27 inch i5 refurb or base model 21.5

[Nygiantsfan760]

Hey guys.

I am contemplating purchasing the base model i5 21.5 or the 27 inch i5 refurb. My wife and I are going to use it as the home computer. I like the optical drive and the ram expanding option but I am concerned that the Sandy Bridge processor will be outdated and unable to run future versions of the Mac OS. Is this a reasonable concern? If so, I would stick with the 21.5. Also, we are planning on purchasing Applecare within the year of purchase with both models.

If the 27 inch internals aren't outdated for a while, I would go with the 27.

Thanks!

 

[schmoopy.design]

Hey guys.

I am contemplating purchasing the base model i5 21.5 or the 27 inch i5 refurb. My wife and I are going to use it as the home computer. I like the optical drive and the ram expanding option but I am concerned that the Sandy Bridge processor will be outdated and unable to run future versions of the Mac OS. Is this a reasonable concern? If so, I would stick with the 21.5. Also, we are planning on purchasing Applecare within the year of purchase with both models.

If the 27 inch internals aren't outdated for a while, I would go with the 27.

Thanks!

I bought the 27" 3.1 GHz i5 refurb over the weekend. Not worried about it being obsolete any time soon. I bought 32 GBs of Crucial RAM and this baby is humming. Just FYI my 24" 2007 iMac just now began feeling a bit too slow for my needs and I am running all the Adobe Suite products.

Good luck!

 

[bmcgrath]

Being an owner of the 27" from this year, I'd definitely go for the refurb over a 21". The screen is really beautiful.

 

[Nygiantsfan760]

Thanks guys!

 

[toua]

I think you should ask yourself what you are going to use the imac for?. I won't rule out anything until the 21.5 benchmark is out. Never know, Apple might have optimize the system for better performance. As well, check, compare the two screen and see which one is more bearable for you. Perhaps you'll like the new one with 75% reflection

 

[dranakin]

I'm actually running into this question myself (the 3.1GHz 27" vs the high-end 21.5"), as the prices are nearly the same.

• The graphics cards seem the same, maybe a slight edge to the Radeon since it's 1GB.
• I can add RAM up to 16GB, so the 4GB difference isn't an issue.
• I will be buying an external DVD drive if I bought the latest gen iMac.
• I don't need the extra real estate on screen space, and apparently the latest gen is much better technology.

Will the refurb 27" go lower in price once the new iMacs start shipping? Or is this the lowest it'll go, and be replaced by refurb units of the newest gen once available?