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aa521490

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 25, 2007
180
2
Hello. First apple purchase was a 3G iphone. Now I'm going to buy an apple computer. My sony vaio P4 laptop, which i am typing on now, is near its end (hd has 500mb left) LOL!

Leaning toward buying from best buy store to take advantage of the 2yr no interest plan. Will purchase it tonight or tomorrow depending on the advice of my fellow forum members. If there are any problems with the imac (no fault of my own), can i visit the apple store or do i need to take it back to best buy? I plan on buying the low end imac model as it will be primarily used for:

Surfing the web
iTunes
Watching dvd's
Email


Also is the low end imac capable of running handbrake as I want to watch my dvd movies on my iphone ...and is it also capable of editing non-hd video or do i need to purchase final cut express.

As for the memory, will 1 GB suffice or do i need more for the above tasks? And any advice for an external hard drive? Looking for 1TB. Seagate, WD, Maxtor? Will store photos and videos of my young children. Thanks.
 

alphaod

macrumors Core
Feb 9, 2008
22,183
1,245
NYC
If the computer breaks in the first 2 weeks, with Apple they will just give you a new computer, with Best Buy they will fix it.

Yes the base model iMac will suffice; however upgrade to 2GB RAM or more.

I have a 1TB Seagate, but WD is good too.
 

iOrlando

macrumors 68000
Jul 20, 2008
1,811
1
If you could..i would buy directly from apple. I understand you want that particular payment plan..apple does offer payment plans..not sure if it is interest free (probably not). With 1GB, you will be able to turn computer on..use it for your needs and probably not be able to tell. Maybe if you get into more detailed progarms..and you have 5 things open...you will notice sluggish...so go online and buy 2GB...like from crucial.com. Install it yourself...I wouldnt even buy it from best buy..they rip you off.
 

hipvamore

macrumors regular
Jul 2, 2008
220
0
CT
If you could..i would buy directly from apple. I understand you want that particular payment plan..apple does offer payment plans..not sure if it is interest free (probably not). With 1GB, you will be able to turn computer on..use it for your needs and probably not be able to tell. Maybe if you get into more detailed progarms..and you have 5 things open...you will notice sluggish...so go online and buy 2GB...like from crucial.com. Install it yourself...I wouldnt even buy it from best buy..they rip you off.

well i'm pretty sure you can use handbrake. my gf has the lowest end macbook with the combo drive and no super and it says you cant burn dvd's but we used handbrake and ripped the beatles-yellow submarine perfectly. so i think it just has to do with burning, not ripping.
 

RainForRent

macrumors 6502
May 31, 2006
291
3
Greenville, SC
Buy direct from Apple. Get your own memory from OWC or Crucial. Handbrake is gonna run just fine. I have a 500GB Seagate FreeAgent Pro, and love it. Make sure you get triple interface. Succinct enough?
 

26139

Suspended
Dec 27, 2003
4,315
377
huh?

Hello. First apple purchase was a 3G iphone. Now I'm going to buy an apple computer. My sony vaio P4 laptop, which i am typing on now, is near its end (hd has 500mb left) LOL!

Buy a macbook, pay for it all up front.

As for the 500mb left, you do know that hard drive space available doesn't mean a computer is used up, right?
 

mchank

macrumors regular
Feb 26, 2006
207
0
If the computer breaks in the first 2 weeks, with Apple they will just give you a new computer, with Best Buy they will fix it.

Yes the base model iMac will suffice; however upgrade to 2GB RAM or more.

I have a 1TB Seagate, but WD is good too.

I believe that Best Buy will swap it out as well within the first two weeks if you get a lemon. Apple offers a payment plan too, but the interest is insanely high, so get it at Best Buy if you aren't going to buy the whole amount outright. The initial sale price is the same at both places anyways.
 

DakotaGuy

macrumors 601
Jan 14, 2002
4,226
3,791
South Dakota, USA
I have had decent luck with Best Buy for a few other purchases so I would not be concerned with buying from them. I had to take a couple of items back and it wasn't a big issue. Buy wherever it is most convenient for you.
 

scotty96LSC

macrumors 65816
Oct 24, 2007
1,285
2
Charlotte, NC
The Best Buy here has an Apple Store-Like display that lets people sit at a table and try the different computers out. Also has a big iLife projection display behind it.
Now whether they know anything about Apple Computers or not my experience has been no.
 

Mjmar

macrumors 65816
May 20, 2008
1,189
495
I just purchased my MacBook from Best Buy, and got 10% off with my sister's school ID. I also took advantage of the 2 years no interest plan. Overall, I;m very pleased and would buy from Best Buy again.
 

mattcube64

macrumors 65816
May 21, 2006
1,297
114
Missouri
I just purchased my MacBook from Best Buy, and got 10% off with my sister's school ID. I also took advantage of the 2 years no interest plan. Overall, I;m very pleased and would buy from Best Buy again.

Oh! So there is a discount for students, even at Best Buy? Is it 10% on all Apple computers?
 

rbc2008

macrumors newbie
Aug 1, 2008
17
0
I bought 2 Macbook Pros from bestbuy in order to get the 2 year interest free. Since I had decided to get the applecare protection plan, it made sense to buy from bestbuy. I got the applecare from ebay for $190 a piece.

With bestbuy you will have to apply for the rewardzone membership in order to get the 2 year interest free. It is a store credit card and you can pay the monthly dues online at hrsaccount.com/bestbuy. I also earned some reward points and will be getting $100 gift card for the 2 Macbook Pros. Hope this helps.
 
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