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BoingoBongo · Mar 4, 2008, 09:41 PM

Apple is selling refurb 24" white iMacs at a great price, but they only have the 128mb video card. Does anyone know a good place to get one with 256mb (besides eBay)?

mduell · Mar 4, 2008, 09:49 PM

Keep checking the refurbs.

If it's just the VRAM difference, it probably isn't that significant. But if it's also a GPU difference (7600 instead of 7300) then it would be a big difference.

MacosNerd · Mar 4, 2008, 10:50 PM

I'm thinking at this point the odds of seeing anything new on the refurb page is low when it comes to last generation computers.

Yes, apple still has some white iMacs, but I believe once that inventory is sold off, that will be it. You'll not see any additions of white iMacs - just my $.02

gooser · Mar 4, 2008, 11:06 PM

keep checking daily. things change often. if you don't see one in a month look elsewhere.

BoingoBongo · Mar 4, 2008, 11:26 PM

Alright, that's what I'll do. Thanks for the tips. I would get a new iMac, but I don't like the glossy screen.

mduell · Mar 4, 2008, 11:32 PM

Originally Posted by MacosNerd

Yes, apple still has some white iMacs, but I believe once that inventory is sold off, that will be it. You'll not see any additions of white iMacs - just my $.02

They're refurbs; Apple continues to get a supply as people return broken ones.

Mojo · 04:35 PM

The difference between 128 and 256 is nothing to get worked-up about... check out Barefeats.com and you will find out why that is so...

Having said that, it is not uncommon for a refurb iMac to arrive with better specs than advertised... 256MB VRAM cards and maxed-out RAM are great deal-sweeteners...

You can set-up an automatic email alert at Dealmac.com so you will know ASAP when a new iMac discount is available. I have seen new 24" matte screen iMacs go for as low as $1099 (I snagged one). I think that the demand has remained strong so the lowest price that I have seen recently (if memory serves me...) was $1399 for a refurb.

BoingoBongo · Mar 23, 2008, 08:36 PM

Hey thanks for that info, I really appreciate it. I still haven't pulled the trigger on anything.

BoingoBongo · Mar 25, 2008, 05:45 PM

Well, I finally pulled the trigger. After bouncing back and forth between a MBP/white/aluminum iMac, I decided on a 24" white iMac with:

2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB RAM
500GB SATA Hard Drive
SuperDrive
7600GT with 256mb vRam

For $1670 new I just couldn't pass it up. It's scheduled for delivery on Thursday!

atomant · Mar 30, 2008, 12:33 PM

Hey BoingoBongo - where did you find it?

BoingoBongo · Mar 30, 2008, 08:13 PM

It was at B&H Photo Video (a good company). Unfortunately, the one I got had the yellow tint issue with the display and I sent it back.

quicksilverG4 · Apr 5, 2008, 12:35 AM

How'd you find one with that config, specifically the 500GB drive and 7600GT w/ 256MB? Just luck? They don't have any with those specs listed now and I haven't been able to find a 7600GT anywhere I've looked. A new iMac with the only difference being the 0.66 GHz clock speed difference (who cares) and the supposedly inferior graphics card is $1999 from Apple. An Al refurb with 320GB and 1GB RAM is $1499 though you could get lucky and get free upgrades.

Just checked B&H again and they want $1,999 for a 2.16 GHz with the 7300GT so you lucked out! Looks like no option for AppleCare though. Can you buy it separately through Apple after purchase? Or sacrifice 180GB of drive space and get a refurb for $1,399 from Apple.

I've been wanting an iMac since mid-2007. Well, wanting before that but seriously considering since then. I wanted to wait until the beginning of the year, then I put the purchase on the back burner and when I got back to thinking about it the new iMacs were "supposedly" coming any day. If I found a white one with your specs at the right price now I'd buy it and if the new models are significantly different maybe still after they come out.

Of course the real problem now is that I already bought an external aluminum drive enclosure. That wouldn't match the white iMac!!! But a white one would go with the eMac.

I love my eMac though I was planning to sell it or more likely give it to a family member if I got the iMac. Do I even need the new iMac? No, I just want to be able to ditch my PC and to have all that screen real estate!

Veltliner · Apr 5, 2008, 10:49 PM

Originally Posted by quicksilverG4

How'd you find one with that config, specifically the 500GB drive and 7600GT w/ 256MB? Just luck? They don't have any with those specs listed now and I haven't been able to find a 7600GT anywhere I've looked. A new iMac with the only difference being the 0.66 GHz clock speed difference (who cares) and the supposedly inferior graphics card is $1999 from Apple. An Al refurb with 320GB and 1GB RAM is $1499 though you could get lucky and get free upgrades.

Just checked B&H again and they want $1,999 for a 2.16 GHz with the 7300GT so you lucked out! Looks like no option for AppleCare though. Can you buy it separately through Apple after purchase? Or sacrifice 180GB of drive space and get a refurb for $1,399 from Apple.

I've been wanting an iMac since mid-2007. Well, wanting before that but seriously considering since then. I wanted to wait until the beginning of the year, then I put the purchase on the back burner and when I got back to thinking about it the new iMacs were "supposedly" coming any day. If I found a white one with your specs at the right price now I'd buy it and if the new models are significantly different maybe still after they come out.

Of course the real problem now is that I already bought an external aluminum drive enclosure. That wouldn't match the white iMac!!! But a white one would go with the eMac.

I love my eMac though I was planning to sell it or more likely give it to a family member if I got the iMac. Do I even need the new iMac? No, I just want to be able to ditch my PC and to have all that screen real estate!

Late 24" white iMacs got a 7600GT, like mine. Apple obviously used up their stock of 7600GT's, and installed 7600GT's as standard in the last units produced. Nice treat.

But I'd also be curious how he got that 500gb hard drive.

BoingoBongo · Apr 5, 2008, 11:08 PM

I don't know why they had that configuration available (they even had others that weren't as good for more money), but it was there. I think it was the only one because as soon as I bought it the page said, "out of stock," and now it says, "discontinued."

But like I said, I returned it because of the screen tint. It wasn't too severe, but it was too much for me (a perfectionist to a fault), plus it proved to myself that I really would prefer a laptop. Anyway, there's a good chance it will show up in their open box section in a couple of days. They received the return on Thursday and are still processing it, so keep your eyes open. If you don't mind the yellow tint, you could get one helluva machine for even less that I did (and it will be in completely like new condition).

BoingoBongo · Apr 6, 2008, 11:18 PM

Now B&H is showing the iMac with these specs as being "in stock." I'm guessing since it went out of stock right after I bought it, and it's in stock right after I returned it, that it's the same one I got. The yellow tint wasn't incredibly bad, so if you're not an obsessive compulsive perfectionist like myself, this could be a good deal. I'll post the link here in case anyone is interested.

Apple | Customized 24" iMac with 2.33GHz Intel | Z0DD-0002G