I pulled the trigger - help me feel better about it

[qs933]

Why not buy a replacement GPU for your 2011 machine off eBay or Amazon?

Don't get me wrong if you wanted to upgrade I know you will enjoy your machine but a GPU costs much less then a entirely new machine.

Replacing the logic board and/or GPU would be cheaper (assuming my amateur diagnosis is correct), but given that it's 5 years old, I'm OK with moving on. Any excuse to get something new...

There are repair shops that'll do a flat-rate logic board repair for $150-180. I'll probably sell the mini "as is - for parts" on eBay and let someone else take advantage of one of those services.

I remember when the life-cycle of a Mac was much shorter...I went from a PowerMac G3 to G4 to G5 in a span of 6 years. Either that or my needs (and abilities) have already peaked!

I haven't ordered my new iMac yet (waiting for the right config at the refurb store), but after playing with one at the Apple Store, I'm actually very excited. This will be my first iMac.

 

[hamiltonrwatch]

I purchased a maxed-out (for the time) 27" in 2012; 1TB Fusion Drive, 3.4GHz i7, 32GB of RAM, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX with 2GB of GDDR5 memory, etc. Four years later, it runs Sierra like a champ and will handle most anything thrown at it.

OTOH, my wife received my cast-off; a 2006 24" iMac (the last of the white polycarbonates). That one came with a 250GB Serial ATA HD (later replaced with a Toshiba 320GB in AppleCare), 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 3GB of RAM, and a NVIDIA GeForce 7300GT with 128MB GDDR3 SDRAM. Its suited her needs for the past 4 years; she's a teacher and works mostly with word processing applications and browser-based grading programs. This one started tiling about a year ago; the dreaded "graphics-chip-soldered-to-the-mother-board-overheating-issue". It's actually a fairly easy fix if you're comfortable taking one of these apart. However, once fixed, it's still a 10 year old computer.

I debated waiting for the next incarnation; but it's easy to get stuck in that "wait-for-the-next-big-thing" loop. Let's face it, other than a few spec bumps and the Retina screens, Apple just doesn't upgrade these all-in-ones all that much anymore. Bottom line, I chose the late 2015 27" with the 4.0GHz quad-core i7. I'll max out the RAM later. My wife will get the 2012 which will feel like a CRAY supercomputer given what she's using now.

I've worked with Apple since the IIe and if there's a moral to this story, your tech will be obsolete by the time you open the box

 

[lindalepark2006]

I am think of buying an iMac 27" but not maxed out.. I am so doubtful should I wait for the new iMac that might come next year or Buy the current model. I am in transition to go from pc to mac. But I am not so sure if it be better to wait or not... my current pc is slow and super noisy. I want to pull the trigger but idk since I am barely staring to understand the iMac specs. I don't know if buying a iMac 27" without fully maxed out would be convenient to me.

 

[Krevnik]

I am think of buying an iMac 27" but not maxed out.. I am so doubtful should I wait for the new iMac that might come next year or Buy the current model. I am in transition to go from pc to mac. But I am not so sure if it be better to wait or not... my current pc is slow and super noisy. I want to pull the trigger but idk since I am barely staring to understand the iMac specs. I don't know if buying a iMac 27" without fully maxed out would be convenient to me.

What is your current PC?

 

[lindalepark2006]

What is your current PC?

I currently have a 2011 dell Inspiron 580 with intel i3.

 

[EnderBeta]

I have a maxed out Late 2015 iMac. I think it is a fantastic machine. That said I am intrigued about the Microsoft Surface Studio. I won't be replacing my iMac anytime soon but I might buy a Microsoft Surface Studio next time around at the end of the life cycle of this iMac if Apple doesn't step it up a notch.

Being in the market I would suggest you check it out and at least consider it. If you go for the 27" iMac don't upgrade the RAM in the BTO. You can upgrade that later. I would suggest going full SSD either the 512GB or 1TB. Then get the fastest processor and GPU combination you can afford. DOn't cheap out because it is all you need today because tomorrow you might find yourself needing more and having a very expensive problem to overcome.