Buying a 27-inch iMac in July 2021, am I out of my mind?

[awsom82]

Further to my post #60 in this thread (and after spending some considerable time with the new 24" M1 iMac in two stores) I went ahead with the purchase of the 2020 27" 3.3GHz model, a private sale still with Apple warranty and at a huge reduction from current catalogue price.
After almost one month's use I can confirm that it's a marvellous machine, and as stated elsewhere this iMac display still can’t be beat! I'm sure that I'll be having no buyers remorse in comparison to an M1 iMac - which as a 1st gen model is very much unproven in terms of medium/long term reliability.
My plan is to retain this 2020 Intel model for the long term, as my previous 2010 27" performed faultlessly for 11 years (and still commanded an excellent resale price)! Plus there's an extra large smile on my face knowing that this is probably one of the very last totally upgradable Macs. Over the next 3-5 years or so I can see myself maxing out the Ram to 128Gb (when prices drop considerably), and even just for the fun challenge swapping out the i5 CPU for an i7-10700K.

Below: The new IMac20,1 2020 Retina 5K 27" 3.3GHz Model A2115

View attachment 1816462

Wow, what the B&W speakers 🔊 model is that?

 

[CooperBox]

Wow, what the B&W speakers 🔊 model is that?

B&W MM-1. They were expensive when new which is why I looked around and found these barely used at a great discount 4 years ago. They're marvellous (near audiophile) speakers, but frankly the sound of the 2020 iMac 27" leaves little to be desired in comparison which was another surprise bonus. The M1 iMac and especially it's speakers I tried in store were not bad, but not as good as the iMac20,1 and several on-line serious reviewers have made similar comments.
If anyone is still 'sitting-on-the fence' and can't decide whether to buy the best and latest Intel Mac over the M1, in my very satisfied experience so far I'd say "Go for the Intel", you know it makes sense! It's tried and tested, whilst the Silicon M1..........

 

[pshufd]

B&W MM-1. They were expensive when new which is why I looked around and found these barely used at a great discount 4 years ago. They're marvellous (near audiophile) speakers, but frankly the sound of the 2020 iMac 27" leaves little to be desired in comparison which was another surprise bonus. The M1 iMac and especially it's speakers I tried in store were not bad, but not as good as the iMac20,1 and several on-line serious reviewers have made similar comments.
If anyone is still 'sitting-on-the fence' and can't decide whether to buy the best and latest Intel Mac over the M1, in my very satisfied experience so far I'd say "Go for the Intel", you know it makes sense! It's tried and tested, whilst the Silicon M1..........

The 27 inch iMacs speakers are quite good. Even my 2009 is nice to use as a small television.

 

[R1PPER]

i would because I use Bootcamp and I'm not sure if a M1/2 mac can support Bootcamp? but i would buy a refurb and add my own ram. That way i don't lose too much value over the years.

 

[ADGrant]

i would because I use Bootcamp and I'm not sure if a M1/2 mac can support Bootcamp? but i would buy a refurb and add my own ram. That way i don't lose too much value over the years.

M1/2 Macs cannot support BootCamp and will never support Bootcamp.

 

[ultradk]

Further to my post #60 in this thread (and after spending some considerable time with the new 24" M1 iMac in two stores) I went ahead with the purchase of the 2020 27" 3.3GHz model, a private sale still with Apple warranty and at a huge reduction from current catalogue price.
After almost one month's use I can confirm that it's a marvellous machine, and as stated elsewhere this iMac display still can’t be beat! I'm sure that I'll be having no buyers remorse in comparison to an M1 iMac - which as a 1st gen model is very much unproven in terms of medium/long term reliability.
My plan is to retain this 2020 Intel model for the long term, as my previous 2010 27" performed faultlessly for 11 years (and still commanded an excellent resale price)! Plus there's an extra large smile on my face knowing that this is probably one of the very last totally upgradable Macs. Over the next 3-5 years or so I can see myself maxing out the Ram to 128Gb (when prices drop considerably), and even just for the fun challenge swapping out the i5 CPU for an i7-10700K.

