Refurbished iMac 27-inch 2.93GHz Intel Quad-Core i7 processor for $1569, or iMac 27-inch 3.1GHz Intel Quad-Core i5 processor for $1899... im looking to play starcraft 2 and Company of Heroes on max settings... which is a better deal when buying offline...??
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Refurbished iMac 27-inch 2.93GHz Intel Quad-Core i7 processor.. or 27-inch 3.1GHz
- Thread starter Matt0011
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Well if you mainly will be playing games id say get the 3.1 i5 because of the 6970M. You would benefit from the 2.93 i7 if you use applications for 3D rendering for example, because the i7 has hyper threading (8 virtual cores) whilst the i5 dosnt). If the applications you use cant use the 8 virtual cores then the the i5 would be better for you. Also if you get the i5 then you will have the HD camera, and thunderbolt ports!!
Examine you uses then make the wisest decision
I have a dedicated gaming laptop with the mobile ATI 5870 and playing Starcraft on Ultra @ 1080p is laggy at times. I stick with High and it works great. Company of Heroes works well at max setting, 4AA at 1080p. I doubt the mobile 6970 in the new iMac is that much better that it can handle max settings at the native resolution. At the very least you may need to drop down to 1080p.
Perhaps someone else with the new iMac and both games can give you real work examples but I think any Mac is going to be a compromise for gaming on ULTRA settings.
Cheers,
okay well im in college, and these are the games i really have fun with but cant play on my hp laptop... my only concern is that either way idk how to pay for an imac..so the more expensive (newest) one would be ideally cool, but im considering taking out student loans to buy one.. so i just want to know it would be worth such an action
No. Don't buy what you can't afford. Student loans cannot be discharged in bankruptcy. They will follow you everywhere in life. Unless you have to use them, they are the worst kind of loan to take out, barring buying on credit with a credit card.
Go with the i7 2010
FWIW,
I have the 2011 i7 27in and 2010 i5 2.8 27in - given the options and costs, for now the i7 2.93 represents great value - regardless of whats said, iMacs really are not gaming machines, obviously they can be used for gaming, but an Xbox or PS3 seems a better bet for this after reading these boards.
TB is new technology and not many add ons as of today, costs will also be high - nothing wrong with FW800 and this will be supported for at least another three years.
Buy the i7, get AppleCare and you have a good machine for 3 years - add more ram, forget about SSD and run additional storage via FW and TM via USB.
Hope this helps, but refurbished i7 represents excellent value in a machine that cost nearly US$2,500 only two months ago.
FWIW,
I have the 2011 i7 27in and 2010 i5 2.8 27in - given the options and costs, for now the i7 2.93 represents great value - regardless of whats said, iMacs really are not gaming machines, obviously they can be used for gaming, but an Xbox or PS3 seems a better bet for this after reading these boards.
TB is new technology and not many add ons as of today, costs will also be high - nothing wrong with FW800 and this will be supported for at least another three years.
Buy the i7, get AppleCare and you have a good machine for 3 years - add more ram, forget about SSD and run additional storage via FW and TM via USB.
Hope this helps, but refurbished i7 represents excellent value in a machine that cost nearly US$2,500 only two months ago.
Thanks Rogers, I was quite confused like which one to order -- new imac 27 i7 or refurbished 27 i7 -- but you made my day. I am about to order the refurbished one but have couple of question in mind.
1. Can i get $100 printer rebate with refurbished iMac.
2. Can i get $100 app store credit with refurbished iMac for BTS promo.
Thanks, Pendu
EDIT: Got my answers in Terms and Conditions
1. YES
2. NO
Ordered 2010 refurbished 27 imac i7 2.93GHz. Already got 8GB RAM to upgrade stock 4GB to 12GB. Now i am looking to buy trackpad on ebay/craigslist. Too bad there was no option to choose between magic mouse and trackpad. I like trackpad better.
Thanks once again....you saved me $600 to $700, which I can spend on buying a decent L lens.
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Ordered the i7 myself and waiting for her to ship from Apple at the minute, I plan to use it for EvE Online and TF2 mainly, with all my other work duties easily taken care off.
Buy what suits you but also if your cost concious don't aim too high as you may only regret it in future years.
Buy what suits you but also if your cost concious don't aim too high as you may only regret it in future years.
New or refurb? I bought a refurb i7 last week from the uk online store and there were a few hair related problems with it.
I got the 2.93 with SSD and I have no problems whatsoever. The screen is perfect, mouse, keyboard everything.
It is in better shape than the 27 2.7 2011 SSD I just got that suffers from a yellow screen.
By refurb you will not be sorry. Less problems than new. Most times after refresh they are new but actually get checked out unlike new ones that only get checked so many in a batch off the line.
It is in better shape than the 27 2.7 2011 SSD I just got that suffers from a yellow screen.
By refurb you will not be sorry. Less problems than new. Most times after refresh they are new but actually get checked out unlike new ones that only get checked so many in a batch off the line.