Advice on used iMac purchase for high schoolers...

[brystal4211]

I did a bit of searching on the forum, but thought I'd ask my specific questions in a new post - hope it's not too redundant.

I'm looking to replace our 2006 iMac with a newer one. It will be used by my two teenage boys, mostly for school work, surfing and some gaming. So...nothing all that taxing. I do want a model that will perform efficiently/quickly and will last for their needs for the next 5-6 years (ideally).

21.5" vs 27" - 21.5 is probably just fine for them (the 2006 is a 20"), but I can't help but be drawn to the 27". Other than the obvious screen size decision, are there other factors to consider (for instance, I understand the RAM is upgradeable on the 27").

Model year - any particular models/years to stay away from?

RAM - I'm leaning toward 16gb for a 21.5", since I won't be able to upgrade it later, and I guess I don't care that much on the 27", since it's easily upgradeable.

HD - obviously everything I read points toward the Fusion or SSD option, not only for speed, but for long-term reliability. How critical is that?

I started out looking at Apple refurbished iMacs, which certainly is a safe approach. But I am also entertaining the following models on my local craigslist:

• Late 2013 21.5", 2.7ghz i5, 16 gb RAM, 1 TB HD, Iris Pro - for $435
• Late 2012 27", 3.4ghz i7, 32 gb RAM, 1 TB Fusion, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX with 2GB of GDDR5 -memory - for $850

Both seem like good buys for what they are; I almost pulled the trigger on the 21.5" one, figuring for $400, how can I go wrong? But...wanted to give it a little more thought. I'm wondering if the 27" with it's higher specs would "last" longer? Not to mention the 27" screen may be nice.

Or...go with a newer model?

Thanks for any advice.
[doublepost=1512099343][/doublepost]Also just found a late 2015 21.5" model - pretty much the base model, but with the 256gb SSD upgrade. They are asking $599. Perhaps that's a good way to go for the newer model and SSD?

 

[evoga]

It would be more prudent to buy low spec iMac for the children’s school work and web browsing and a Xbox X for the gaming - this would beat any iMac you purchase at gaming.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

I did a bit of searching on the forum, but thought I'd ask my specific questions in a new post - hope it's not too redundant.

I'm looking to replace our 2006 iMac with a newer one. It will be used by my two teenage boys, mostly for school work, surfing and some gaming. So...nothing all that taxing. I do want a model that will perform efficiently/quickly and will last for their needs for the next 5-6 years (ideally).

21.5" vs 27" - 21.5 is probably just fine for them (the 2006 is a 20"), but I can't help but be drawn to the 27". Other than the obvious screen size decision, are there other factors to consider (for instance, I understand the RAM is upgradeable on the 27").

Model year - any particular models/years to stay away from?

RAM - I'm leaning toward 16gb for a 21.5", since I won't be able to upgrade it later, and I guess I don't care that much on the 27", since it's easily upgradeable.

HD - obviously everything I read points toward the Fusion or SSD option, not only for speed, but for long-term reliability. How critical is that?

I started out looking at Apple refurbished iMacs, which certainly is a safe approach. But I am also entertaining the following models on my local craigslist:

• Late 2013 21.5", 2.7ghz i5, 16 gb RAM, 1 TB HD, Iris Pro - for $435
• Late 2012 27", 3.4ghz i7, 32 gb RAM, 1 TB Fusion, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX with 2GB of GDDR5 -memory - for $850

Both seem like good buys for what they are; I almost pulled the trigger on the 21.5" one, figuring for $400, how can I go wrong? But...wanted to give it a little more thought. I'm wondering if the 27" with it's higher specs would "last" longer? Not to mention the 27" screen may be nice.

Or...go with a newer model?

Thanks for any advice.
[doublepost=1512099343][/doublepost]Also just found a late 2015 21.5" model - pretty much the base model, but with the 256gb SSD upgrade. They are asking $599. Perhaps that's a good way to go for the newer model and SSD?

