[gangster]

ignoring screen size, which is the better value do you think?

Find Your School - Apple Store (U.S.)

or

Find Your School - Apple Store (U.S.)

or

Find Your School - Apple Store (U.S.)

the refurbished 24" looks like the best value to me. but wasnt there an issue with imac displays in that generation?

[Spheric Harlot]

your links aren't working.

How about you tell us?

[gangster]

the links look funny to me too, but they are working here. im simply comparing a previous generation 24" refurb from the apple store with the current base configs of 21.5" and 27". i can buy through the education option which saves $100.

[Spheric Harlot]

The links are to an Apple Store shopping session, and are tied to your box with a cookie, which will expire soon, and then cease to work on your machine, as well.


What are the prices you're seeing, and which 24" is it?

The higher-end 24" had better graphics than the 21.5", while the 21.5" has a better screen with the same resolution across, packed into a smaller package.

[gangster]

thanks for the info, i didnt realize it would time out or that a cookie was involved...

this may be a no-brainer as i am comparing the current, new, base level 21.5" @$1399 vs. the new, base 27"@1599 and the older top of the line 24"@1349 refurbished. the 24 has the 512mb nvidia 130, 4gb, 1tb drive. it seems to be the best value to me.

also, i thought there were issues with the 24" generration imac displays, but am not sure. will search now for macnn posts.

thanks again for the info on the original post, i should have realized...

[mduell]

The previous generation 20" was the one to avoid... awful TN displays.

[imitchellg5]

If you can afford the 27", that's what I'd go for.

[gangster]

i still like the 24" because the 512mb video memory is very helpful in games like world of warcraft and others. to get 512mb in the 27" i'd have to buy the ati 4850 which is nice, but another $135.

what to do, what to do............

[Eug]

Depends. If you need speed, the best value is the Core i5 27". It's HUGELY faster than the dual-core models. The dual-core models aren't even in the same league.

However, if you can accept slower speeds then it depends. The 24" has nice specs and the biggest pixel size, but it is limited to two memory slots, which is a huge limitation. The 21.5" has the best ergonomics.

[Simon]

The 27" Core i5 with 16 GB memory ceiling will last way longer than the previous 24" model. If you really need the extra VRAM, then save up some more for the GPU upgrade. But I'd definitely try to get the i5 model over the C2D. In fact I'd even go so far as to argue that once you are ready to spend ~ $2k on a 27" Core i5 iMac you might as well spend another $200 for the i7. The i7 iMac blows away any C2D iMac ever made.

[gangster]

we ordered the 27" i5 with 4850 video, i think it will last us for years. shipping est. is 5-7 days.

thanks for the help.

cant believe i bought 2 macs in a single weekend....ugh

[imitchellg5]

Congrats, you'll love it! The 27" is absolutely gorgeous.

[Cold Warrior]

Congrats. A friend just got the 27 and he loves it.