Should i buy this or wait ?

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hey so i am in the market of buying an imac. Currently i was looking at the 21.5 model with the nvidia card which is 1499 plus tax. I was thinking of getting it next week. However now i am in this situation: my brother's girlfriend is selling me her imac. This is the specs. She has rarely used it. My brother was able to talk her down to sell it for $500. I told her that i was going to think about it since for 500 i find it to be a steal but then again i dont really know much about the specs. i need you guys opinion if you think its worth to purchase it or just buy the imac from apple. Please be honest. Thank you. Here are the specs:







 

pigoo3

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$500 for this used iMac is probably a bit on the high side ($400 would be a better price). But still certainly a lot less than than the cost of a new computer ($1499). :) You should check eBay as well.

Of course it is a 5-6 year old computer. You can't expect to get as many years out of it as you would for a brand new computer. So it's really up to you…in regards to your budget...and what your longterm needs/expectations are for a computer.

- Nick
 
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mid-2010 Mac Mini OS 10.12.6 Sierra, 2.66 GHz C2D, 8GB RAM, 30 in. Cinema Display
According to the second picture, the hard drive is quite full to be rarely used. If she doesn't sell it to you, she needs to tidy up the hard drive a bit.
 
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It is a 2009 model with minimum memory with a lot of movies and iTunes on it with absolute minimum free space. Most of us say at least 20% free space on the drive for it to work anywhere near efficiently. I would say 'Thanks but no thanks'.

If you can afford it go for a new model, faster CPU, faster graphics, faster memory etc.
 

chscag

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To the OP:

Go with Moderator Nick's advice. (post # 2) He probably knows more about used Mac prices and used Macs than any of our membership. :$
 

dtravis7


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Mac2Sell is saying 360 $. I am sort of shocked it's that low now. Last time I looked a system like that was worth a lot more.
 

pigoo3

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Dennis & Lisa. One of my favorite "Mac-websites" is Mac2Sell.:) Yes…I was a little surprised at the $360 value. That's why I was saying it's worth a little bit more at $400…maybe even $450 (but $400 would be a good price).

This is a Late 2009 21" iMac. I recently was checking eBay for selling prices for Early 2009 24" iMac's (a little bit older iMac)…and these were selling for $500 plus.

So given how the used computer market can vary depending where someone is buying from (eBay, Craig's List, big city, little city, etc.)…$400-$500 is probably the right area. Personally I would want to get it for $450 or less ($400 being a very good price).:)

- Nick
 
C

chas_m

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Let me put it this way: for $400 and another $100 spent on upgrading the RAM and maybe another $100 on an SSD drive, this thing will fly and be a cheap computer that will be great for another few (2-5, depending on your use) years.

But it in no way compares to buying a new one (though I wouldn't personally buy the 21-inch new iMac due to lack of expandability). There's no 802.11ac compatibility, there's no BT 4.0, so it's not a long-term machine except for the very light-duty user.
 

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