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IMac refurb extreme or new 3.06 decision

D

Doctorsti

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 30, 2006
172
1
I just bought:
new 3.06 Imac
Canon Pixma mx310
applecare
.mac for $2277

It's not open yet and I have a feeling I should take them back and order:
refurb 2.8extreme
Canon Pixma Mx700(better all in one)
500 GB Time capsule
4 GB ram kit from Crucial
applecare
.mac for $2282
We will be using this computer for work using Adobe CS3 master suite, Office, and HD video editing, pictures, and blogging for home.
My questions are:
1. Should I keep what I have or get option 2?
2. Will I get a unit that has problems if I get a refurb?
3. What else do I give up with the 2.8 extreme and will I notice?
 
no opinions huh?
Well I am also thinking I may just take back the 3.06 and get the new 2.8 as I don't think I need the video card or the larger hard drive as I will be getting a 500 GB time capsule with the money I will have saved from the 3.06 return.
What does everyone think of that?

The other question I have is will I regret not getting the network printer (mx700) and having to keep the Time capsule upstairs so I can print share the cheaper printer(MX310). Time capsule should do just fine in the basement right? There shouldn't be too much loss in signal for the wireless network, right?
 
I ordered a refurbed 24"/2.8 Extreme last week and received it on Saturday morning. By the end of the night last night (Sunday) it was up and running and I could NOT be more pleased. You can't tell it's refurbed from anything on the machine and you wouldn't know unless you saw the plain brown box or I told you it wasn't brand new.

At ($1700 incl tax and free shipping), it was a steal.
 
For HD editing faster is always better but if money is your criteria go with the white refurbished iMac 24-inch 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, you will save a lot of money to buy extra ram and hard disk and also the white LCD is better.


Serge
 
I had the same decision to make (similar work on the machine and choosing between the same two models) and I went with the refurb. The price was too good to pass up. Plus it still has the same warranty and if you get Applecare it extends it to 3 years. I don't think the processor difference will be enough that you would notice too much. The graphics card on the new 3.0 is nice, but I think for your use the previous model will be fine.

Think about it this way. One week ago, that 2.8 refurb was the top of the iMac line. They came out with newer ones, but it's not any less powerful than it was 7 days ago.

It was delivered Saturday, but haven't had any time to hook it up yet, so can't give you details on how it runs. I did pull it out of the box though and I must say it looks darn good. A lot bigger than I thought it would be.
 
Go with the Refurbished 2.8 Extreme.....

Doctorsti said:
I just bought:
new 3.06 Imac
Canon Pixma mx310
applecare
.mac for $2277

It's not open yet and I have a feeling I should take them back and order:
refurb 2.8extreme
Canon Pixma Mx700(better all in one)
500 GB Time capsule
4 GB ram kit from Crucial
applecare
.mac for $2282
We will be using this computer for work using Adobe CS3 master suite, Office, and HD video editing, pictures, and blogging for home.
My questions are:
1. Should I keep what I have or get option 2?
2. Will I get a unit that has problems if I get a refurb?
3. What else do I give up with the 2.8 extreme and will I notice?
Click to expand...

1. You will not notice any speed differences.
2. A refurbished iMac has the same 1 year warranty.
3. You can purchase a better printer.

Buy your RAM from OWC, that way you can get a rebate on your "old" RAM that you pull from your new iMac.
 
As far as the Extreme goes, will be little noticeable difference between the 2.8 Extreme and the 3.06. The 2.8 is theoretically capable of overclocking, but there is no way to do this with an iMac. The 3.06 has a slightly higher clock speed, but the main speed improvement is with bus and memory speed.

In general, the refurbs are well priced and in excellent condition, and if you see one that you feel fits your needs, go for it!
 
I just got my 24" 2.8 refurb last Thursday. Its my first mac. I love it! I'm just wondering if I should get the applecare. I have yet to use an extended warranty on previous computers. My last one was a refurb laptop from dell and this is its fifth year. I had to replace the graphics card a year and a half ago.

So is it useful to get the extension to 3 years on my new comoputer?
 
I'd do neither; rather I'd buy a less expensive new system. I don't care for Apple's refurb prices. I think a used / "outdated" system should be more than 15% off compared to an equivalent new system. (that was the discount when I compared MBPs last summer)
 
I Agree!

DaveF said:
I'd do neither; rather I'd buy a less expensive new system. I don't care for Apple's refurb prices. I think a used / "outdated" system should be more than 15% off compared to an equivalent new system. (that was the discount when I compared MBPs last summer)
Click to expand...

None of them! Get the Single Processor 2.8 Quad Mac Pro!!
Then you can upgrade it later as you get more money down the line.

Much more powerful machine - will last you years longer!! :D
 
2.8Ghz.

You will see no difference between the 8800 and 2600 for your purposes, and the extra processor speed will barely be noticable.

Also you are more likely to get a perfect refurb, rather than a dodgy new one.
 
Update to my previous post...

I got the refurb 2.8 after trying to make the same decision you are. Opened it up last night and got it running. One word...AWESOME. I'm glad I made that decision. It's blazing fast and I saved a good bit of money.
 
To make things interesting:

What about the refurb Mac Pro they have:
Refurbished Mac Pro Quad 2.66GHz Intel Xeon
Two 2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors
1GB (2 x 512MB) memory (667MHz DDR2 fully-buffered DIMM ECC)
250GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s 7200 rpm hard drive
16x SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT graphics with 256MB memory

$1999.99

I have been wanting to buy a new MBP to replace my PBG4; however, this has been on my mind recently and keep my PBG4 for mobility.
 
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