touch the ram door...it just falls off! It wasn't even screwed in! So I make sure the RAM is seated properly and attach the ram door correctly i.e. with the screw! It now boots up and I'm just doing a software update.

I don't know what quality checks the refurb units go through, but for something as simple as the RAM door not being screwed in correctly (which causes the iMac not to even boot!) should be an easy thing to spot. I can't believe the fault developed during transit, so it must have been a fault during the so called "testing" phase lol

That's two refubs I've received in the last 6 days...1st was faulty and the 2nd was almost faulty! I hope others ordering refurbs don't have to go through anything similar!

btw, the 24" screen looks amazing! :)

[patricem]

My refurb iMac 24" 2.8 GHz arrived today, I missed the UPS delivery by 10 mins! So I had to pick it up this evening from the local depot. Just un-packed it and it definitely doesn't seem it's a new machine. It came in the brown box (double boxed) and the keyboard and mouse were not wrapped in plastic (unlike my 1st iMac refurb 20" 2.6GHz).

Anyway, I connect it up and power it up...all I get is a series of beeps! I try again a few times, still a series of beeps and then nothing. I try to re-connect all the cables and wires but still no joy. So I decide to check the RAM, as soon as I touch the ram door...it just falls off! It wasn't even screwed in! So I make sure the RAM is seated properly and attach the ram door correctly i.e. with the screw! It now boots up and I'm just doing a software update.

I don't know what quality checks the refurb units go through, but for something as simple as the RAM door not being screwed in correctly (which causes the iMac not to even boot!) should be an easy thing to spot. I can't believe the fault developed during transit, so it must have been a fault during the so called "testing" phase lol

That's two refubs I've received in the last 6 days...1st was faulty and the 2nd was almost faulty! I hope others ordering refurbs don't have to go through anything similar!

btw, the 24" screen looks amazing! :)

Oh my gosh I'm glad you posted this.....wow thats really something. Makes me want to go for the clearance version versus refurb. Geez I hope it runs ok for you. Please post update!

[NRose8989]

My refurb iMac 24" 2.8 GHz arrived today, I missed the UPS delivery by 10 mins! So I had to pick it up this evening from the local depot. Just un-packed it and it definitely doesn't seem it's a new machine. It came in the brown box (double boxed) and the keyboard and mouse were not wrapped in plastic (unlike my 1st iMac refurb 20" 2.6GHz).

Anyway, I connect it up and power it up...all I get is a series of beeps! I try again a few times, still a series of beeps and then nothing. I try to re-connect all the cables and wires but still no joy. So I decide to check the RAM, as soon as I touch the ram door...it just falls off! It wasn't even screwed in! So I make sure the RAM is seated properly and attach the ram door correctly i.e. with the screw! It now boots up and I'm just doing a software update.

I don't know what quality checks the refurb units go through, but for something as simple as the RAM door not being screwed in correctly (which causes the iMac not to even boot!) should be an easy thing to spot. I can't believe the fault developed during transit, so it must have been a fault during the so called "testing" phase lol

That's two refubs I've received in the last 6 days...1st was faulty and the 2nd was almost faulty! I hope others ordering refurbs don't have to go through anything similar!

btw, the 24" screen looks amazing! :)

Ya I think your just un-lucky or something, I just got my refurb 2.8 yesterday and it's immaculate, everything was wrapped in plastic too.

Mine came in a white box but not a "new" white box with the pictures and such, just a plain white box.

[patricem]

Ya I think your just un-lucky or something, I just got my refurb 2.8 yesterday and it's immaculate, everything was wrapped in plastic too.

Mine came in a white box but not a "new" white box with the pictures and such, just a plain white box.

Seems like maybe the white box ones are actually new and the brown box refurb. I'm holding out for the previous 3.06, I'm thinking they will have to clear them soon, then I will have to decide new or refurb.

[the_fellowship]

Yeah I do think I'm lucky when it comes to refurbs!

So far the iMac seems to be running ok, I've just completed the Software Update so it's all up to date. I am checking all the hardware (ethernet, wifi, iSight, Bluetooth etc) to make sure it's all ok.

Does anyone know if there is a hardware test you can run to ensure everything is ok? I don't really want to have to test each component manually lol

Besides the "dodgy" packaging and the ram door, it seems ok *touch wood* lol :)

Cheers

[Mike in Kansas]

Anyway, I connect it up and power it up...all I get is a series of beeps! I try again a few times, still a series of beeps and then nothing. I try to re-connect all the cables and wires but still no joy. So I decide to check the RAM, as soon as I touch the ram door...it just falls off! It wasn't even screwed in! So I make sure the RAM is seated properly and attach the ram door correctly i.e. with the screw! It now boots up and I'm just doing a software update.

I don't know what quality checks the refurb units go through, but for something as simple as the RAM door not being screwed in correctly (which causes the iMac not to even boot!) should be an easy thing to spot. I can't believe the fault developed during transit, so it must have been a fault during the so called "testing" phase lol

That's two refubs I've received in the last 6 days...1st was faulty and the 2nd was almost faulty! I hope others ordering refurbs don't have to go through anything similar!

btw, the 24" screen looks amazing! :)

That really stinks! Sounds more like "returns" than "refurbs". I wonder if the refurb procedures in the UK are different than in the US. The US website states that it goes through rigorous stringent re-certification procedures. I can't see something that shoddy getting through ANY sort of inspection! Hopefully this will be all of the issues you have.

