Need Some Help! trying to figure out which imac my friend is selling

[Grammarnat]

Hi everyone!

Firstly, I'm new to the forums so I'm looking for some enlightment. I'm also new to buying macs (though I have had iphones and ipads in the past).

A friend of my mum's is selling their imac for £550, and I'm trying to figure out which imac it is, as, oddly, they haven't actually told me.

The specs are:

i7 Processor
12gb Ram
2TB HD
27 inch Screen

While I realise this isn't much I was hoping there might be some bright spark on here who might be able to help me out! I've provisionally said yes, barring it being pre-2012 (I've heard that the 2011 imacs have some crashing issues?), but as they're bringing it to me on Sunday, I'm not sure they will get back to me before then.

If anyone could help me I'd much appreciate it!

 

[redheeler]

Those specs are extremely vague. Do you have a picture, model number or other info?

 

[Grammarnat]

Those specs are extremely vague. Do you have a picture, model number or other info?

Hi Redheeler,

Unfortunately I don't at the moment! I have just texted the guy I'm buying the imac from so I'm hoping I will get some info fairly soon, though it's pretty late here.

Another question to add, with those specs, would a 2011 imac still be ok for that price? I'll be using it for mostly word documenting, a little web browsing and some photo editing.
[doublepost=1481841330][/doublepost]Just gotten a text picture of the imac, though he still isn't telling me what gen the mac is - should I be worried?

 

[Taz Mangus]

Hi Redheeler,

Unfortunately I don't at the moment! I have just texted the guy I'm buying the imac from so I'm hoping I will get some info fairly soon, though it's pretty late here.

Another question to add, with those specs, would a 2011 imac still be ok for that price? I'll be using it for mostly word documenting, a little web browsing and some photo editing.
[doublepost=1481841330][/doublepost]Just gotten a text picture of the imac, though he still isn't telling me what gen the mac is - should I be worried?

Have the seller power on the computer and get the iMac information from the "About this Mac" information.

 

[briloronmacrumo]

Another question to add, with those specs, would a 2011 imac still be ok for that price? I'll be using it for mostly word documenting, a little web browsing and some photo editing.

Assuming it's a mid-2011 27 inch iMac, its approximate retail price is USD $585 or approximately £472 GBP. Given its platter hard drive, it will tend to be slower than you might consider acceptable. Luckily this iMac has a 6.0 Gbps SATA hard drive interface, so it can be swapped out for an SSD without too much trouble ( did it myself on my 2011 iMac following video found at OWC ).

So is £500 GBP a good price? Doesn't look like it. First it's a tad overpriced ( unless more specs reveal something special ) and you will need to upgrade the HD.

The updated iMac with an SSD is more than enough for the work specified and it runs the latest MacOS too.
[doublepost=1481852000][/doublepost]

Just gotten a text picture of the imac, though he still isn't telling me what gen the mac is - should I be worried?

This person may be scamming you if they send a picture of the keyboard when you requested a picture of the iMac. Don't send any money until you see much more than this!

One last warning: 2011 iMac video cards tend to fail, so ask them about its history.

 

[maflynn]

[MOD NOTE]
I updated the title, OP, please use descriptive titles, it will only help you as people who have the information will see your thread and reply.

 

[Grammarnat]

Hi

[MOD NOTE]
I updated the title, OP, please use descriptive titles, it will only help you as people who have the information will see your thread and reply.

@maflynn, apologies, I wasn't sure what to call the thread lol!
[doublepost=1481887843][/doublepost]Hi everyone,

Many thanks for all the advice. I've just found out (after a lot of pressing) that the seller believes the imac is a late 2009 (!) machine. My gut is telling me to avoid, what should I do?

 

[daflake]

If you have to press to get basic information I would say to move on. It shouldn't be that hard to get that information.

 

[Grammarnat]

Hey all,
I just wanted to check something, but am I right in that you cannot update the 2009 to the latest software without problems / switching out the hdd for a ssd? Ive just asked if the guy is willing to haggle the price down as £550 seems a fair amount for an 8 year old computer...?
[doublepost=1481894435][/doublepost]Just a quick update ; just spoke to the seller, and they facetime me so I could see boot times etc of the imac. All seems kosher, apparently the price is due to the hd being upgraded to a hdd drive to accommodate photoshop. I also got them to load photoshop to see run time and all looks good.

 

[maflynn]

Apple is on the process of categorizing the 2009 as obsoloete and not supporting them any longer.

This news story details mostly the MBPs, but the iMac may not be far begind it

I don't believe the latest version of OS X will run on this mac, at least officially. There may be a way to get it to run, but as of now I don't think you can do without some level of hassle

Current value seems to be in the $1,000 range by EveryMac's estimates so the asking price does seem good, though I'm surprised that a 6 year old mac has such a high market value.

 

[Grammarnat]

Apple is on the process of categorizing the 2009 as obsoloete and not supporting them any longer.

This news story details mostly the MBPs, but the iMac may not be far begind it

I don't believe the latest version of OS X will run on this mac, at least officially. There may be a way to get it to run, but as of now I don't think you can do without some level of hassle

Current value seems to be in the $1,000 range by EveryMac's estimates so the asking price does seem good, though I'm surprised that a 6 year old mac has such a high market value.

Thanks for all that info! It's not surprising that Apple are doing this considering how old the computers are, I guess! I think bases on this (and a few other niggles) I'm going to say no to the imac and look for a newer version

 

[kschendel]

The 2009 iMac's (early or late) can be perfectly usable machines for web / office work, especially if you are OK with staying at El Cap. I haven't tried to upgrade ours to Sierra. I'd definitely want memory maxed out and SSD installed before even thinking of buying at the price, though, and I'd want a smooth transaction. This one sounds a bit weird.

 

[briloronmacrumo]

Current value seems to be in the $1,000 range by EveryMac's estimates so the asking price does seem good,.

I just requested a quote for a "iMac Core i7 2.8GHz 27in Aluminum 1TB A1312 BTO 2009" at "buybackworkd.com" and the quote is $300 USD. This is a quote to buy the iMac in excellent condition. If this person won't send you a screen shot of "About this Mac" ( under the Apple menu ) detailing the specific machine, I'd find another iMac to buy. It's hard to price since we don't know the exact model and specs. There shouldn't have to be any "he thinks....". The information is there under "About this Mac".
[doublepost=1481927486][/doublepost]

Hey all,
… apparently the price is due to the hd being upgraded to a hdd drive to accommodate photoshop.

He is either ignorant or lying to you. The price diferential between a standard 1TB HDD and the 2 TB HDD is approximately $25 to $30 ( just looked at Amazon.com's Seagate Barracuda 1TB at $49 vs same drive at 2TB is $76. Again: find another seller. https://www.amazon.com/Seagate-BarraCuda-3-5-Inch-Internal-ST1000DM010/dp/B01IEKG402/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1481927238&sr=8-3&keywords=3.5+in+hard+drive+1+TB&th=1