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iMac 2012 or newer

jwar1976

jwar1976

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 29, 2019
240
78
Norwich
Hi All,

Now whilst I will be getting my 2015 MBP in the next few weeks, ideally it will only be used for editing when I am away from home a couple days each week & so I am looking at getting a iMac, for editing when I am at home. Main programs will be Lightroom CC, Portrait Pro, Photoshop CC

A few weeks ago a mate of mine in a different part of the Country was given a late 2012 iMac, he had added more memory and replaced the HDD with a SSD and says that it's performance is amazing for a machine that will be 7yrs old later this year.

Now I am interested in getting one myself, but I was wondering if the late 2012 will continue to get software updates for a good while, or has a cutoff already been assigned ?. Also should I be looking at any models after 2012 without dedicated graphics from the likes of Nvidia & AMD.

Many Thanks
 
jwar1976 said:
Hi All,

Now whilst I will be getting my 2015 MBP in the next few weeks, ideally it will only be used for editing when I am away from home a couple days each week & so I am looking at getting a iMac, for editing when I am at home. Main programs will be Lightroom CC, Portrait Pro, Photoshop CC

A few weeks ago a mate of mine in a different part of the Country was given a late 2012 iMac, he had added more memory and replaced the HDD with a SSD and says that it's performance is amazing for a machine that will be 7yrs old later this year.

Now I am interested in getting one myself, but I was wondering if the late 2012 will continue to get software updates for a good while, or has a cutoff already been assigned ?. Also should I be looking at any models after 2012 without dedicated graphics from the likes of Nvidia & AMD.

Many Thanks
Click to expand...
The 2012 iMac is considered Vintage by Apple in the USA and obsolete in the rest of the world. Mojave will likely be the last OS that is supported on it. This means you have two years to get software updates on Mojave, because of Apple's security support cycle.
 
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SecuritySteve said:
The 2012 iMac is considered Vintage by Apple in the USA and obsolete in the rest of the world. Mojave will likely be the last OS that is supported on it. This means you have two years to get software updates on Mojave, because of Apple's security support cycle.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much for that information, I will take a look at some other models that already have enough RAM and a SSD in place. I don't know that much on iMacs in regards to dedicated graphics like AMD or NVIDIA and how relevant they are when compared to the Intel GPU.
 
Maybe a Mid 2011 iMac with an i7 would be better? They use MXM so you can always replace the GPU with something even better than a 2012, they can have 2 SATA drives in them (so you can have a 3.5" HDD and an SSD or 2 SSDs in RAID), the glass isn't glued on and you can access the RAM from the bottom, I think they also have more RAM slots.
SecuritySteve said:
The 2012 iMac is considered Vintage by Apple in the USA and obsolete in the rest of the world. Mojave will likely be the last OS that is supported on it. This means you have two years to get software updates on Mojave, because of Apple's security support cycle.
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That usually means nothing and they will run the next few versions just fine.
 
jmilan0302 said:
Maybe a Mid 2011 iMac with an i7 would be better? They use MXM so you can always replace the GPU with something even better than a 2012, they can have 2 SATA drives in them (so you can have a 3.5" HDD and an SSD or 2 SSDs in RAID), the glass isn't glued on and you can access the RAM from the bottom, I think they also have more RAM slots.

That usually means nothing and they will run the next few versions just fine.
Click to expand...

Wow now that does sound good, I will take a look
 
I would tend to stay away from the 2011 models. Apple was not particularly good with GPUs in those days. Yes, the idea of a bit better upgradability is nice. My wife is still using a 2010 27" iMac with a GPU on its way out, but I can't justify the cost of replacing it and only getting SATAII speeds from the internal SATA connectors. If the '11s have SATAIII, then maybe, but you are still limited to USB2. The 2012 and later machines have USBIII which means you can run external SSDs at near full speed without tearing apart the machine. The 27" tapered edge machines still have easy access to the RAM from the back.

