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Need Advice: New to iMac

W

WILLDOGS

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 15, 2007
153
0
Hi All

I've been a PC person all my life, actually I am a desktop computer engineer (for 17 years) and can make my way around a windows PC with my eyes closed.

I have been wanting to get a used mac to start playing around with the OS and start learning it so that I can support it both hardware and software wise. I didn't want to jump in and spend alot of money to start, so I'm going slow and have been browsing Craigslist for a deal. I think I finally found one.

See Below:



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So i've been in contact with the seller and all checks out. She is a graphic designer and has recently upgraded. She states the iMac works 100% and just needs to get rid of it. I am pickup up tomorrow and cant wait.

I know its not the latest and greatest but, like I said, I want something to learn with and play around with.

Now I know that the first things I plan to do is slap 4GB of memory in it to start of, and I also see that I can get Lion to run on this. Does anyone else have any other recommendations? Will Lion run ok on this?

Anything else I am missing before I go pick this up tomorrow? Do the specs make sense that she has posted? I did some research and looks like this is the model she is selling. Also, from checking eBay and other sites, I think I am getting a good deal on the price. (But you guys can tell me for sure)

http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/stats/imac-core-2-duo-2.16-17-inch-specs.html

Thanks again and sorry for all the questions!!

P.S. Glad to be back on these boards! Its been a while since I was on here for when the first Ipod Touch came out! LOL :D
 
I think price is alright.
and most important the graphic card isn't Intel one so it's ok.
Yeah I would buy it either and it seems like a nice thing to play it for a nice price. Though I'm sure very quick you'd like the OS and will start saving for a newer Mac.
and to your question, If you upgrade to 4GB RAM Lion will run well.
 
BlindSoul said:
I think price is alright.
and most important the graphic card isn't Intel one so it's ok.
Yeah I would buy it either and it seems like a nice thing to play it for a nice price. Though I'm sure very quick you'd like the OS and will start saving for a newer Mac.
and to your question, If you upgrade to 4GB RAM Lion will run well.
Click to expand...

Great! Thanks for your reply!
 
What do you plan to use it for?
Is 17" screen size ok with you?
Do you plan to upgrade to Lion later on?
What Apps do you plan to install?

Buying a computer is like buying an vehicle. How do you plan to use it, what loads will be put on it and how aggressively do you plan to drive it? And, how long do you want it to last?

--------------

If I wanted an iMac box to "try out" (and use for web surfing, email, u-Tube and some photo / movie apps), I'd focus on:
Pre-owned iMac 24"
Minimum 2 GBs - expandable to minimum 4 GBs RAM.
500 GB internal HDD
Snow Lepoard

If I like the machine, I'd probably upgrade to 4 GBs Ram (since RAM is very low cost these days), connect external HDDs (via FW or USB) and I'd upgrade to Lion (as a future Christmas gift request).

If one gets an older 17" iMac, they are restricted to is current OS limits and RAM expansion limits. If I bought an iMac for one of my kids tomorrow, I'd get an iMac 24" - that allows minor cost future growth (as they grow into it).

.
 
Last edited:
Spike88 said:
What do you plan to use it for?
Is 17" screen size ok with you?
Do you plan to upgrade to Lion later on?
What Apps do you plan to install?

Buying a computer is like buying an vehicle. How do you plan to use it, what loads will be put on it and how aggressively do you plan to drive it? And, how long do you want it to last?

--------------

If I wanted an iMac box to "try out" (and use for web surfing, email, u-Tube and some photo / movie apps), I'd focus on:
Pre-owned iMac 24"
Minimum 2 GBs - expandable to minimum 4 GBs RAM.
500 GB internal HDD
Snow Lepoard

If I like the machine, I'd probably upgrade to 4 GBs Ram (since RAM is very low cost these days), connect external HDDs (via FW or USB) and I'd upgrade to Lion (as a future Christmas gift request).

If one gets an older 17" iMac, they are restricted to is current OS limits and RAM expansion limits. If I bought an iMac for one of my kids tomorrow, I'd get an iMac 24" - that allows minor cost future growth (as they grow into it).

