Refurb 20" iMac for $1199 (retail $1699)

I want to get a computer for my technology-challenged parents.
Trying to decide whether to go with a Mac Mini ($599 + 19" LCD monitor for $200, already have keyboard & mouse iSight camera), OR a refurb iMac ($1299, retail $1499):
Refurbished iMac 20-inch 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SuperDrive
1GB (2x512MB) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300)
250GB Serial ATA hard drive
Slot-load 8x double-layer SuperDrive
ATI Radeon X1600 with 128MB GDDR3 memory
Built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0
Built-in iSight Camera and Apple Remote
Pay a little more, get more: bigger HD, more memory, nice feature of iSight built in. The convenience of everything computer/monitor in one package is nice thing about iMac.
Need comments about reliability of Mac mini & iMac..especially the refurb ones.

Hello,
Many people have had good experiences with refurbs. But, mine wasn't so great. It was an iMac G5 20-inch 2.0 GHz.
It arrived with a beat-up mouse (lots of marks and blemishes).
The front of the computer had a chip in it (about a quarter-inch in size).
The computer's screen had several marks in it that required some effort to remove.
The cords were dirty.
The center ring on the foot (for the power cable to go through) was very dirty (required heavy scrubbing to remove the grime).
The mouse button stuck and wouldn't work frequently.
The Ethernet port didn't work when I turned it on for the first time. So, within the hour it was in the shop and a new logic-board was on order.
They got it back to me the following week with a replacement logic-board / main-board installed.
They then ordered the replacement front bezel. About a month later that was installed for me.
Then, I got the mouse replaced about two weeks after that.
Then, the LCD screen started developing dark spots and had lines going across it.
I got rid of it shortly after that.
In the end, I'd probably still buy a refurb again.
Why? Well... It saved me about $600 from the new machine at the time, and sadly that experience was better than my experience with a brand-new iMac G5 that I had purchased previously.
If the refurb saves you a reasonable amount of money, then I'd say go for it.
I hope this helps.

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I have had my iMac for 55 days now and twice I had to power off/on and then It does not power up correctly. I verified my disk and found errors that could not be repaired. I erased the drive and restored system back to the previous day.

I have had my iMac for 55 days now and twice I had to power off/on and then It does not power up correctly. I verified my disk and found errors that could not be repaired (errors were associated with boot drive) I erased the drive and restored system back to the previous day. Has anyone else experienced this problem?

Since it's a new machine, contact Apple's Support and let them deal with it. Allen's already recommended an Apple repair station visit. Do note that if you have AppleCare's protection plan and you're within 50 miles (80 KM) of an Apple repair station, you might be eligible for an onsite repair since yours is a desktop machine (depends on where you're located). BTW, the AppleCare Protection Plan's the best warranty policy available for desktop machines. Get it if you don't have it before contacting Apple.
27" i7 iMac (Mid 2011) refurb, OS X Mavericks (10.9.4), ML & SL, G4 450 MP w/Leopard, 9.2.2

Which is the better low-cost 24" Alum refurb'd iMac and why?

OK, I admit I don't pay enough attention. I have a couple year old 24" White iMac with 2.4GHz processor and 500Gb drive, and I'm thinking of "upgrading" to an Alum iMac for no particular reason. So I've been looking at the refurbs in the Apple store. Right now I've got a choice between
1) 2.66GHz, 4G, 640G HD, Nvidia GEForce 9400 w/256 for $1299, and
2) 2.93GHz, 4G, 640G HD, NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 with 256MB memory for 1549, and
3) 3.06GHz, 2G, 500G HD, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS with 512MB memory for 1599,
all more or less in budget. Are there significant differences and are they mostly to do with the vid card?
Any opinions? Buy the most expensive one you can afford? There used to be an older 2.8GHz model that many said was better than the 2.66GHz model here, so are there sig differences? Sould I just keep the white one for the present and wait?
Mired in Doubt

