How many people's 24" iMac is still running strong?

[wolfied]

fast replies

People are really replying here so fast! Wow, amazing.

Thank you all for the kind replies.

The machine has these properties;
3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo; 4 GB 800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM; NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS 512 MB and Lion 10.7.5 was installed.

Have no idea whether the OS is new or old.

Again, I'm living in Europe and the prices are a little up in here :-( I wish I would have the chance to buy one in US and bring it here.

I would also be concerned that the 2007/2008 aluminum iMacs with ATI gfx cards WILL NOT be supported with the next OS update.

In this case, this iMac won't be affected from the next OS update, since it's Nvidia, right?

 

[talmy]

You are absolutely right with the price being a little bit up but I can't change the market because I'm not living in US. I wish I have a chance to purchase those 21.5" refurbished and shipped it to Europe.

For daily usage (word/excel) and an a little bit of photo editing, is it a fine computer?

In that case, go for it! It will perform just fine.

----------

Lion 10.7.5 was installed.

Have no idea whether the OS is new or old.

New, and not transferable (it's only available from the App Store and App Store software is non-transferrable). Try to get the original OS install disks if possible. Otherwise get an external drive and clone the internal to it so you have a means of recovery if the drive fails.

 

[wolfied]

You guys really rock!

I will ask for the OS discs if possible. I think you guys will be my only contact if I am in need because none of my friends has iMac :-/

Don't take it wrong but it might be a business area to buy iMac (refurbished) and sell in Europe. Just an option

Also I won't be affected with the next update; non supporting the ATI, hopefully. Right?

 

[dannylillhtc]

You guys really rock!

I will ask for the OS discs if possible. I think you guys will be my only contact if I am in need because none of my friends has iMac :-/

Don't take it wrong but it might be a business area to buy iMac (refurbished) and sell in Europe. Just an option

Also I won't be affected with the next update; non supporting the ATI, hopefully. Right?

same machine ive got and for web browsing and photo editing its not much slower than my 2012 13" mbp, macbook is faster cause of ssd and more ram but for general tasks its great and runs mountain lion a treat i paid about £600 for mine a few months ago here int he uk so $900 sounds about right in the european market, as for next os should be supported, and will run mountain lion which is worth the £20 or so from the app store. the forums here are friendly and helpful with a good collection of european members so there is normally someone about who can help

 

[benjai]

Considering that, most of your 24" iMacs are running perfectly, I can buy a second hand one with 1 TB HDD and 4 GB DD2 Ram at a price of around 900 USD.

I'm using a very old desktop computer atm and not using it for games (it wouldn't work also ). So, for a daily use and a bit for photo editing, would you guys suggest me this old -rock solid- computer?

Thanks,
Wolfied

I have a first gen alu imac albeit upgraded with an SSD and it flies. However, it was getting pretty slow without the SSD and hence the upgrade. I don't think I'd get it if you didn't plan to put an SSD in (its actually pretty straightforward).

 

[wolfied]

I have a first gen alu imac albeit upgraded with an SSD and it flies. However, it was getting pretty slow without the SSD and hence the upgrade. I don't think I'd get it if you didn't plan to put an SSD in (its actually pretty straightforward).

I better try first as to how fast it "flies". Is there any chance to add a secondary HDD (ssd) to iMac and load the iOS to that ssd and use the 1 tb HDD as a back up? Do I ask too foolish? :-o

 

[mcbarre]

Maximum RAM Limitation

Mine is working well, but its 4GB RAM limit (6GB) is what is making me desire a recent model. Aperture is where I expend the most of my time in, for anything else it works fine (i'm not a gamer)

 

[rdsii64]

old but not out

Believe it or not, I run FCP X on my 2009 24 inch iMac. As long as I use proxy media It works fine. As bad as I want a new(er) machine this one still has some life in it.

 

[dannylillhtc]

I better try first as to how fast it "flies". Is there any chance to add a secondary HDD (ssd) to iMac and load the iOS to that ssd and use the 1 tb HDD as a back up? Do I ask too foolish? :-o

thats perfectly possible, but the best way would be buy an fw800 enclosure for the 1tb and install the ssd

 

[Mike in Kansas]

I better try first as to how fast it "flies". Is there any chance to add a secondary HDD (ssd) to iMac and load the iOS to that ssd and use the 1 tb HDD as a back up? Do I ask too foolish? :-o

You could rip the optical drive out and put an SSD or HDD in there. However, on the 2007/2008 iMacs the ODD connects to a PATA bus. I opted to swap my internal HDD for an SSD then made a home-grown Fusion Drive with my internal SSD and a 2 TB external FW800 drive. Works great.

