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So the back story is Our XP 'puter died years ago. Our 2009 MacBook is hanging on by a thread, just able to cope with running the OS. So over breakfast Mrs K has decided we "need" an IMac 27". Not least cause kjo1 at 7yo is using a 'Apple at school and needs to google for homework. Only £1850, a bargain :-/
Long gone are the days I understood comparable speed of processors etc, so is the "base" spec of the top one - the £1850 version I refer to above - ok to have as is? The only thing my brain says I could upgrade to future proof is add more RAM and another TB of storage (taking it to 3TB) on spec. We do have a 1 TB external HD for the family photos.
Or, better to go for a lower spec machine? It'd be used for web, photos/home movies/albums, occasional work (mostly ms office) email... General home stuff. Happy with desktop as we both have iPads for armchair browsing.
For reference : http://www.apple.com/uk/shop/buy-mac/imac
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You can't add RAM to later Macs so get the highest you can.
However unless you are planning on really using it a lot for tasks requiring lots of processing power just buy what's on offer in the Apple refurb store. I use Macs at work and the last 3 have all been from the refurb store. Great value.
Just over £1200
You can upgrade RAM on the 27", but not the 24"
Since El Capitan, I reckon you need a solid state drive (unless you love beach balls)... I'd take that over capacity every second of every day.
I've always thought the bottom of the range Macs are the best value, probably with a memory bump (and my last one I added a fusion drive hard drive). general computing doesn't stretch processors at all so you don't need more. Apple support with operating systems for a good many years - my last iMac was still working well at 6 years old. Having the top end machine vs the bottom doesn't change the age at which the tech stops supporting new features (which is usually other parts of the motherboard).
I purchased one of the 5k 27 inch iMacs earlier this year, it's been amazing. I went for the base model with a fusion drive.
You can indeed upgrade the RAM yourself on these models by using the small door on the back. The 21 inch models don't have this. It's way cheaper to do this yourself using RAM from crucial or somewhere similar.
Also the apple chat is very useful for questions incase you want it from the horses mouth so to speak.
Or, better to go for a lower spec machine? It'd be used for web, photos/home movies/albums, occasional work (mostly ms office) email... General home stuff. Happy with desktop as we both have iPads for armchair browsing.
Probably massively over specced/priced... Can you cope with a win 10 machine as something half the price from the likes of Dell will do that without breakwater sweat. (my current desktop does all that and more and it's basically a 4+ year old setup with an even older cpu and every component can be upgraded.
The 27 iMac is a great machine the screen is amazing, its over the top for a 7 year old's home work. Buy it if you/wife want one.
In terms of spec for normal home use 8gb ram is fine unless you are doing video editing etc. A fusion drive is better than standard hard drive for bootup speed and switching programmes. If you take the base 27 and add 16gb and 1tb fusion you are up around £1850 😐 You can add external storage easily and cheaply and with modern usb spec its as fast as internal, so you can buy external ssd if you want.
Now there have been a few threads on upgrading MBPs and I have done 4 for friends plus upgraded by wife's MBP and my 2009 Mini. Typocally extra RAM and an SSD costs usually £150-200 for both and machines run better than new. My Mini is 2009 and runs latest OS fine (some features don't work like AirPlay to AppleTV as the hardware is too old)
Your other options are to buy a used iMac or a used/new Mac Mini (you'll need Apple Keyboard/mouse but any decent 24-28 inch svreen is fine). A Mini is going to cost you about £1000.
Note also Apple will be announcing new machines / upgrades sometime in next month or two so keep your eye out and watch MacRumors
Of you know someone who is a Uni student or a teacher they can get academic discount on new Apple Kit.
Useful, especially the refurb advice thanks - looks a good machine, I'm assuming it has usb's for external drives?.
About the drives - I understand the difference between HD and SSD, what's the fusion business all about?
Im guessing it's exactly the same as a hybrid drive on a PC, but it's apple, so they have to give it a special name 😉 its a normal drive with a small SSD component stuck to it.
It's better than a regular old fashioned hard drive, but you may aswell go with a proper SSD drive given the option, just think of it as a halfway house between older spin drive technology and SSD drives.
I recently bought a refurb iMac 27" and am very happy with it. Its got the M395 gfx, 2 TB fusion, 8GB mem with the 3.3Ghz i5. I bought with the idea of putting another 16GB in it but haven't got that far.
Fusion - if you go for the bigger fusion drive you get a larger SSD than if you get the 1TB fusion. You do not want a HDD and 512 SSD is too probably small if its going to be your central PC.
