How much Memory and Storage for an iMac 24?

[jaybar]

Hi

We plan to purchase an iMac 24. We do lots of word processing with office, internet, Apple Music, viewing photos ( rarely edit), banking, remote login to work, FaceTime and Facebook, YouTube video watching. Nothing very taxing

our current iMac uses 128GB out of 512, after 3 years.

My husband is retired and I will soon be.

Cost is not an issue, but I don’t want to spend needlessly.

Will 8GB of RAM be sufficient or should we do 16GB?

Should I stay with 512GB or go to 1TB?

Which configuration is best?

Thanks

Jay

 

[cupcakes2000]

8gb is fine, but if cost isn’t an issue then get 16. Ssd is up to you. Sounds like 512 is enough. Again, if cost is no issue then 1tb is better. However you can add extra storage cheaply and easily. Be aware though, if you don’t want to faff around, get to much internal storage. Macs can be weird, it’s hard to just put things where you want , for example iPhone backups or photo library. It’s all possible but if you don’t want any hassle and you can afford it, there’s no need to stress about it.

 

[cardfan]

8gb ram and 512gb should be plenty for what you described.

 

[jaybar]

Thanks
We only keep our iMac for 3 years, if that changes suggestions.

 

[JLH81]

I would think that 8gb and 512 SSD would be plenty for the next 3 years.

 

[ADGrant]

Thanks
We only keep our iMac for 3 years, if that changes suggestions.

Why only 3 years? You can easily get 5-7 years from a modern Mac if you spec it reasonably. I used my 2014 15" MacBook Pro for 7 years before giving it to my daughter. She was using my previous iMac which was 10 years old at that point. My strategy is to spec a computer with more RAM and Storage than I need and then keep it until it can no meet my needs.

If your current iMac has an SSD and at least 8GB of RAM why not hold onto it for a few more years?

 

[Apple_Robert]

If you only keep for 3 years, I would get the 8 / 256 or 512.

 

[jaybar]

I have replaced all my iMacs within 3 years. I found they began to slow down and also the tech changed. I always replaced when AC ended.

 

[russell_314]

8/ 512 GB is more than enough

Go with 16 GB why? You browse the web and listen to music. If you were going to play games or do 4k video editing sure but buying 16 GB is like setting $200 on fire in your case.

1 TB again why? Are you planning on getting into video editing? If not no way. I would say 256 GB but go with 512 because it's just being super safe.

Especially when you say you replace every three years so no crazy long term planning needed.

 

[blairs1]

thank you for this post. I'm very similar, browsing (facebook, some forums, twitter, banking, etc), general office once in a while, music, youtube video watching. I was hung up on the 8gb vs 16gb debate. I'm coming from a year without any computer (got rid of my iMac when I started WFH) and miss it. I only ran Bootcamp on the iMac so this is all new to me.

 

[jaybar]

I Chose 8GB

 

[blairs1]

I Chose 8GB

Did you order online or pick up in a store? if the latter, how is it working?

 

[jaybar]

I ordered online, but may change that.li ordered the 512GB option. I am not even sure I need that much storage. I am currently using 100GB on my iMac

 

[tommyga1]

Hi everyone. I am looking to buy a Refurbish 2012 23'' iMac, I don't do any "gaming". No video editing, etc. For the most part, I surf the Web, chat on a bunch of Forums, check out some YouTube Videos, and maybe download an occasional Movie here and there. Can you give me some advice on what Ram/Memory/Speed would be fine for me? (as you can tell, I really don't know what those terms actually mean). I have had a 17'' MBP, and a 2011 27'' iMac..that just crapped out recently. I think the Base Model might not be enough, right? And I don't like the lack of Ports on that one.
Thank you very much.
Tommy

 

[wilberforce]

Hi everyone. I am looking to buy a Refurbish 2012 23'' iMac, I don't do any "gaming". No video editing, etc. For the most part, I surf the Web, chat on a bunch of Forums, check out some YouTube Videos, and maybe download an occasional Movie here and there. Can you give me some advice on what Ram/Memory/Speed would be fine for me? (as you can tell, I really don't know what those terms actually mean). I have had a 17'' MBP, and a 2011 27'' iMac..that just crapped out recently. I think the Base Model might not be enough, right? And I don't like the lack of Ports on that one.
Thank you very much.
Tommy

There is no such thing as a 2012 23" iMac. You have a typo in the date or the size or both.
Assuming you mean a refurb 2021 24" iMac, the base model will probably be fine for what you describe.
"Surf the web" can mean a wide range of things. If you often have many tabs opened at once (like more than twenty) you might want to get 16GB RAM.
Less ports is only a factor if you plan to use them.
Check how much storage space you currently use (not have) in your MBP, and get a bit more in the new iMac to leave some breathing room.