[VoodooDaddy]

My 24" arrives thursday. It will replace a 20" 2.0ghz model I got last year from the refurb store. This will be the 4th system (actually 5th) Ive bought refurbed. Every single one looked brand new in every way, not a mark on any of them.

The last macbook I bought, also last year, was having kernel panics right out of the box. It wouldnt even run the hardware test off the discs. Apple swapped it immediately with another one (the 5th one).

I would never hesitate to order refurbed from Apple. In fact I probably will never buy brand new as long as I can get what I want in the refurb section. I anticipate this new 24" will last me at least 3yrs. Of course I said the same about this iMac Im typing on now, and its just a little over a yr old :eek:

BTW, every refurb Ive ever gotten has come in brown box. However, I know the refurbed iPhones, when you could still get them, came in a plain white box. Maybe they have changed the look of refurb packaging on some products. I believe the last macbook I got was brand new. It came pre-installed with Tiger even though Leopard had been out for 4 months.They did include a drop in with it. I think it was just unpacked and re-packaged as a refurb, which is why it didnt have Leopard on it.

[Osprey]

So I ordered the clearance one, but it isn't here yet. In fact it doesn't seem to have moved any in three days, but that is what I have come to expect from UPS. So it sounds like the memory is fairly easy to upgrade yourself or is that just wishful thinking? This will be our first iMac and I would definitely like to upgrade to 4 Gigs of RAM.

[Zmmin3]

So I ordered the clearance one, but it isn't here yet. In fact it doesn't seem to have moved any in three days, but that is what I have come to expect from UPS. So it sounds like the memory is fairly easy to upgrade yourself or is that just wishful thinking? This will be our first iMac and I would definitely like to upgrade to 4 Gigs of RAM.

Just google How to install ram in your Imac

Plus there is this which may help ;)

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1760

edited: I originally had the wrong link in there. I have the one for 2008 models in there now.

[benwardrop]

This is the first negative experience I have heard of with a refurb. I just ordered a 24" 2.8 refurb today after ordering a 13" 2.0 uni macbook refurb in January. I've been nothing but pleased so far especially since you can still buy applecare for these. Anything a new imac owner should know about these models.

[Osprey]

Thanks Zmmin3 for the help and the link. I watched a guy on YouTube trying to replace the RAM and he didn't have too much luck with it. I must admit it didn't instill any confidence in me. He actually said they turned the camera off for twenty minutes while they pried the RAM out with a screwdriver.:confused:

[Mike in Kansas]

Thanks Zmmin3 for the help and the link. I watched a guy on YouTube trying to replace the RAM and he didn't have too much luck with it. I must admit it didn't instill any confidence in me. He actually said the urned the camera off for twenty minutes while they pried the RAM out with a screwdriver.:confused:

No offense, but the guy must be an idiot - or an Apple hater. Hope he knows how stupid he looks.

I have installed RAM on 4 Dell desktops, 3 HP desktops, 2 Dell Latitude notebooks, and two iMacs - a 24"/2.8 and a 20"/2.6. They iMac's were by far the easiest. I had to take the keyboards out of the Latitudes to get to the second RAM slot... :mad:

[Osprey]

Well he did try to put it in upside down. I have replaced hard drives and memory in a pc or two, but never in an Mac. I will give it a try if it ever gets here. And thanks for the confidence building.

Is there a better place to buy memory from or does it matter. I found this one and I think it should work.
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/6400DDR2S4MP/

[coogee]

Picked up one of these a while back, great deal, got lucky and found a 700GB HDD in there too, love those Refurbs, All my Macs are Refurbs :)

[VoodooDaddy]

Picked up one of these a while back, great deal, got lucky and found a 700GB HDD in there too, love those Refurbs, All my Macs are Refurbs :)

This is something else I hear all the time, the system coming with upgraded components. Never happened to me in the 5 refurbs Ive gotten. :(

[binklewis]

I got a 2.8, but picked up a new one at an apple store for $1399 USD. A little more than refurb, but it's $400 less than it was 2 weeks ago :-)

I was playing cod4 on a bootcamped first gen MacBook pro at 800x600 with the fans cranked all the way to keep it from overheating.

I got the native mac version of cod4
And it plays sulky smooth at 1280x800 on medium settings and looks great!

So far - this is a better deal for me. I ran a
Test in the store with iMovie playing that African safari demo.

On a new unibody pro with the 9600 card on, One entire core was pegged at 90%.

Same scenario on the iMac and it was at 40%.

I realize that a lot of that was probably the 2.8, just wanted to share :-)

Btw - I use smc fan control when playing cod 4. Setting fans up to about 40% keeps system running a cool 50 deg. Celsius !

[neiltc13]

The 3DMark 06 tests I did with my two Macs may be of interest here.

iMac (2007)
2.4GHz Core 2 Duo
2GB RAM
ATi Radeon 2600 HD XT 256MB
========
3887 3DMarks
========

MacBook Aluminium
2.0GHz Core 2 Duo
2GB RAM
nVidia GeForce 9400M
========
2183 3DMarks
========

From that comparison I'd say that the 9400M is significantly slower. The difference in clock speeds isn't really that important because the new MacBook has a faster bus than the old iMac.

