April 2008 iMac 3.06 Vs. 2009 iMac 3.06

[td241]

Hello technical scholars

I am selling my 2.4 unibody MBP for an iMac, as the hefty little guy never leaves my desk. I noticed that Apple offers a refurbished April 08 3.06 GHz for $1599, and the current model 3.06 sells for $2199--quite a difference.

I realize that the current model has a larger hard drive, but both hard drives have more space than is necessary for me, so that is unimportant.

My questions are:
What are the implications of 800MHz (april) instead of

1066 MHz (winter) RAM? Is the RAM speed dependent on the computer, or the ram chip itself? (i.e., could I upgrade to 1066 MHz myself?)

Are the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS with 512MB GDDR3 (april) and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 130 graphics processor with 512MB of GDDR3 (winter) that different? How?

Those are the only noteworthy differences i see in these machines, and I can't help but surmise that the differences aren't worth the almost-40% price difference. I also like the April 2008 model because it has the extended keyboard and FireWire 400...

All the best,
Thomas

 

[QCassidy352]

- 1066 RAM won't work in the older iMac (or maybe it will, but will only run at 800 mhz... I don't remember). However, the real-world performance difference will be minimal

- the imac now has a radeon 4850 option, and that's a lot better than the 8800GS. The GT130, however, is not. They're probably about comparable, certainly no earth-shattering difference.

So in short, the performances differences are minimal, and I would strongly recommend the older model given the price difference.

(I will note, however, that the full-size keyboard is still a no-cost option on the new imac, and although you lose FW400, you do gain a 4th USB slot on the newer imac)

 

[td241]

i noticed the ATi is only $50 as an option... Too bad I can't configure a refurb model with that card. IMHO, refurbished models are just a way for apple to sell slower-moving products at a lower cost without affecting resale values.

How is the ATi better? What does the HD entail? Better screen resolution ? I haven't been able to find an online comparison of those two cards in particular.

How would you rate the GS's performance? Would you call it relatively powerful, or just moderate?

Thanks !

 

[ditzy]

To me the new version would only be worth maybe $100-$200 more. At the prices you gave, I would say that the old iMac is a no-brainer, the 2008 iMac slightly less performance, a lot less money.