Below: The new IMac20,1 2020 Retina 5K 27" 3.3GHz Model A2115

View attachment 1816462

Great speakers, I have them too!

 

[einsteinbqat]

I'm in the same situation.

My iMac is getting really old. It's an 2011 27-inch iMac. It's still working, only that the left ½ of the screen is now a bit darker — must be some faulty cable somewhere in the iMac.

As of today, the only 27-in iMac available is Intel-based.

The problem with Intel is that no one knows how long Apple will support the machine with new macOS upgrades. My iMac is 10 y.o. and it's still running. How long would I be able to do that with an Intel-based iMac with the transition to Apple silicon currently ongoing?

Running Windows is kind of moot because with the upcoming Windows 11 since MS requires TPM, which an iMac doesn't have. So you would be stuck running Windows 10.

So perhaps I should wait, but I really don't know…

 

[phrehdd]

Perhaps you can share - how does one calibrate the iMac screen? Seems like it is a soft calibration (profile) rather than a hardware calibration. How does the iMac handle Adobe and other colour spaces? I ask all of this as I would imagine a graphic artist would be concerned with the latter.

 

[JimWNC]

That is a good idea but I'm also worried that Apple will completely replace the iMac with the Apple Silicone model in the Apple Store as soon as it's announced, and I won't have the ability to buy one new, let alone customizing the specification to my likings.

[deleted post]

 

[Realityck]

That is a chance you would take. However, you'd still find them at other retailers, including Amazon, for awhile.

I think the current 27" iMac is a stunningly beautiful work of modern art. Shrinking the "chin" and bezel size would make it even better. The new iMac has nice features (can't beat the new Silicon architecture), but does not compare aesthetically with the current model. it looks like an oversized tablet stuck on an ugly stand. I believe the pastel colors are a fad--more appropriate for phones and entry level laptops/tablets.

I predict that if a 27+ inch space gray with black bezel model is released, it would share most popular color with silver.

On the other hand, I could have a totally wrong understanding of today's Apple consumer.

One of this things not mentioned with the 2021 24" iMac is how the back aluminum frame just bleeds the heat away after you stop running something that is heavily processor intensive (CPU/GPU). Using Macs Fan Control software I have never seen the older single fan design of the 27" iMac dissipate heat build up as quick as this much more petite 2 fan design with heat pipe. Literally you can go from 81 C to 33 C in just a few mins, amazing. The older x86 i7 27" designs lacked that heat conduction to the back of the iMac for doing the same.

 

[mikitachu]

I'm totally confused as well, but my situation is slightly different. My old iMac went out of order couple of years ago and I switched to a Windows laptop somehow. Now I'm totally disappointed in it (small screen, heating problems, OS), looking for a new system and pretty sure it should be a Mac. The question is the same - wait for new 27" or just buy an Intel one.

Of course generally I would just wait because new devices are usually better for a buck, but now I'm not sure because of two points which were mentined above:
1. RAM. I need a system for programming. Chrome + Docker + a couple of IDE windows = big memory usage. It's a 16gb cap for m1. I'm pretty sure it will be more, at least 32gb, but at what price?
2. BootCamp for playing. Looks like current Intel 27" is the last system which is all-in-one solution for gamers. At the Apple silicon era you will have to own a dedicated PC just for playing :/

Very hard decision especially considering that release date and specs are unknown.

 

[Realityck]

I'm totally confused as well, but my situation is slightly different. My old iMac went out of order couple of years ago and I switched to a Windows laptop somehow. Now I'm totally disappointed in it (small screen, heating problems, OS), looking for a new system and pretty sure it should be a Mac. The question is the same - wait for new 27" or just buy an Intel one.