[coogee]

This is something else I hear all the time, the system coming with upgraded components. Never happened to me in the 5 refurbs Ive gotten. :(

You're definitely due a sweet surprise in the next one then! Maybe the timing of Refurb purchase? - I tend not to get mine when an upgraded version is launched (clearing old stock?) but mid-cycle (returned by User for whatever reason, repaired and resold by Apple?) so maybe the odds were better for getting someone else's BTO machine.

I didn't go in expecting anything extra, was more than happy with the deal as was, just a little lottery to make Refurbs that teeny bit more special.

Good luck next time! and hopefully you still got 5 sweet deals anyway.

[Ibonic]

First refurb I got extra RAM.

Current refurb came today. I don't know if it has anything extra. Smells new. Looks new.

[Zmmin3]

nothing like being the last person on FedEx's route :rolleyes:

But its here!:D

In a nice white plain box :cool:

Oh well I gotta hit the shower and get laundry going first cause I know I will prob spend rest of night with it :D

[gmanrique]

Opps, I posted this in another thread by mistake but here it is.

I got my iMac 24" (2.8) refurb today. I am in Canada and it shipped from Rancho Cordova, CA. I just turned it on a few moments ago and it looks amazing. No dead pixels and right now it is transferring my info from my old iMac G4 1.25.

Unpacking it was a real Apple experience. It came in a white box, no pretty pictures, but everything was brand new, at least it looked like that. The stand had the protective plastic cover. The iMac was wrapped in that white puffy protective bag, even with the apple sticker on the side asking to read the software agreement before opening it. The screen had another plastic cover protecting it. It even had the separate plastic cover for the Apple logo in the back. Keyboard and mouse were brand new and it came with the iLife 09 CPU Drop-In DVD (nice touch and makes sense for Apple to include it now rather that dealing with requests after). It makes me wonder if it was refurb at all, as some have suggested.

I will check everything else once I am finished with transfer, etc. but so far everything is great.

Thanks to all forum members for the valuable information posted in MacRumors Forums about these refurshed machines. I was a little hesitant since this is my first refurb.

[Mike in Kansas]

Congrats guys! Great price on a great machine..

[ShaqFu]

Just received my 24' 2.8 Refurb love the big screen took me about 10 minutes to get use to it. Unfortunately my Slot Loading CD will not load CD so I called Apple and they are going to replace the unit.

[gmanrique]

Was yours with all the packaging, protective stuff, like the new ones? (See my post above)

Thanks

Just received my 24' 2.8 Refurb love the big screen took me about 10 minutes to get use to it. Unfortunately my Slot Loading CD will not load CD so I called Apple and they are going to replace the unit.

[ShaqFu]

Was yours with all the packaging, protective stuff, like the new ones? (See my post above)

Thanks

Yes. White Box all protective plastic on everything. I believe it brand new and never been opened.

[the_fellowship]

Yeah I do think I'm lucky when it comes to refurbs!

So far the iMac seems to be running ok, I've just completed the Software Update so it's all up to date. I am checking all the hardware (ethernet, wifi, iSight, Bluetooth etc) to make sure it's all ok.

Does anyone know if there is a hardware test you can run to ensure everything is ok? I don't really want to have to test each component manually lol

Besides the "dodgy" packaging and the ram door, it seems ok *touch wood* lol :)

Cheers

It goes from bad to worse... :(

Returning the refurb iMac for a refund due to the dreaded "R" word at work :(

Can't justify keeping it now...even tho I really want to :(

Credit Crunch has bitten!!!

[adammelancon]

I bought the 2.8 refurb and it's an amazing machine, but I did have some trouble when I upgraded the ram with the 4GB kit from Crucial

See here:
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=663315

[Osprey]

So will this RAM work or have I chosen the wrong one?:confused:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other.../6400DDR2S4MP/

[Zmmin3]

What is up with the short mouse cord? I am trying to sit back farther from this huge screen but its kind of hard seeing that the mouse cord is so short.
Why give you a keyboard with a long cord but not a mouse?
Do they make a mouse with a longer cord? I really dont want a wireless one.

Other than that and the wifi connection issues, I am enjoying it :)

oh yeah also want to mention this....

1080 quicktime movie trailers on this 24" screen.......WOW!!! :D
I also threw my Speed Racer movie DVD into it and it even looked better on it.

[Mike in Kansas]

What is up with the short mouse cord? I am trying to sit back farther from this huge screen but its kind of hard seeing that the mouse cord is so short.
Why give you a keyboard with a long cord but not a mouse?
Do they make a mouse with a longer cord? I really dont want a wireless one.

Plug the mouse into one of the USB ports on the side of the keyboard (look under the keyboard),

[Zmmin3]

Plug the mouse into one of the USB ports on the side of the keyboard (look under the keyboard),

Doh! :o

Thanks :)

[Ibonic]

Opps, I posted this in another thread by mistake but here it is.

