27" iMac - Worth The Extra $ To Buy New & Test Screen in Store?

[benh911f]

Now I know that people will say that most of the 27" have no screen issues and the threads on these forums represent a small minority.
Anyway, I've been looking at the 27" i5. There is the 2009 model on the Refurb page for $1529 (2.66 Ghz with 512 MB graphic card), whereas a new one is I believe 2.8 Ghz and 1 Ghz graphic card (I'm not really a gamer, so the difference in graphic card wouldn't be an issue, would it?)
I would be eligible for the student discount if I bought new, so it would be $1899...Obviously I would like the $370 savings by going the Refurb route, but my thought process is if I bought new, I could test the screen in store to make sure there are no issues.
In your opinion, would the extra $ spent be worth the peace of mind of not dealing with potential screen issues?

Two other quick questions, to which ive searched, but still am not understanding the answers, as my knowledge of networking and the like is pretty limited.
1) I would not need to buy an airport just because I am getting a Mac, correct? I have the modem and wireless router from comcast, and the wireless works on my iPhone and iPad, so I assume it would, but wanted to verify.
2) Could someone explain, in as layman terms as possible, what the difference between a NAS device and an regular old external hard drive is?

Thanks a lot.

 

[brucem91]

Go with the refurb, you will be fine

• Each refurb is individually checked for defects and comes with the same warranty
  I've bought two 27's in store(one of each gen) with no problem. You will see alot of reports on this website of people having issues because people will go to mac forums when their mac acts up.
  refurb is cheaper

however, their is one disadvantage to going refurb, though the savings may offset it. With a new mac, you can get iWork for $50, or half-off Microsoft Office. I prefer iWork, but it depends on the needs. iWork is 79(probably cheaper on amazon), and office is over $100.

1) No, their is NO such thing as a "windows" router, or a "mac" router. It just so happens that Apple makes routers, and Microsoft doesn't. Don't worry about the airport if you already have a router.

2) A NAS is a Network-Storage-Device. It is an external hard-drive that plugs into a router via ethernet(wired) and is accessible via the wireless network. I don't have one, but I imagine you could lock it down if you have multiple users on a network. You mentioned iMac though, so if you were to get an external hard-drive, just go for one to hard-wire in, preferably with dedicated power and a firewire-800 port. And don't get a specific "for mac" hdd either, as they tend to be slightly more expensive. All harddrives are the same, it's the filesystem that is setup on it that dictates what computers can read/write to it. If you got one that was "windows" formatted (IE Fat-32 or NTFS), you could format it to HFS+ (apple's filesystem) easily if you don't need to transfer files to a windows system, or if you need to use with time machine(apple's backup software, I reccomend to use it).

 

[benh911f]

Thank you very much for the help Bruce!

 

[pukifloyd]

Bruce answered all your questions...but I would like to say that I think you should go for the refurb model as you will save a lot of money...I think the only time you should buy a new mac is when there is the free ipod deal along with the education discount

 

[hayduke]

Are people still reporting problems with the 27" models? We just got two new 27" ACDs (not iMacs) at work today. I assume the are the same panel and want to know if I should scrutinize them carefully. Sorry to hijack your thread...

 

[benh911f]

I guess my worry is just that it will be much more of a pain in the arse if there is a screen issue. Since it's not new, they won't just do a straight up swap, and I can see them telling me it's within the "accepted range" or yellow tint or what have you.

 

[brucem91]

I guess my worry is just that it will be much more of a pain in the arse if there is a screen issue. Since it's not new, they won't just do a straight up swap, and I can see them telling me it's within the "accepted range" or yellow tint or what have you.

Not true at all.

1)as I said before, each and every refurbished mac is given a quality test by an actual person

2)a refurb model is JUST like buying new. SAME 1 year applecare warranty that can be expanded to 3 total years.

 

[bluemonkeyguy]

Bruce answered all your questions...but I would like to say that I think you should go for the refurb model as you will save a lot of money...I think the only time you should buy a new mac is when there is the free ipod deal along with the education discount

and thats what i actually did. got the new imac 27inch maxed out with a free ipod.

 

[jrichman63]

But what happens if you want to return a refurbished model?

 

[benh911f]

That's what I was trying to get at. I know they have the same warranty as new, and that they are checked by hand, but if there is an issue, it will be that much harder to get it taken care of, wouldn't it? If it's new, they could do a straight up swap, but they wouldn't do it with last years Refurb since the specs are different.
Also, would the issues talked about here, mainly the yellow tint, be something the person would check?

 

[brucem91]

That's what I was trying to get at. I know they have the same warranty as new, and that they are checked by hand, but if there is an issue, it will be that much harder to get it taken care of, wouldn't it? If it's new, they could do a straight up swap, but they wouldn't do it with last years Refurb since the specs are different.
Also, would the issues talked about here, mainly the yellow tint, be something the person would check?

no, it shouldn't be a problem. Again, the only reason why a refurb is cheaper is because it was opened and then returned. Therefore, they can't sell it as "new". That 15% restocking fee covers the difference between new and refurbished. You should have NO problem with the genius bar if something "were" to go wrong with a refurb 27".

 

[No1nfoProvided]

Buy refurb. The Applecare warranty for year doesn't discriminate. It doesn't even discriminate if you bought your laptop used from a private buyer long as it's within the year it was originally bought or 3 years within the purchase date with extended warranty. There's very little risk in buying refurb.

 

[xpected_one]

no, it shouldn't be a problem. Again, the only reason why a refurb is cheaper is because it was opened and then returned. Therefore, they can't sell it as "new". That 15% restocking fee covers the difference between new and refurbished. You should have NO problem with the genius bar if something "were" to go wrong with a refurb 27".

This isn't entirely true, if you do get a refurbished model. I bought a 27in refurbed iMac and ended up with a yellow screen. I called apple and the only option I was given was to send it back in for a swap or repair. Taking a refurb to an brick and mortar apple store will net you the same. They don't carry refurbs, so they wont exchange it for you on the spot. This being because they only carry new products, there's a price gap that they cant cover. Now I do recommend getting a refurb, because they are great deals, but don't expect to exchange it on the spot if something is wrong.