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Need advice getting a new desktop

To say a Mac is only good for 4 years is a joke.

I currently use a 2012 Mac Mini that has been a strong workhorse and very speedy one at that because of the upgradeability (RAM, SSD, dual drives).

I suspect this Mini loaded with dual SSD and 16GB RAM will be good for another 2-3 years making this 2012 a 10+ year old machine.

It is at the maximum Catalina OSX which is perfect for me and will stick with that since I just paid for Microsoft Office 2019 suite and Adobe Acrobat Pro 2017....

BTW: I just listed my 2011 Mini on eBay and it's been a strong performer for 9 years:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/124239569778
 
Hitman1717 said:
i think I agree with you and will start looking on the website. I guess that would lead me to ask advice for graphics and a processor. I’d probably want to spend more there considering I keep them so long.
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I'd go with the highest option of the 21.5 iMac or the base 27" iMac, upgrading the hard drive on either to an SSD instead of the fusion drives. There's lots of other threads here about fusion drives versus SSD, so take a look if want in-depth opinions. You may decide you want the fusion drive after all.

Keep in mind that new iMacs don't include an optical CD/DVD drive, so depending on your needs and current peripherals, you may need to evaluate accessories that may need updating to work with a new iMac.

The 27" iMacs are less available right now and have longer shipping times than the 21.5".

Also be sure that you're getting your educational discount, which is available in multiple ways depending on your school level.
 
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Namara said:
I'd go with the highest option of the 21.5 iMac or the base 27" iMac, upgrading the hard drive on either to an SSD instead of the fusion drives. There's lots of other threads here about fusion drives versus SSD, so take a look if want in-depth opinions. You may decide you want the fusion drive after all.

Keep in mind that new iMacs don't include an optical CD/DVD drive, so depending on your needs and current peripherals, you may need to evaluate accessories that may need updating to work with a new iMac.

The 27" iMacs are less available right now and have longer shipping times than the 21.5".

Also be sure that you're getting your educational discount, which is available in multiple ways depending on your school level.
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Thanks so much for your input. I’ll read up now on SSD vs. Fusion since I don’t know anything about that lol.

Last question: does keeping my old iMac make sense as like a second screen? I’ve seen people use two screens somehow.
 
Hitman1717 said:
Thanks so much for your input. I’ll read up now on SSD vs. Fusion since I don’t know anything about that lol.

Last question: does keeping my old iMac make sense as like a second screen? I’ve seen people use two screens somehow.
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You're very welcome, and please let us all know what you decide to get. For the second screen question, someone will surely respond who knows how that works with an older iMac.
 
As I think you have realised don’t worry about the Arm iMacs as you should get new releases for the OS for the next 4 years, and security updates for a while after that. Generally speaking Macs only get 5/6 years compatibility for new OS anyway, so you are probably not losing much. The iMac may not go Arm until next year anyway, I am guessing the Mac mini and the notebooks will move to Arm first to take advantage of better battery life.

As you want to keep it for as long as possible, get the best iMac that you can comfortably afford. However even the base level units can do everything you want. However make sure that you spec a SSD drive rather than a standard or fusion hard disk. They are much quicker and more reliable. I would really consider the 27” screen as it really makes using it a pleasure, particularly if you plan to keep it for a number of years.

Finally I would hold off if you can for a couple of months, as the iMacs are due to get a redesign shortly. They had been expected to be announced a week ago at WWDC.
 
Didn’t buy yet, but here’s an update:

Since the Apple stores aren’t open, I went to Best Buy to talk to the Apple guy there. When I asked about SSD vs. fusion, he said desktops don’t need the SSD because they’re not mobile and aren’t going to crash like a laptop would. He also said the iMac they sell doesn’t have an SSD drive. Only the iMac Pro would have that.
 
Hitman1717 said:
Didn’t buy yet, but here’s an update:

Since the Apple stores aren’t open, I went to Best Buy to talk to the Apple guy there. When I asked about SSD vs. fusion, he said desktops don’t need the SSD because they’re not mobile and aren’t going to crash like a laptop would. He also said the iMac they sell doesn’t have an SSD drive. Only the iMac Pro would have that.
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Honestly, people selling computers often have no idea what they're talking about. Use two identical computers, one with an ssds and one with a spinning drive, and tell me an SSD makes no difference in a desktop.
 
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My brother bought a 2019 iMac with a fusion drive and said he cusses it every day - said not getting an SSD was the dumbest decision he ever made. I upgraded my 2012 Mac Pro to an SSD a couple years ago and it came to life.
 
