Been considering a new computer for a while finally bit the nail

[Ogandydancer]

This Certified Refurbished product is tested and certified by the manufacturer or by a third-party refurbisher to look & work like new, with limited to no signs of wear. The refurbishing process includes functionality testing, inspection, reconditioning and repackaging. The product ships with all relevant accessories, a minimum 90-day warranty & may arrive in a generic white or brown box.Only select sellers who maintain a high performance bar may offer Certified Refurbished products on Amazon.
2.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with 6MB on-chip shared L3 cache
4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM, DVD SuperDrive
21.5" LED-backlit display with a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio, AMD Radeon HD 6750M
500GB Hard Drive; AMD Radeon HD 6750M; 4 USB 2.0 ports

It is Certified Refurb. Not new hope I didn't get bit too bad.
It's Apple. Have finally decided to break from Microsoft .

 

[Cardboard_killer]

It's Apple. Have finally decided to break from Microsoft .

I just had a new computer built for me. It costs a bit more, but you get exactly what you want. What I see missing from that build is the greatest increase in speed over the past five years--a solid state hard drive (SSHD). I think too, perhaps more RAM, but maybe the apples don't require as much RAM? I put 16gigs in.

The SSHDs boot up in twenty seconds. They're cheap if you buy a small one and just run the OS and often used programs from it. I have a 256meg SSHD, with a 1 gig platter drive where my data files reside. Platter drive was salvaged from my prior computer.

I put about $800 into my build. I could have shaved off $200 if I had given up 8gigs of ram, accepted a slower processor (I settled on an I5, too) and motherboard, and gone for a really bare bones video card or even an integrated system (blech).

 

[bigwheelzip]

What I see missing from that build is the greatest increase in speed over the past five years--a solid state hard drive (SSHD).

Wholeheartedly agree. Any modern computer operating system should live on an SSD. Luckily, a spinning drive can be cloned to a solid state one fairly easily.

 

[rwsmith]

I applaud your decision...

Apple is known for not providing junk so if it's an Apple refurb job, it's probably as good as new.

I applaud your switiching to Apple. I used to have specific needs for Miicrosoft, but not any more. I could bite the bullet. I really hate Windows 10.

Another alternative I have is a Linux computer. With limited resouces I may have to go that way.

 

[Targets Guy]

You can never have too much RAM.

 

[Andy Lowry]

Have you used Apple computers before? The operating system may be a bit different from what you're used to. If it's new to you, here's a tip: to close an application, do Command+Q. Clicking on the button that looks like it closes it, doesn't.

Congrats on the iMac, they're solid machines! My wife's is from 2011 and is still cooking along just fine. I have both a Mini and a MacBook Pro from 2012 that have never had any trouble.

 

[BigDog48]

I'm all Apple at home and in my business. It is just more stable and seamless. I have a few new computers in the mix but have had great experience with refurbished Macs and great prices on peripherals from Mac Sales (Other World Computing) Apple Mac Upgrades - RAM, SSD Flash, External Drives and More

You may decide it's worth it to upgrade your hard drive to an SSD from them. They sell kits with great instructions, so it is easy to do.

 

[Ogandydancer]

I'm all Apple at home and in my business. It is just more stable and seamless. I have a few new computers in the mix but have had great experience with refurbished Macs and great prices on peripherals from Mac Sales (Other World Computing) Apple Mac Upgrades - RAM, SSD Flash, External Drives and More

You may decide it's worth it to upgrade your hard drive to an SSD from them. They sell kits with great instructions, so it is easy to do.

Yourlink led to Brownells. You have answered a question though, I was wondering if I could upgrade a HDD to a SSD.

 

[StakeOut]

I'm Apple free! Not a one in my house.

I build my own PCs and have hundreds of choices for an Android cell phone that can be customized to my hearts content and have the most up to date tech,not 2 years behind.

Apples are pretty but beauty is skin deep.

 

[Cardboard_killer]

I refrained from saying anything bad about apples, but I'll say this: a lot of companies make money by putting up fences. Apple puts up a LOT of fences. I avoid buying from proprietary companies when ever there is a solid option. Most people don't care, but I do so won't buy apple.

 

[Fishslayer]

What I see missing from that build is the greatest increase in speed over the past five years--a solid state hard drive (SSHD).

Yup. Had the neighbor kid build mine. 250GB was kind of the price/capacity sweet spot.

Boots up in seconds and.... NO DEFRAG!

