How idiotic would this be?

[profmjh]

I currently have a 21.5 inch, late 2015, iMac with a 3.1GHz i5 processor and 8GB RAM, running Monterey 12.7.6

So far as I know it has no problems and is doing stirling work. I don’t ask much of it.

Presumably it’s going to die eventually. My original plan was for wait for that to happen. (How long do they last?)

I saw the new M4 iMacs and — this is where it gets trivial and idiotic — I don’t like the colours. But I loved last year’s red M3s. Obviously Apple isn’t selling those any more. Amazon has two in stock.

How dumb would it be to buy one? I guess there are two issues: might my 2015 model motor on for many years to come? And how much better is the new M4 than last year’s M3?

 

[russell_314]

If you’re making do with a Mac from 2015. Either one of those is going to be more powerful than what you need. I wouldn’t even consider that as part of the equation.

The downside is going to be the M3 iMac is going to have one less year of support. For someone that keeps their iMac for a decade that might be important.

Unless you’re getting a significant discount, I wouldn’t do it. I guess if the color bothered you that much maybe. I haven’t looked at the new ones, but I had an M one iMac and the one thing that did bother me as you didn’t see much of the color.. The dark color part is on the backside that you don’t see. The screen was outlined with white regardless of the color you got, and the stand was very lightly colored. I haven’t looked at the new ones so maybe it’s different. If there anything like the M1 iMac, don’t expect much color.

 

[profmjh]

If you’re making do with a Mac from 2015. Either one of those is going to be more powerful than what you need. I wouldn’t even consider that as part of the equation.

The downside is going to be the M3 iMac is going to have one less year of support. For someone that keeps their iMac for a decade that might be important.

Unless you’re getting a significant discount, I wouldn’t do it. I guess if the color bothered you that much maybe. I haven’t looked at the new ones, but I had an M one iMac and the one thing that did bother me as you didn’t see much of the color.. The dark color part is on the backside that you don’t see. The screen was outlined with white regardless of the color you got, and the stand was very lightly colored. I haven’t looked at the new ones so maybe it’s different. If there anything like the M1 iMac, don’t expect much color.

Thanks. I appreciate your thoughtful input.

 

[kagharaht]

The iMacs last a long long time. Hardware wise it's really good. Software or OS is what kills it. My late 2013 iMac, yeah kinda slow but I put in an external SSD sped it up a bit. The OS stuck with Catalina was failing miserably with iCloud services and App not supported anymore. Including things like Topaz and so forth. So I'm keeping my M3 until the OS becomes obsolete and no longer updated by Apple and Apps I want to use.

 

[russell_314]

Thanks. I appreciate your thoughtful input.

The only other thought that came to mind is I believe the M4 iMac base model starts at 16 GB RAM versus 8 GB for the M3. Double check that because I haven’t looked up the specs for the new one. If I’m correct it means you’re getting a $200 upgrade included on the M4

 

[profmjh]

I've decided to upgrade. I found a 8/10 M3 iMac (i.e. the higher spec model) on Amazon for £1,299 — so the same price as the lower spec new model. What I don't get is the 16GB of RAM. But I do get the four ports and the Touch ID keyboard. And more cores. I don't suppose I will gain much from the increased processing power, but the larger screen is welcome, as is having the most up-to-date MacOS. And a computer which I hope will last me nearly another decade.

 

[Fishrrman]

I'd suggest the m4, but if you can get a good price on an m3, guess that's good enough...

 

[wilberforce]

I've decided to upgrade. I found a 8/10 M3 iMac (i.e. the higher spec model) on Amazon for £1,299 — so the same price as the lower spec new model. What I don't get is the 16GB of RAM. But I do get the four ports and the Touch ID keyboard. And more cores. I don't suppose I will gain much from the increased processing power, but the larger screen is welcome, as is having the most up-to-date MacOS. And a computer which I hope will last me nearly another decade.

It is a bit confusing what you are actually getting. But if you are getting a machine with 8GB RAM I suggest that is almost certainly a mistake. Not certainly, but almost certainly a mistake, given the options. Especially if you want it to "last" a decade, which is optimistic anyway.