24" Imac Died, what to replace with

[Grubster]

All,
My Mid 2007 2.8 extreme 24" imac seems to have died. I came home from vacation and now it just "beeps". I found a replacement logic board, but can't get it to boot. Have it a service shop, he tried many things, had it booting a few times to other drives and now wont' boot. Thought I might need a new video card, but they are Crazy Expensive for a 7 year old card, like 300 bucks.

I just missed out on a Mid 2011 27" imac from Apple. What do you recommend getting? Do you like the newer iMacs with the Fused on screens? Those really scare me from a service standpoint. Any Mac's that you recommend? Any to stay away from?

 

[Ak907Freerider]

I love the new fused screen. I had a 2011 now have a 2013 27-inch. The biggest plus was the screen IMO. No more annoying glare! It actually works great. From a service stand point yes it isn't as easy as a magnet. But if you can apply tape like any 3 year old can I'm sure you will be fine. If you are worried than have a tech do it. No biggie.

Also get at least a fusion drive if not a ssd. It is a world of difference. Another thing to keep in mind is getting 16gb of ram through apple. It will be 2 8gb sticks. Yes you can go after market for $60-80 cheaper. But they won't be covered under AppleCare. So that is a good deal. The 780m is a beast also if you put it to use.

 

[CochlearArch]

I love the new fused screen. I had a 2011 now have a 2013 27-inch. The biggest plus was the screen IMO. No more annoying glare! It actually works great. From a service stand point yes it isn't as easy as a magnet. But if you can apply tape like any 3 year old can I'm sure you will be fine. If you are worried than have a tech do it. No biggie.

Also get at least a fusion drive if not a ssd. It is a world of difference. Another thing to keep in mind is getting 16gb of ram through apple. It will be 2 8gb sticks. Yes you can go after market for $60-80 cheaper. But they won't be covered under AppleCare. So that is a good deal. The 780m is a beast also if you put it to use.

I agree and do not look back..

 

[oldhifi]

Mac Mini

 

[MacGizmo]

Tough to answer. How much are you looking to spend? What are you using the Mac for?

 

[fig]

Another thing to keep in mind is getting 16gb of ram through apple. It will be 2 8gb sticks. Yes you can go after market for $60-80 cheaper. But they won't be covered under AppleCare. So that is a good deal.

I'm not the least bit concerned with RAM not being covered by AppleCare, I'd much rather save the money there.

The thing to keep in mind is that on the 21.5" you can't upgrade the RAM yourself, while you can on the 27", so if you go with the smaller model you would need to add that RAM up front.

As mentioned however, without knowing what you're using it for there's really no way to recommend an ideal machine.

 

[robgendreau]

As you can see, service can be expensive. I hate the fact that iMacs are getting progressively harder to fix. But sometimes it's just more cost efficient to move on to a new machine. The most common failure is the drive, and now with TBolt you can add an external and not lose as much speed as you would on that 2007 of yours. Not ideal though.

I'd check refurbs in 27", and definitely a SSD or Fusion. For everyday stuff it is SO much faster. Of all the Macs, the iMac is the best bang for the buck hands down.

And if you are into DIY, go hackintosh maybe. Pretty easy for a competent Mac user.

 

[old-wiz]

I have a 2008 24" iMac too.

It's running fine, but when it dies i'm seriously thinking of a mini plus a thunderbolt display. Or I might just get a tb display and make my 2013 13" rMBP my main machine. I hate throwing away a beautiful monitor, so a new iMac doesn't attract me.

I don't stress the rMBP, so a TB display and perhaps keyboard would be fine.

the new iMacs are fine, but the rBMP is more than enough for me.

 

[Grubster]

Tough to answer. How much are you looking to spend? What are you using the Mac for?

Hi, I was hoping to spend nothing and get my machine fixed and be good for another year or two.

But, I don't want to spend 1799 + tax plus applecare for a brand new one.

I was hoping to keep the price down the best I could. Mac is used for running basic usage, web, e-mail, media host for AppleTV. Growing iPhoto and Aperture library for photos, possibly will start doing more RAW images. I really just want a good general use computer that will last me as long or longer than my current imac. I bought it in 2008 I believe so I did get 5 years from it. The closer to $1000 the better, but based on the refurb pricing, i'm leaning towards a 2012 refurb for 1399...

 

[xraydoc]

Hi, I was hoping to spend nothing and get my machine fixed and be good for another year or two.

But, I don't want to spend 1799 + tax plus applecare for a brand new one.

I was hoping to keep the price down the best I could. Mac is used for running basic usage, web, e-mail, media host for AppleTV. Growing iPhoto and Aperture library for photos, possibly will start doing more RAW images. I really just want a good general use computer that will last me as long or longer than my current imac. I bought it in 2008 I believe so I did get 5 years from it. The closer to $1000 the better, but based on the refurb pricing, i'm leaning towards a 2012 refurb for 1399...

Based on what you said your usage is, personally I'd suggest a Mac mini and a 3rd party monitor. It'll keep you much closer to the $1000 mark. Much simpler from a service standpoint, too (since you mentioned some concern about that).

The $799 iMac model would be good I would think for you. Add some extra RAM yourself (only two slots, so you could sell what comes pre-populated in the machine) and add an SSD (either factory or DIY) for maximum system responsiveness.

A quality 3rd party monitor will be less expensive than an Apple display.

 

[MacGizmo]

Hi, I was hoping to spend nothing and get my machine fixed and be good for another year or two.

But, I don't want to spend 1799 + tax plus applecare for a brand new one...
i'm leaning towards a 2012 refurb for 1399

Yah. "spend nothing" and "get my machine fixed" simply isn't going to happen.

And I question the sense in spending $1,400 on a two-year old iMac, when you can get a brand new 21" iMac for less, or a 27" iMac for only $400 more - with both being SIGNIFICANTLY faster.

 

[Grubster]

Yah. "spend nothing" and "get my machine fixed" simply isn't going to happen.

And I question the sense in spending $1,400 on a two-year old iMac, when you can get a brand new 21" iMac for less, or a 27" iMac for only $400 more - with both being SIGNIFICANTLY faster.

We'll I found a "new" logic board for real cheap so I am going to try to replace it. So, not spend nothing, but spend minimal.

I guess I didn't look at a refurb 2012 imac as a 2 year old machine. As they did continue to sell that model into 2013. I guess to that point, if I am gonna spend 1400, why not spend 1529 and get the current model. After you add apple care and tax it climbs up probably another about 300 bucks.


As far as the 21.5, I would just spend the extra money and get the 27. It's not that I can't afford it, I just didn't want to be forced to upgrade because the machine died.

Also, I didn't realize the 2013 vs 2012 imac 27 is significantly faster. That is the info I was looking for. I thought it would be slightly faster.