I'm currently on a 2013 21.5" iMac booting off of a USB3 SSD at work, and it's fantastic for what it is.

I'll likely replace the 2010 machine this year with something 2012 or later and set it up to boot from an external SSD and call it good. Which model I go with will depend on the kind of deal I can find. A 5k machine would be amazing, but it'll depend on budget.

I really see Apple having a hard time justifying dropping off the 2012 machines for a while because they are not really hardware limited compared to current machines. I suspect that in a few years down the line after everything ships with T2 chips for a couple years, then that will be the cutoff line. However, that may not be until they start offering machines with CPUs developed in-house. That's what my gut says, but only Apple knows what it will do.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone, I will take a look and see what is within my price range. Last night I ordered a iPad Pro (2018) 12.9 on contract as it worked out cheaper for the Wifi / Cellular version, than if I was to buy that version upfront.

When I do eventually get an iMac, then tools for my Photography workflow, will be complete for the time being, as they will be able to be synced with Creative Cloud.
 
meson said:
If the '11s have SATAIII, then maybe, but you are still limited to USB2. The 2012 and later machines have USBIII which means you can run external SSDs at near full speed without tearing apart the machine. /QUOTE]
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The 2011 machines have Thunderbolt ports which means you don't need to tear apart the machine.
 
Fishrrman said:
If you're going to buy an iMac, get the newest 27" model that you can afford.

And's that's about all there is to say regarding that!
Click to expand...

Thank you for that information, having looked around, I can get a Grade A late 2013 iMac 27” with 775 Graphics for £605, which is extremely tempting as the same company does the late 2012 version for £590. I will continue to look around tho, but it looks like the 27” is the way to go, not only for the better CPU , as the 2012 has the i5-3470S but the 2013 has the i5-4570, so kinda a no brainer.
 
rpmurray said:
The 2011 machines have Thunderbolt ports which means you don't need to tear apart the machine.
Click to expand...
The 2009–2014 should absolutely be torn apart. Get those old, spinning heat pumps out of there. Not only will your iMac run a lot faster but the lower temperatures will let these machines keep running till you can't stand the old OS any longer and you retire the computer because it's obsolete.

Apple went with a cooler HDD in 2015 to lower warranty costs and repair incidents. One should consider removing those (after warranty/AppleCare is up, of course) to make the 2015–2017 as fast as possible but the self-generated heat isn't the huge issue it is with earlier models.

Despite speculation, no end of life has been announced for the 2012 iMac. No one knows if 10.14 is the last OS or if 10.15 will be or anything else. It wouldn't surprise me if the 2012 is EOL but, till Apple makes the announcement, it's just a guessing game.

That said, the 2013–14 are a lot faster than the 2012 due to the PCIe 2 bus (remove the spinner and install the right NVMe blade). The 2015 is even faster if the blade is upgraded to NVMe 3 x4 to nearly achieve 2017 SSD speeds.
 
why are we recommending a computer that is not serviceable? I don't understand the logic here.
Wait for 2019 model, see how 2017 got discounted and buy 2017 if you want to save. Maybe if you are lucky you will get apple care with it too, 3 years peace of mind and you know you are good for long. 2011/2012 models are not a good option. Anything breaks and you're *** ed. Don't throw money out the window. Be smart - you will be happier in the long run.
 
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Freida said:
why are we recommending a computer that is not serviceable? I don't understand the logic here.
Wait for 2019 model, see how 2017 got discounted and buy 2017 if you want to save. Maybe if you are lucky you will get apple care with it too, 3 years peace of mind and you know you are good for long. 2011/2012 models are not a good option. Anything breaks and you're *** ed. Don't throw money out the window. Be smart - you will be happier in the long run.
Click to expand...
The only one who is recommending a non-serviceable computer is you. And that is only if the 2019s follow Apple's trend of soldering everything—which no one knows, BTW.

