Hi, one of our two iMacs died a couple of days ago. The screen display suddenly went peculiar. Reboot > vivid vertical stripes. Reboot > what I know know is the "white screen of death". (I looked that up on the other iMac, the one I'm typing on.) It's the graphics card.
OK, it was an old computer. The question now is: since he doesn't use it much now that he's retired (only the occasional email and looking up stuff on internet), should I contemplate getting a refurbished iMac? I've found a site offering them for about £3-400 compared with price for a new one at about £900-1000.
The site is: Macfinder dot co dot uk.
Any helpful advice welcome, thanks in advance.
I had a look at the site. The 21" iMac for £345 looks decent to me. It depends on if you're happy with a "small" screen and whether the OS will support any applications that you want to migrate to the new computer.
I have an old Mac Pro that is still using High Sierra, so it will operate with the latest browsers. Do you get a warranty? Seems like a good idea to me...
thank you for your reply!
If Apple has got a UK refurbished store I'd take a look in that direction, because a Mac purchased from Apple, refurbished notwithstanding, will come with a standard Apple warranty and the opportunity to buy AppleCare.
I've looked there. The saving would only be about 150 off the ~1,000 price.
Edited to add: I've just measured the iMac I'm on, it's a 21" and doesn't seem small to me!
If Apple has got a UK refurbished store I'd take a look in that direction, because a Mac purchased from Apple, refurbished notwithstanding, will come with a standard Apple warranty and the opportunity to buy AppleCare.
This is it:
https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/refurbished/macOur oldest son lives in London (actually in Richmond), and I remember going into an Apple store there. They were definitely more expensive than an Apple Store here in the US. Wonder if refurbished prices are similarly more expensive?
If it were my choice, I would bite the bullet and go for the Apple reconditioned offering. You won't save much, but the Apple reconditioned machine comes with the same warranty as a new from the factory Mac, and as Artie mentioned it is eligible for Apple Care which in my experience has proven to be worth a LOT. (On multiple occasions Apple has presented me with a new computer or device thanks to Apple Care.) Based on your description of how the machine is used, I would look for savings by buying Apple's price leader offering, a MacBook Air, with minimum memory and storage capacity. Good machine, and more than adequate for the described task, but no 21" screen 😢.
Another alternative in just over the Macfinder dot co dot uk price would be brand a shiny new iPad together with a Smart Keyboard. A smaller screen, but dead simple to use without some of the complexity of a Mac, albeit at the expense of a smaller screen. However, the screen is good enough that even my 82 year old eyes find it more than adequate for internet browsing and mail, not to mention drawing, graphics, accounting, database operations, writing letters, etc. It is what I recommend to most friends my age.
If that is still too pricey, AND Macfinder dot co dot uk has good customer ratings, the prices are in the right range.