I got my iMac 24" (2.8) refurb today. I am in Canada and it shipped from Rancho Cordova, CA. I just turned it on a few moments ago and it looks amazing. No dead pixels and right now it is transferring my info from my old iMac G4 1.25.

Unpacking it was a real Apple experience. It came in a white box, no pretty pictures, but everything was brand new, at least it looked like that. The stand had the protective plastic cover. The iMac was wrapped in that white puffy protective bag, even with the apple sticker on the side asking to read the software agreement before opening it. The screen had another plastic cover protecting it. It even had the separate plastic cover for the Apple logo in the back. Keyboard and mouse were brand new and it came with the iLife 09 CPU Drop-In DVD (nice touch and makes sense for Apple to include it now rather that dealing with requests after). It makes me wonder if it was refurb at all, as some have suggested.

I will check everything else once I am finished with transfer, etc. but so far everything is great.

Thanks to all forum members for the valuable information posted in MacRumors Forums about these refurshed machines. I was a little hesitant since this is my first refurb.

Exactly how mine came.

Screen is too bright, even at minimum brightness, Screen Shade helps. As to reflections, even at full brightness you can still see them. I'm used to it because my laptop had the same problem.

[Nasus]

I can't believe I'm having such a hard time making a decision on which iMac!!

They dropped the price on the 3.06 refurb to $1599 and the base 2.93 model would be $1691 with my EPP discount - which one do you think is the better deal?

No games I just want a great photo processing machine.:confused:

[patricem]

I can't believe I'm having such a hard time making a decision on which iMac!!

They dropped the price on the 3.06 refurb to $1599 and the base 2.93 model would be $1691 with my EPP discount - which one do you think is the better deal?

No games I just want a great photo processing machine.:confused:

I'm having the same dilemma, I posted a recent thread asking exact question. I was waiting for the 3.06 to come down after the updates, thinking it was a better machine than the 2.93. Yes the price came down but with tax cost for me is $1711, and I can get new 2.93 at Powermax for $1788. I wanted to go for the 3.06 but I was hoping to save a lot more. The thing with the 3.06 is you still need to buy extra ram, so that increases price. Is old machine worth more than new? And a refurb? I know people have good luck with refurbs but theres nothing like a brand new machine. Oddly they are not offering the 3.06 in clearance. My feeling is maybe wait another week and see if the 3.06 goes down anymore, or go ahead and get the new. I think they are fairly close in comparison. If the 3.06 was $1399 + tax, I would jump on it, but for such a small difference, I am thinking new is better.

[Mike in Kansas]

I'm having the same dilemma, I posted a recent thread asking exact question. I was waiting for the 3.06 to come down after the updates, thinking it was a better machine than the 2.93. Yes the price came down but with tax cost for me is $1711, and I can get new 2.93 at Powermax for $1788. I wanted to go for the 3.06 but I was hoping to save a lot more.

Well, on the positive side, time is on your side. If the 3.06 never comes down to what you want it for, you still have a great option in the 2.93 AND the decision has now been made for you! That is, as long as you don't mind waiting maybe a couple of more weeks....

[Ibonic]

I know people have good luck with refurbs but theres nothing like a brand new machine.

Having done both. I'd say they're exactly the same after one day. There's a difference in the experience, with the refurb you don't know what you're going to get so there's that little bit of anxiety for some people, but then again if you don't like it you can always return it. With refurb you also get that deal rush, which is more fun than the new rush, way more. I haven't had problems with any refurbs, but have had a couple of problems with new items.

Macbook: 1 month later discovered a defect in the upper casing around the lcd, didn't have it fixed because it was cosmetic. 5 months later, the bottom casing started to splinter tried to live with it until 11 months later before warranty expired had it fixed. This isn't supposed to happen to new stuff. Haha. I think it sucks more because you expect that by paying the new tax you'd get something without defects.

[Zmmin3]

My refurb seems to be having a strange problem with making the lights blink in the house when its in sleep mode or off :confused:

[Nasus]

My feeling is maybe wait another week and see if the 3.06 goes down anymore, or go ahead and get the new. I think they are fairly close in comparison. If the 3.06 was $1399 + tax, I would jump on it, but for such a small difference, I am thinking new is better.

I think this is probably what I'll do - I too priced it out and at the end the difference wasn't enough to justify not buying new.

[stevo8]

Well my mbp started acting up real bad today after 4yrs of no issues, and so I got the go ahead to swoop up a 2.8 refurb :D Ill be ordering that and the 4gig upgrade from crucial as soon as I get off work... The anticipation is killing me though... I'm in the San Francisco bay area, how long do you guys think it will take to get to me?

[Zmmin3]

Mine is being boxed up for return at this very moment :(

[patricem]

Mine is being boxed up for return at this very moment :(

Why?

[patricem]

Well my mbp started acting up real bad today after 4yrs of no issues, and so I got the go ahead to swoop up a 2.8 refurb :D Ill be ordering that and the 4gig upgrade from crucial as soon as I get off work... The anticipation is killing me though... I'm in the San Francisco bay area, how long do you guys think it will take to get to me?

Maybe you could drive to Cupertino and pick yours up at Apple , have it in a hour lol. I would say it should get there extremely fast- couple days.

[Zmmin3]

Why?

