Transitioning from 27” to 24” iMac

[960design]

Currently own an Intel 27” iMac. Previous iMac before this was also a 27” iMac. Looking at pulling the trigger on a new one in a few months when the M4 chips come out.

Curious for those who went from the 27” to the 24” screens how that transition was? Are you missing the extra screen space or does the 24” screen feel fine? I feel like doing a mini or studio with the studio display is such a bid leap in price considering that just the studio display is pretty much the cost of an iMac.

I switched from a 27" to a 24" with a bit of trepidation. The screen real estate is not that much different. The M1/M2 is ridiculous when compared to whatever i9 thing I had in the 27". I say get it.

My office has a 24" iMac ( upgraded? from 27" when the 24" first came out ).
My home (office) has a Studio Display with Mac Studio.

 

[SalisburySam]

I switched from a 27" to a 24" with a bit of trepidation. The screen real estate is not that much different.

I suggest this is the heart of the matter. For some of us, that screen real estate is a significant difference. Doing the math, the area difference between the 23.5” and 27” screens is actually 30%…a big difference for me. So upgrading becomes a decision of cost and preference. Do I want an AIO that only comes as a 23.5” device? Or do I spend considerably more to get the 27” display and hook up a Mac Mini or Studio to it?

 

[wilberforce]

I suggest this is the heart of the matter. For some of us, that screen real estate is a significant difference. Doing the math, the area difference between the 23.5” and 27” screens is actually 30%…a big difference for me. So upgrading becomes a decision of cost and preference. Do I want an AIO that only comes as a 23.5” device? Or do I spend considerably more to get the 27” display and hook up a Mac Mini or Studio to it?

This reduction in screen area is especially noticeable for apps like Lightroom and Photoshop, where the editing panels generally occupy a minimum fixed amount of the screen (in pixels), making the % reduction in the remaining working space much greater. There are workarounds such as options to hide the editing panels, but this is a nuisance.

 

[GimmeDatApple]

Why not turn the 27" iMac into a stand alone display, and buy a Mac Mini ?

Apple removed Target Display mode from all iMac's when they went Retina display.

 

[MacsRgr8]

I also went from an iMac 27" (2017 model i7, 32 GB RAM, 8 GB Radeon 580 and 1 TB SSD) to an 24" M1 (16 GB RAM 2 TB SSD).
(I must add this is my "living room Mac", thus an AIO model is wished for due to aesthetics. In my Home office I use an M1 Max Mac Studio)

My notes on the switch:

• M1 CPU is obviously faster
• M1 is much quieter (to me absolutely silent)

BUT...

• 24" smaller size is something I do regret.... I notice it every time
• 16 RAM is not enough, especially as VRAM is "shared".
  (I like editing my 4K home videos in the living room, and the 32 GB of 27"iMac was fine, I often need to reboot the M1 24" to "clean up the memory" as so much swapping has been going on that FCP X drawls to a halt..)
• I miss some grfx horsepower.

Assuming no larger iMac will see the light of day, this wil be my last iMac.

 

[specialstyle]

I tore apart the new iMac specs in my own search to replace a 2015 iMac with fusion drive.... it just didn't make sense for the cost vs the loss of ports, sd card slot, limited RAM , smaller screen.... it just seemed like a massive downgrade for what is really just a slightly faster chip. Yes Apple silicone is insanely great, but at the cost of losing all the other stuff -- I ended up with a 2019 iMac with core i9 that you can get for a STEAL on ebay. Apple isn't taking pro desktop users seriously with the current iMac, so I would either wait to see what they come out with or go with a 2019/2020 model.
Mac mini doesn't make $$ sense when you move above a base machine. Mac studio still requires a significant investment into a screen if you want it to compete with an iMac. I still think the value is in the older gen machines until they offer ports, more than 1 external monitor (that was a big downside too IMO), more ram, etc.

 

[Regulus67]

Apple removed Target Display mode from all iMac's when they went Retina display.

The 27” 5k iMacs can be rebuilt into a lovely display. Much cheaper than the Sudio Display, especially if you already own one.
That’s what I did, and I would recommend it if you find the 24” (23.5”) iMac screen to small

DIY 5k Monitor - success :-)

My "latest Macs" are a heavily upgraded 2009 Mac Pro (6c CPU, M.2 SSD, USB 3, RX580...) and more recently a 12c 2013 Mac Pro with an eGPU (Vega 56) - both machines with more than enough CPU power, GPU power and RAM for my needs, but I long aspired to upgrade to a nice 5k monitor to replace my...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[960design]

I suggest this is the heart of the matter. For some of us, that screen real estate is a significant difference. Doing the math, the area difference between the 23.5” and 27” screens is actually 30%…a big difference for me. So upgrading becomes a decision of cost and preference. Do I want an AIO that only comes as a 23.5” device? Or do I spend considerably more to get the 27” display and hook up a Mac Mini or Studio to it?

4.5k (4480-by-2520) vs 5k( 5120‑by‑2880). The screen is size is different, but the real estate, not as much as you think. I commonly use Blender, XCode, VSCode, Pixelmator, Obsidian, dual browsers (stacked), Tiled, Final Cut Pro, Postman, Docker, Satyrn and many others.

Typically, I'll run VSCode and two stacked browsers in Desktop 3, Brave in Desktop 2 for API references, Music or Youtube Coding Playlists and Postman in Desktop 4 with no slowdowns.

About the choice, I have the iMac24 (work + often side develop on MacBookPro16) and Mac Studio & Studio Display (home + often side develop on MacBookPro16).

