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How often do you upgrade your iMac?

E

EvanEiga

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 15, 2015
133
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Currently I have a 27" iMac from 2011, and it's becoming increasingly slow especially in the past year. While it still runs perfectly fine, the fans sometimes would go max and apps (especially safari) would freeze from time to time.

I tried Onyx and other apps to repair permissions but it only helps so little. I am thinking about an upgrade but I don't know if I wanna drop close to 3k (top of line 2017 model + apple care and tax) for an upgrade right now, especially considering I do most of my work on my 2017 MacBook Pro touch bar (and I have 2 of them, one received from my job and another personal one).

When I bought this iMac in 2011, I was in film school and needed a fast computer to do video editing, but since I no longer do video edits (at least serious ones) any more, I guess I don't HAVE to get the top line model.

6-7 years seem like appropriate for me to upgrade my iMac though, after all I will get 5K Retina display, SSD, and 2x benchmark with the upgrade.

How often do you upgrade your iMac?
 
I just got a 2017 iMac i7 spec’d up as you say, it replaced a 8-core 2008 MacPro 3.1 which still runs ok but shows its age now - even though I kept that going through pimping it up a bit with SSD, GPU etc given it was a proper tower you could replace more bits over time.
 
It depends for me, I went 5 years before I replaced the 2010 21.5" with this 2013 27". I probably will hang onto this 2013 27" for another year even though it's become very slow under Sierra (even with the Anti-Virus turned off.)
 
kazmac said:
It depends for me, I went 5 years before I replaced the 2010 21.5" with this 2013 27". I probably will hang onto this 2013 27" for another year even though it's become very slow under Sierra (even with the Anti-Virus turned off.)
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Yep, mine became slow after High Sierra. Because of its age, I don't run any serious tasks on that iMac. I have a few apps that I use every day and have not otherwise modified the system, let alone anti-virus software. Still, it's a hit and miss with safari performance now and that I really want an upgrade. I don't know what can I do with this iMac though. Probably gonna cost me a small fortune to ship it if I sell it given its size and weight.
 
I got my Mac when I began to take filmography more seriously in middleschool. (2005)
Haven't upgraded since...
 
Bought a 27” iMac in 2010 I took it in for repair for a hardrive recall and they accidentally scratched the aluminium chin, I was unhappy so Apple replaced it with the next gen late 2012 model free of charge. It is still running fine it have found it runs smoother since upgrading to High Sierra from Mavericks I had had the screen replaced as it started to develops dust swirl marks insude the screen it was out of warranty but after a little negotiation they replaced it free of charge. I hope to get at least another 3 years out of it. When I do replace it every iMac will hopefully be fully solid state. You should be looking to get at least 6-8 years out of an iMac before upgrading
 
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EvanEiga said:
Yep, mine became slow after High Sierra. Because of its age, I don't run any serious tasks on that iMac. I have a few apps that I use every day and have not otherwise modified the system, let alone anti-virus software. Still, it's a hit and miss with safari performance now and that I really want an upgrade. I don't know what can I do with this iMac though. Probably gonna cost me a small fortune to ship it if I sell it given its size and weight.
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Would you consider recycling it for an Apple gift card (or do you have that option? You can do that in the United States when you buy a new mac from the Apple store.) I think the folks that recycle pay for the shipping (it's been years since i've done this though.)
 
I’m still running my 2010 27, bumped up to a 512Gb SSD three years ago, and 14Gb Ram. I’m hoping to replace next summer after a (hopeful) redesign.
 
kazmac said:
Would you consider recycling it for an Apple gift card (or do you have that option? You can do that in the United States when you buy a new mac from the Apple store.) I think the folks that recycle pay for the shipping (it's been years since i've done this though.)
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I think it would worth like 200 bucks last I checked, but since it was a while back since I checked... it's probably worthless now.
 
Roughly every three years at the expiration of AppleCare. At three years there is usually a big difference in tech as well.
 
I haven’t upgraded from my 2012 iMac yet, i’m planning to see what they announce next year for the iMac’s before I upgrade.
 
My old friend is a 2007 iMac that I upgraded to 1/2TB SSD and 6GB of memory (max for it) The OS is El Capitan. It is used for iTunes library and streaming to Apple TV's along with ripping all DVDs and surfing on web. It still works flawlessly and is fairly spry and nimble moving around for an old boy. I have no intention of upgrading to another one until this one dies. I would love to have a new 27 inch however if the truth be known.
 