Expensive but very very nice. Really like the new keyboards and mouse compared to the old ones.
Edit - info on fusion - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusion_Drive
Or get a mini-mac. The same as an iMac but fully expandable for hard drives and RAM.
Sounds like your Mrs just wants an iMac. Good on her 😀 Best value is a refurb, minimal RAM (you can upgrade yourself). Definitely get an SSD. No way you need 3Tb on the boot drive. are you mapping the Milky Way?! you can always add USB3 or thunderbolt external drive for more storage.
Ignore poster above ^^^ RAM on latest Mac Mini not user-upgradable
It's a hell of a lot of money to spend on
It'd be used for web, photos/home movies/albums, occasional work (mostly ms office) email... General home stuff.
You could build a higher spec windows machine for less money and it would still be overkill for your usage.
I suspect the OP knows this, maybe he can't ride his bike today and is a bit bored 🙂
http://www.dell.com/uk/p/inspiron-22-3263-desktop-aio/pd.aspx?c=uk&l=en&ref=CHP_WhatsNew_1&s=dhs
just get 3 of these for the same price 😉
I prefer Veet.
The OP has an old Mac, I doubt he'd want to go back to Windows I never will. If he wanted to spend less I would recommend a new MBP (or Mac Mini) all day long vs a Windows machine.
About the drives - I understand the difference between HD and SSD, what's the fusion business all about?
Fusion is a hybrid, a small SSD segment combined with an "old fashioned" HD. The OS and programme files live on the SSD bit so startup is fast and any memory paging and your data files live on the HD part where speed isn't so important. Personally I'd rather have a 500GB SSD than a 1tb Fusion but Apple don't offer that.
The OP has an old Mac, I doubt he'd want to go back to Windows I never will. If he wanted to spend less I would recommend a new MBP (or Mac Mini) all day long vs a Windows machine.
Yes we know, but the rest of us are suggesting saving 2/3 of the cost.... enough for the OP to buy a nice new bike frame or something Win Win 🙂
Not quite a win win. It's two thirds of the initial purchase costs. Not necessarily The cheapest 8 yrs or more down the line.
The dell I linked to was 1/3 of the initial purchase cost...
*posted from my 5 year old windows laptop that is still happily used for
It will probably make 8 but the savings are there for me 😉It'd be used for web, photos/home movies/albums, occasional work (mostly ms office) email.
As @wobbli says my Mini cost £400 in 2009 (plus Apple keyboard, mouse so £500 already had decent screen) I spent £150 upgrading it in 2012 (8gb ram and 750 hdd) and it's run faultlessly and it has all the latest OS upgrades. It is only now in 2016 it won't take the upcoming OS Sierra but El Capitan is just fine and has all the cloud etc support for phone/pad
I think over typical product lifetime Apple vs Windows the Apple is either less expensive or comparable. The OP's laptop is from 2009 most windows stuff is either broken (as it was cheap) or running like a dog due to Windows bloatware (arguably not MS's fault but still a factor)
OP Macs may well get an upgrade soon so don't buy now but as an idea, this mid range Mini with 8GB RAM and an upgrade to a fusion drive is £834, needs a screen so you might spend £200 on something large (27) and nice. £1000 all in
[url= http://www.apple.com/uk/shop/buy-mac/mac-mini?product=MGEN2B/A&step=config# ]Mac Mini Config - options are magic mouse, keyboard, fusion[/url]
@jambalaya: I have been a Mac user since 1984, and have run the family on Mac for the last years. Once I get rid of the current 27" iMac, I shall never get another.
Not worth buying a new mac right now, they are due an update "soon"
Once they have been updated, my money would be on high spec mac mini, and high spec display.
To my mind mac hardware has taken a disapointing direction over the last few years, becoming less and less user servicable and more "disposable" items as they become more difficult and expensive to fix/upgrade, so your more likley to replace it with new.
A 1.8k item is too much to be disposable in my mind. By seperating the display and the PC if you have problems with one, you can replace that with new whilst the good display/pc that you have doesnt need to be changed.
Sounds like your Mrs just wants an iMac
This.
And I am riding my bike this afternoon, I've just paused at the local tea, then on the way home. To be fair ive ought a new bike this year, she hasn't had anything, and we are an Apple reference household. Given the advice I think that referb is a good bet, with an external drive.
Edit : I missed the last few posts whilst chatting - I'll re read and have a think about separates.