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=666386

:confused::(

[Zmmin3]

well last night I was able to get an appointment at the Genius Bar at the nearest Apple store. I brought it in and they tested it and confirmed bad power supply. They said I would have to send it back. I asked seeing that they were an actual Apple store could they just do it for me and get me another one on order.

They said since it was a refurb, its a part system that is not in there system so they could not do it. I would have to call Apple to and work it with them.
He said he did put down in my case file that the computer was DOA and if it had been something they did carry they would just replace it at the store if they could have.

So I call Apple, start at tier one and give them my case file number. He reads it and puts me up to next level. The gentleman I talked to on the next level had me explain it all over again.

(Here's where I need some help from someone who has made a return)

This gentleman stated that he would turn this over to another dept that will be contacting me sometime in the future on how to proceed further, I said please define future, like tomorrow or like 2 weeks from now:confused: He just said soon, depending on how busy they were :confused:
I would have to talk with them and discuss how the return was going to be made or shipped out. I asked about when a new machine was going to be sent out. Again he said I would have to wait to get that call from the other dept to discuss that:confused:
Problem is I am always out and about into the evening, so them reaching me at home is going to be hard except for answering machine and where I am at cell phone service can be sporadic.

So how does this process actually work?

[patricem]

well last night I was able to get an appointment at the Genius Bar at the nearest Apple store. I brought it in and they tested it and confirmed bad power supply. They said I would have to send it back. I asked seeing that they were an actual Apple store could they just do it for me and get me another one on order.

They said since it was a refurb, its a part system that is not in there system so they could not do it. I would have to call Apple to and work it with them.
He said he did put down in my case file that the computer was DOA and if it had been something they did carry they would just replace it at the store if they could have.

So I call Apple, start at tier one and give them my case file number. He reads it and puts me up to next level. The gentleman I talked to on the next level had me explain it all over again.

(Here's where I need some help from someone who has made a return)

This gentleman stated that he would turn this over to another dept that will be contacting me sometime in the future on how to proceed further, I said please define future, like tomorrow or like 2 weeks from now:confused: He just said soon, depending on how busy they were :confused:
I would have to talk with them and discuss how the return was going to be made or shipped out. I asked about when a new machine was going to be sent out. Again he said I would have to wait to get that call from the other dept to discuss that:confused:
Problem is I am always out and about into the evening, so them reaching me at home is going to be hard except for answering machine and where I am at cell phone service can be sporadic.

So how does this process actually work?

Wow that sounds awful. You can't just return it for exchange? I didn't realize this happens with refurbs. Huge hassle.

[pinchy]

Aw dang it! I was going to order one and now they're OOS!

They still have them on clearance though... but for 200 more dollars. :(

[VoodooDaddy]

Aw dang it! I was going to order one and now they're OOS!

They still have them on clearance though... but for 200 more dollars. :(

Im sure they will have more. They actually had some in stock early afternoon at $1199.

[pinchy]

Im sure they will have more. They actually had some in stock early afternoon at $1199.

That was what I was going to pick up. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled.

[stevo8]

Same thing happened yesterday to me. Got home and they were MIA on the site... So I ended up going to the store to pick one up for $1299 after the student discount... They forgot to give me the discount and instead of returning me the $100, they returned $150 for making me wait :) so for $1250 it was for sure worth it since I REALLY didn't want to wait for it.

[pinchy]

Same thing happened yesterday to me. Got home and they were MIA on the site... So I ended up going to the store to pick one up for $1299 after the student discount... They forgot to give me the discount and instead of returning me the $100, they returned $150 for making me wait :) so for $1250 it was for sure worth it since I REALLY didn't want to wait for it.

How'd u get it for 1299?

They sell new older models for 1299?

[jclardy]

I just picked up a new one of these at my local apple store, I love it. The screen is gargantuan coming from my 13 inch macbook screen.

[medic9317]

So I ordered the clearance one, but it isn't here yet. In fact it doesn't seem to have moved any in three days, but that is what I have come to expect from UPS. So it sounds like the memory is fairly easy to upgrade yourself or is that just wishful thinking? This will be our first iMac and I would definitely like to upgrade to 4 Gigs of RAM.

go to Other World computing http://www.macsales.com/ they have video tutorials on installing the ram and sell the 4 gig upgrade kit 2 gig x2 for around $ 50

[pinchy]

go to Other World computing http://www.macsales.com/ they have video tutorials on installing the ram and sell the 4 gig upgrade kit 2 gig x2 for around $ 50

Is the iMac's motherboard fussy with ram?

I picked up a Dell Vostro a few weeks back that I upgraded but then returned and now I'm left with 2 x 2gb of crucial ddr2 800. I was hoping that if I picked up an iMac, it wouldn't be a problem.

[Zmmin3]

Wow that sounds awful. You can't just return it for exchange? I didn't realize this happens with refurbs. Huge hassle.

The reason they couldnt exchange it at the store was because refurbs have a certain model number. The stores dont have that model number in their system in order to do an exchange...or so that is how it was explained to me.

I am wondering if I had got a clearanced one if I had been able to exchange it at the store.

