Help needed on buying an Apple Mac!

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Makuta

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#59447 6-Apr-2010 14:49

Help please. I have a son who is into animation, film making etc and everyone i speak to suggests we should get an Apple Mac. Probably an I mac. WHat is best to buy for around the 2k mark. Where do you get the best deals. What to look out for.
E.g I see an IMac 21.5 3.06GHZ for $1948. at JB Hi FI is that good buying?
Obviously want the largest screen we can get for the money too.

Any help much appreciated

gehenna

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#315345 6-Apr-2010 15:04

Check out the Apple online refurbished store, some great deals on there:

http://store.apple.com/nz/browse/home/specialdeals/mac?mco=OTY2ODY3Nw

Case in point: 27" iMac for $2499 ($400 less than retail)

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Makuta

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#315347 6-Apr-2010 15:11

Thanks for this

So does refurbished mean second hand?

gehenna

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#315352 6-Apr-2010 15:21

Kind of. Refurbished Mac's are ones that have had a physical fault that has been repaired. EG the logic board may have failed so they replaced it with a new one. The item then goes through pretty stringent quality assurance testing and is put up on the refurbished store. The item comes with the standard full retail warranty and can be extended with regular AppleCare. I know people who have only ever bought from the refurb store instead of buying brand new, and they've never had a complaint. Given that you have full warranty as well I don't see any issue with buying refurb.

MacGraphics

51 posts

Master Geek

#315887 7-Apr-2010 20:41

Hi,

The JB HiFi price sounds pretty good, you should check out how much Ram comes with it. I use several graphics programs - not animation - but I understand that they run a lot more easily with more RAM. I boosted mine from 2GB to 4GB for about $200 and it made all the difference to my workflow. So I recommend that you factor this into your budget, too.

cheers

mooder

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#315904 7-Apr-2010 21:12

I would suggest the 27" iMac - it is much better than a 21.5", but it costs a lot more.
I bought a refurbished MacMini last year and it is just like a new one, except you get a "white" box -much cheaper though!!! So far, I have been using the MacMini for 6 months and no issues - it is still covered by Apple Warranty anyway. Also, I upgraded the RAM myself. If you need more RAM, I would not recommend you upgrade it with Apple as it is a lot more expensive!

wellygary

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#315914 7-Apr-2010 21:27

+1 on buying extra RAM, but get third party not apple RAM it is ludicrously priced.

MacGraphics

51 posts

Master Geek

#315922 7-Apr-2010 21:36

That's right, I got my RAM from the Ram City website (based in Aust). Reasonable shipping and nice to deal with - much cheaper than Apple RAM :)

gmball

562 posts

Ultimate Geek

#315927 7-Apr-2010 21:45

If the Computer is for your Son's use, If he is a registered student, you can obtain education pricing via Apples online store. I think the eduction pricing also applies to parents buying for their children.

MacGraphics

51 posts

Master Geek

#315934 7-Apr-2010 21:53

gmball is right, the student discount applies to any purchase as long as you can send a copy of the Student ID

chiefie

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#315945 7-Apr-2010 22:06

use MacRumors' Buyers' Guide: http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/ for getting a gest of the typical lifespan of any Apple products update. Very handy. Also good to serve as indication when they'll reduce the current line of products to make room for newer models.

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Makuta

41 posts

Geek

#316022 8-Apr-2010 06:59

so does that student discount apply if you purchase from the likes of a major retailer ( JB Hi FI) and what sort of discount is it?

riahon

946 posts

Ultimate Geek

#316027 8-Apr-2010 08:01

No the student discount does not work at the big retailers. I think only Magnum Mac are the only store capable of applying the student discount.

tomgeeknz

923 posts

Ultimate Geek

#316029 8-Apr-2010 08:04

Mac Education Discounts only apply on purchases from the apple online store. You must be a Teacher or Staff Member at a year 1-13 school or student or faculty at a tertiary facility to claim it.

For Example:
iMac 21.5 inch @ NZD$1899.00 a saving of $100
3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
500GB Serial ATA Drive
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
Apple Wireless Keyboard (International English) and User Guide (English)
8x double-layer SuperDrive
Apple Magic Mouse

iMac's with education pricing:
http://store.apple.com/nz-hed/browse/home/shop_mac/family/imac

iMac's without education Pricing:
http://store.apple.com/nz/browse/home/shop_mac/family/imac

cyril7

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#316031 8-Apr-2010 08:06

Not too sure about the JBHI thing, but I suspect that it would apply as they are a offical retailer, but if you go to the online apple site you will see the education discount gives your around $100 off a $2k 21.5" Imac.

Also the basic imac for $2k comes with 4G of RAM now.

Cyril