21.5" 2013 vs 2015 for Casual Use?

[jmon22]

Greetings,

Picked up my first Apple computer, mid-level 2013 21.5" iMac with the 2.7ghz quad core and wondering if I should spend a bit more and upgrade to the 2015 with the similar specs for ~$95.

I am a very casual user. Web browsing with occasional video watching mixed in. Wife does the same, plus some light photo and video editing. Is the updated processor, Thunderbolt 2 ports, and new mouse and keyboard even worth the small amount it will cost me to upgrade? Resale might also be a plus if we decide to upgrade down the line.

Thanks!

 

[Yaccity]

Is the 2015 version retina or no?

 

[jmon22]

Is the 2015 version retina or no?

Non retina. Only differences would be those listed unless I missed something else.

 

[Yaccity]

You should be perfectly fine with the 2013. Just make sure you have El Capitan installed to take advantage of Metal.

 

[maflynn]

I think the 2013 may represent a better buy, the fusion drive has a larger amount of flash storage and its has a nice nvidia GPU

 

[jmon22]

I think the 2013 may represent a better buy, the fusion drive has a larger amount of flash storage and its has a nice nvidia GPU

I actually pulled the trigger on the 2015 so I could compare the two. These are open box new so I am limited to the stock 5400 hdds. If this ever hinders my use (can't notice much of a difference so far) I will buy and load from an external ssd and still save a bundle over a configured new one. Thanks everyone!

 

[Benny-]

I have similar requirements, Photoshop, web browsing and media consumption.
The 2010 21.5" iMac still still suits this role perfectly, the only reason I don't use it much is that portability has become more important for me.

 

[maflynn]

I actually pulled the trigger on the 2015 so I could compare the two.

Congrats and good luck. There's nothing wrong with the 2015 model, though I do think overall the 2013 is a nice computer.

 

[Dr@gonXP]

I have a 2013 iMac, 2.9 Ghz, Nvidia Graphics, 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD blade for Causal Use and it works perfectly for me.

 

[Serban]

For 95$ why not?