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the8thark

macrumors 601
Apr 18, 2011
4,628
1,735
My 2011 27-inch Intel iMac died.
My suggestion?

Get a cheap replacement iMac on Ebay. Anything that will get the job done till next year.
Then next year buy a Pro or Max iMac and sell the replacement intel iMac for cheap.

This is exactly what I did when my 2011, 21.5 iMac died. Video card failed. I bought a cheap 27 inch 2012 iMac as a temp replacement. I also sold the broken 2011 iMac on ebay for parts and actually got a buyer. Mind you the price was uber low but better a few $$ than nothing.
Now, just like you I hit for a M1P or M1M and I will get one of those next year.

Note well, if you need the optical drive, you can get the super drive now and it will be good on your 2012 or later replacement iMac as well as your future M1. Just remember the cable on the super drive is USB A and hard wired to the device so you will need a USB A to USB C convertor dongle for the M1.
 

einsteinbqat

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 3, 2012
502
432
Canada
My suggestion?

Get a cheap replacement iMac on Ebay. Anything that will get the job done till next year.
Then next year buy a Pro or Max iMac and sell the replacement intel iMac for cheap.

This is exactly what I did when my 2011, 21.5 iMac died. Video card failed. I bought a cheap 27 inch 2012 iMac as a temp replacement. I also sold the broken 2011 iMac on ebay for parts and actually got a buyer. Mind you the price was uber low but better a few $$ than nothing.
Now, just like you I hit for a M1P or M1M and I will get one of those next year.

Note well, if you need the optical drive, you can get the super drive now and it will be good on your 2012 or later replacement iMac as well as your future M1. Just remember the cable on the super drive is USB A and hard wired to the device so you will need a USB A to USB C convertor dongle for the M1.

I’m going to go for a laptop. Might even keep it when the Mx 27-inch iMac is release for whenever I move around or travel. Might be useful in the end.
 

the8thark

macrumors 601
Apr 18, 2011
4,628
1,735
I’m going to go for a laptop. Might even keep it when the Mx 27-inch iMac is release for whenever I move around or travel. Might be useful in the end.
Fair enough. That is your choice. If you can handle the smaller screen, a M1P MBP might suit your needs. Then you do not need to purchase the iMac at all.
 

Realityck

macrumors G4
Nov 9, 2015
11,423
17,216
Silicon Valley, CA
I’m going to go for a laptop. Might even keep it when the Mx 27-inch iMac is release for whenever I move around or travel. Might be useful in the end.
The new MBP laptop has the most flexibilities. You can use it standalone, either mobile or desktop, with a external monitor, or driving a 4K TV for entertainment via HDMI port. Where it gets interesting is when you are actually comparing the thermals between a larger iMac which is sorta a laptop that wants to be a desktop anyway and the latest MBP's. I am not sure that a redesigned iMac is going to offer anything over comparable MBP except for the built in very large display. They reworked the thermals a lot this time.

It used to be the iMac was more desirable because the intel laptops got so hot when using processor intensive applications. The 27" iMacs still got plenty hot and having that small opening in the back for heat to exhaust was stupid, but at least you weren't touching it. The small 24" iMac redesign for the dual fan implication offers much better cooling comparably. The intake and exhaust are below the chin left and right of the base stand. The heat is also radiated off the metal case as it gets away from the chin in the rear. I am very impressed with what it represents in a very compact computer design.

So can the future 27" iMac do as good a job thermally as the 16" MBP, that's the real question? I hope they are able to do it, because it will need it.
 
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ADGrant

macrumors 68000
Mar 26, 2018
1,689
1,059
It used to be the iMac was more desirable because the intel laptops got so hot when using processor intensive applications. The 27" iMacs still got plenty hot and having that small opening in the back for heat to exhaust was stupid, but at least you weren't touching it. The small 24" iMac redesign for the dual fan implication offers much better cooling comparably. The intake and exhaust are below the chin left and right of the base stand. The heat is also radiated off the metal case as it gets away from the chin in the rear. I am very impressed with what it represents in a very compact computer design.

So can the future 27" iMac do as good a job thermally as the 16" MBP, that's the real question? I hope they are able to do it, because it will need it.

The 27" iMacs have desktop GPUs and CPUs in them so they are a lot faster than any Intel MacBook. I have found my 2020 i9 to run cooler and quieter than my old 15" MBP too.

The new M1 Max 16" MBP is faster than a full specced 2020 27" iMac for many or even most tasks so using one with a large monitor is a good alternative to an iMac.
 
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