Don’t get the 1TB fusion unless it’s 2013 or older as the newer ones only came with a 24gb or 32gb cache.

To be honest that final one with the ssd is a bargain it sounds like the 1080p version with MacBook Air internals but that should be fine for the kids except for gaming performance it will be fairly poo at that.

I would go for the 2012 27 inch it is expensive for 5 years old but that spec is huge!

The 2013 will be absolutely fine and is a great price but app loading and boot times will be slow because of the HDD, although at that price paying someone to add an ssd in there is certainly a possibility and may be worth the effort.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"I do want a model that will perform efficiently/quickly and will last for their needs for the next 5-6 years (ideally)."

If you want something that's going to keep going that long, then you should be looking at either the 2017 lineup, or perhaps an Apple-refurbished 2015 model.

Here's a -new old stock- 2015. Comes with Apple factory warranty, and you can get AppleCare if you want it. More than $900 off the original "Apple 2015 price":
https://www.ebay.com/itm/202117459305?siteId=0&AdChoicePreference=true&rmvSB=true
(No financial interest -- just saw a good deal a few days' back and saved it)

 

[carlvsam]

It would be more prudent to buy low spec iMac for the children’s school work and web browsing and a Xbox X for the gaming - this would beat any iMac you purchase at gaming.

It depends on the type of game one's interested in of course - a console is a very poor choice for those who are into strategy games (i.e.: Civilization, Factorio, etc.)

 

[brystal4211]

Many thanks for the responses. Sounds like the used ones I've found are all decent options, but I may want to think a bit newer if the goal is to have a machine that serves the purpose for the next 5-6 years.

 

[kschendel]

I'd avoid anything older than the late 2012 because that's when USB 3.0 came to the iMac.

Given their likely usage, almost any spec iMac will work. I think it's prudent to try to stay with 16 Gb RAM or more, and unless the price is in the can't-say-no range, I agree that the 1 Tb Fusion drives are to be avoided except for 2013 and late 2012. I'm not sure I would worry too much about screen size. You can probably do OK with 256 Gb SSD, but unless the boys have a little storage discipline, that might get tight over time. You can always add external storage, but you might do better with 512 Gb or more, or the 2 Tb Fusion.

If you're serious about keeping the machine for 5 years or more, see what you can find in a 2015 or newer. iMacs certainly can serve 9 or 10 years -- we have an early 2009 iMac with SSD upgrade that's got at least another year in it -- but a lot depends on usage, and if they get into anything heavy duty in college, a 2012/2013 might struggle a bit.

 

[brystal4211]

OP wrote:
"I do want a model that will perform efficiently/quickly and will last for their needs for the next 5-6 years (ideally)."

If you want something that's going to keep going that long, then you should be looking at either the 2017 lineup, or perhaps an Apple-refurbished 2015 model.

Here's a -new old stock- 2015. Comes with Apple factory warranty, and you can get AppleCare if you want it. More than $900 off the original "Apple 2015 price":
https://www.ebay.com/itm/202117459305?siteId=0&AdChoicePreference=true&rmvSB=true
(No financial interest -- just saw a good deal a few days' back and saved it)

This one certainly looks interesting. I may end up with it. Thanks!

 

[brystal4211]

Just purchased that one from eBay - so brand new late 2015 27", 3.30 ghz i5, 8gb RAM, 2 TB Fusion. $1,360 and I get the Apple 1 year warranty (as opposed to buying pre-owned as I was thinking). Probably more computer than they need, but it should certainly last.

Again, thanks for the advice - helped a lot!

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Just purchased that one from eBay - so brand new late 2015 27", 3.30 ghz i5, 8gb RAM, 2 TB Fusion. $1,360 and I get the Apple 1 year warranty (as opposed to buying pre-owned as I was thinking). Probably more computer than they need, but it should certainly last.

Again, thanks for the advice - helped a lot!

An absolute bargain and a good computer with an amazing screen you will love that 5 k screen.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

If you're still reading, how about a follow-up post on that iMac you ordered from ebay (since I'm the one who recommended it)?