Hey whats up again everyone??? just wondering is there any noticeable differences between the Refurb 2.8GHz Model (if I upgrade it to 4GB of RAM) vs. the new 24" 2.66GHz model. I heard that the 2600 Pro is better than the 9400M slightly, but, which model will be the faster one--Just have been wondering? let me know thanks, talk to you all later, bye.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Refurb 2.8GHz 24" iMac Vs. New Nvidia 24" iMac 2.66GHz any difference???
- Thread starter NyMetsFan08
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
In my opinion, I would go for the 2.8 refurbished, the Graphic card is way better than the nvidia 9400 of the new 2.66
Depends what you're doing, the 2.8 (obviously) has a better processor, but only slightly, while the 2.66 has DDR3 RAM vs DDR2 RAM, which is slightly faster, I'm not sure but I believe the 2600 HD Pro is slightly better than the 9400M (as you stated), and the DDR3 RAM is more expensive, so if you're looking for more bang for your buck I'd go with the refurbished 2.8. However if you're looking for the best machine possible regardless of price it's really a toss up and depends on what you're doing.
Also keep in mind the new iMacs can handle 8GB RAM vs the old one which can only handle 4GB, but unless you're using more than 4GB of RAM that doesn't matter.
Also keep in mind the new iMacs can handle 8GB RAM vs the old one which can only handle 4GB, but unless you're using more than 4GB of RAM that doesn't matter.
Will the old-models be good for Snow-Leopard? and pretty much a little Video-editing such as iMovie, DVD-burning, Music, Photos, No Gaming, Photoshop etc. I am still uncertain? so overall I will not see much of a difference between the new and old unless I really go overboard then I will--but in that case I will not go overboard. If you were me what do you think?
If I were you I would go for the refurbished 2.8, as that's actually what I did before these new ones were released, and even now I would make the same decision, only thing I don't like about my choice is I bought mine a month ago and paid $350 more than the current price for the same machine.
What kind of RAM should I get? Crucial? and also between the 2-models there is really no differences and it will run Snow-Leopard smoothly?
I think there shouldn't be a big difference. What I know of Snow Leopard is that it will use the Graphics card for tasks or something like that, the HD 2600 PRO is dedicated compared to the nVidia 9400, so maybe it could be better.
I'm thinking of picking up the refurb'd 2.8 as well. The price is attractive 
. And I didn't know they could handle a 2nd monitor as well! From what i've read on the boards, they can handle up to 6GB of ram.
. And I didn't know they could handle a 2nd monitor as well! From what i've read on the boards, they can handle up to 6GB of ram.
I checked tested both...
I went to the Apple store last night to purchase my new 24" 2.93GHz iMac with 4G of 1066Mhz DDR3 ram and 640GB SATA. When I got their they had both the new model listed above and the old model (2.8Ghz CPU, 2GB of 800MHz DDR2 ram and 320Gb SATA). So I thought I'll test them myself before I make the purchase. Ok so here we go, now my testing may not seen all that indepth or even accurate but it does raise some serious questions for me that maybe someone else can answer. I rebooted both models, waited about 3 minutes after reboot just to make sure that all software was stable (probly not necessary). I then opened iMovie 09 on both machines (I assumed both had all apple updates, I forgot to check) and selected their preinstalled sample movies which are identical on both models. Then I went to share and exported both to the documents folder in the exact same format, I think quicktime. I then had my beautiful assistant/president (AKA my wife) start one at the same time I started the other. The results with about 3 minutes of their video, on the old iMac took about 5 minutes to complete... And the new iMac model took just at 3 minutes longer to complete the exact same process under the same conditions and starting at the same time. I also opened iPhoto and selected a randem album that they had, again same album on both machines. I opened the edit mode in full screen. Then I simply held the right arrow key down to scroll thru the pictures, you would not believe how much faster the old model seemed blaze thru the pics compared to the new model. Again this may not be a true bench mark but I urge you to go test for yourself. The verdict for me, Well I walked out with a brand new 2.8GHz previous model for $1400. Sure hard to beat that as it was $1800 on Monday. I set it up last night and WOW I should have got this a year ago. If anyone has insight as to why the new model may have seemed so slow please tell me now so I can take this back and exchange...
I went to the Apple store last night to purchase my new 24" 2.93GHz iMac with 4G of 1066Mhz DDR3 ram and 640GB SATA. When I got their they had both the new model listed above and the old model (2.8Ghz CPU, 2GB of 800MHz DDR2 ram and 320Gb SATA). So I thought I'll test them myself before I make the purchase. Ok so here we go, now my testing may not seen all that indepth or even accurate but it does raise some serious questions for me that maybe someone else can answer. I rebooted both models, waited about 3 minutes after reboot just to make sure that all software was stable (probly not necessary). I then opened iMovie 09 on both machines (I assumed both had all apple updates, I forgot to check) and selected their preinstalled sample movies which are identical on both models. Then I went to share and exported both to the documents folder in the exact same format, I think quicktime. I then had my beautiful assistant/president (AKA my wife) start one at the same time I started the other. The results with about 3 minutes of their video, on the old iMac took about 5 minutes to complete... And the new iMac model took just at 3 minutes longer to complete the exact same process under the same conditions and starting at the same time. I also opened iPhoto and selected a randem album that they had, again same album on both machines. I opened the edit mode in full screen. Then I simply held the right arrow key down to scroll thru the pictures, you would not believe how much faster the old model seemed blaze thru the pics compared to the new model. Again this may not be a true bench mark but I urge you to go test for yourself. The verdict for me, Well I walked out with a brand new 2.8GHz previous model for $1400. Sure hard to beat that as it was $1800 on Monday. I set it up last night and WOW I should have got this a year ago. If anyone has insight as to why the new model may have seemed so slow please tell me now so I can take this back and exchange...