 

[GimmeDatApple]

The 27” 5k iMacs can be rebuilt into a lovely display. Much cheaper than the Sudio Display, especially if you already own one.
That’s what I did, and I would recommend it if you find the 24” (23.5”) iMac screen to small

DIY 5k Monitor - success :-)

My "latest Macs" are a heavily upgraded 2009 Mac Pro (6c CPU, M.2 SSD, USB 3, RX580...) and more recently a 12c 2013 Mac Pro with an eGPU (Vega 56) - both machines with more than enough CPU power, GPU power and RAM for my needs, but I long aspired to upgrade to a nice 5k monitor to replace my...

forums.macrumors.com

Sorry but some of those look terrible and defeat the purpose of an all in one machine.

 

[nick9191]

If it were me, I’d be waiting for the new M4 Mac Mini and buying an appropriate monitor. There are some brilliant displays out there. The whole setup would be obtainable for less than the old 27” iMac, and of course, the Mini can be upgraded whenever you want without losing the display.

In terms of cable mess, the Mini can be discretely mounted almost anywhere. And with a wireless keyboard, mouse, and decent cable management, it’s really not that bad anymore, especially if you select a monitor with the necessary built-in peripherals.

I know it’s not what 27” iMac lovers want to hear, of course. But there are so many amazing monitors out there, some of which wouldn’t look out of place in an Apple Store. So if Apple won’t build it…

 

[Adora]

"Luckily" I had to use a 16" and 17" MBP for some years after my 2015 27" iMac, that wasn't there anymore when I needed an iMac again.

So it was really good.

But lately I booted a 2011 iMac 27" next to the new one and liked it much more even though it only had that native 2K resolution.

 

[Andres Cantu]

Interesting how they called the 24" iMac that, 24". The 21.5" model from the past was never the 22" iMac, and the 27" one was always exactly 27".

Now it makes sense why since 2021, they called it 24", knowing that they can later mention it "replaced" both the 21.5" and 27" model (comment from Craig Federighi in October 2023 keynote).

 

[leifp]

For my in-laws, I replaced a 21.5” iMac with the 24” and thus get to spend a bit of time comparing that to my Studio Display (and my 27” 5K iMac before that) and there is a zero percent chance that I could happily transition. As Apple has outright said that there will be no 27” iMac (until some future where it replaces the 24” wholesale), make your peace with going separates or downsizing… some people will have absolutely no issue doing so!

 

[Absrnd]

Apple removed Target Display mode from all iMac's when they went Retina display.

You can still do it.

 

[Mick Dundee]

Fusion drives were not used in any MacBooks afaik, nor in any Apple Silicon Macs. The problem is not heat, it is the Fusion drive. I have had two iMacs with SSDs only, and no problems. I believe my experience is consistent with that of many others. Some iMacs have had screen and/or GPU issues, but that is another problem, also not unique to iMacs.
Heat can degrade performance on any Intel Mac if the cooling vents/fan get clogged, which can be difficult to clean on a sealed device like most of the later iMacs

I have had three 27inch iMacs with no issues a 2010 which lasted 14 years, 2014 iMac still running fine, which has a fusion drive. I recently purchased a secondhand 2019 model. I have heavly used these Macs for music production, magazine layouts & design, podcasting etc. I have always kept these machines connected 24 hours a day with no heat problems. Electronics need a constant temperture, switch them on and off regulary degrades them quicker.

 

[bushman4]

Apple losing a lot of upgrades because of their failure to release a 27” or 32” iMac
Apples customers want what they want not what Apple thinks they should have!!

 

[webbga]

I faced this issue about 2 years ago when my beloved 27" iMac needed replacing. I held out for the Apple announcement and was crushed when no 27" was announced. I finally bit the bullet and ordered the mac Studio with the Studio Display. In retrospect this was a good move. I loaded it with 32 gig of ram since I do a lot of photography and editing work. It has worked out well for me. The cost was more than I wanted to spend, but I did not want to go with a smaller screen and wind up replacing it after a year or two. This was also insurance in case Apple reversed course and released a 27" stand alone unit. Everyone's situation differs.

 

[OrcaAreCute]

Curious for those who went from the 27” to the 24” screens how that transition was?

I have a 2020 5k iMac. The loss of screen space would not really bother me, but the loss of Boot Camp, that's another story. If you don't play games, your mind will accept the 24" within a day. I also use a 14" M3 Max Macbook Pro and it never bothers me. You can always use multiple desktops and flick from screen to screen.

 

[iDento]

You’ll be Fine. I use the iMac 24’ all the time, and when I need more, I use my iPad 13’ as a second screen.

 

[960design]

You’ll be Fine. I use the iMac 24’ all the time, and when I need more, I use my iPad 13’ as a second screen.

I love showing that off... iMac24 centered in my office, MacBookPro 16 to the left and an iPad Air 13 to the left of the MBP16. Then sliding the mouse cursor across the MBP to grab something ( typically a screenshot ) from the iPad Air 13, then dragging it across the MBP to the iMac to work on. It just does not get old, it's witchcraft and I love it.

 

[GimmeDatApple]

You can still do it.

That isn't native Target Display Mode

 

[Absrnd]

That isn't native Target Display Mode

I'm so sorry, you still thought I was talking about Target Display...I never was.

 

[GimmeDatApple]

I'm so sorry, you still thought I was talking about Target Display...I never was.

And I was, so what's your point?

 

[Significant1]

And I was, so what's your point?

That Target display mode is not required, if you convert it to a monitor

 

[Cunir]

I went from a 27-inch right down to a 15-inch MacBook and even that was fine once I got used to it. You don’t really have room for different windows but if you full screen everything and just swipe between them with the trackpad then it’s actually way easier and quicker than using a mouse. I don’t miss the bigger screen at all