iMac 2011 vs. 2022...

[Warped9]

Posted above is my current computer. I can comfortably say it's running very well with no issues whatsoever.

I use it for most everything, but the most involved thing I do with it is 3D modeling using SketchUp. At some point I might move on to another 3D program because eventually I would like to do animation of my 3D models.

Of course, I'm stuck at High Sierra which at some point might cause me issues. So I'm looking to get a new iMac to replace my current 2011. I'm eager, but not desperate to get a new computer.

So my question, if anyone can answer, is how would my current setup (i7 2600S, 32GB RAM and 500GB SSD) stack up against a current M1 iMac with 16GB RAM and 512GB-1TB SSD? Is it worth upgrading now or wait for the M3 iMac in 2023 that might offer 32GB RAM?

Maybe someone has experienced something similar or is in a similar situation as myself?

All insights welcome.

 

[Fishrrman]

A new iMac would be a BIG jump up.

But... have you also considered a Mac Studio? Even the "base model" would be a BIGGER jump up.

 

[padams35]

Wait.
You clearly value keeping computers for the long haul, and while an M1 with 16GB RAM is better than a Sandy Bridge i7 with 32GB RAM, I don't think it is enough better to give you an equivalent 10+ year lifespan.

 

[Warped9]

I have considered the Studio, but then I have to get a monitor and whatever. And I like the setup of an AIO. My 2011 iMac has been very satisfying all these years.

 

[jasnw]

I am in almost exactly the same place you are, although I'm still back on El Capitan on my 2011 27" iMac. Love this system. I'm waiting for either an M2 Mini or a REASONABLY priced M2 27" iMac. I hope I'm not still waiting in November 2023.

 

[rpmurray]

Of course, I'm stuck at High Sierra which at some point might cause me issues. So I'm looking to get a new iMac to replace my current 2011. I'm eager, but not desperate to get a new computer.

OCLP will let you install Monterey. But you may want to test it since it won't support Metal if updates to any of your software require it.

 

[Warped9]

OCLP will let you install Monterey. But you may want to test it since it won't support Metal if updates to any of your software require it.

I’m not having any issues with High Sierra so I might as well wait.


On an unrelated note my five year old iPad Pro 10.5 seems to be not holding its charge like before. It’s either my imagination or the battery seems to be draining faster than before. I was already planning on getting a 9th gen iPad 10.2 64GB for my mother for Christmas, and so I might also trade in my old 10.5 Pro for an iPad Air 10.9 64GB for myself. A 10th iPad might also be a cheaper alternative.

 

[Warped9]

iMac 24 with 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, numeric keyboard and AppleCare+ = $2829 CAN.

Mac Studio with 1TB SSD, numeric keyboard, Magic mouse and AppleCare+ = $3266 CAN.


The price for the Mac Studio doesn’t include a decent display monitor. I could subtract the numeric keyboard and Magic Mouse because I already have those and that would offset some of the cost for a decent display monitor. But no question a Mac Studio woukd cost me more than a spec’d out iMac.

 

[Daud]

I am considering the last 2020 Imac 27 with 32GB memory as transition. It has the 5k display and costs less than the Apple Studio Display..
iMac 27" 5K 6-Core 3.1GHz i5 with 32GB Memory , 256GB SSD
What do you think, staying too much behind ?

 

[wilberforce]

I am considering the last 2020 Imac 27 with 32GB memory as transition. It has the 5k display and costs less than the Apple Studio Display..
iMac 27" 5K 6-Core 3.1GHz i5 with 32GB Memory , 256GB SSD
What do you think, staying too much behind ?

I have the 2020 iMac, but with 2TB and i7 (about 30% faster than i5). I think it is a good machine, pretty much as good as my M1 Pro MBP. The 5K screen is excellent.
At this point, in 2022/2023, I suggest think of it as lasting about 3 years. If you are good with that, really want the 27" 5K screen, and the price is right, then I think it could serve well. 256GB SSD is tight, though.
Do not pay more than ~$100 for the 32GB RAM. Easy to install third party RAM for less.

This is my suggestion:

Refurbished 27-inch iMac 3.8GHz 8-core Intel Core i7 with Retina 5K display

Originally released August 2020 27-inch (diagonal) Retina 5K display; 5120-by-2880 resolution with support for one billion colors True Tone technology 8GB of 2666MHz DDR4 memory 512GB SSD 1080p FaceTime HD camera Radeon Pro 5500 XT with 8GB of GDDR6 memory

www.apple.com

Timetec 32GB KIT(2x16GB) Compatible for Apple DDR4 2666MHz / 2667MHz for Mid 2020 iMac (20,1/20,2) / Mid 2019 iMac (19,1) 27-inch w/Retina 5K, Late 2018 Mac Mini (8,1) PC4-21333 /PC4-21300 MAC RAM

Timetec – Memory of a lifetime Compatible with (But not Limited to): *Please click image for more compatible systems model Need to know if this part is compatible? Contact us with manufacturer and model information of your motherboard

www.amazon.com

 

[Warped9]

Well I have finally discovered a minor limitation of being stuck at High Sierra: Safari won't load certain websites. For example it won't load staples.ca. As such I may eventually come across other sites it won't load.

