20" iMac 2.0 GHz purchase?

[boston44]

So I've been wanting to buy the new iMac for near $1,100 after tax refurbished from apple, but I have a chance to buy the really old aluminum 2.0 GHz for $450. It's mint with the box and has all the accessories, as well as iWork 08 and Bose Speakers. 250 GB HD and 3 GB Ram, as well as a dual core processor. My question is, should I buy this knowing the value will only decrease for $450 or wait out for the new model? Also, I'm a noob so what's the difference between core 2 duo and dual core? I don't want a core duo desktop, but I'm not sure what "dual core" means or if it's different from core 2. Thanks guys.

 

[drchiu]

My question is, should I buy this knowing the value will only decrease for $450 or wait out for the new model?

All models will decrease in value over time. For $450, I would say that the price you are paying is over priced. Instead, there are a variety of refurbished Apple iMacs selling for about $900-1000 at Apple.com from time to time. Look out for those when they come out, as they are much better than this deal you're looking at.

 

[kazmac]

what the poster above said

So I've been wanting to buy the new iMac for near $1,100 after tax refurbished from apple, but I have a chance to buy the really old aluminum 2.0 GHz for $450. It's mint with the box and has all the accessories, as well as iWork 08 and Bose Speakers. 250 GB HD and 3 GB Ram, as well as a dual core processor. My question is, should I buy this knowing the value will only decrease for $450 or wait out for the new model? Also, I'm a noob so what's the difference between core 2 duo and dual core? I don't want a core duo desktop, but I'm not sure what "dual core" means or if it's different from core 2. Thanks guys.

I can't answer the Intel processor question, but the Apple store gets refurbished 20" 2009 iMacs for $849.00 at least once a week. I just bought one and it was all but perfect, with Applecare and tax and freeshipping it came out to 1106.00. Just a fair warning that the Ram is usually 2GB.

All that said, if you want a newer model then wait. Despite my issues with glare and eye strain (I would definitely recommend buying refurb iMacs).

 

[js81]

I disagree totally - I think that $450 for a good condition aluminum 20" is a great price. I just recently sold my 2.0 17" white iMac for $475. A 2.0 C2D is still a quite viable machine - its not as fast or powerful as a new iMac, but its not half bad.

 

[brendu]

thats not a bad price... it will last you 2 or 3 years still... if you are tight on cash but want an iMac id say go for it.

 

[dXTC]

That is indeed my iMac's model, and it's run Leopard quite well for over two years without an OS reinstall. It'll Handbrake a feature-length movie straight from the DVD in less than 40 minutes and still let you surf the Web without a hiccup-- and mine only has the base 1Gb of RAM!

I agree somewhat with js81 that $450 is a good price for a "good condition" iMac of this vintage. If the screen's all scuffed up or there's some obvious flaw, then maybe not. The extra 2Gb of RAM is a nice plus in this particular case.

 

[alust2013]

I would say go for the 2.0. The Core 2 duo is a dual core processor, as is the Core duo, but the Core 2 is quite a bit better, and all the aluminum ones have Core 2. Dual core is just a general term for any processor that has two processor chips. If you don't need the computer for anything sophisticated, I would definitely say go for that over something that costs twice as much or more. The 3GB of ram is also a very good extra, and I think 450 is a very good price for this computer. I saw one online with essentially the same specs for twice that, although that is a bit overpriced.

EDIT - Core and Core 2 are just processor brands from Intel, not specific types of processors