Of course generally I would just wait because new devices are usually better for a buck, but now I'm not sure because of two points which were mentined above:
1. RAM. I need a system for programming. Chrome + Docker + a couple of IDE windows = big memory usage. It's a 16gb cap for m1. I'm pretty sure it will be more, at least 32gb, but at what price?
2. BootCamp for playing. Looks like current Intel 27" is the last system which is all-in-one solution for gamers. At the Apple silicon era you will have to own a dedicated PC just for playing :/

Very hard decision especially considering that release date and specs are unknown.

Against RAM the much faster unified memory access shared across CPU/GPU processing with M1 Macs seems to cut previous memory requirements for most tasks on a computer. You might find this Max Tech video from July helpful.

As far as things being comparable to boot camp, you have native VM environments progressing with Win11 and Windows for ARM support.

This site has useful status to what games are running in different states. https://www.applegamingwiki.com/wiki/Home

Just to give some additional info when deciding between current 2020 27" intel based iMacs and what comes next, (Dec 2021- April 2022) when I currently think when the M2 32" iMac is coming.

 

[CWallace]

I'm just waiting to find out if Work From Home goes permanent before I pull the trigger on a 2020 (Intel) iMac 5K to replace my 2017 iMac 5K. My workflow is very Windows-centric and BootCamp just works better for me than a VM or using macOS native Microsoft apps (Office 365 and Remote Desktop).

 

[awsom82]

I'm just waiting to find out if Work From Home goes permanent before I pull the trigger on a 2020 (Intel) iMac 5K to replace my 2017 iMac 5K. My workflow is very Windows-centric and BootCamp just works better for me than a VM or using macOS native Microsoft apps (Office 365 and Remote Desktop).

if windows centric, no doubt to get iMac 2020 and relax.

I don't tight to Windows, but iMac20 is so cool after iMac10, I have absolutely no regrets about buying it.

 

[antwormcity]

A bit of background, I'm a graphic designer who currently uses a 2018 15-inch MacBook Pro. Although the screen is spectacular, the size leaves much to be desired, so I've always wanted a bigger screen. At first, I wanted to buy a monitor so I can plug my MacBook Pro in at home, and take the laptop to work, but there's just nothing that can match Apple's Retina display, not even the 27-inch 5k LG UltraFire monitor according to this comparison.

I then shifted my attention to the 27-inch iMac, although it would be difficult to seamlessly transfer files between my MacBook Pro and the iMac, the display is significantly better than basically anything in its price range, plus you get a computer. The issue here is, with the M1X/M2 Apple Silicone on the way, does it still make sense to buy it right now, probably the last version of the current generation iMac, in the last few months of production, and I already have a pretty capable laptop from 3 years ago that I almost maxed out? I would literally be buying it for the display and the increase of gaming performance compared to my MacBook Pro.

The performance on the current 27-inch iMac is really good with its 10th generation Intel processor and AMD 5000 series GPU, it would be helpful since I do play games a bit on Bootcamp (which the MacBook Pro is already pretty capable of). But money doesn't grow on trees, and I definitely don't want my iMac and MacBook Pro to be outdated in 3 years when Apple ditches Intel support completely like it did when it made the switch from PowerPC to Intel, or develop new features exclusive to Apple Silicone processors, leaving my two computers that costed almost $10k when new useless.

Could you buy a high quality 4K display for your workflow? Does 5K seem essential? I would prioritize color reproduction and stay with your workflow of connecting an external display.

Personally, for me an external display and laptop gives me mobility and modularity for upgrade. If I need a standalone system, I can always go souped up Mac Mini (Maybe Intel ones are still being sold if you need compatibility with your software tools).

Look into Eizo ColorEdge series, 5 year warranty, (or equivalent NEC models), high quality displays and you can upgrade your 'computer' when you like per Apple's schedule. Get a Mac Mini (M1 w/ Pro? release) later if you like. I ditched drooling over Apple made displays and iMacs, they lose their luster (a.k.a become "obsolete" from latest/greatest) fast. For my photo editing, detailed diagraming/design work or coding I can live with lower pixel density on a 4K display yet have my money's worth for close to 10 years of flawless display use.

Read up some reviews if you like, invest in a monitor not in an All-In-one that is getting harder and harder to upgrade.