This isn't a major issue simply because I rarely have to visit the Staples site and I can do so easily on my iPad Air or iPhone.

 

[EugW]

Well I have finally discovered a minor limitation of being stuck at High Sierra: Safari won't load certain websites. For example it won't load staples.ca. As such I may eventually come across other sites it won't load.

This isn't a major issue simply because I rarely have to visit the Staples site and I can do so easily on my iPad Air or iPhone.

I have a 2010 Core i7 27" iMac which I installed an SSD in and yes, I agree it's quite speedy. For example, it's faster than my 2017 MacBook (which has full Ventura support).

However, High Sierra is strictly a Chrome browser machine for my family (although I've installed Firefox as well). I wouldn't recommend using Safari on a High Sierra machine, as it causes too many problems. Not only is it no longer getting security updates, it also has increasingly common compatibility problems (of which some may be due to its now unpatched security status). It's not just occasional random sites like Staples.ca but also some bank sites and IIRC, Revenue Canada and other sites like that. Safari already has compatibility issues even on Ventura, but it's 3X as bad on High Sierra. OTOH, if you have enough RAM, Chrome runs great on that machine. My 2010 iMac has 12 GB RAM, and that is more than enough for mainstream usage.

BTW, this is random, but one minor annoyance for me was that webp images do not display outside browsers in High Sierra. It does work in browsers, but if you drag the images out of the browsers onto the desktop, OS X and Preview don't know what to do with it. However, that is solved with a webp viewer plugin.

‎WebP Viewer: quick look & view

‎WebP Viewer is a simple viewer for the WebP image format. Note: Animated WebP images are currently not supported. * Features • Lightweight and fast • Minimal user interface (UI) • Quick Look plug-in for .webp files • Printing WebP is a modern image format that provides superior lossless...

apps.apple.com

As for your original question, I would suggest you consider waiting for an M2 Mac mini, and get a nice monitor to go along with it. I came across a nice priced on a used M1 Mac mini with 1 TB SSD and 16 GB RAM, so I bought it, along with a 3840x2560 28" USB-C monitor, and that has become my primary Mac, replacing my 2017 5K Core i5 iMac. Actually my 2017 iMac was fine, and I wasn't going to replace it until next year when it doesn't get the latest macOS update, but the Monterey to 13.1 upgrade borked some things on the machine, including destroying my Photos library so I accelerated the transition to the M1 Mac mini as it already had a full copy of the Photos library on it anyway.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"I have finally discovered a minor limitation of being stuck at High Sierra: Safari won't load certain websites. For example it won't load staples.ca. As such I may eventually come across other sites it won't load."

You don't have to limit yourself to Safari.
There are plenty of other "alternative browsers" available you can use when necessary.
Some that come to mind:
- Firefox
- Brave
- Dissenter
- iCab
- Waterfox

I WOULD NOT use google Chrome. Some of the browsers above use the same "chrome engine" but WITHOUT the google privacy intrusions...

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

I prefer Microsoft Edge for internet browser.

 

[leifp]

You can probably use your iMac as the display for a Mac Studio. It’s the non-retina model and so far as I understand it still supports Target Display Mode. So add a Mac Studio and otherwise keep your identical setup… and never mind. Just did a quick search and Apple state that Apple Silicon Macs will not power your iMac (although you may wish to search if there’s a simple workaround in existence)

 

[Warped9]

Wait.
You clearly value keeping computers for the long haul, and while an M1 with 16GB RAM is better than a Sandy Bridge i7 with 32GB RAM, I don't think it is enough better to give you an equivalent 10+ year lifespan.

And this is why I think it’s worth waiting for the forthcoming M3 iMac. I’m hoping for a 24 or 32GB RAM option.

 

[Yebubbleman]

Posted above is my current computer. I can comfortably say it's running very well with no issues whatsoever.

I use it for most everything, but the most involved thing I do with it is 3D modeling using SketchUp. At some point I might move on to another 3D program because eventually I would like to do animation of my 3D models.

Of course, I'm stuck at High Sierra which at some point might cause me issues. So I'm looking to get a new iMac to replace my current 2011. I'm eager, but not desperate to get a new computer.