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Hitman1717 said:
Didn’t buy yet, but here’s an update:

Since the Apple stores aren’t open, I went to Best Buy to talk to the Apple guy there. When I asked about SSD vs. fusion, he said desktops don’t need the SSD because they’re not mobile and aren’t going to crash like a laptop would. He also said the iMac they sell doesn’t have an SSD drive. Only the iMac Pro would have that.
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Completely agree with @r6mile. You would get a very different and informed answer at an Apple Store. But since the store aren't open near you, call or chat with Apple Store Support to debunk what Best Buy told you ... that is, if you would like another source than we can tell you here.
 
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A few thoughts:

* 2006 iMac? Then the OS is Lion, maybe Mountain Lion? Whatever, OP has obviously no problems with an unsupported OS so the transition might not affect him.

* Lots of songs? iTunes? Be prepared that in Catalina, there is no more iTunes, but Music.

* MS Word? It seems that OP will keep its old machine. Do not give it away until you have checked if your files are readable for the newest MS Office. My Office 2016 cannot read old .doc-Files from 1999 any longer, luckily there is an Office 2011 in the household, building a bridge between .doc and .docx.

* Personally, I would today never buy a machine with integrated HDD. So slow... Better iMacs can be ordered with SSD only.

* Video conferencing? MBA base model with external Monitor an option?
 
Hitman1717 said:
Sorry if I sound like a novice, but I need some advice. I’ve had the same Mac desktop since 2006 and need a new one. I’d like to get all the bells and whistles so that it will last me awhile.

I’ve read that some of you are waiting for fall 2020, but I’m sure whatever is the best right now is good enough for me. Would I really be missing out on anything by not waiting six months?

What specs would you all suggest I get?

Thank you.
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My Advice...get a current SSD model now judging by what you do It’ll be more than fine.

I’m not sure where this “it will only be supported for four years“ idea came from But it’s just guess work here. Based on Apples past some make this claim, but we just don’t know how they’ll handle it this time. I have a 27” 2010 iMac with a Fusion drive and it still runs great! I’m making albums with it still in Logic. Only the last two OS I can’t update to. So they supported it for 8 years.

Tim Apple said they have new Intel Macs in the pipeline which I would imagine will stretch into 2021. So my Guess would be from the time they put out the very last intel Mac then you can start counting down. If you bought today my guess would be you could update for about 6-7 years. Would you miss out on some features of the ARM Macs? Sure.

if you want to skip all of these problems entirely you’d have to wait for the 2nd generation of ARM, 1st generation will most likely have growing pains. if you can’t wait that long, I’d buy now.
 
OP wrote:
"I went to Best Buy to talk to the Apple guy there. When I asked about SSD vs. fusion, he said desktops don’t need the SSD because they’re not mobile and aren’t going to crash like a laptop would. He also said the iMac they sell doesn’t have an SSD drive."

That is called "talking through one's hat".
Sales talk.
Don't fall for it.

The best -- absolute BEST -- advice you can ever get (from me or from anyone else here):
Get a Mac with an SSD.
Anything less isn't worth it in this day and age (and with the load that the Mac OS places on the drive).
 
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Hitman1717 said:
Didn’t buy yet, but here’s an update:

Since the Apple stores aren’t open, I went to Best Buy to talk to the Apple guy there. When I asked about SSD vs. fusion, he said desktops don’t need the SSD because they’re not mobile and aren’t going to crash like a laptop would. He also said the iMac they sell doesn’t have an SSD drive. Only the iMac Pro would have that.
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The sales person was acting in his best interest - not yours. He gets a commission on selling what they have in stock. Others here are offering you good advice.
 
iTunes doesn't exist in BigSur. Use Time Machine or Carbon Copy Cloner (free edition) to copy your data. After that, study up on the changes from OSX to MacOS. You have a very old Mac with a very old OS.
 
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I appreciate all the responses to this thread.

Since there’s no store, I’m going to call and order from Apple this week. I’ll definitely be ordering one with an SSD. Would you suggest 1 or 2 TB?

The other choices to make are the processor and graphics. I’m pretty sure an earlier post suggested the Intel Core i9 processor. How about graphics?
 
Hitman1717 said:
I appreciate all the responses to this thread.

Since there’s no store, I’m going to call and order from Apple this week. I’ll definitely be ordering one with an SSD. Would you suggest 1 or 2 TB?