I still have not heard from that department that was suppose to call me. I called Apple around 6 to find out when I might here from them. The rep I talked said since the request for exchange was made late last night(8:30pm E.S.T) thats probably why I didnt hear from them today. That I should here from them first thing Monday morning

Just kinda bummed that I only had the computer for a day before it fried.

[stevo8]

How'd u get it for 1299?

They sell new older models for 1299?

Student discount drops it another $100.. Just have to show some for of enrollment

[dn325ci]

Gents, my 2.8 arrived today and seems to be more than what I ordered. If I won the lotto, then great. I just don't know how accurate it is so I wanted to ask.

I order the refurb 24" 2.8GHz that is supposed to have the 2GB ram, 320GB HDD, ATI 2600 HD Pro, etc. for the widely reported $1200 price. This is clearly what my invoice says, too.

The system profiler app says it is indeed a 2.8 Core 2 Duo. But it also says it has 4GB of RAM, a 500GB HDD, and the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS with 512 of vram.

I have not owned a Mac for more than 15 years - we are historically PC family. I just wanted to know if this system profiler app is to be trusted for accuracy.

Thanks!
Don

[VoodooDaddy]

Gents, my 2.8 arrived today and seems to be more than what I ordered. If I won the lotto, then great. I just don't know how accurate it is so I wanted to ask.

I order the refurb 24" 2.8GHz that is supposed to have the 2GB ram, 320GB HDD, ATI 2600 HD Pro, etc. for the widely reported $1200 price. This is clearly what my invoice says, too.

The system profiler app says it is indeed a 2.8 Core 2 Duo. But it also says it has 4GB of RAM, a 500GB HDD, and the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS with 512 of vram.

I have not owned a Mac for more than 15 years - we are historically PC family. I just wanted to know if this system profiler app is to be trusted for accuracy.

Thanks!
Don

Nice score. I just came back to post what I found in my machine. As I mentioned I had never gotten any "surprise upgrades" when I purchased a refurb as many people have, such as you describe here.

FedEx delivered my iMac last night. I plug it in. FIRST thing I do is look at "About this Mac"....

Stock config. Thats 5 for 5 that Ive gotten the stock config from the refurb store. :rolleyes:

BTW, for those of you wanting the $1199 machine they are instock now. They seem to come in daily so keep refreshing that page, early and often.

edit - if system profiler says its in there, its in there.

edit 2 - I guess I can say I got an "upgrade" of sorts, just not with the iMac. I purchased 4gb of ram from OWC and I have had it for a few days, just waiting on my iMac. I hadnt opened the box until last night. I ordered OWC brand but what was in the box was Samsung ram. OWC vs Samsung is a whopping $6 difference!!!!! :)

[Mike in Kansas]

edit 2 - I guess I can say I got an "upgrade" of sorts, just not with the iMac. I purchased 4gb of ram from OWC and I have had it for a few days, just waiting on my iMac. I hadnt opened the box until last night. I ordered OWC brand but what was in the box was Samsung ram. OWC vs Samsung is a whopping $6 difference!!!!! :)


I also got 4GB of OWC RAM delivered a couple of days ago and ALSO got Samsung RAM. Cha-ching! LOL!

[Mike in Kansas]

Gents, my 2.8 arrived today and seems to be more than what I ordered. If I won the lotto, then great. I just don't know how accurate it is so I wanted to ask.

I order the refurb 24" 2.8GHz that is supposed to have the 2GB ram, 320GB HDD, ATI 2600 HD Pro, etc. for the widely reported $1200 price. This is clearly what my invoice says, too.

The system profiler app says it is indeed a 2.8 Core 2 Duo. But it also says it has 4GB of RAM, a 500GB HDD, and the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS with 512 of vram.

I have not owned a Mac for more than 15 years - we are historically PC family. I just wanted to know if this system profiler app is to be trusted for accuracy.


Thanks!
Don
Wow, awesome free upgrade! I think that was the top of the line configuration for the 24"/2.8 at the time, although there may have been a 1TB HDD option but I don't think there was.

If System Profile says it's in there, it's in there!

[pinchy]

Student discount drops it another $100.. Just have to show some for of enrollment

Really? My store doesn't honor student discounts on end of life products.

The iMac 2.8Ghz was only 1449. Weak. :(

It's okay, I scored a refurb last night. Yay!

[patricem]

Gents, my 2.8 arrived today and seems to be more than what I ordered. If I won the lotto, then great. I just don't know how accurate it is so I wanted to ask.

I order the refurb 24" 2.8GHz that is supposed to have the 2GB ram, 320GB HDD, ATI 2600 HD Pro, etc. for the widely reported $1200 price. This is clearly what my invoice says, too.

The system profiler app says it is indeed a 2.8 Core 2 Duo. But it also says it has 4GB of RAM, a 500GB HDD, and the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS with 512 of vram.

I have not owned a Mac for more than 15 years - we are historically PC family. I just wanted to know if this system profiler app is to be trusted for accuracy.

Thanks!
Don

Oh my gosh you REALLY scored! Wow!! Jeepers what a great machine! So how does it look? Like new? How does it work?

