Which Mac ? Refurb. iMac 24" Alu. / 24" White or NEW Macbook 2.16ghz

[Liev]

Which Mac ?

1. Refurbished iMac 24" Alu. 2.4GHz for $ 1568.54

2. Refurbished iMac 24" White 2.16GHz for $ 1468.29

3. NEW Macbook 2.2GHz for $ 1303.92


Work: at home Data entry / Accounting (QuickBooks - Windows Version)

Enjoy taking a notebook on holiday, but can probably borrow macbook from father, if needed.

Yes, All of these are over kill for what I do, but I can afford it.
I like large screen, whether built in or external.
Large drive on iMac is nice, but of course can get a large external drive

Which system is built better to last longer, iMac or Macbook ?
Hope to keep for 5 to 7 years ?

Thanks
Marge

 

[slu]

Which Mac ?

1. Refurbished iMac 24" Alu. 2.4GHz for $ 1568.54

2. Refurbished iMac 24" White 2.16GHz for $ 1468.29

3. NEW Macbook 2.2GHz for $ 1303.92


Work: at home Data entry / Accounting (QuickBooks - Windows Version)

Enjoy taking a notebook on holiday, but can probably borrow macbook from father, if needed.

Yes, All of these are over kill for what I do, but I can afford it.
I like large screen, whether built in or external.
Large drive on iMac is nice, but of course can get a large external drive

Which system is built better to last longer, iMac or Macbook ?
Hope to keep for 5 to 7 years ?

Thanks
Marge

As far as lasting 5-7 years, number 1 is the obvious choice because it is the newest technology. And since the freezing issue seems to be solved, I'd say go for it! That is a good price.

 

[Muncher]

Which Mac ?

1. Refurbished iMac 24" Alu. 2.4GHz for $ 1568.54

2. Refurbished iMac 24" White 2.16GHz for $ 1468.29

3. NEW Macbook 2.2GHz for $ 1303.92


Work: at home Data entry / Accounting (QuickBooks - Windows Version)

Enjoy taking a notebook on holiday, but can probably borrow macbook from father, if needed.

Yes, All of these are over kill for what I do, but I can afford it.
I like large screen, whether built in or external.
Large drive on iMac is nice, but of course can get a large external drive

Which system is built better to last longer, iMac or Macbook ?
Hope to keep for 5 to 7 years ?

Thanks
Marge

Old apple laptops have been known to last a while, but get a desktop and it won't be leaving any time soon. I know some people who still have Imac G3s and use them. I find that the macbook's screen is good on the road, but not for everyday work. The 24" will be more than enough for almost anything.

Now that we've decided that the imac is the best choice, the obvious question is: which one? A quick comparison (video card + memory maximum) reveals that the aluminum imac is better. The 2600 Pro in the aluminum imac is better than the Nvidia 7300 GT, and the memory maximum of the aluminum imac is a full 4GB vs. the 3.3GB of the white imac. Now don't get me wrong.

All three machines are fine. But out of the three, the aluminum imac will definitely last the longest.

EditSlu: You beat me to it! Oh well.

 

[thumper]

did u get a refurb?

 

[jnc]

Personally, I'd go for the white 24" iMac because it's the only one without a glossy display.

Pity there's only $100 difference between a newer (presumably faster GPU and processor chip?) model, which makes the decision much less easy to recommend to anyone else.

The iMac will effortlessly outlast the MacBook, durability and performance wise.

 

[Aperture]

I'd go for number 1 - it will last the longest and unless you really need a notebook, I personally like it the best.

 

[QCassidy352]

it's too bad there's no way to get the old 24" with the BTO graphics card. If you could, I'd go for that. But since you can't guarantee that, go with the new imac.

 

[gorby]

I'm inclined to vote the refurbed Alu

Only because just a few weeks ago you could've gotten a NEW white one for about $30 more. (I did)

That makes that refurb look like not such a good deal.

 

[zirkle2007]

I say go for the Alum iMac. Its better than the white and not much more.

My reason is that I don't see the MacBook lasting you as long as you want. Don't get me wrong, it probably could, but it would get nasty!!! All of them I have seen get pretty dirty after a couple years. Plus if you can borrow a laptop, go for the iMac. Its a sweet setup.

 

[Liev]

Haven't purchased yet.

Keep flip-flopping between Macbook and iMac.
24" iMac is nice, but overkill and will have to rearrange shelves to get it to fit.
looked into 20" iMac, but too many screen problems and price too close to pass up 24"

Already have nice 19" Samsung LCD , So New thought is:
- Wait till end of year, hopefully SR Macbooks 2.2ghz hit refurb. site .
$1049 - $100 AMEX Discount + $78.29 Tax = $1027.29

Save the $500+ for memory / larger LCD / or put towards future Mac Purchase

Over a 10 year period, could buy (3 Refurb. Mid-level Macbooks or 2 Refurb. 24" iMacs)
for just about the same price.

 

[Techguy172]

I couldn't decide between the iMac or the macbook for a while either. But I finally made a decision, I got a brand new SR Macbook Mainly because the imac only has 200mhz difference and the GPU. The macbook is also portable.