The other choices to make are the processor and graphics. I’m pretty sure an earlier post suggested the Intel Core i9 processor. How about graphics?
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If you can I would wait until the end of August as there are strong rumours that new iMac models are about to be released by Apple, these are likely to be new Intel iMacs rather than Arm. As these new Macs have high speed Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, I don’t think it’s worth the extra cost of 2TB SSD , as you can add an external SSD drive when you need it. I would put the money into 27” rather than 21” screen or additional Ram (16 GB). Based on you intended usage I don’t think you really will see much benefit from upgraded processors or graphic, but if you intend keeping the machine for a long time it may be worth spending as much as you can afford to.

Generally speaking gaming will benefit more from a better graphics chipset. Video editing will benefit more by better or more CPU’s, so you will need to give some consideration to what are your priorities.
 
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I've been poking around ebay for a couple days now looking for a 2017-2019 model 27" imac. i'm finding myself doing a lot of work in photoshop lately for my side biz and need more real estate than my MBP offers. So I was wondering about some of the questions asked in this thread, but I logged in for the first time to say that i am so happy that i blasted my itunes music collection about a year ago to make room on my ssd....i was finding that Spotify was meeting my listening needs pretty well, so banked on it only improving over time. i still have hundreds of CDs stashed away somewhere in the garage that I'll eventually donate to a museum, but just want to express how much weight was lifted off my shoulders when i finally pressed delete 120gb+ of music. For nearly two decades I'd been amassing an impressive CD collection and spent weeks on end getting everything put into itunes, and months (or years) making/editing playlists, rating songs, etc... so the fear of losing it all in one fell swoop was very real...but man, deleting it on my own felt like i was finally free.

sorry, this doesn't really ad anything to the conversation, but just wanted to add that.
 
I’ve never been without iTunes and all my music, so I’m a little nervous. Will a time machine backup of my computer save my thousands of songs along with my Word files?

And when I import them to the new Mac, how in the world will my song files play without iTunes?
 
Hitman1717 said:
I’ve never been without iTunes and all my music, so I’m a little nervous. Will a time machine backup of my computer save my thousands of songs along with my Word files?

And when I import them to the new Mac, how in the world will my song files play without iTunes?
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Don't worry on the Mac iTunes has been replaced with the new Music App to play all your songs. Time Machine can backup all your files and music, However, the easiest way to migrate all your music and files is via Apple Migration assistant, which will be an option given to you when you first start your new Mac. It basically allows you to automatically move all your music, movies files and compatible apps to your new Mac.
 
James Craner said:
Don't worry on the Mac iTunes has been replaced with the new Music App to play all your songs. Time Machine can backup all your files and music, However, the easiest way to migrate all your music and files is via Apple Migration assistant, which will be an option given to you when you first start your new Mac. It basically allows you to automatically move all your music, movies files and compatible apps to your new Mac.
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Thanks, James. I ordered a new external drive to run Time Machine in order to backup everything on my current hard drive and my current (small) external. This way everything I currently have can move over, and I am guessing the new computer will show Apple Migration when I load it up.
 
One point you need to be mindful of is that from Mac OS Catalina ( the current version of Mac OS) all apps have to be 64 bit. If you have any old 32 bit apps then they can't be run and will not be transferred. I delayed my upgrade to Catalina because I did not want to lose Aperture, but have finally given in.
[automerge]1594122617[/automerge]
Hitman1717 said:
Thanks, James. I ordered a new external drive to run Time Machine in order to backup everything on my current hard drive and my current (small) external. This way everything I currently have can move over, and I am guessing the new computer will show Apple Migration when I load it up.
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Yes it will give you the option to use Migration Assistant when you first set up your new Mac.
 
Update:

Thanks to those who offered help here on this thread. I called Apple and the guy walked me through the choices I could make to buy the iMac on their website. Being that it’s been since the mid-2000s, I did go for an upgrade in most areas, including the SSD.

It would have been cool if my old Mac could have been used as a second screen, but it looks like it’s too old.

I also ordered a new external HD to run a Time Machine on the old Mac and the old external HD. Getting all the music from iTunes and the family pics I’ve download are the most important things to carry over with me, so I’m hoping for a smooth transition.

Apple gave me a delivery date in mid-August, so let’s hope all goes well. Thanks again for your help.
 
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New Mac is coming this week. I think my biggest worry is being able to upload all my saved music, photos, and work documents onto the new hard drive. Any advice?
 
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