Whenever the new iMacs were announced I wasn't very impressed. They gave it a minor upgrade in speed but I wasn't a fan of the new body (potential heat issues, hard to self-repair, etc.). So I went ahead and bought the following refurbished iMac:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/G0M73LL/A
This computer has been great and it's everything I wanted. I don't mind the older style since it's just sitting on my desk. However, a few days ago I got a few dead pixels. Since I'm still within the holiday return period, I have the option to return it.
My two options are to re-buy the same refurbished model when it pops up again, or to go with the new one. Here's some questions that I have:
1. When I ordered the refurbished iMac, it actually came with 8 GB RAM (was listed for 4) and 2 GB VRAM (was listed for 1). What are the odds that if I order another one it will also have these upgrades? Is there any way that I can get Apple to swap for one that specifically does?
2. Which of these is going to be faster for day-to-day use (not necessarily heavy load CPU intensive stuff)
--2011 3.4 GHz i7 sandy bridge, 256 GB SSD, 16 GB RAM, AMD Radeon HD 6970M graphics with 2GB memory
OR
--2012 2.9 GHz i5 ivy bridge, 1 TB Fusion Drive, 16 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M with 512MB
3. Have real-world tests so far shown that the fusion drive is comparable in speed to just a SSD? I can live on just 256 GB, I don't need all of the space.
4. Have there been any heat issues with the new 27" models? Have there been any other issues that are common?
5. How difficult (compared to the 2011 model) is it to open up and replace a hard drive? This is most likely the only repare I would ever do to it, so that's why I ask.
6. Is there any chance of me talking Apple in to just replacing the LCD screen? If they do, is there concern over getting dust inside the screen?
Thanks in advance for your advice!
http://store.apple.com/us/product/G0M73LL/A
This computer has been great and it's everything I wanted. I don't mind the older style since it's just sitting on my desk. However, a few days ago I got a few dead pixels. Since I'm still within the holiday return period, I have the option to return it.
My two options are to re-buy the same refurbished model when it pops up again, or to go with the new one. Here's some questions that I have:
1. When I ordered the refurbished iMac, it actually came with 8 GB RAM (was listed for 4) and 2 GB VRAM (was listed for 1). What are the odds that if I order another one it will also have these upgrades? Is there any way that I can get Apple to swap for one that specifically does?
2. Which of these is going to be faster for day-to-day use (not necessarily heavy load CPU intensive stuff)
--2011 3.4 GHz i7 sandy bridge, 256 GB SSD, 16 GB RAM, AMD Radeon HD 6970M graphics with 2GB memory
OR
--2012 2.9 GHz i5 ivy bridge, 1 TB Fusion Drive, 16 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M with 512MB
3. Have real-world tests so far shown that the fusion drive is comparable in speed to just a SSD? I can live on just 256 GB, I don't need all of the space.
4. Have there been any heat issues with the new 27" models? Have there been any other issues that are common?
5. How difficult (compared to the 2011 model) is it to open up and replace a hard drive? This is most likely the only repare I would ever do to it, so that's why I ask.
6. Is there any chance of me talking Apple in to just replacing the LCD screen? If they do, is there concern over getting dust inside the screen?
Thanks in advance for your advice!