.
Click to expand...

For my kids I would rather buy the iMac he bought. Because I like the old iMac design more than the new one and 17" for kids is enough.
 
BlindSoul said:
For my kids I would rather buy the iMac he bought. Because I like the old iMac design more than the new one and 17" for kids is enough.
Click to expand...


Ya. Lucky we live in a free part of this world, and we can each pick what we want....
 
Welp I just picked it up and she is purdy! Not one scratch, stain or blemish. She said she barely used it and babied it.

Best news? It's not a 17", but it is a 20" model! Talk about a good surprise!

So I got a 20" iMac in Pristine condition for $225. I don;t think thats bad :)

Also, yes I plan to install Lion on this as it has the core 2 duo and is supported.

Just picked up 4GB ram, about to install it in a little bit and then download Lion

Here are the specs: http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/stats/imac-core-2-duo-2.16-20-inch-specs.html

On ebay this model is still fetching about $450+ http://completed.shop.ebay.com/Appl...t=Apple_Desktops&_fln=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m283
 
Don't want to spoil the party, but that looks remarkably similar to my iMac and if it's the same model it only takes 3gb ram. You can put 4gb in and it will show in System Profiler however if you look at Activity Monitor you will see that the system will only use 3gb of it.
 
Kasalic said:
Don't want to spoil the party, but that looks remarkably similar to my iMac and if it's the same model it only takes 3gb ram. You can put 4gb in and it will show in System Profiler however if you look at Activity Monitor you will see that the system will only use 3gb of it.
Click to expand...

Yup I know all about it. But different sites say adding 4GB actually gives it a bit of a boost even tho it only sees 3GB thanks!
 
WILLDOGS said:
Welp I just picked it up and she is purdy! Not one scratch, stain or blemish. She said she barely used it and babied it.

Best news? It's not a 17", but it is a 20" model! Talk about a good surprise!

So I got a 20" iMac in Pristine condition for $225. I don;t think thats bad :)

Also, yes I plan to install Lion on this as it has the core 2 duo and is supported.

Just picked up 4GB ram, about to install it in a little bit and then download Lion

Here are the specs: http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/stats/imac-core-2-duo-2.16-20-inch-specs.html

On ebay this model is still fetching about $450+ http://completed.shop.ebay.com/Appl...t=Apple_Desktops&_fln=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m283
Click to expand...

Wow nice, 20" that's awesome. I would toally buy this iMac in that price. You were lucky dude. She probably doesn't really understand in these things.
 
BlindSoul said:
Wow nice, 20" that's awesome. I would toally buy this iMac in that price. You were lucky dude. She probably doesn't really understand in these things.
Click to expand...

Nope, unfortunatly I don't think she knew the value or she just didnt care since she already had gotten a brand new iMac and this one was taking up space.

Here she is with her fresh coat of Lion :D



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I have to say, I am extremely impressed with how snappy a 5 year old iMac is! It blows away my windows desktop!
 
I've got the same thing, and it works perfectly fine with 4 gigs (only 3.3 usable) in 10.7. Took the office over to mac, my office manager got my white one.

Why are you keeping the apple remote on the monitor base? Stick it on the bottom right corner of the display. Go on, try it.;)
 
I just sprang for the magic mouse. So far im loving it. I may be the newest Mac convert :p
 
This was the iMac I had until I upgraded to a 27" in late 2009 (because I wanted a bigger screen and more than 3GB of RAM). It was a great machine and still being used by a friend I gave it to.
 
Classic .. and for $225 .. dang I'd buy that too over a $300 core i3 windows PC box :D

And all in working condition too .. dang I hope Apple just sell it more in refurbished section :p

You're lucky OP .. that holds more value compared to 2011 iMac just for the sake of uniqueness :p
 
You got a great deal. I bought a 2006 white 24 inch iMac on eBay recently. I love it. I upgraded the RAM to 3GB and installed Lion on it. Mine is in pristine condition too. I use the magic mouse and trackpad with mine. The trackpad is seeing the most usage.
 
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