 

[kmyers]

Other than the RAM being a bit low which might be an issue if you plan on some number serious crunching sounds like a fairly nicely featured system. With any Mac you are buying the OS and software which is their selling point. You set up you Apple sign in and then you can save any software you buy to an external drive and load on any Apple PC you have or buy in the future. You buy it once and you can load it on any number of Mac PCs you happen to have. Once you get used to the Apple operating system which is much easier to use you will really like it.

 

[Dave_n]

I'm Apple free! Not a one in my house.

I build my own PCs and have hundreds of choices for an Android cell phone that can be customized to my hearts content and have the most up to date tech,not 2 years behind.

Apples are pretty but beauty is skin deep.

Could not agree more. I date from steam driven computers and hammer and chisel / stone slabs as Hollerith Cards. The ability to get into the guts of programs and bypass OS's designed to make you buy new ones every 18 moths, is a definite plus to me. Dave_n

 

[jeffsmith]

I have Almost Always Bought Apple Refurb and Never had a Problem
Got what I wanted and saved some $$$

And Apples OS Updates are Free
and Don't make Upgrade necessary Every Few Months
I am using a laptop from 2010 with the latest High Sierra OS

& I like my OS Fences Keeps things out more than hems me in

I have worked with both PC's & Macs

 

[Ogandydancer]

Don't know how much difference there is between iPhone and iPads and mac but, if anywhere close I don't think I'll have too hard of a time learning. Just fed up with M/S always updating and not being able to shut off auto updates and there is so much tracking and spyware built into M/S anymore. Thanks for all the support.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

We used Windows machines for many years and were generally satisfied but we started switching over to Apple in 2009. We now have iPhones, iPads, iMac, MacBook and Apple TVs. As stand alone devices they're good, but the extra value of Apple products is the seamless integration among all devices. Never used any anti-virus software nor experienced the dreaded slow down often experienced with Windows machines. My late 2009 iMac operates better today than it did new. Love the magic mouse.

I eagerly download the latest and greatest OS from Apple. Never been disappointed. Always something a bit better. Apple doesn't try to totally reinvent the user interface. From Snow Leopard that came installed through seven new updates to macOS Sierra, the general layout hasn't changed a great deal. I like that.

The spinning drive is obviously well on it's way to the trash bin of history but an SSD isn't something that I need, at least not yet. Guys talk about fast startups... eh... I don't shut down my iMac anyway. I upgraded the internal drive with a 4TB to handle media content since my iMac does double-duty as a media server. Heck... I'm almost running out of space again! Who here has a 4TB SSD in their desktop? A friend of mine has the Apple "fusion" drive which is a combo SSD and standard hard drive system. Not a lot of practical difference for the standard computing I do. He says the same.

Wife had a MacBook Pro for several years. It always worked great but decided she wanted the lighter MacBook Air. SSD failed after a few months. I guess she was just lucky.

If anything, I think USB2 is perhaps the weakest link on your iMac. USB3 is the one thing I wish I had on mine.

Enjoy your new Mac.

 

[BigDog48]

Don't know how much difference there is between iPhone and iPads and mac but, if anywhere close I don't think I'll have too hard of a time learning. Just fed up with M/S always updating and not being able to shut off auto updates and there is so much tracking and spyware built into M/S anymore. Thanks for all the support.

You can now set it up so that your computer, iPhone and iPad all have access to the same files. I find it so seamless it is almost silly, and it makes life sooooo much easier.

 

[Cardboard_killer]

A friend of mine has the Apple "fusion" drive which is a combo SSD and standard hard drive system. Not a lot of practical difference for the standard computing I do. He says the same.

The combo drives were attempt to lower price and ended up being about as slow as the HDD.

I was going to mention USB3, but USB peripherals are going the way of the floppy drive, too. I bought a bluray burner and hardly ever use it as cloud space and HDD space is so cheap.

4TB HD full? That's a lot of movies. Slap a second HDD in the box, or a third. I have two from old computers sitting around waiting in case I need them.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

4TB HD full?

Yup....

Funny... when I went to buy my iMac the store only had the 1TB models. At the time I thought I was buying something I'd never need and the 500gb would be plenty. I thought the same thing when I bought my first IMB PS/2. Who would ever need a hard drive as a big as 40mb?

 

[chaparrito]

You don't mention if this is an Apple refurbished product or if it's from some third party Amazon re-seller. Apple sells refurbs on their website that are usually 15-30% cheaper than NIB and carry the identical Apple new product warranty. I own a bunch of Macs and all but one were purchased refurb through Apple.com.
If your new machine is registerable through Apple, you should look into the three year AppleCare warranty. AppleCare is worth every penny.