Pier Rodelon wrote:
One poster remarked that the 2.8 GHz model unlikely to be noticeably faster than my present 2.4GHz with 3G ram. If that also holds true for the 2.93 and 3.06 I might just sit still and wait a bit, since my machine has operated flawlessly since I bought it on eBay 2 years ago.
As a side-question, what is the projected schedule of new iMac releases, and where can I find a history of all releases?
Again, many thanks for the help.
All the choices you refer to, including the 2.8 GHz that I mentioned, won't have significant speed differences. You already have an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, and the difference between 2.4, 2.6, 2.8, 2.9, and 3.06 is only an issue of seconds, not minutes. If you were moving up from PowerPC to Intel, then yes, a new Mac would provide a huge increase in speed.
If you want to know the history of all Macs, download the free Mactracker program.
http://mactracker.dreamhosters.com/
It provides details of every Mac model made, including the introduction and discontinue dates. Macs lasted a lot longer in the old days: Mac IIci introduced September 1989 and discontinued February 1993. The shortest lived Mac would be the original Power Mac G4 from August 1999 to October 1999. The iMacs have typically run the course of a year before a new model is released. Complete design changes have been around a two to four year period, or sometimes longer.

Refurb 20" iMac

First post and I hope it's not my last. I've ordered a refurb AL iMac 20" for my home PC replacement. However, after reading about all the issues with the 20" I'm about to RMA it as fast as it arrives. Can someone please help me understand what's the deal with all the screen complaints and unintended restarts? I've read the supplied 20" LCD (regardless of Apples stated specifications) is not what's advertised.
Thanks in advance!
RF

Every refurb product I bought from the Apple Store refurb page has been "like New." It comes with the same one-year warranty. The only difference is that the box is plain brown and says "Certified Reconditioned Product" on the side. Also look at the description for included software. It comes with the original discs, so you may not get the latest version of things like iLife. For the white iMacs, you also get Tiger with an upgrade disc for Leopard. I find that to be an advantage, because you have an choice of running Tiger or Leopard.
2.16 GHz was the fastest (and only) processor speed for either the 20 or 24 inch Core 2 Duo white iMac. Here's the specs page.
http://support.apple.com/kb/SP28
Any reason you prefer the 20" over the 24" white?
I bought the 17" 2.0 GHz model (as a refurb), because it was the smallest. I use my own external display as the main display, with the iMac's display as the secondary display. It's been perfect so far.

I am trying to move my wife's iPhoto '08 library to my new iMac for iPhoto '11.

I am trying to move my wife's iPhoto (2007) library on a Macbook to my new iMac for iPhoto '11. First, when I opened iPhoto on the iMac it asked me to create a library, which I did. Then I imported her photos via a wireless network to my "new" library. However, when it finally finished importing, it had imported 3 copies of each photo from her library. I deleted the "new" library and started over.
Second, I opened iPhoto on the iMac and chose to use "other library." I chose my wife's shared iPhoto library and it began transferring the photos to the new iMac (or so I thought). This worked beautifully as it only brought over single photos and not 3 copies like discussed above. After editing the new library and adding some photos from an old PC, I shut down iPhoto. A few hours later I tried to open iPhoto on the iMac and it gave me the opening screen again with choices to create a new library or use a different library. As it turns out, my wife's Macbook and been disconneted from our wireless network. I was able to figure out that that unless my wife's Macbook is connected to the network then I cannot access the iPhoto library on my iMac. I was under the impression that I had copied her library to my computer and that the photo files were now on the hard drive of the iMac. So when her computer is offline I can no longer access the imported library. I want her library to stay on the iMac as we plan to sell her Macbook. As you now know, we cannot access her iPhoto library on the Macbook since she is running an older version of iPhoto.
So, what I would like to do is to completely transfer the photos from her Macbook to my new iMac and be able to access them on the iMac regardless of whether she is on the network or not because we plan to sell her Macbook to a friend. Thank you for any help you can provide.