[dn325ci]

Oh my gosh you REALLY scored! Wow!! Jeepers what a great machine! So how does it look? Like new? How does it work?
Visually, the thing is just perfect. It came in the double brown boxes, and everything inside was packaged and wrapped as new. Even smelled new. The website states the refurb comes with iLife '08, but Apple threw an iLife '09 DVD in the box too. I was expecting a wired Mighty Mouse, but it came with the wireless version - maybe it is supposed to. I cannot see one single imperfection on the body or glass or anywhere.

Performing terrific thus far, though I tried to play a high action 1080p file and I saw a couple stutters. My biggest issue at the minute is figuring out how to import hi-def .mpg files I recorded on an HD camcorder into iMovie. iMovie doesn't seem to want to open those files - they're greyed out.

Very happy with it though.

Don

[rupnok]

My 2.8ghz just arrived, and it's sitting in my office waiting to be unboxed. It's in double cardboard (disappointed that I didn't get the official White iMac box!).

I am fussing over whether to take the plunge and open it. I have a MacBook 2.4ghz (Penryn - early 08), with 250gb HD and 4GB RAM, used with a 24" Del 2407WFP LCD.

My mom wants a new computer, so I was thinking about giving her the MacBook, and I bought the 24" iMac as a replacement. I am fussing over whether to sell my Dell LCD and just use the iMac, or buy a new Mini.

Cost Differential right now is ~$150 (I got the refurb for $1199, I could sell the monitor for probably $300, or get the Mac Mini w/ 320HD and 4GB RAM for $750 DIY).

Thoughts? I surf, email, manage a huge iPhoto library, a FLAC Music Library, and rip DVDs. Its a hard pill to swallow to :downgrade: to the Mac Mini, though I get better graphics with it. If the Corei7 iMac's come out, then I could conceivably buy that, and move the mini to HTPC/media server duty.

Argh! The box is just staring at me!

[VoodooDaddy]

WTF? Someone got a crazy specked model and someone else got a wireless mouse? I got bupkiss.

One other thing, did everyone elses iMac come double boxed? My 20" last year did. This one didnt. The FedEx guy said something like "could you open it before I leave? The box was a little damp." I thought "no biggie, double boxed" but it wasnt.

[gmanrique]

it makes sense. They will not have refurbs at the store. They usually take stuff they can exchange for you on the spot.

Wow that sounds awful. You can't just return it for exchange? I didn't realize this happens with refurbs. Huge hassle.

[gmanrique]

Carefully pack the computer the way it was delivered to you, then ship it to me while I am shipping my 2.8 refurb received 4 days ago which perfectly matches the description of your order. :)

I'm kidding. Enjoy your 09 Christmas, a bit early.

Gents, my 2.8 arrived today and seems to be more than what I ordered. If I won the lotto, then great. I just don't know how accurate it is so I wanted to ask.

I order the refurb 24" 2.8GHz that is supposed to have the 2GB ram, 320GB HDD, ATI 2600 HD Pro, etc. for the widely reported $1200 price. This is clearly what my invoice says, too.

The system profiler app says it is indeed a 2.8 Core 2 Duo. But it also says it has 4GB of RAM, a 500GB HDD, and the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS with 512 of vram.

I have not owned a Mac for more than 15 years - we are historically PC family. I just wanted to know if this system profiler app is to be trusted for accuracy.

Thanks!
Don

[dn325ci]

Carefully pack the computer the way it was delivered to you, then ship it to me while I am shipping my 2.8 refurb received 4 days ago which perfectly matches the description of your order. :)

I'm kidding. Enjoy your 09 Christmas, a bit early.

Thanks man. My car will probably break down now or something.

Don

[pinchy]

My 2.8Ghz iMac has been sitting in "Prepared for Shipment" status for a while now... how long did it take for you guys to get yours to shipped status? I'm so anxious!

[VoodooDaddy]

^ when you say "sitting a while" how long are you talking about?

[pinchy]

Just a day. :p

[Zmmin3]

Well I got my second one on Thursday.

Unfortunately I think this one is going back as well.:(
Its suffering the brightness gradient frome left to right. Plus the screen flickers from time to time.

Not sure if has to do with the fact that the seal on the box had already been cut open when I picked it up at the Fed Ex center. Plus the packing slip had been taken out and put back in. Which I didnt notice until I went to open it up after I got home. So I seeing as the tape had been cut, leads to me to believe the box had been open.

[patricem]

Well I got my second one on Thursday.

Unfortunately I think this one is going back as well.:(
Its suffering the brightness gradient frome left to right. Plus the screen flickers from time to time.

Not sure if has to do with the fact that the seal on the box had already been cut open when I picked it up at the Fed Ex center. Plus the packing slip had been taken out and put back in. Which I didnt notice until I went to open it up after I got home. So I seeing as the tape had been cut, leads to me to believe the box had been open.

OH NO!!!!! What is going on I wonder. I just ordered this refurb...hope I made right choice

[Advance The Man]

I ordered on the 16th and received on the 21st. Perfect shape/condition with the exception of a small ding 1/8" on the aluminum base. Doesn't bug me. Had trouble setting it up, not hardware or software related, but me related. Even with the apple easier than Windows, it's still not easy enough. I spent about two hours on the phone today with support on multiple issues based around iTunes, AppleTV and iPhoto.