 

[dannylillhtc]

You could rip the optical drive out and put an SSD or HDD in there. However, on the 2007/2008 iMacs the ODD connects to a PATA bus. I opted to swap my internal HDD for an SSD then made a home-grown Fusion Drive with my internal SSD and a 2 TB external FW800 drive. Works great.

yep thats the reason i suggested the fw800 enclosure, the pata bus on the optical drive is a massive limiting factor in installing dual drives.

 

[fireman32]

I just picked up last week a used 2009 24" iMac and I am in love with it. It runs like a champ and is almost as fast as my 2011 MBP. The only thing I need to do is upgrade the ram from 4gb to 8gb.

 

[wolfied]

a new question

Hello guys,

I need your experiences.

As I told you earlier, I was planning to buy the below machine as a second hand but I've just found a newer machine.

This is the first machine I found:
3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo; 4 GB 800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM; NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS 512 MB , 1 TB HDD, 24" Price : 900 USD

This is the second machine I found;
iMac i5 2.5GHz, 12GB ram, 500GB HDD, Readon HD 6750m 512MB, 21.5" Price : 1120 USD

Which one do you guys suggest me buying? The 24" one or the 21.5" one ?

Thank you all. And have a lovely sunny Sunday

Wolfied

 

[J&JPolangin]

Hello guys,

I need your experiences.

As I told you earlier, I was planning to buy the below machine as a second hand but I've just found a newer machine.

This is the first machine I found:
3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo; 4 GB 800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM; NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS 512 MB , 1 TB HDD, 24" Price : 900 USD

This is the second machine I found;
iMac i5 2.5GHz, 12GB ram, 500GB HDD, Readon HD 6750m 512MB, 21.5" Price : 1120 USD

Which one do you guys suggest me buying? The 24" one or the 21.5" one ?

Thank you all. And have a lovely sunny Sunday

Wolfied

Give/offer $1050 for the newer machine, how much/does it have applecare left on it?

 

[Jedi Master]

2008 stilling going an going, going

Show some love for the 24" iMac my early 2008 model still runs like new,only thing I have had to do was replace the hard drive which I did myself with a 1TB WD Black Label and upgraded the memory to OWC 6GB kit.I purchased the Magic Mouse when released and then the Trackpad which I prefer over the Magic Mouse. I am hoping I added some years to my 24" model by cleaning all the dust out of the fans etc. when I opened my iMac to replace the HHD amazing how much dust collects inside. Lion has run flawlessly for me so far and cannot wait for the Mountain Kitty to arrive. Ok I am done just wanted to show my appriciation for Apple products and how long they last. Thanks

Just like the rabbit. I did have to replace the SuperDrive after about 3.5 years.

Still does a lots.

Regards,

 

[icemantx]

early 2009 iMac still going strong

I bought my 24" iMac 2.93GHz in March of 2009 and have not have not had any problems. I have done some upgrading though...

Added 2TB HDD replacing the stock 1TB HDD
Removed the optical drive and replaced with 256GB Crucial SSD
Created a DIY Dusion Drive
Upgraded RAM to 8GB

Upgrades were actually not that hard considering the iMac is not designed for user upgrades.

One thing that is interesting is how my computing habits have changed since I bought this iMac which was my first Mac. I find myself using it less and less and my iPad Mini and iPhone more and more. The iMac is now used more for specific tasks that are better suited to a large screen such as iPhoto, iMovie, Pages and Numbers. Nearly all of my web surfing is done now on the iPhone and iPad Mini.

How times have changed... Being that the iMac for me is more of a "truck", I will likely not be upgrading it for at least 2-3 years barring any catastrophic failure of the iMac.

Jeff

 

[ATC]

I bought my 24" iMac 2.93GHz in March of 2009 and have not have not had any problems. I have done some upgrading though...

