06-25-2006, 11:18 AM

Hi everyone! I've been willing to switch from a PC to a Mac ever since I actually spent time to read about it these past couple of months. I'm in the process of raising the money, but now I just don't know what to get.

If I get a macbook, it will be small and portable, but I don't have a Mac desktop already and i'm ready to trash my PC. It's old and out dated.. and getting a macbook wouldn't be much use as to the only places it will travel will be out of my room into the kitchen..

Also, is the 512 MB of RAM good enough for the 17-inch iMac? Or would I have to upgrade it to 1 gig for it to run really smoothly?

The price of both have also torn me. I'm only 16 in high school with a minimum-wage job. I was looking at a refurbished product, and I was unsure how good the product was. (It was an iMac 17-inch). Are refurbished products as good as the brand-new ones? Can I upgrade the RAM?

I guess I will list my questions here:
1) Should I get a macbook even though I don't travel much (a.k.a is it a good replacement for a desktop)?
2)Should I upgrade the RAM (for both the macbook and iMac) to 1 gig in order for it to run really smoothly?
3)Are refurbished products bad? Do they not last as long as brand-new products?
4)Can I upgrade the RAM in a refurbished product?
5)Can the iMac run bootcamp?
6)Should I get the iMac or the Macbook?

06-25-2006, 11:37 AM

1. Get the iMac. It doesn't seem like you really need portability. I've used my iBook as a desktop replacement for over a year and love it; no complaints, but I still want an iMac.

2. I'd say upgrade the RAM yourself. RAM from Apple isn't cheap. 512, I would say is the minimum to run Tiger smoothly; your system may occasionally 'hang' depending on what applications you're running. I'd say upgrade to 1gig and you will have a machine that fly's.

3. From all the previous threads discussing refurbished products it appears that can be a great way to save a couple hundred if you don't mind the term 'refurbished'. Some have even gotten lucky and gotten more than expected. I would have no problem ordering a refurb myself. I belive all the same warranties apply to refurbs as they do to brand new machines. They are also eligible for Applecare.

4. Yes you can. If you get lucky the previous person that ordered your 'refurb' may have alredy done so for you.

5. Yes as long as it's an Intel iMac. Which 17in are you looking at, a G5 or an Intel?

6. Sounds like an iMac would do nicely for you. Ultimately this is up for you to decide. Don't forget you typically get a slightly better spec'd machine for the money with an iMac over a Macbook, at least IMHO.

06-25-2006, 11:42 AM

Is it easy to upgrade the RAM in the iMac, like in the macbook?

06-25-2006, 12:42 PM

Originally Posted by iCassie

Is it easy to upgrade the RAM in the iMac, like in the macbook?

This should help you with the ram upgrade on an iMac. http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303084 Also, as previously stated, it doesn't seem like you need the portability, so here's another vote for getting an iMac.

06-25-2006, 03:09 PM

If you are looking for something that will be easier to upgrade in the future you might want to look into the macbook (not the pro). You can easily upgrade the HD yourself (much easier than the MBP) and ram. The downside of the MB is the integrated video. It boils down to MB (portability, easier to upgrade, stylish) or iMac (better video, larger HD out the box, stylish.)

06-25-2006, 03:16 PM

Get a refurb intel iMac. The refurbs are guaranteed to run as a new one would. You dont need portability, and the iMac is awesome.

06-25-2006, 03:21 PM

If I could, I'd sell my Powerbook G4 12" and get an intel Imac 20", but I need the portability as I use it for my classes. In the end, it won't really matter what you get because Apple hardware is addicting and you will want more.

If portability is not an issue, try getting a refurb iMac 20" off Apple's site.