So my question, if anyone can answer, is how would my current setup (i7 2600S, 32GB RAM and 500GB SSD) stack up against a current M1 iMac with 16GB RAM and 512GB-1TB SSD? Is it worth upgrading now or wait for the M3 iMac in 2023 that might offer 32GB RAM?

Maybe someone has experienced something similar or is in a similar situation as myself?

All insights welcome.

The only thing that might suck is going from 32GB of RAM to 16GB of RAM. Yes, the RAM is way more efficient with Apple Silicon, but that doesn't change that RAM is still RAM and that not having enough of it will still lead to using swap. Certainly, I understand wanting an all-in-one, but the Mac Studio+Studio Display Combination isn't that much more cumbersome than a 27" iMac. And unfortunately, the Mac Studio is the only Apple Silicon Mac desktop wherein you can have more than 16GB of RAM.

 

[andreyush]

And this is why I think it’s worth waiting for the forthcoming M3 iMac. I’m hoping for a 24 or 32GB RAM option.

M3 is not likely to come any soon. Apple still needs to complete M2 series. M2 is still young and M1 is still a powerful chip for mostly 90% of users.

You could either make the jump now and buy the M1 iMac or wait for an unknown time for the next iMac. I was thinking the same in January this year and I'm glad I made the jump as my Macbook Pro was dying.

 

[Warped9]

M3 is not likely to come any soon. Apple still needs to complete M2 series. M2 is still young and M1 is still a powerful chip for mostly 90% of users.

You could either make the jump now and buy the M1 iMac or wait for an unknown time for the next iMac. I was thinking the same in January this year and I'm glad I made the jump as my Macbook Pro was dying.

It’s already been discussed that Apple is likely to skip M2 for the iMac and go straight to M3. The MacBook Air and iMac are much the same except for form factor so there was no reason they couldn’t have put the M2 in the iMac just as they did putting it in the MacBook Pro 13 and the iPad Pros as well as creating an entirely new MacBook Air rather than putting the M2 into the existing MacBook Air.

I can wait. If they actually do put the M2 into the iMac with a 24GB RAM option then fine—I’d go for it. Otherwise I can hang on until the M3 even if it’s not until the final quarter of 2023.

 

[Yebubbleman]

Apple still needs to complete M2 series.

Not every A-series SoC got an X variant. A5, A6, A8, A9, A10, and A12 all did. But A4, A7, A11, and A13 didn't (you could argue that M1 is effectively an A14X and that M2 is effectively an A15X). In a similar respect, not every M-series SoC will necessarily have a Pro, Max, and Ultra variant, if that history is anything to go by.

 

[USB3foriMac]

I have put Linux on it, and it runs excellent. You could also put Windows on it (btw, with sound from USB installer even without OpenCore). For me, the only struggle was my photo library. I finally solved this issue by exporting the library, then importing into Shotwell. Shotwell looks like a clone of Apple photos. Just excellent! Install the High Sierra theme, and icons and the windows even look as if you are on MacOS. Just with the difference that you can continue your older hardware and use it with an ever upgrading O/S. No planned obsolescence any longer. Show Apple the finger.

 

[Gudi]

And this is why I think it’s worth waiting for the forthcoming M3 iMac. I’m hoping for a 24 or 32GB RAM option.

Now that you've waited till 2023, there's no point in buying a 24" M1 iMac (2021). Unless you want to save money?

 

[Warped9]

Now that you've waited till 2023, there's no point in buying a 24" M1 iMac (2021). Unless you want to save money?

Precisely. I could probably get by with an M1 iMac with 16GB RAM, but since the RAM isn’t upgradable I want 24 or 32GB from the get-go.

 

[andreyush]

Not every A-series SoC got an X variant. A5, A6, A8, A9, A10, and A12 all did. But A4, A7, A11, and A13 didn't (you could argue that M1 is effectively an A14X and that M2 is effectively an A15X). In a similar respect, not every M-series SoC will necessarily have a Pro, Max, and Ultra variant, if that history is anything to go by.

Ok so as I was saying.
Apple nearly completed M2 series. No iMac so far so OP still needs to wait couple of months for M2/M3 iMac. If not in March maybe in June or October?

 

[Yebubbleman]

Ok so as I was saying.
Apple nearly completed M2 series. No iMac so far so OP still needs to wait couple of months for M2/M3 iMac. If not in March maybe in June or October?

Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if they waited until M3. And, iMac wasn't even first to M1, so it may be a bit. Unless Apple does as wide of an introduction for M3 as they did for M1. But, I think we ought to get used to the fact that desktops just aren't going to get updated as frequently as laptops will. Apple had no reason not to update the Mac mini at the same time that they did the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro. Hell, for the latter, there wasn't much of a change at all past the SoC. So, they could've totally done something with the Mac mini and have it launch at the exact same time with hardly any R&D cost. The fact that they didn't says a lot.