[Zmmin3]

Well I used the meter on my camera to check the screen out. The left side is nearly twice as bright :(

[Ibonic]

Well I used the meter on my camera to check the screen out. The left side is nearly twice as bright :(

Wow. Unacceptable. The hits keep coming. Well complain and see if you can get a Clearance for a reburbished price.

[Zmmin3]

Wow. Unacceptable. The hits keep coming. Well complain and see if you can get a Clearance for a reburbished price.

I did but they wouldnt go that route. The only thing I was able to accomplish is getting the RMA process going alot quicker than it did last time.

If this 3rd one is messed up...I dont know what I am going to do. I may be done with it all together.

[GodWhomIsMike]

What's the general consensus - refurb model is more trouble than the saved $100 is worth?

[Mike in Kansas]

What's the general consensus - refurb model is more trouble than the saved $100 is worth?

I have read many accounts on here and other fora stating that even the new 24" iMacs have screen gradient issues. So it is NOT limited to just refurbs. I still believe that refurbs are a good deal - the delta is usually more than $100...

[Zmmin3]

If the difference had not been so bad I might have lived with it but to have one side comfortable and the other side painful to the eyes I just couldnt deal with it anymore.

From researching I read some were better than others and others had no problems at all.

[Advance The Man]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5H11 Safari/525.20)

Ya I think your just un-lucky or something, I just got my refurb 2.8 yesterday and it's immaculate, everything was wrapped in plastic too.

Mine came in a white box but not a "new" white box with the pictures and such, just a plain white box.

Seems like maybe the white box ones are actually new and the brown box refurb. I'm holding out for the previous 3.06, I'm thinking they will have to clear them soon, then I will have to decide new or refurb.

I had a white box and it was not new. Small ding on aluminum base. Doesn't bother me.

[pinchy]

Got mine a few last weekend.

Looks, feels, and works like new. Worth it.

[rogersmj]

I got mine today (ordered it last Saturday). It arrived in a plain white box. Perfect cosmetically. I fired it up to make sure it would boot and to check the screen (no dead pixels), then immediately ripped it apart and replaced the hard drive with a 1TB Wester Digital Green drive I picked up for $90 shipped from NewEgg last week, and popped in 4GB of OCZ RAM I grabbed from Amazon for $25 after MIR.

All told? An absolutely perfect, speedy, spacious 2.8GHz 24" iMac for just over $1300. I'm so glad the screens in these are better than the 20" (I had a 20" Aluminum and sold it over a year ago because the screen was so crappy).

And having it hooked up to my 24" Dell is awesome! This is my third Apple refurb and they've always turned out great.

[patricem]

I got mine today (ordered it last Saturday). It arrived in a plain white box. Perfect cosmetically. I fired it up to make sure it would boot and to check the screen (no dead pixels), then immediately ripped it apart and replaced the hard drive with a 1TB Wester Digital Green drive I picked up for $90 shipped from NewEgg last week, and popped in 4GB of OCZ RAM I grabbed from Amazon for $25 after MIR.

All told? An absolutely perfect, speedy, spacious 2.8GHz 24" iMac for just over $1300. I'm so glad the screens in these are better than the 20" (I had a 20" Aluminum and sold it over a year ago because the screen was so crappy).

And having it hooked up to my 24" Dell is awesome! This is my third Apple refurb and they've always turned out great.

Wow NICE!!! Sweeet! Do you think it was actually new? Mine comes tomorrow. Gosh I hope I get a good one too!! :apple:

[theBB]

then immediately ripped it apart and replaced the hard drive with a 1TB Wester Digital Green drive I picked up for $90 shipped from NewEgg last week,
Do you mind posting where you found instructions on how to replace the hard drive?

[rogersmj]

Do you mind posting where you found instructions on how to replace the hard drive?

There's one post here (http://www.amfiteatar.org/content/view/155/57/lang,en/) (they get extremely wordy and make it seem more complicated than it is), there's also one somewhere on this forum that's shorter. There's a number of them if you Google for it. Just remember that you really only need ONE suction cup. The tutorial I linked to has a whole bunch of them and some sort of string contraption. That's just overkill and asking for trouble.

[patricem]

My refurb 2.8 came today and I have to say it seems to be in pristine condition. Came in white box and everything was wrapped just as new. Updating the software now and have to run out and get a firewire cable. The screen setting is perfect too its not bright as others have commented. BEAUTIFUL !!! :D:apple: So far anyway!:p

[theBB]

There's one post here (http://www.amfiteatar.org/content/view/155/57/lang,en/) (they get extremely wordy and make it seem more complicated than it is), there's also one somewhere on this forum that's shorter. There's a number of them if you Google for it. Just remember that you really only need ONE suction cup. The tutorial I linked to has a whole bunch of them and some sort of string contraption. That's just overkill and asking for trouble.
Thanks. It seems each generation of aluminum iMacs are slightly different, but all in all they seem easier to deal with than the white intel ones. At least there does not seem to be a shield to cut through.

[Zmmin3]

My refurb 2.8 came today and I have to say it seems to be in pristine condition. Came in white box and everything was wrapped just as new. Updating the software now and have to run out and get a firewire cable. The screen setting is perfect too its not bright as others have commented. BEAUTIFUL !!! :D:apple: So far anyway!:p

good luck with yours:)