To move an iPhoto Library to a new machine:
Link the two Macs together: there are several ways to do this: Wireless Network,Firewire Target Disk Mode, Ethernet, or even just copy the Library to an external HD and then on to the new machine...
But however you do choose to link the two machines...
Simply copy the iPhoto Library from the Pictures Folder on the old Machine to the Pictures Folder on the new Machine.
Then hold down the option (or alt) key key and launch iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library'
and select the Library that you moved. That's it.
This moves photos, events, albums, books, keywords, slideshows and everything else.
Your first option didn't work because you imported one Library to another. Every version and thumbnail is imported like a distinct photo, you lose all your Albums, Keywords etc., the link between Original and Previews is destroyed, the non-destructive editing feature is ruined and so on. In summary: it's mess.
Your second option didn't work because you simply referenced her library on the old machine.
Regards
TD

TS2756 How can i create a new usb connection (service) on my iMac for sharing internet from my iPhone5 ( i seem have to deleted it )

How can i create a new usb connection (service) on my iMac for sharing internet from my iPhone5 ( i seem have to deleted it )
i know its not a problem whit my carrier o data plan or sharing preferences on the ipone because when i use it un my laptop it works perfectly through
the usb and even works on the Imac through wifi and bluethood tethering but NOT through usb!!.
the problem is that trying to make it work i deleted the "profile" usb iphone on the network prefereces panel. Now i only have 3 options: ethernet / wifi / bluetooth
but not the usb iPhone i used to have.
And when i try to add a new one i dont get a USB option.
can some one help me please??
this is how it looks (after the bluetooth PAN i used to have USB iPhone option)

The question would be more appropriate in the Mac forums as it is not really related to the iPhone.

HT3986 I've had MS Office:mac 2011 on my imac for around 18 months now. Outlook has just disappeared and when I find the file and open it it tells me that there is a problem and I may need to re-install it. I've just done this using the installation dis

I've had MS Office:mac 2011 on my imac for around 18 months now. Outlook has just disappeared and when I find the file and open it it tells me that there is a problem and I may need to re-install it. I've just done this using the installation disc which, then said the installation had been successful.
Outlook is still not working. Can anyone please advise me on what to do next.

Remove MS Office 2011 completely (here are instructions) and reinstall it.
It's not a simple or fast process but it is important to follow all of the steps in order to get all the files that Office scatters around. This will not affect your data files, only MS Office and its preferences.

Considering dumping my iMac for a PC used for DSLR video editing on Premiere CS6. Help!

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Buy a Desktop Video Editing PC
http://www.adkvideoediting.com/
-ADK Kudos http://forums.adobe.com/thread/877201
Build a Desktop Video Editing PC
-http://ppbm7.com/index.php/intro-part-1
-http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1098759
-http://forums.adobe.com/thread/878520?tstart=0
-http://forums.adobe.com/thread/815798
-http://www.shawnlam.ca/2012/premiere-pro-cs6-video-editing-computer-build/
-http://www.videoguys.com/Guide/E/Videoguys+DIY9+Its+Time+for+Sandy+Bridge+E/0xe9b142f408a2 b03ab88144a434e88de7.aspx

How can I connect my TV sony bravia to Imac for display !

How can I connect my TV sony bravia to Imac for display ! I did it before but a week ago crash my sistem and been to apple store london to fix it and wend I come home I can not reconnect the tv to imac ! please help !!!!!!!!!!!

I BUY A CABLE FROM AMAZON.CO.UK AND MY iMAC WAS WORKING WITH THIS CABLE BUT AFTER THEY (APPLE STORE REGENT STREET ) REPARIT NOW IS NOT RECONICE THE DISPLAY !!!!!

I have an external hard drive that was formatted by a PC and has files and directories etc. I want to format it and use it on my IMAC for backup but I can't seem to write to it nor can I delete current content. How do I initialize it for use with the MAC?

I have an external hard drive that was formatted by a PC and has files and directories copied to it etc. I want to use it on my IMAC for backup. I see it on my my IMAC . I can open files etc. But I can't seem to write to it nor can I delete current content. I don't care if I lose current content. How do I initialize it for use with the MAC?

You can't write to it because it's formatted as NTFS which OS X will read but not write to. If you want to continue using the drive with both a PC and OS X you will need to download and install NTFS-3G so you can then write to it from your Mac. You can get NTFS-3G at:
http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/24481/ntfs-3g
If you want to use the drive exclusively with your Mac then move the data off it and reformat it in Disk Utility (Applications - Utilities - Disk Utilities) as Mac OS Extended (Journaled.)

I received a new IMac for Christmas and set up a new .me account and I'm using this on my IMac and IPhone4S. how do I transfer my music from my old Windows iTunes account to my new Mac account?

