M2 Mac mini $302

[Randy B. Singer]

This is a pretty impressive sounding deal. I thought that some of you might find it interesting. (This is a deal offered in the U.S.. This is NOT an invitation to start a discussion about price differentials between different countries.)

Refurbished Apple 2023 Mac Mini Desktop M2
$309
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Restored...CPU-8GB-Unified-Memory-Refurbished/3109379251

 

[MacBiter]

Presumably though, it's a one-off if refurbished?.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

Presumably though, it's a one-off if refurbished?.

I don't know what you mean.

 

[pm-r]

This is a pretty impressive sounding deal.

This appears to be the same marketing source through Walmart that I almost bought a newer I'm at for an excellent price for the top of the line model but ended up getting an even better deal via a similar but different marketing place, also with a good reputation, that the Canadian Best Buy deals with that they call their Marketplace. Some excellent deals at both places but the Canadian links from either store maybe slightly different but seem to be the same Marketplace stores basically based in California I think.

My purchase through Best Buy handled all shipping duties Etc and fast delivery and easy to deal with. Canadian Walmart links seem to be the same, but prices a bit different of course to account for the shipping and duties and exchange rate Etc.

I just mentioned this in case some Canadian members are interested in making similar purchases from either store. I never realised that they had such a source for purchasing refurbished Mac stuff.




- Patrick
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[MacBiter]

I don't know what you mean.

Refurbs are one-offs, not sold in bulk.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

Refurbs are one-offs, not sold in bulk.

I still don't know what you mean.

If you are saying that Walmart has only one refurbished M2 Mac mini to sell, I think that you are very much incorrect.

If you are saying that you can't buy several of these Mac minis from Walmart, I think that this is incorrect too.

 

[MacBiter]

I still don't know what you mean.

If you are saying that Walmart has only one refurbished M2 Mac mini to sell, I think that you are very much incorrect.

If you are saying that you can't buy several of these Mac minis from Walmart, I think that this is incorrect too.

What I'm saying is that every refurbished device is a unique thing - Apple's site may have more than one refurb but usually there's only one of each offering; and other sites don't do what Apple does, i.e. restore to virtually 'as new' and issue a 12 month warranty.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

What I'm saying is that every refurbished device is a unique thing - Apple's site may have more than one refurb but usually there's only one of each offering; and other sites don't do what Apple does, i.e. restore to virtually 'as new' and issue a 12 month warranty.

I think that both of your assertions are false. In both my experience, and the experiences of many others.

I do agree that, of any source for a refurbished Mac, Apple is by far the most prefereable source. They are in a position to do the best job, they offer an excellent warranty, and they have an excellent track record. But I've done business with other companies that refurbish Macs, and their refurbished Macs show up indistinguishable from a brand-new Mac too.

 

[macgig]

1. would this M2 Mini be a lot faster than my 2015 iMac? my iMac is 3.1Ghz where this mini is just 1Ghz.

2. never bought a refurb before. do they come with the standard 1 year apple warranty? are they repaired by apple?

thanks.

 

[pm-r]

1. would this M2 Mini be a lot faster than my 2015 iMac? my iMac is 3.1Ghz where this mini is just 1Ghz.

Have a look at the speed test scores and do a comparison of your old and new Mac you are considering to get an approximate idea. You can find the ratings at Mac Specs, Prices, Answers and Comparison: EveryMac.com, Est. 1996

2. never bought a refurb before. do they come with the standard 1 year apple warranty? are they repaired by apple?

As Apple's web page says regarding any purchased refurbished product, they all come with the same warranty as a brand new " unrefurbished" would. Personal experience says it's an excellent way to pick up a new, and what I consider better than new as they get a thorough check out rather than just being boxed off the assembly line when you can also save a substantial amount of money as long as they have the model with the specs you are looking for available in the refurbished for sale. It's a good idea to check it several times daily if the spec machine you were looking for doesn't show up right away.
If you are looking for a new Mac with special specific specs and one shows up at the refurbished site, purchase it right away as it may not last very long before someone else might grab it.




- Patrick
=======

 

[Randy B. Singer]

1. would this M2 Mini be a lot faster than my 2015 iMac? my iMac is 3.1Ghz where this mini is just 1Ghz.

Your iMac has an Intel processor and the M2 mini has an Apple Silicon processor. Just about any Apple Silicon proceesor, at this point in time, will be significantly faster than any Intel processor.

The clock speed (Ghz) can only be used as a measure of relative performance between two otherwise identical processors.

Here is a table of how various models of Mac compare to each other performance-wise:

https://browser.geekbench.com/mac-benchmarks

You can see from the table that an M2-based mini offers more than twice the performance of a 2015 iMac.

If your 2015 iMac has a rotating disk hard drive, rather than an SSD, and especially if you are running Mojave (macOS 10.14) or later on your iMac (which means that the RDHD has been non-optionally re-formatted as APFS), your 2015 iMac will seem like a slug compared to any Apple Silicon-based Mac.

2. never bought a refurb before. do they come with the standard 1 year apple warranty? are they repaired by apple?

If you purchase an Apple refurb directly from Apple, from their online store:

Refurbished Mac Deals - Apple

Save up to 15% on a refurbished Mac. Tested and certified by Apple including a 1-year warranty. Free delivery and returns.

www.apple.com

...it will be indistinguishable from a brand-new Mac. Back when Apple still made Macs here in nearby to me Elk Grove, I toured their factory and found that refurbs are brand-new Macs that come down the assmebly line and they don't pass a test. They are then taken off the assembly like, and repaired and tested several times by hand. To you and I, this would simply be a new Mac. But apparently legally Apple can't brand them as brand-new. Most folks consider them better than new because they have been quality tested several more times than a brand-new Mac. A genuine Apple refurb comes with a standard one year warranty, just like any other Mac.

HOWEVER, if you purchase a refurb from an Apple brick & mortar store, you don't know what you might be getting. It might be a return that someone simply changed their mind on, or it might be a return that was a lemon. It will probably have been repaired in-store. So purchasing a refurb online is a safer way to go.

 

[macgig]

is $600 a fair price for a M2 mini? not a refurb.​

​

Apple - Mac mini Desktop - M2 Pro Chip - 16GB Memory - 512GB SSD - Silver​

 

[ferrarr]

A brand new one with an M4, from apple is $799,

Mac mini

The new, smaller Mac mini with the M4 or M4 Pro chip. Built for Apple Intelligence. Now with front and back ports. And the first carbon neutral Mac.

www.apple.com

So to me, it is too much that they are asking ($600) for an M2, which is 2 years old.

 

[Rod]

1. would this M2 Mini be a lot faster than my 2015 iMac? my iMac is 3.1Ghz where this mini is just 1Ghz.

Easy answer; yes it would. I went from a 2015 Intel MBP to a M1 MBP a few years ago and was astounded by the speed difference. The M1 chip handles tasks more efficiently and is notably faster for tasks such as compiling code and video editing.