is it possible to get a mac frugally?

[sarasprings]

I need a new computer since this one is so slow I'm wasting quite a bit off time waiting for it to connect. Does anyone have any suggestions on what kind of mac to get? I have an old emac and I feel so out of the loop I don't even know where to begin looking. My emac was refurbished and a pretty good deal, especially since it's lasted almost 5 years. Thanks.

[kittywitty]

We bought our iMac refurbished on the Apple site. It's awesome and was about ~$900 and something. About $1000 with tax and everything. That's cheaper than our last computer and most people I know who buy them. Buying a macbook would be cheaper. I would wait and watch the refurbished section for a few weeks and (quickly! They sell fast!) snatch one up that you can afford. We luckily missed one on sale and the next week this one was over $100 cheaper for more on it.

[FloridaBorn]

I second the refurbished Mac suggestion.

We bought a 27" iMac a few months ago and have been SOOooooo pleased with the purchase, even though it was a major one. Computers can't be a "cheapest is best" decision. Macs last forever and there is no virus software or superfluous things to purchase; you plug it in and it works. If you have money to spend six months or a year down the road on reformatting your hard drive or getting rid of a trojan, then by all means get a Dell! Lol

[sarasprings]

Why is a macbook cheaper? I thought they would be more expensive.

[FloridaBorn]

Apple is more expensive, but will end up saving you money in the long run because they last so much longer and require no extra purchases such as virus software, etc.

Unless you specifically need a laptop, an iMac (desktop) is a great machine. We watch movies on ours. We are tv-free and just use the computer and watch things online. The 24" ones are more affordable right now because the 27" just came out.

[sarasprings]

Do you mind me asking what you specifically consider a good deal? I'm looking here http://store.apple.com/us/browse/hom...mco=OTY2ODY3Nw and I feel pretty dizzy. What's the minimum memory and speed I would want? Do the percentages off go higher occasionally?

[Shellie]

A Mac will *always* be more expensive (usually much more) than a similarly powered PC. We're PC people and I love my computer--it screams (I'm a photographer and run Photoshop CS4 + Lightroom 2 and it has to run fast). I paid $600 for it in December....quad-core, 8gb RAM, fast hard-drive, great cache, etc. A similarly equipped Mac would have been around $2k. There's no way to make that frugal in my book. Now, if I had no debt and I *really* wanted a Mac and I had cash, then sure...I'd do it.

[loree]

Do you have a monitor & keyboard & mouse? If so, consider a Mac mini. It's just the computer. We replaced our old G4 with a Mac mini -- we had the keyboard, mouse & newer monitor.

Oh my laptop is a refurb and it's been great

[woodchick]

DH just upgraded our computer situation with two Mac laptops (a macbook and a macbook pro) from a site called macofalltrades.com . He got a good deal and was happy with the transaction and computers- he's the tech guy, I'm just happy I can get to MDC in bed again

[greenmom4]

This site is updated daily and has some really great deals on macs... It's kind of a pain to navigate, but the listings are legit.

[Masel]

This is where I go my new MacBook just this week.
http://www.microcenter.com/storefronts/apple/index.html

It took some looking on there but they have the basic one for $799. Plus if you get Micro Center's service plan it includes breaking the screen with is the only thing that ever went wrong with my old Mac and wasn't covered by Applecare.

We're near a store us or you can buy online. It was one of the nicest electronics purchasing experiences in my life. Love Micro Center.

[kittywitty]

Originally Posted by sarasprings

Why is a macbook cheaper? I thought they would be more expensive.

When we bought our iMac, they were cheaper but we wanted more memory. At least, that was a year ago and based on my terribly prego memory.

[iowaorganic]

i have been drooling over the macbooks for a while now. When my laptop died I begged DH for one of these as soon as we could afford it. Soon I hope! The initial investment is more- but that is all you will pay.

[Kristine233]

My first one I bought reffirbished and had a pretty large savings on it. A friend just recently did this too. I've boughten 2 more Macs (Aluminum Macbook and an iMac.. and husband bought 1 of each as well) and just used my student discount and got the store (bestbuy) to through in extra discounts because we bought packages.

[ilovemygirl]

I just asked my apple obsessed dh and he said he would buy from one of these

geeks.com
megamacs.com

[sarasprings]

Wow -- I'm more overwhelmed now.

Can any just tell me what I would want as a minimum? Here are two computers that are inexpensive, but I can't tell if they have enough of anything or not. My needs are very basic. Email, photos, and etsy.

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?inv...4LLA-R&cpc=SCH
http://albany.craigslist.org/sys/1715685134.html

I guess I'm not sure if I should spend more and get something newer because it will last more years or go cheap and get replacements more often.

I graciously and copiously thank you!

[Carson]

Yes, DH bought his from MicroCenter for $799 and has had a good experience switching from PC to Mac so far.

I would be really wary of buying one off of CL. Some things are great used, but I would have a hard time buying a computer from there.

[Tradd]

I bought a brand new MacBook two years ago with 1G hard drive (what it came with). This was the base-level MacBook at the time. Paid $1099. I've got a medium-sized music library and about 900 photos on the hard drive. Still a good bit of space left.

I *love* my MacBook. I'm a minimalist and I'll pay for quality over quantity any time! Less is more!

[kittywitty]

Originally Posted by Carson

I would be really wary of buying one off of CL. Some things are great used, but I would have a hard time buying a computer from there.

I would ask for photos and use it in person before I'd give them a penny, and even then...I wouldn't buy one used from CL.

Our iMac has 2G, and 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Due with Mac OS X 10.5.8. Which is great if you store music or surf the web a lot.

[Kristine233]

I personally wouldn't go with the older ones, I's stay with a relatively new imac or a macbook. You'll spend a bit more but they'll last you longer and be faster and have more space.

refurbished white macbook:http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC...co=MTU5MjkwMjk
refurbished macbook pro: http://store.apple.com/us/product/FB...co=MTA4MzIzMzA
refurbished iMac: http://store.apple.com/us/product/FB...co=MTU0MzQ1NTg

All 3 would be good buys.