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Do Refurbished iMacs Come With New Hard Drives?

L

Lynn Belvedere

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 13, 2012
237
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I'm very close to pulling the trigger on a 2011 21.5" iMac. My only concern is how difficult and costly repairs are with the iMac and the feeling that the refurbished machine might be more prone to hardware failure.

My biggest concern in the hard drive. Does anyone know if refurbished iMacs come with a new HDD?

And regarding resale value, is it reasonable to expect $500 for it 2 years from now?

Thanks!
 
Only if the hard drive needs to be replaced.
Refurbished computers are new computers that failed some part of the post-build test at the factory or were returned within the 14-day period.

Either way, there is no reason not to buy refurbished. Its not like you're buying a floor demo model.

Even 3 year old Core2Duo models are still selling for $600+ on craigslist. The "current" quad core models are significantly more powerful and should hold their value even better.
 
Mengele said:
Only if the hard drive needs to be replaced.
Refurbished computers are new computers that failed some part of the post-build test at the factory or were returned within the 14-day period.

Either way, there is no reason not to buy refurbished. Its not like you're buying a floor demo model.
Click to expand...

That's interesting; I didn't know that. I imagined refurbs being machines that people had used for months/years and replaced under apple care due to a defect. I do see really old models from time to time, so some of them must be 'broken in', so to speak.

I'm mainly worried about the hard drive or heavy screen use (loss of brightness).

Thanks for the reply.
 
I just purchased a 21.5" refurb iMac and I have been using it for a week now. I bought it with 4GB of Ram, but upgraded it to 16GB...it is screaming fast and no issues so far.
They are warranted as a new machine, $200.00 off on price and free shipping...what's not to like?
I also bought Apple Care, so no worries:)
 
Yester5 said:
I just purchased a 21.5" refurb iMac and I have been using it for a week now. I bought it with 4GB of Ram, but upgraded it to 16GB...it is screaming fast and no issues so far.
They are warranted as a new machine, $200.00 off on price and free shipping...what's not to like?
I also bought Apple Care, so no worries:)
Click to expand...

Any scratches, marks? Anything?
 
I just bought a refurb 2011 iMac 21.5" base model last week. No scratches at all, looks brand new, runs great.
 
Refurbs are awesome. I've purchase three different refurbs and the only downside (in my opinion) is that they don't come with the retail boxes. Other than that I just wait for them because I haven't been let down yet
 
Lynn Belvedere said:
That's interesting; I didn't know that. I imagined refurbs being machines that people had used for months/years and replaced under apple care due to a defect. I do see really old models from time to time, so some of them must be 'broken in', so to speak.

I'm mainly worried about the hard drive or heavy screen use (loss of brightness).

Thanks for the reply.
Click to expand...

They can be 'old'. If you have Apple Care you get 3 years of warranty and if it dies and they replace the computer, the old one is fixed and sold as refurbished. That's why you often see 2010 refurb models selling. Those were definitely used for a while but Apple is very good at making them look new again. And you can buy it with Apple Care again and know they will fix it if anything happens for 3 years.
 
golf1410 said:
Any scratches, marks? Anything?
Click to expand...

My refurb was blemish free. My first Mac and I love it! If you need one, get it. My biggest regret was following all these stupid rumours going back to December and holding out for so long. If you're just a basic computer user it will serve your needs.

My iMac didn't come with Mountain Lion but I was able to download it for free and no problems installing it.

I also bought Apple Care so it's covered for three years.
 
Lynn Belvedere said:
That's interesting; I didn't know that. I imagined refurbs being machines that people had used for months/years and replaced under apple care due to a defect.
Click to expand...

No, machines exchanged by Apple due to a warranty failure are scrapped. The entire reason they are exchanged is that the machine is either not repairable or the repair cost is greater than a new machine.

And as was noted, you get the exact same new-machine warranty as a new machine and you can still buy 3-year AppleCare too.

Lynn Belvedere said:
Did it come with Mountain Lion?
Click to expand...
All macs bought through Apple get the latest software at the time of purchase. If it doesn't come with ML preinstalled you will get a redeem code to download it free.

BSoares said:
They can be 'old'. If you have Apple Care you get 3 years of warranty and if it dies and they replace the computer, the old one is fixed and sold as refurbished.
Click to expand...
Sorry, that is false.
 
I wouldn't worry even if you have doubts about the HD. Apple's warranty program will replace if there is an issue with the HD. They replaced the HD for MBP when it became apparent that something was wrong with it.
 
Last Monday, I received my refurb 2011 27" 3.4ghz, 4GB RAM, 1TB HD, 1GB video for $1869. It came with Lion. Although I was able to upgrade to Mountain Lion for free. Blemish free. Looks and runs like new. Threw in 2 more 4GB sticks and I am happy with my choice. Saved the money and will get some speakers.
 
I took the plunge and bought the 21.5" refurbished iMac. I should receive it tomorrow morning. I've wanted an iMac forever and I can't wait to start using it.

For $999, you really can't go wrong. If the next iMac comes without a DVD drive, I would have purchased this current model anyway, so no regrets on that front, even if they release a new one tomorrow.

I'm praying to the computer Gods that it lasts me at least 4 years.
 
Lynn Belvedere said:
I took the plunge and bought the 21.5" refurbished iMac. I should receive it tomorrow morning. I've wanted an iMac forever and I can't wait to start using it.

For $999, you really can't go wrong. If the next iMac comes without a DVD drive, I would have purchased this current model anyway, so no regrets on that front, even if they release a new one tomorrow.

I'm praying to the computer Gods that it lasts me at least 4 years.
Click to expand...

I am sure it will, I have a few iMacs and Minis well over 4 years old which are all still running fine. The 2007 iMac is running Mountain Lion as well :)

Can't believe the wait for updated iMacs, but will hang in there. I am entitled to a student discount so will save some money on a new model. The longer I wait the better spec machine I will go for.
 
Last night I ordered a refurb 27' iMac 3.4, i7 for $1869. I would never buy anything but refurb - why not save some money. This is my third refurb iMac.
 
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