I received a new IMac for Christmas and set up a new .me account and I'm using this on my IMac and IPhone4S. how do I transfer my music from my old Windows iTunes account to my new Mac account?

You can red this article about transfering your tunes - http://www.myfirstmac.com/index.php/mac/articles/how-do-i-move-my-itunes-library -from-pc-to-mac-and-keep-my-settings-intact
MJ

I have used Airport Time Capsule with my iMac for several years. I recently purchased a MacBook Air and when it tried to backup to Time Capsule it couldn't because Time Capsule is full. How can I now use the 3TB Airport Time Capsule to back up both?

I have used Airport Time Capsule with my iMac for a couple years. I recently purchased a MacBook Air and when it tried to backup to Time Capsule it couldn't because Time Capsule is full. How can I now use the 3TB Airport Time Capsule to back up both the iMac and MacBook Air? I don't mind losing earlier backups. I have excluded some items from backing up, but since the Airport Time Capsule is full, I can't even begin to back up the MacBook Air.

On your Mac.......
Open Finder > Applications > Utilities > AirPort Utility
Click on the Time Capsule icon, then click Edit in the smaller window that appears
Click on the Disks tab at the top of the window
Click Erase Disk
On the next window that appears, select the Quick Erase option, then click Erase
The operation will only take a few minutes.
Now you are ready to start new backups of both Macs. Back up one Mac first, then back up the other. Do not try to back up both Macs as the same time.

In store I was told it was possible to recycle my iMac for a new model. Is this true?

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How to find the list of WDAs for IS Retail?

Hi all
I did some basic search on SDN to find all WDA components SAP will predeliver on the installation of IS-Retail. I could not find useful links. Does anyone know how to find it? Also would like to know the SAP roadmap on the WDA apps that will be built in the future.
The idea is when I go to a customer for IS Retail implementation I should be able to tell him if he can get out of the box browser based UIs. Please let me know a way to find it.
Regards
LNV

Hi
Thanks. Not exactly that I wish to see. Yes I would need to know the technical components but only after understanding at a more broader level what SAP offers in terms of pre built UI (WDA) for retail scenarios. Do you see what I want? SAP offers pre built UI for ESS MSS, what is available similarly for Retail?
Thanks.
Regards
LNV

How do I connect my drive to iMac for best transfer speeds using an adapter

Hi,
My question is: which port on my "old" LaCie hard drive should I use to connect to my iMac for optimum speed transfer? Should I use an adapter?
I am a pro music producer/songwriter & sound designer. I use large audio files in my AVID DAW Pro Tools 11 application both to read and write constantly.
For this I have dedicated hard drives such as a 6TB Promise Peagasus with Thunderbolt 1. But it's starting to run a little slow due to all the information residing only on this 1 unit.
I want to spread out my audio files on other hard drives as well. The one I MAYBE want to use, is a LaCie hard drive I have had for a couple of years.
Important: I only have 1 Thunderbolt port left to use on my iMac and 1 Ethernet port.
So do I need an adapter and what would be the speed then?
My question is how do I connect it for optimum speed transfer?
It is a LaCie D2 Quadra V2 E hard disk with 32mb cache.
It has:
1 FW 400,
2 FW 800,
1 High-Speed USB 2.0,
1 eSATA 3Gb/s.
I have an iMac 27" Mid 2011, 3.4 GHz Intel Core i7 with 16 GB 1333 MHz DDR3 running OS X 10.9.4.
I look forward to your replies.
Kind regards,
Michael

Thanks. Yes it is nice. Sounds interesting with your G force. I think I did put the Raid to 5, but cannot really remember. All I know is that when I did use Raid 5, I agreed to use 1 of the 6TB for some backup or security stuff that it takes care of on it's own. I thought it sounded good and safe when I installed it.
Am unsure how to check it.
I just read about the Raid block size which can be set to higher than my 32k in the Disk Doctor app to work faster with large amounts of continues data transfers. But it means that I should perform a new Raid. Not happy at all about this as I am very careful about my audio files.
Yes, I'll definitely go for the Thunderbolt/FireWire adaptor!

Refurb 20" iMac for $1199 (retail $1699)

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