 

[awsom82]

Could you buy a high quality 4K display for your workflow? Does 5K seem essential? I would prioritize color reproduction and stay with your workflow of connecting an external display.

Personally, for me an external display and laptop gives me mobility and modularity for upgrade. If I need a standalone system, I can always go souped up Mac Mini (Maybe Intel ones are still being sold if you need compatibility with your software tools).

Look into Eizo ColorEdge series, 5 year warranty, (or equivalent NEC models), high quality displays and you can upgrade your 'computer' when you like per Apple's schedule. Get a Mac Mini (M1 w/ Pro? release) later if you like. I ditched drooling over Apple made displays and iMacs, they lose their luster (a.k.a become "obsolete" from latest/greatest) fast. For my photo editing, detailed diagraming/design work or coding I can live with lower pixel density on a 4K display yet have my money's worth for close to 10 years of flawless display use.

Read up some reviews if you like, invest in a monitor not in an All-In-one that is getting harder and harder to upgrade.

Don't read reviews, just get what you want. Upgrades are always a marketing, iMac perfectly upgrades. But it useless, once you need upgrade, its better to get whole new system at once, its cheaper and realible. + all those monitors + cables, all that mess.

But iMac is iMac.. its complete thing. Unbox, plug and enjoy.

NB Sorry for words, im **** whole day with nodejs, and drinking my beer now... iMac 2020 is incredible machine.
PS If you need a machine now, go for it. I do, and I have no regrets about it.

 

[Freida]

You have a capable computer at home already as you say. New computers are coming fairly soon (sure the iMac might be in spring but the M1X chips will be out in fall so wait till then to see what is the minimum performance you will get).

I think its crazy to buy an iMac right now especially when you have a machine at home. It will be outdated very fast not in terms of hardware (that too of course) but in terms of software and that is a big one.

If you didn't have a computer at home than it would be much harder to choose the right solution but this is easy. In 2-3 months we will see the blazing speed (and future) of M chips, then its xmas and then few weeks later spring. Waiting won't be that hard if its spring event.

I'm in the same boat but I can manage. I hate my 15" MBP but I just can't bring myself to buy the cooking machine that Intel is.

Also, Apple might release the display so if its fall then problem solved. You get the display and you are golden. Eventually you will have the option of iMac or Mac Mini (or even Mini Mac Pro).

So, just wait. Its around the corner.

Another factor I have to consider is the fact that I already have a decently spec'd MacBook Pro that's capable of doing nearly everything I need, minus things like the screen size. I'm just worried that with the introduction of the new generation iMac, I will miss the ability to swap RAM, install Windows natively with Bootcamp, and run games better than my current laptop. Damn this is hard.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Also, Apple might release the display so if its fall then problem solved. You get the display and you are golden. Eventually you will have the option of iMac or Mac Mini (or even Mini Mac Pro).

So, just wait. Its around the corner.

What Apple display to be released?
I think the 32" Pro XDR has already been on shelves, hasn't it?

Get the 32" 6k Pro XDR and you are golden,
.... if your pocket and your Mac can afford it.

 

[Freida]

Apple is meant to release a consumer level display. Thats the one I was referring to.
XDR is too expensive and overkill for most people

What Apple display to be released?
I think the 32" Pro XDR has already been on shelves, hasn't it?

Get the 32" 6k Pro XDR and you are golden,
.... if your pocket and your Mac can afford it.

 

[CWallace]

What Apple display to be released?

Rumor mill says Apple will release a new Thunderbolt Display using the same panel as whatever the larger iMac gets.

Would love for them to announce it with the MacBook Pros since those will be the models it would be most popular with, but they might wait until the iMac so as to not leak what the new iMac will have.

 

[antwormcity]

We are all going to get older waiting for new displays from Apple, how long has it been already since the last Apple display got discontinued? I'd invest $6K in crypto than get the XDR display, most of us don't need it.