 

[tommyga1]

There is no such thing as a 2012 23" iMac. You have a typo in the date or the size or both.
Assuming you mean a refurb 2021 24" iMac, the base model will probably be fine for what you describe.
"Surf the web" can mean a wide range of things. If you often have many tabs opened at once (like more than twenty) you might want to get 16GB RAM.
Less ports is only a factor if you plan to use them.
Check how much storage space you currently use (not have) in your MBP, and get a bit more in the new iMac to leave some breathing room.

Howdy Wilbur, how are you? Yes..typo. I am a 65 year old full time musician and had gotten in from my gig a little while before I went on my computer.
The iMac that I had was a 2011 21.5'' I believe. As far as having several Tabs open..I don't think I ever really do that. I "might" have Firefox open at the same time as Safari just to send an email to my other email address, or to copy/paste an item. I need the ports for my 2 Eternal Drives (1 is my Time Machine, and the 2nd one is for stuff..like a few Beatles Concerts..that I don't want using my Storage, you know?). I like the idea of at least 4 Ports. You think (just to be safe)..the 16GB RAM would be the way to go? What about the 7, or 8 Core, and those other things mentioned in the descriptions of the iMacs?
Thank you very much for your help.

 

[wilberforce]

Howdy Wilbur, how are you? Yes..typo. I am a 65 year old full time musician and had gotten in from my gig a little while before I went on my computer.
The iMac that I had was a 2011 21.5'' I believe. As far as having several Tabs open..I don't think I ever really do that. I "might" have Firefox open at the same time as Safari just to send an email to my other email address, or to copy/paste an item. I need the ports for my 2 Eternal Drives (1 is my Time Machine, and the 2nd one is for stuff..like a few Beatles Concerts..that I don't want using my Storage, you know?). I like the idea of at least 4 Ports. You think (just to be safe)..the 16GB RAM would be the way to go? What about the 7, or 8 Core, and those other things mentioned in the descriptions of the iMacs?
Thank you very much for your help.

I still think you will be fine with the base model. I think the base model is pretty much made for people with your type of usage, at least how you describe it. Get the one with more ports if you think you might use them simultaneously.
8/7 cores vs 8/8 cores will make essentially no difference for you.
16GB RAM is certainly better than 8GB. If you plan to keep it for a long time (like more than 5 years) 16GB might be a good idea. 16GB will likely resell for more than 8GB, but probably not enough more to get your money back. I think 16GB RAM should have been the base model, but many people with usage like yours (and heavier) have done fine with 8GB. It really depends on how sensitive you are to spending more. I get the impression that because you are looking at refurb models instead of new, you are interested in keeping costs as low as is reasonable, but maybe I am wrong.

If you get a refurb from Apple, you have 14 days to return it if you don't like it (assuming you are in a country where that return policy applies, like U.S.)

btw, you say you are a musician. I assume from your description you will not do music creation on the iMac, such as using Apple Logic Pro. If you do, or will, that is a totally different situation.

 

[tommyga1]

I still think you will be fine with the base model. I think the base model is pretty much made for people with your type of usage, at least how you describe it. Get the one with more ports if you think you might use them simultaneously.
8/7 cores vs 8/8 cores will make essentially no difference for you.
16GB RAM is certainly better than 8GB. If you plan to keep it for a long time (like more than 5 years) 16GB might be a good idea. 16GB will likely resell for more than 8GB, but probably not enough more to get your money back. I think 16GB RAM should have been the base model, but many people with usage like yours (and heavier) have done fine with 8GB. It really depends on how sensitive you are to spending more. I get the impression that because you are looking at refurb models instead of new, you are interested in keeping costs as low as is reasonable, but maybe I am wrong.

If you get a refurb from Apple, you have 14 days to return it if you don't like it (assuming you are in a country where that return policy applies, like U.S.)

btw, you say you are a musician. I assume from your description you will not do music creation on the iMac, such as using Apple Logic Pro. If you do, or will, that is a totally different situation.

No, I don't use the computer to make music (I don't know how to do those type of things).

 

[tommyga1]

No, I don't use the computer to make music (I don't know how to do those type of things).

I had a refurbished....and very nice, 27'' 2019 iMac. The reason I returned that was because it was too big and bulky. I moved from NYC to Port Charlotte, Florida 7 Months ago, and even though NY sucks in so many way ..especially now....man I hate it down here, and as soon as any of my friends finds me a 1 BR back up in Queens, I'm out of here! IT'S A THOUSAND degrees..EVERY day..AND it rains every day. The newer 24'' is some much more portable AND LIGHTER than the 27'', I think.
Right now I have a 2017 MBP, 15''. But I have tried running it through 2 different Large Screen TVs, and as soon as I plug the USB-C to HDMI Cable in...the chassis of the Mac is nearly on fire.