There is an industry that services Apple products that begins with Apple, includes authorized service centers, extends to those who service Apple products out of warranty plus companies that make these service parts readily available. Then you have OWC, iFixIt et all who show the DIY how to do it.

Just because you don't want to doesn't mean that iMacs can't be serviced—even the iMac Pro (RAM only, unfortunately).

Saying otherwise is akin to believing that your automobile can't be serviced just because you do not wish to invest in the considerable time, effort, education and money for tools required to do more than an oil change—or have no wish to get your hands dirty.
 
mikehalloran said:
The only one who is recommending a non-serviceable computer is you. And that is only if the 2019s follow Apple's trend of soldering everything—which no one knows, BTW.

There is an industry that services Apple products that begins with Apple, includes authorized service centers, extends to those who service Apple products out of warranty plus companies that make these service parts readily available. Then you have OWC, iFixIt et all who show the DIY how to do it.

Just because you don't want to doesn't mean that iMacs can't be serviced—even the iMac Pro (RAM only, unfortunately).

Saying otherwise is akin to believing that your automobile can't be serviced just because you do not wish to invest in the considerable time, effort, education and money for tools required to do more than an oil change—or have no wish to get your hands dirty.
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Ok, let me rephrase that even though I thought it was obvious. Its not serviceable by apple. So buying a computer that is out of warranty, Apple doesn't support it anymore and you rely on 3rd party service points is not worth the hassle and money.
If you want to be pedantic then of course anything can be serviceable but that was not the generic point I was trying to say so I am really not sure why you are going that route.
 
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Freida said:
Ok, let me rephrase that even though I thought it was obvious. Its not serviceable by apple. So buying a computer that is out of warranty, Apple doesn't support it anymore and you rely on 3rd party service points is not worth the hassle and money.
If you want to be pedantic then of course anything can be serviceable but that was not the generic point I was trying to say so I am really not sure why you are going that route.
Click to expand...
Apple will continue to service Macs until Apple calls them obsolete/vintage. The warranty does not affect whether a repair can be completed -- customer just pays for the repair if there is no warranty.
 
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DeltaMac said:
Apple will continue to service Macs until Apple calls them obsolete/vintage. The warranty does not affect whether a repair can be completed -- customer just pays for the repair if there is no warranty.
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Same as your car.

Somebody can fix my 1990 Dodge van when it needs service but there are certain procedures that cannot be done by a Chrysler dealer because they no longer have the tools — even though that service is required for me to keep it on the road in California. Fortunately, I know the independent shops in my area who have the tools my vehicle requires.

And yes, it's exactly the same thing. I can fix a Mac Plus but Apple can't and won't.
 
Apple has made no end of life announcement on these. Yes, there is speculation galore — is this not MacRumors? But there has been no announcement and I know of no technical reason why there should be until Apple decides to support Metal II graphics only. Insist on Metal II one year after Metal I? Not likely.
[doublepost=1550708107][/doublepost]The 2011/2012 iMacs are vintage in the USA, not obsolete.

Mac products vintage in the United States and Turkey and obsolete in the rest of the world

Mac desktops



    • iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2011)
    • iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)
    • iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012)
    • iMac (27-inch, Late 2012)
    • Mac mini Server (Mid 2011)
    • Mac mini Server (Mid 2010)
    • Mac Pro (Mid 2010)
    • Mac Pro (Mid 2012)
 
mikehalloran said:
Besides you, who is saying a 2012 iMac is vintage or obsolete? Apple has made no end of life announcement on these. Yes, there is speculation galore — is this not MacRumors? But there has been no announcement and I know of no technical reason why there should be until Apple decides to support Metal II graphics only. Insist on Metal II one year after Metal I? Not likely.
The 2011s became vintage when it was announced that they could not support Mojave. Obsolete is two years away.
Click to expand...
Apple is calling the 2012 iMac as Vintage in the Apple Support link in Post 18.
 
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