An iMac On A Shoestring?

Discussion in 'Buying Tips and Advice' started by scoostraw, Jun 23, 2016.

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  1. scoostraw, Jun 23, 2016

    scoostraw macrumors newbie

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    Feb 2, 2006
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    Upper Midwest US
    #1
    I want to get a newer iMac (newer than my Intel Core Duo 17" which can only run Snow Leopard). And by necessity I need to do this as inexpensively as possible.

    There is one currently for sale on craigs list that intrigues me. It is a 20" Intel core 2 duo 2.40ghz. 3 gb ram, 320 gb hard drive with Mac os El capitan. Apple keyboard and mouse are included. The seller also has some software (iWork) that he is including.

    I may be able to get it for something close to $100. I'm thinking I could increase the ram to 6g, and at some point put in an SSD.

    I would appreciate any and all thoughts. Thanks!
     
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  2. talmy, Jun 23, 2016

    talmy macrumors 601

    talmy

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    Oregon
    #2
    Seems like a good deal to me if it is in good condition. You won't be able to go beyond El Capitan, but that's still much better than what you currently have.
     
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  3. theatremusician, Jun 23, 2016

    theatremusician macrumors member

    theatremusician

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    #3
    If it's a model in which you can replace the hard drive from a spinner to SSD and max out the RAM, then you should be able to get some meaningful life from it.
     
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  4. keysofanxiety, Jun 24, 2016

    keysofanxiety macrumors G3

    keysofanxiety

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    #4
    For $100 you can't really go wrong, especially if you max the RAM & throw in an SSD.

    If you're looking for something that offers much more longevity than a Core 2 Duo iMac, a 2011 model isn't a bad shout -- max user-upgradeable RAM @32GB, and with an SSD it'll be butter. That would be more expensive though, so as long as you're not breaking the bank, the 20" iMac you're looking at is a solid deal.
     
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  5. scoostraw, Jun 24, 2016
    Last edited: Jun 24, 2016

    scoostraw thread starter macrumors newbie

    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2006
    Location:
    Upper Midwest US
    #5
    Thanks guys for the feedback. I really appreciate it.

    I went and got it today. Paid $120. It's a really nice machine. Already compared to my old one, it is very snappy and quick.

    In the process I met a nice man who refurbs machines. Turns out this one he had gotten with no HD. He put in a new drive. And he's giving me 10 days to test-drive.

    So yes I'm happy so far. I paid $1100 for my original machine. It blows my mind to be able to pick up something like this for this amount of money. Yes it is not cutting-edge, but man...
     
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