There are more toys to get and compelling options in the market. Buy when you need something, one day we will see an LG Ultrafine price point true Apple display as a replacement that can perform well enough.

 

[CWallace]

So permanent WFH has been confirmed, so just snagged a 2020 27" with 8GB/1TB/5700 from the refurb store for $2379. Add another $180 for 32GB of aftermarket RAM and I am all set.

Do wish the Apple Card installment plan worked on refurbs, but looks like new only so did it on PayPal to get 6 months SAC (I could have paid for it in one go, but I like to even out my cash flow).

I need "native" Windows support and Boot Camp on my 2017 5K has been really solid. And I like being able to access my ADFS partitions in Boot Camp (via Paragon Software) so I just think staying on an Intel iMac 5K is the best solution for me. And I am so spoiled by Retina now the thought of going to non-Retina under macOS just makes me break out in hives.

I will be buying a 14" or 16" "M1X" MacBook Pro to replace my 2017 15.4" MacBook Pro so I will be able to take advantage of Apple Silicon.

 

[Mr Screech]

I just ordered one. Why?
I don't see the new AS iMacs supporting user-upgradable 128gb, or 128gb at all.
And if you'd want 128gb you probably have to pay an insane premium.
I'm afraid once the new series is released, the intel options vanish from the store.

M1 is a great machine btw, been using it since january, it's just ram starved for my needs.

 

[AlexMaximus]

So permanent WFH has been confirmed, so just snagged a 2020 27" with 8GB/1TB/5700 from the refurb store for $2379. Add another $180 for 32GB of aftermarket RAM and I am all set.

Do wish the Apple Card installment plan worked on refurbs, but looks like new only so did it on PayPal to get 6 months SAC (I could have paid for it in one go, but I like to even out my cash flow).

I need "native" Windows support and Boot Camp on my 2017 5K has been really solid. And I like being able to access my ADFS partitions in Boot Camp (via Paragon Software) so I just think staying on an Intel iMac 5K is the best solution for me. And I am so spoiled by Retina now the thought of going to non-Retina under macOS just makes me break out in hives.

I will be buying a 14" or 16" "M1X" MacBook Pro to replace my 2017 15.4" MacBook Pro so I will be able to take advantage of Apple Silicon.

Same here, I can’t live without bootcamp. My trusty Mac Pro 5.1 was a win/OSMac hybrid ever since, so I made a decision to not go with the flow. I ordered a mint condition, slightly used iMac Pro standard model with the better Vega64 gpu for 2400. I have been flirting with that when it came out. It’l arrive tomorrow afternoon with 6 month left on Apple Care. It’s a lot older and slower then yours, but that’s what I wanted. Since I keep my 5.1, this will be a nice welcomed add-on, especially because I can split purpose and dedicate everything to multiple rigs.

 

[ADGrant]

I'm totally confused as well, but my situation is slightly different. My old iMac went out of order couple of years ago and I switched to a Windows laptop somehow. Now I'm totally disappointed in it (small screen, heating problems, OS), looking for a new system and pretty sure it should be a Mac. The question is the same - wait for new 27" or just buy an Intel one.

Of course generally I would just wait because new devices are usually better for a buck, but now I'm not sure because of two points which were mentined above:
1. RAM. I need a system for programming. Chrome + Docker + a couple of IDE windows = big memory usage. It's a 16gb cap for m1. I'm pretty sure it will be more, at least 32gb, but at what price?
2. BootCamp for playing. Looks like current Intel 27" is the last system which is all-in-one solution for gamers. At the Apple silicon era you will have to own a dedicated PC just for playing :/

Very hard decision especially considering that release date and specs are unknown.

If you want lots of RAM for Docker and your IDEs and want to run Windows using Bootcamp for games, your choices are not confusing at all. Unless you are rich enough to buy a Mac Pro you should buy a 2020 iMac with either the i7 or i9 CPU and one of the higher end GPUs (the maxed out option comes with 16GB of video ram). Don't buy the system RAM from Apple though, unlike most Macs the 27" iMac has user upgradeable RAM.