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Brad2296

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 17, 2012
5
0
Michigan
Hey all. Newb here, and looking for some honest input...

I recently bought a 21.5" iMac back on October. 3 days later they announced the "New iMac". I returned the computer in expectations of the "Mid-November" release. I'm going stir crazy with not having a computer now, and can not find any iMac's anywhere.

Should I continue to wait for it to ever come out?

Or, get the 27" refurb from the apple online store?

I don't do editing, gaming, or anything crazy that would need the computing power of the 27"....but for the price, and bigger screen size...It's almost identical to the new 21.5 that will be coming out....minus ram.
 
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goodlittlesquid

Guest
Ok. Best way I can put it in layman's terms: Buying a computer is like buying a car. Not like buying a house. Buying a house is an investment that builds value over time. It makes sense to start with a smaller, older house and work your way up. Buying a car is not an investment. Its worth plummets the second you drive it off the lot. Every mile you put on it brings it closer to death. People buy cars to get them places - or because they admire the design/engineering. You cannot really flip a car for profit by buying an old one and putting in new guts like you can a house. Replacing parts in an old car is kind of just prolonging the inevitable - and driving old cars can actually be more expensive as it becomes harder to find old replacement parts, fuel efficiency gets really outdated, etc.

Personally, I will always buy an old, cheap, used car with lots of miles on it. I will then drive it into the ground. Then I will buy another used car. Why? Because I am not a car aficionado. I need to get from point A to point B, I don't really care about the luxury or experience of driving, and I don't need extra power or amazing handling or anything. 99% of the time I'm just commuting to work.

However, I will always buy a computer with the latest chips and ports. Why? Because I don't just use my computer to watch youtube and buy things on etsy. I'm a professional graphic designer/illustrator, and I need to stay up to date with the latest software for my career, and I need lots of RAM and processing power, etc. Plus I geek out on the tech. But my mom has no reason to buy the latest bleeding edge computer, and I would never recommend she buy one.

You just need to figure out what kind of user you are. In my opinion, if you consider yourself to be a 'pro' or 'power' user, it would be ridiculous not to wait another ~2-4 weeks.
 

Brad2296

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 17, 2012
5
0
Michigan
Well I'm not a "pro" user. I use the Internet, do banking and bill pay. Manage documents of personal info. I'll save pictures, but not going to be editing in RAW format or anything. Downloading music/movies. I write music so garage band or guitarPro is going to be used. I utilize my optical drive. My iPod was stolen out of my car so I'm back to CDs for now. Very few games I would even consider playing, so I don't need a 2gb graphics card or higher. And the bigger screen is just a plus to me really.

I know I could do the Mac mini route, but after keyboard, mouse and display are added in, then an optic drive, I'm around the same price as an iMac which is already all there.

And I could go buy a pc which will do all I want for a quarter of the price....but I love my apple products.
 
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goodlittlesquid

Guest
I'd definitely go for the refurb in your case then - especially since you still utilize the optical drive frequently. (New iMac does not have built in optical drive.)

The only caveat is if glare on the display is a big issue for you, but it sounds to me like you should go refurb.
 

spork183

macrumors 6502a
Jul 30, 2006
878
0
The only caveat is if glare on the display is a big issue for you, but it sounds to me like you should go refurb.

I get Migraines and so glare is a huge issue with me. Has not been a problem with my iMacs.

Brad-Go with the 27 refurb. When you get the itch, add in an SSD, or find one with the SSD on refurb. :D
 

Chihawk725

macrumors member
Nov 17, 2012
37
0
Don't settle for refurb. If u are not as it was above defined a "power user" and you spend most of your time online and looking at pictures then u don't need a ton of ram or CPU or gpu power but what you will benefit is from a better screen and that for me is the biggest and most important upgrade the new iMac brings. I find the glare on my 2009 iMac nearly unbearable in anything but the darkest of environments. 75 percent glare reduction, higher nit or brightness capabilities, and the lamination process that makes it look like your really looking at the image displayed by the screen and not like your looking through a pane of glass hiding a display with a noticeable gap behind it. Sounds like a god send! Compare an ipad or iphone display to the refurbs if u get a chance and u will see what im saying. For non power users the screen is the most important aspect of our computing devices and apple has realized that focusing so much attention on making everything retina quality. If this iMac was retina it would be amazing but probably very very expensive and even more delayed. however if these displays are as good as they seem to be from the keynote and other images online, then I will be upgrading from my gloss box instantaneously
 

Brad2296

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 17, 2012
5
0
Michigan
I couldn't wait any longer. I found a brand new 21.5 iMac for $1099 free shipping no tax. I kick myself in the butt now for returning mine, then struggling to find another one....and waiting for the new one for that matter, when I went and bought the exact same one I had.

Are you able to upgrade the HDD on these? I know you can self service the ram. But what about the HDD?

For what I've listed I mainly do on the computer, is there anything else I could consider upgrading?
 

jmah88

macrumors newbie
Nov 12, 2012
9
0
I couldn't wait any longer. I found a brand new 21.5 iMac for $1099 free shipping no tax. I kick myself in the butt now for returning mine, then struggling to find another one....and waiting for the new one for that matter, when I went and bought the exact same one I had.

Are you able to upgrade the HDD on these? I know you can self service the ram. But what about the HDD?

For what I've listed I mainly do on the computer, is there anything else I could consider upgrading?

where do u find such a nice deal?
 

Brad2296

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 17, 2012
5
0
Michigan
adorama.com I went through their ebay account, because it was faster shipping. I ordered it Sunday night, it will be at my door tomorrow.
 

TrboMac

macrumors regular
Aug 8, 2012
117
0
NC/USA
adorama.com I went through their ebay account, because it was faster shipping. I ordered it Sunday night, it will be at my door tomorrow.

B&H had the same deal but they're out, as are the Best Buy's in my area, as is MacMall (well the 1TB re appeared for their Black Friday sale).

My friend got one from B&H. I got mine from Sweetwater as I like dealing w/ them. I paid a little more but still got a good deal.

These are disappearing fast from resellers anyhow. Good time to get one!
 
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