New IMac v old Imac

[Fast_Boy_Slim]

My 10+ year old PC has finally bitten the dust and I fancy a go on one of these IMac thingys.

What great timing a brand new Imac is in the shops so now I can buy an old 2011/12 27 inch Imac or maybe a 21.5 new Imac

So Macnerds what would you recommend?

It will be mainly used for music/photos/film and surfing and yes I know thats not going to dent its capabilities, but it is very shiny!

Oh and I have a work laptop for sofa surfing so no I won't get an ipad or macbook instead.

[Attico]

The 11/12 imac is great. I have a 27"i7 and its solid. The new one really isn't a huge improvement so if you can score a deal, i say go for it.

Get the 27. Its really big and that makes it really good.

Originally Posted by Fast_Boy_Slim

My 10+ year old PC has finally bitten the dust and I fancy a go on one of these IMac thingys.

What great timing a brand new Imac is in the shops so now I can buy an old 2011/12 27 inch Imac or maybe a 21.5 new Imac

So Macnerds what would you recommend?

It will be mainly used for music/photos/film and surfing and yes I know thats not going to dent its capabilities, but it is very shiny!

Oh and I have a work laptop for sofa surfing so no I won't get an ipad or macbook instead.

[Josephvman]

Whatever you buy, get their AppleCare warranty. I had to spend $700 fixing my 2 year old 27" iMac, and if you search the web you'll find a lot of chronic issues with them. Still better than constant spyware and virus BS with windows though.

[NikonsAndVStroms]

Originally Posted by Josephvman

Whatever you buy, get their AppleCare warranty. I had to spend $700 fixing my 2 year old 27" iMac, and if you search the web you'll find a lot of chronic issues with them. Still better than constant spyware and virus BS with windows though.

Norton Internet Security and Windows 7 = virus/spyware is not an issue on either of my boxes.

[Donkey Hotey]

Originally Posted by NikonsAndVStroms

Norton Internet Security and Windows 7 = virus/spyware is not an issue on either of my boxes.

Norton can lick my sweaty, unwiped ass! Turned my computer into a fuckin' boat anchor with all of its overhead.. It found zero viruses that the free crap later scanned and dumped promptly. "Money back guarantee!" Took it back LITERALLY the next day (Best Buy).

"I'd like my money back."
"Oh, I'm sorry, that offer is from Symantec. You have to contact them directly."

Call Symantec. Try to get their customer service fucks. Finally get through after like 30 minutes. They tell me they have to send me a form or some bullshit. It never shows up. Call them again. Nothing. 30 days goes by. I have zero proof I contacted them (well, maybe a phone bill but, what am I going to do, sue them?). Fuck them. NEVER again.

[NikonsAndVStroms]

Originally Posted by Donkey Hotey

Norton can lick my sweaty, unwiped ass! Turned my computer into a fuckin' boat anchor with all of its overhead.. It found zero viruses that the free crap later scanned and dumped promptly. "Money back guarantee!" Took it back LITERALLY the next day (Best Buy).

"I'd like my money back."
"Oh, I'm sorry, that offer is from Symantec. You have to contact them directly."

Call Symantec. Try to get their customer service fucks. Finally get through after like 30 minutes. They tell me they have to send me a form or some bullshit. It never shows up. Call them again. Nothing. 30 days goes by. I have zero proof I contacted them (well, maybe a phone bill but, what am I going to do, sue them?). Fuck them. NEVER again.

I run sweeps with other apps every once in awhile and nothing pops up either, what comp were you running that it turned into a boat anchor? Even my shitty last laptop was running alright for basic tasks and I never expected more out of it. My 2 current comps are still fast as hell. I'm on the laptop and the processor is between 0-2% and RAM is @ about 2GB in use, since this one has 8GB and the workstation has 12 it's not an issue.

[Bicyclist]

Originally Posted by Fast_Boy_Slim

What great timing a brand new Imac is in the shops so now I can buy an old 2011/12 27 inch Imac or maybe a 21.5 new Imac

I'd go online to the Apple store and look at the refurbished ones. They have the same warranty as new and you save a bit. The 2011 27 inch would be the one. It has an optical drive and you can add memory should you desire. The new 21.5 is pretty much untouchable. The memory is soldered in and you can't add any and there's no optical drive because the edge is so thin. The 27" is a much better deal. And shiny!

And so that you can represent yourself as having properly drunk the Kool-aid, it's "iMac".

[Fast_Boy_Slim]

Originally Posted by Bicyclist

And so that you can represent yourself as having properly drunk the Kool-aid, it's "iMac".

Thanks I wouldn't want to make a gaff at the next club meeting

[marchyman]

Originally Posted by Fast_Boy_Slim

So Macnerds what would you recommend?

On the theory that bigger is better go with the 27". Either buy the "old" one now or order a new one that will be delivered in about 4 weeks. If you have to have a CD drive get the old one. In either case order with the smallest amount of memory that apple offers and buy the maximum amount somewhere else I've used OWC (macsales) with good results. Note that the 21.5" memory is not (easily) user upgradable in the newest model.

[NikonsAndVStroms]

Originally Posted by marchyman

On the theory that bigger is better go with the 27". Either buy the "old" one now or order a new one that will be delivered in about 4 weeks. If you have to have a CD drive get the old one. In either case order with the smallest amount of memory that apple offers and buy the maximum amount somewhere else I've used OWC (macsales) with good results. Note that the 21.5" memory is not (easily) user upgradable in the newest model.

That's an understatement, you need to completely disassemble the whole computer to get to it:

http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iMac+...ardown/11936/1

So for the 21.5 get the most you can because you're realistically not going to be changing it. But the 27" is easy to change so if you get that follow the "buy the least possible RAM" advice.

[ohgood]

Originally Posted by Fast_Boy_Slim

My 10+ year old PC has finally bitten the dust and I fancy a go on one of these IMac thingys.

What great timing a brand new Imac is in the shops so now I can buy an old 2011/12 27 inch Imac or maybe a 21.5 new Imac

So Macnerds what would you recommend?

Hackintosh

[PishPosh]

I have a pretty new (5 month old) 27" iMac. In fact I'm on it right now. i7 Quad core, 16gb ram, and dual internal SSD drives with thunderbolt ports for drive and display expansion, but above all else it's the screen that really makes this machine. Alternatively, you can get an equally powerful PC with a nice 27" ips screen for much less, but I just happen to be more comfortable on the mac platform.

Editing photos on this has been extremely enjoyable

[crazyman]

I've been a Mac nerd for a while. I'm still plucking along on my 2008 24" iMac. Although there is no real 'need' to upgrade, I'm planning to replace it with the 27" iMac with the i7 next spring. I usually repurpose my Macs after 5 years or so. So far, I've not had to throw any of them out (recycle).

I'd suggest the 27" iMac with the minimum memory. RAM is much cheaper from other vendors.

[troidus]

Or get a Mac Mini and buy the screen from someone else.

[X Banana Boy]

Hope you have better luck in finding an '11/12 old' new one on your side of the pond. Most big cities in the US have been sold out of them for a while. NYC has been sold out for over 6 weeks and they are waiting for the new 27's to arrive.