Recommended Products

This is a page of recommended products, used by me, installed by me, purchased by me, and where to find them.

Curating this list is time consuming, not to mention products and technology change very fast. Keeping this list relevant and timely can be done with a little help from you. If you find a product on this page that is no longer available, please let me know. If I have recommended a product for you, and you don't see it here, let me know. If you find a better price somewhere else, let me know.

If you would rather order through a different online retailer or buy at a traditional brick and mortar store, that’s great. Please drop a line and let me know where you got the product at. 

Discounted, Refurbished, Used Mac's

Looking for a discount on a new to you Mac? When it comes to getting some bang for your buck, you basically have two choices. You can go with current model or even previous model revisions direct from Apple that are "open box" or you can go used. Both can come with 3 year warranties! 

For refurbished or "open box" or clearance, these are computers that were bought at an apple store, and returned or leftover stock of previous models. All computers from Apple online or Apple Stores come with a 14 day, no questions asked return policy. If someone returns the computer, then it can no longer be sold as new. It gets returned to Apple headquarters and gets checked out. After the computer is certified, it ends up on Apple's online refurbished listings. You can even get iPads, and iPhones here. All of them are certified by Apple and come with the usual 1 year warranty. You can even get Apple Care (I ALWAYS recommend Apple Care!) and extend the warranty to 3 years on computers and 2 years on iPhones and iPads. Keep in mind, stock is limited to what is on hand. IE if you see something listed and are interested, do not wait too long. Someone else may buy it, and then it will be removed from the listings.


Access Refurbished and Clearance listings direct from Apple HERE

With used Macs, you can save a great deal. For example, a 2011 iMac has the same processor that the 2017 iMac has (all be it a bit slower, but you wont notice the difference) and can be upgraded with a solid state drive (SSD) and maxed at 32GB's of RAM. This configuration can rival a new iMac from Apple at less then half the cost. A great local company that I have been working with for a bit now, is Quality Mac's, located on Murray Ridge Road. They have a constant stream of used machines that have been checked out by their technicians. All computers from Quality Mac's have a 90 day warranty, and you can get an extended warranty for 1, 2 or 3 years direct from them. Very similar to Apple Care. The guys there are great, and will take care of you. Make sure to mention that Mac sent you and they will take a discount off your purchase. $20-50 dollars depending on the item and final purchase price. Again, listings are limited to stock on hand. Wait too long and it may be gone tomorrow. They do offer shipping, or you can drive over and pick your item up today! (Not open on weekends) Phone (877) 500-5960

Access Quality Mac's for sale listings HERE

 

External / Backup drives

 Looking for a good quality external drive. Need a Time Machine drive for backups. Look no further. These are the drives I use and carry with me every day. Sure you can drive to Staples or Best Buy and grab a drive off the shelf. But those drives not only cost about the same, but they have no where near the quality and definitely not the ease of use or the warranty! I use these drives because I know that they are from a company that deals in nothing but Macintosh products, and the drive comes with a 3 year warranty. Most of those drives you will grab off the shelf are 1 year warranty, consumer grade items. These are backed by OWC for 3 years, and did I mention, they are the drives I use? ;-) Mercury On The Go Pro drives. 
 
1TB 7200rpm USB drive can be found HERE 
1TB 5400rpm USB drive can be found HERE
2TB 5400rpm USB drive can be found HERE 
1TB SSD USB drive can be found HERE 
See the complete lineup HERE 

 

 

Solid State Drives (SSD)

I currently recommend Crucial drives. I had been using the Samsung ones, but ran into an issue with one client a few weeks after installation. Some research turned up other people having issues with them as well, on particular Mac models. Since then I have used and recommended the Crucial drives and have yet to have an issue. Currently Jan 2017 these are the drives I recommend. (NOTE, all recommended SSD's are 2.5 inch laptop size drives. If using for an iMac you will need an adapter bracket listed further below.)

Clicking on one of the drives will open link in new page
Crucial 525GB
Crucial 750GB
Crucial 1TB
Crucial 2TB

 

iMac Solid State Drive (SSD) Upgrades

Looking to put a SSD in your 2011 or earlier iMac and speed it up? Look no further. With the right SSD and the following items, you can breathe new life into your 2011 or earlier iMac.

The first item you will need is a bracket, that fits the 2.5 inch form factor of the SSD to the 3.5 cavity of the iMac. Other World Computing (OWC) has the perfect item. 

Adaptadrive converter bracket HERE 

If you have a 2009-2011 iMac, you will need a special in line thermal sensor to keep the drive fan from running constantly. Apple, in their infinite wisdom, designed these models with specific internal hard drives that had a built in sensor to control the fan speed based upon drive temperature. The problem is, if you replace the drive and its not the exact same model and manufacturer of drive that was originally in the machine, the fan will never get the temperature reading, and will then spin out of control. At this point your iMac may sound like its trying to take off down the runway. The following sensors are needed, depending on your model.

2009-2010 iMac model sensor can be found HERE
2011 iMac model sensor can be found HERE

IF you feel so inclined to try to do this on a 2012 or better iMac, you will need the following cable
2012 sensor and screen adhesive can be found HERE

 

Replace Optical Drive (CD/DVD Drive) with a second drive

Are you running out of space on your computer? Do you ever use the CD/DVD drive? (You can always get an external CD/DVD drive for those occasional uses, link below) why not increase the storage capacity of your Mac by replacing the built in CD/DVD drive with a second hard drive. It can even be a Solid State Drive (SSD) for added speed! Other World Computing or OWC has the perfect item, the Data Doubler.

Data Doubler for Laptops is located HERE
Data Doubler for 2009-2011 iMacs is located HERE

Then you can place the CD/DVD drive in a enclosure and use it via USB! 

Optical Drive enclosure can be found HERE

Stand up desk, at prices you can afford

Looking for a standup desk, but don't want to pay more than the monitor is worth? Look no further. A friend of mine started this business and its going like gangbusters! I know of more than thirty people that have bought and use this desk daily, and love it! They have five stars on Amazon and have been featured in Lifehacker, New York, Business Insider, and more. Its sturdy, and adjustable. Use promo code "Mac" at checkout and save $20 

Readydesk at www.thereadydesk.com 

WiFi that works!

Looking for a wireless solution, look no further. I have installed a few of these Eero systems now, and I love them more each time. Simple, elegant, and just plain works! Read my review of the Eero here

Order Eero on Amazon HERE