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21.5" Base Model

Buerkletucson

Buerkletucson

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 12, 2015
507
298
Minnesota
I already own a 2017 iMac 27" Retina for our main machine.....

I want to get a 21.5" iMac for my workshop.....my question concerns the display.
How does the base display compare to the Retina model? Is there that big of difference?
I want to keep the price down as much as possible but don't want to be completely disappointed.....

Anyone have the base model and are happy with it or did you wish you would of got the Retina?

Thanks.....
 
What would it be used for?

The 21.5 base model not only has the lower resolution screen but also has an integrated GPU instead of a dedicated one and a slower CPU. For the price difference, the base 4k (with a SSD) has a much better value.
 
Glmnet1 said:
What would it be used for?

The 21.5 base model not only has the lower resolution screen but also has an integrated GPU instead of a dedicated one and a slower CPU. For the price difference, the base 4k (with a SSD) has a much better value.
Click to expand...

Since this is a secondary machine......
Basic stuff like web surfing, documents for equipment maintenance, forums, and some video on Youtube DYI.
Probably run Parallels on occasion for WIN only Apps.
Occasional remoting into my work Windows machine.

Yea, I hear what your saying.....little hesitant to get a non-retina model.
Appreciate your input....
 
The OTHER item to consider with the 21.5-inch iMac:
The standard storage drive in the 21.5-inch iMac is a 2.5-inch, 5400 rpm hard drive.
Your 27-inch is not even available with just a hard drive. All have either a fusion drive or SSD (flash) only.
I would not suggest that anyone buy a new iMac with only a (slow) spinning hard drive with today's macOS.
 
You'll be buying tech which is already outdated for a few years at today's price (for the base 21.5-inch model with a 1080P screen and 5400rpm spinning hard drive). Not worth it.
 
Buy it - its fine.

I have a 27" 5k iMac, and also a 2011 21.5" model (which is obviously inferior to the 2017 model). The 2011 model is just fine for basic internet and usage. Im sure the 2017 model is even better.

If price is of *upmost* concern, no worries IMHO.
 
2011 iMac was quite different. That 21.5-inch iMac at least had a 7200rpm hard drive (not a laptop drive), and easy to upgrade both RAM and hard drive, so it's not much comparison with later iMacs with same screen size.
 
DeltaMac said:
2011 iMac was quite different. That 21.5-inch iMac at least had a 7200rpm hard drive (not a laptop drive), and easy to upgrade both RAM and hard drive, so it's not much comparison with later iMacs with same screen size.
Click to expand...
Ha - never realized this. Maybe the OP should just get a used 2011! I got mine few years ago from PC Liquidations - its run great and never had a problem. Especially for the $ its been a great purchase.
 
Price being a major factor, I was going to recommend buying a Windows PC all-in-one until I read "...don't want to be completely disappointed..." Lol

If all you're doing is basic stuff, the base iMac is as basic as it gets. The display is good enough (it's not going to win any beauty contests), the preinstalled hard drive is slow, but if you have plenty of patience it will get you to where you're going eventually. The 8GB of RAM is still more than enough for basic workloads.

Just my $0.02...
 
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Thanks guys for your responses......

I guess I need to look at the specs closer.....never realized, or I assumed, it was like the 27" and all of them had the base Fusion drive with option for SSD.
Bummer.

I won't buy one with a basic HD......looks like I'm spending more cash.
Actually, an iMac mini would suit my workshop purpose beautifully.......to bad they haven't been updated since 2014!

Windows......nope, have to deal with them all day long at work. Don't want more BS at home...... ;)
WIN10 forces updates down your throat.......with absolutely no option to turn it off or notify only. Only way around is to tell it you have a throttled network connection.....what BS.

Parallels is the closest I'll get to a Windows machine at home.
 
Did you consider a laptop instead of a secondary iMac? For about the same price as the machine you're now considering you could get a base MBP or MB and have the possibility to move it around instead of leaving it in your workshop. These machines come with SSD by default and the specs are fine for what you need.
 
Glmnet1 said:
Did you consider a laptop instead of a secondary iMac? For about the same price as the machine you're now considering you could get a base MBP or MB and have the possibility to move it around instead of leaving it in your workshop. These machines come with SSD by default and the specs are fine for what you need.
Click to expand...

I was going to recommend the OP look into refurbished Macs. There was a promotion yesterday on Newegg for a 2011 MacBook Pro 13" for $379 -- down from $999 (62% discount) with 2.5GHz dual-core i5, 4GB of RAM, and 320GB 7200rpm hard drive. You could easily upgrade the RAM to 8GB and add an SSD if you want for better performance and it wouldn't cost you that much. I'm sure there are great refurbished iMacs, too.
 
Yea, I've considered that.......I do have a Macbook but don't want to tie it up for this purpose as I use it for work.
My setup needs a large monitor as I work on machines and maintenance in the workshop and need to see it from some distance, so I'd need an additional larger monitor in addition.
Mobility is not really needed as I have a nice large workbench area where an iMac would work out nicely.

I see for $100 more I can upgrade to a Fusion drive over the standard HD on any of the 21.5" iMacs.......so the retina vs standard display is my only remaining decision.

Appreciate the comments......
 
I ended up purchasing the 21.5" iMac with Fusion drive.........delivers next week.
Thanks for the feedback.

21.5-inch iMac with Retina 4K display
Hardware
  • 3.0GHz quad-core 7th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz
  • 8GB 2400MHz DDR4
  • 1TB Fusion Drive
  • Radeon Pro 555 with 2GB video memory
  • Magic Mouse 2
  • Magic Keyboard - US English
  • Accessory Kit
Software
  • Pages, Numbers, Keynote
  • Photos, iMovie, GarageBand
  • macOS
 
They delivered my custom 21.5" iMac on Friday......
I made a last minute change to the order and went with the 512 SSD option instead of the base Fusion.
Love it for my workshop......along with my swivel wall mount it works slick.

IMG_2135.jpg
 
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