Added 2TB HDD replacing the stock 1TB HDD
Removed the optical drive and replaced with 256GB Crucial SSD
Created a DIY Dusion Drive
Upgraded RAM to 8GB

Upgrades were actually not that hard considering the iMac is not designed for user upgrades.

One thing that is interesting is how my computing habits have changed since I bought this iMac which was my first Mac. I find myself using it less and less and my iPad Mini and iPhone more and more. The iMac is now used more for specific tasks that are better suited to a large screen such as iPhoto, iMovie, Pages and Numbers. Nearly all of my web surfing is done now on the iPhone and iPad Mini.

How times have changed... Being that the iMac for me is more of a "truck", I will likely not be upgrading it for at least 2-3 years barring any catastrophic failure of the iMac.

Jeff

We must have the exact same iMac (bought ours the summer of '09) but I haven't upgraded anything except for RAM (to 8GB). Other than the LCD, everything is still original and working. Had the LCD replaced last year (days before our 3 year AppleCare expired) and the new screen is superb.

I second your usage. I'm also finding that I use my iP5 and iPad way more for surfing and general media consumption, and now the iMac is relegated to iPhoto and iWork (writing and printing), with the occasional XBMC movie watching. How times have changed indeed.

 

[dangerly]

Bought my 24" 3.06 Ghz C2D at the beginning of january 2010. Upgraded to 8 Gb ram shortly afterwards.
Still working fine. I use it mainly for iPhoto and Photoshop Elements, Premiere Elements (somewhat slow with this software), iTunes, web surfing, OpenOffice, and playing at Company of Heroes.

Couple of months ago decided to take out the DVD player and installed a 250 Gb Samsung SSD and fused the 1 Tb HDD with it.
In the same occasion i substituted the old 1Tb HDD with a new one and replaced the CR2032 battery with a fresh one.

Hopefully will keep going strong for some time.

Will it be fit to play at Civilization V?

 

[92jlee]

I find it funny that people's iMacs aren't still going strong. My 2001 G4 1.25Ghz 20" 2gb is still running perfectly.
Upgraded the HDD to 200Gb and installed 10.5. Runs everything my partner needs in the kitchen - YT vids, ITunes and web browsing.

 

[S.B.G]

I have a 2009 24" and it's running as good today as it was the day I bought it. It's never had any defects or needed repair.

Almost a year later (from my last post, quoted) and it's still running strong. However I am considering swapping out the HDD and putting an SSD inside.

 

[icemantx]

Almost a year later (from my last post, quoted) and it's still running strong. However I am considering swapping out the HDD and putting an SSD inside.

I also have an early 2009 24" iMac that is still running strong. I swapped out the DVD drive for an 256Gb Crucial M4 SSD and upgraded the HDD to 2TB - then created a fusion drive.

I have never had mine in for service in the nearly 4 1/2 years since I bought it. As long as it performs reasonably well on the apps I use and can still get OS updates, I will keep it for a while longer.

 

[fa8362]

Because of their all-in-one design, iMacs are the least reliable of all the Mac computers, but I have a friend with a 2007 that he still uses daily as a graphic professional. The DVD drive died a few years ago, but other than that, he hasn't had any significant problems with it.

 

[S.B.G]

Because of their all-in-one design, iMacs are the least reliable of all the Mac computers

Do you have any comparison statistics to show this?

I have two iMac's, a 24" 2009 and a 27" 2010 and in my experience, they've been remarkably reliable with next to no major problems.

 

[mscriv]

I also have an early 2009 24" iMac that is still running strong. I swapped out the DVD drive for an 256Gb Crucial M4 SSD and upgraded the HDD to 2TB - then created a fusion drive.

I would be really interested to hear more about your experience with your fusion drive. Do you think it was worth doing? I have a 2008 24" so I don't think I can do the same as the DVD drive connection is limiting factor in terms of speed. I have however been considering swapping out the HDD for a SSD and just using FW800 external drives for media storage and such.

 

[fa8362]

Do you have any comparison statistics to show this?

I have two iMac's, a 24" 2009 and a 27" 2010 and in my experience, they've been remarkably reliable with next to no major problems.

No, but I've seen reliability study data, and it's also common sense. Among desktops, when the study was conducted (a few years ago), the Mac Mini was most reliable, followed by the Mac Pro, then the iMac. This makes sense. The iMac has more complexity, therefore less reliability.