Upgrade or replace? Upgrades can be things like adding more memory or replacing the boot HHD with a SSD.

I plan to keep our iMacs for around 5 years. That is why I got i7 4.2 CPU, 580 GPU, and 512 SSD. I added 16GB or memory to bring it up to 24GB. Nothing else is likely needed until it is replaced. My external RAID library drives are carry overs from my previous rMBP connected via TB2 with the TB - USB-C adapter.
 
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Got my first iMac when they went Intel, second one a late 2009, which will be replaced next year after 8+ years of duty. So 4-8 years.
 
I have a 2008 imac with I think 24" screen. I don't use it much, but it has been on pretty much 24/7 since then, which is great lifespan for a computer. I don't us it much anymore - I have 2 MBPs which I use instead. When the iMac dies I will probably not replace it, just get a monitor and connect to the MBP
 
I still have my original 2008 iMac, which my husband upgraded with a new SSD and 2 more GB memory (for a total of 6gb), and my 2012 iMac, which is now my daughter's. We thought the 2008 iMac might not make it, so I got the 2017 this summer to hand down the 2012, but the 2008 is still kicking, so I seem to be on a 4-year upgrade cycle. There is nothing wrong with my 2012 and it still worked perfectly well for my needs, but as a photographer, it made more sense for me to have a new one, rather than spend 2/3 the amount for a newer, but lesser specced model for the kids.
 
I have a 2013, last of the pre 4k setups with 780m 4G NVidia, I had been planning to upgrade when the warranty had run out; three year; but the graphics chip power has not impressed me until this new 580. Yet the rumor of a new chassis has held back my purchase.
 
2007 - 1st Aluminum iMac (redesign and my first desktop)
2009 - 27" iMac (redesign and Quad Core)
2012 - slim 27" iMac (redesign and SSD)

I typically upgrade on redesigns + a major new feature...I was considering the 4k model, but the lack of chipset improvements and other components made we wait...so now I am either going with the iMac Pro (long shot) or whenever Apple actually redesigns them (which is suspect is late next year)...if they add a 6-core model but keep the case I am not sure what I will do...might pull the trigger next year even without the redesigned enclosure.
 
My first iMac was the Late 2006 20” 2.16GHz C2D. I didn’t upgrade again until the QC 3.1GHz i5 27” Mid-2011 iMac. I still run it today. Apple has replaced my Hard Drive twice, display 3 times, and my graphics card once. I added a 256GB OWC SSD for Boot & Apps, and over the years have bumped the RAM to 24GB. I know its old, but honestly its still one of the best Macs I’ve ever owned... and I’ve owned quite a few. I don’t have any intention of replacing it anytime soon - but I definitely eye up the new Retina iMacs every time i’m in a store.

I run EyeTV and HDHomeRun DVRs on it as well as still run a VM or two in VMware Fusion. It hosts my entire Photo library where I also tinker with Pixelmator & Photoshop and i dabble in the occasional iMovie project.

I am quite pleased with the distance I’ve got out of this iMac - despite its tantrums. I also acquired at 21” version of the same iMac that someone was getting rid of because it was old and slow. I swapped a OWC SSD into it, and took the RAM to 8GB. Its now my wife’s daily Mac. Really can’t argue with the longevity!
 
I would just buy the 27" LG Ultrafine monitor and connect your Macbook Pro when you want to use a desktop. Best of both worlds, and much cheaper. Screen is a major upgrade on your 2011 iMac.
 
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EightyTwenty said:
I would just buy the 27" LG Ultrafine monitor and connect your Macbook Pro when you want to use a desktop. Best of both worlds, and much cheaper. Screen is a major upgrade on your 2011 iMac.
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I am actually considering that. For now, I bought an SSD upgrade kit from OWC to make this slight upgrade in hope to make this iMac last for another year or two. Just not ready to drop 3K for a top of the line iMac when I spent that much money on a MacBook Pro touch bar only about 12 months ago.
 
Just replaced my first iMac 21.5” late 2009 with a brand new iMac 21.5” 4K 2017 with 512 GB SSD, 16 GB RAM and Radeon Pro 560 with 4GB VRAM.

A big step forward!
 
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