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2011 Refurb vs Potential 2012

G

gnrredphoenix

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 6, 2012
62
2
Okay guys, so I've been waiting for a while now and I'm at my breaking point. I'm falling behind on projects and am starting to think I can get a better deal on a 2011 refurb than the potential 2012 imac that may not be.

I can get the 27'' 3.4ghz i7 with 1TB internal and the Radeon 6970M for $1890 refurbished. Figured I'd upgrade the ram to 16gb myself.

So it makes me think, what am I really going to be missing from a 2012?? USB 3 obviously, more possible solid state options and a possible 10% increase in CPU and GPU? Plus id be paying quite a bit more to get these type of specs in a brand new machine. So is it really worth it?? What do you guys think?
 
You can't reasonably compare the current iMac to the upcoming one because you don't have its concrete specs. The question is: What's more important to you, completing your projects or squeezing every bit of value into your money?
 
If a 2012 IMac is released I think the only differences will be Ivy Bridge and faster GPUs. I personally don't think they will do a complete redesign until 2013, but your guess is as good as mine.
 
gnrredphoenix said:
Okay guys, so I've been waiting for a while now and I'm at my breaking point. I'm falling behind on projects and am starting to think I can get a better deal on a 2011 refurb than the potential 2012 imac that may not be.

I can get the 27'' 3.4ghz i7 with 1TB internal and the Radeon 6970M for $1890 refurbished. Figured I'd upgrade the ram to 16gb myself.

So it makes me think, what am I really going to be missing from a 2012?? USB 3 obviously, more possible solid state options and a possible 10% increase in CPU and GPU? Plus id be paying quite a bit more to get these type of specs in a brand new machine. So is it really worth it?? What do you guys think?
Click to expand...

That's about it as far as an upgrade. If you really need something now then buy one.
 
I've been thinking of a refurb, and maybe I'll still get one... but I'm going to wait for the new systems either way, to gauge the value of the new specs over the old (and maybe watch for a refurb price drop, to boot).

I'm running an ancient system right now (2007 24-inch) and I'll be using its eventual replacement for everything from gaming to browsing and Adobe Creative Suite stuff (mainly Photoshop and InDesign).

So the current systems will perform well enough, but it's hard not to want something better now that they've been out for so long. Definitely feeling the age of the old Core2Duo.
 
gnrredphoenix said:
Okay guys, so I've been waiting for a while now and I'm at my breaking point. I'm falling behind on projects and am starting to think I can get a better deal on a 2011 refurb than the potential 2012 imac that may not be.

I can get the 27'' 3.4ghz i7 with 1TB internal and the Radeon 6970M for $1890 refurbished. Figured I'd upgrade the ram to 16gb myself.

So it makes me think, what am I really going to be missing from a 2012?? USB 3 obviously, more possible solid state options and a possible 10% increase in CPU and GPU? Plus id be paying quite a bit more to get these type of specs in a brand new machine. So is it really worth it?? What do you guys think?
Click to expand...

The increase in GPU power should be about 80%+ .
 
It's really a terrible situation we are all in. How can apple expect people to not need new computers with up to date specs, especially since the majority of their desktops are used by people who need to run extremely heavy graphics and processing programs, including myself.

Its tough to try to justify buying a 500 day old machine, even as a refurb, but im struggling to stay afloat right now.... Totally at a loss...
 
gnrredphoenix said:
especially since the majority of their desktops are used by people who need to run extremely heavy graphics and processing programs...
Click to expand...

Maybe for the Mac Pro, but not the iMac. If you REALLY need one now, get it now and if they come out with a model you want more you simply sell it and buy the updated model. If you aren't willing to go through that process then you really don't need one now.
 
For me USB 3 would be worth waiting for. It's fast and the peripherals are cheap and plentiful. For sure TB is faster but for single mechanical hard drives, CF card readers and Voyager q drives USB seems like the simple, effective way to go.
 
I'm in a similar position. I have a Late 2006 Core 2 Duo iMac. The RAM maxes out at 3GB and it's simply crippling, not to mention that the X1600 GPU is just very long in the tooth. This machine has been dropped from OS X support.

I have the money to spend on an upgrade, but it simply can't be the current iMac given how out of date it is. If there is no sign of the update in the next month then I'll just have to search ebay for a cheap 2011 model. There's no way I'm buying a new one.
 
joe-h2o said:
If there is no sign of the update in the next month then I'll just have to search ebay for a cheap 2011 model. There's no way I'm buying a new one.
Click to expand...

If there is no iMac refresh the 2011 models should hold their value.
 
In addition to the "spec bump" expected with the new iMac, you also need to consider the possibility that you'll want the anti-glare glass that the 2012 is rumored to have.

The glare and reflections on the 2009-2011 iMacs don't bother everyone. It is however, one of the most common complaints, and one I fortunately found a solution for.

I've made the case before, that if you want an iMac that can run multiple OS's (from Snow Leopard - Mountain Lion) than the 2011 iMac is the best choice. If you're interested in USB 3, better graphics and possibly a better screen than I'd wait just a little longer.
 
fastlanephil said:
If there is no iMac refresh the 2011 models should hold their value.
Click to expand...

Even with a refresh the value should hold fairly well. Obviously you won't break even, but let's say you spend $1800 today and then wait for the next iteration. At worst, you can wait for the refrub model and sell your recently purchased rig for $1500 or so and be out a couple hundred bucks. At best, you'll see it's not a significant enough upgrade to make the leap and you could easily wait a couple years.

Unless those couple hundred bucks are going to cause a huge problem in your financial situation, it seems to be a half decent place to be.
 
Apple better have something good up their sleeves for a 500+ day wait or Apple will be the ones who suffer. If it is like what happened to the mac pro a few months ago a lot of people will switch to PC lol. It would have already happened if it was going to be a spec bump. It has to be a redesign, there is no other logical explanation unless Apple decided to cull the iMac line completely which is pretty illogical.


I will go to PC if the next iMac comes out with lower than expected hardware or takes longer than October to release.
 
The Refurb iMacs won't go away when the next iMac is announced. It will drop in price by $50 to $100 initially, but that's about it. If the design flaws in the current iMac don't bother you (and frankly, I don't know how they don't bother anyone considering or owning an iMac), then you will experience a minimal buyers remorse when and if the new model comes out as the refurb won't change when the new one comes out; it won't be discontinued like a brand new model today would. So there's that. As for speed, assuming an Ivy Bridge iMac is in the pipeline and they're not skipping straight to Haswell, then the speed gains should be modest at best; you'll see Macworld say their usual "If you bought last year's model, you have little reason to consider this upgrade; but if you're sitting on an older model, you'll want to give this model a consideration" review. No biggie. If it's a work machine, I say pull the trigger now. If it's a personal one, or for pleasure, or if it's work+pleasure and you can afford to wait, do so. Just my two cents.
 
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