Upgrading to a new Mac.

[zowenso]

Hello. So, I currently have a mid 2010 Mac mini. 2.4 Ghz Intel core 2 Duo. 8 GB 1067 MHz DDr3 Memory. Sierra 10.12.5 and I haven't upgraded that in a long time because I'm afraid it will cause an issue, although I was told by an Apple employee that Apple would never send an update the computer couldn't handle, is that true? I have an Acer display and use the apple keyboard and wireless mouse. Its time to Upgrade. Its starting to make grinding noises and lag a bit.

I do very basic stuff on my Mac. I do web browsing, work on google classroom for work, my wife does spread sheet stuff for work, I use the photo app to upload photos and put them my external hard drive ( is the photo app still on Macs?). I don't do anything too nuts. Is it safe to say that the 21.5" screen 2.4 Ghz processor iMac for $1099 would be a major upgrade and be fine or should I step up to the $1200 3.6 ghz model? Im assuming anything will be better than what I have?

Thanks.

 

[casperes1996]

Yes to all your questions, but if you can afford it I really would recommend going for the mid-tier 3.6GHz over the entry level. - Even though your workload isn't demanding and the entry level could deal with it, there's such a massive performance difference between the entry level and mid-tier that I would argue the entry level almost never makes sense. Depending on workload we're looking at up to 3x, maybe more, performance from the mid-tier.

But aside from that, yes to everything

 

[glenthompson]

Your mini is limited to High Sierra as the maximum OS you can install. Not sure if it’s worth the effort. I’m guessing you still have the spinning drive in the Mini. With any software updates that is going to be your biggest bottleneck. In addition it is getting close to end of life. If you upgrade to an iMac any current cpu should be plenty for your described workflow. Just make sure you have adequate space on the SSD you get. I prefer keeping everything internally if possible instead of relying on external drives. Makes organizing and backups easier.

 

[Juicy Box]

You should be fine on High Sierra, but I would not format the HDD with APFS, stick with HFS.

In general practice, you should always have a back up of your data, and preferably a bootable back up, but this is especially true to updating the OS, and especially major updates. If you have a bootable back up, you can easily and quickly go back to a OS version that you know that works.

If you keep your Mac Mini for a while, consider upgrading the HDD to a SSD. It is really easy on your model, and it will feel like a totally different computer.

I haven't upgraded that in a long time because I'm afraid it will cause an issue, although I was told by an Apple employee that Apple would never send an update the computer couldn't handle, is that true?

The word "handle" can be subjective, but I would say that is not true.

Just look at any of the posts of performance related issues on Macs on Catalina with a HDD.

I have personally experience issues after updating an Apple OS. My iPad mini 2 was great with iOS 8, but updating to iOS 9 made it unusable. iOS 10 improved things a lot, but it was never as good as it was on iOS 8.

 

[zowenso]

Thanks for all your responses. I appreciate the feedback.

 

[zowenso]

The one thing i really can’t wrap my head around is the “back up” stuff. Like “bootable back ups” and that stuff in general. I have zero idea how to even do any of it lol. I always assume that’s what a time machine back up does? I have an external hard drive that i partitioned for a time machine back. I don’t pay attention to it, not even sure how I’d benefit from it lol, i was told to do it. Is there a good video that would break all this down for me?

 

[DaiwaGuy]

You'll be sorry. Buy used. Never willingly give Apple your money.

Bootable backup: Carbon Copy Cloner is your friend.

 

[DaiwaGuy]

I was told by an Apple employee that Apple would never send an update the computer couldn't handle, is that true?

Thanks.

It most certainly is NOT. Trusting Apple is a poor excuse for not doing your own due diligence. IOW, DYOFDY.

 

[zowenso]

I was thinking about looking into used. Like a 2019 model or something, but didn’t know where to look. Seems more stressful going used though lol I got my Mac mini used off eBay years ago.

 

[russell_314]

You'll be sorry. Buy used. Never willingly give Apple your money.

Bootable backup: Carbon Copy Cloner is your friend.

I would argue that unless you have good knowldge of what you're buying and know how to troubleshoot problems NEVER EVER buy used. If you want to save a few pennies buy a refurbished model from Apple. If you buy new or refurbished from Apple you get Apple support and warranty.

 

[DaiwaGuy]

I was thinking about looking into used. Like a 2019 model or something, but didn’t know where to look. Seems more stressful going used though lol I got my Mac mini used off eBay years ago.

Well, hell, you already know the drill. Save your drives, put them in the new box (you've upgraded to SSD, right?) and run external SSDs like you used to run external hard drives. HDDs are inferior. Slow, too.

 

[zowenso]

Yeah, I do NOT have the ability to trouble shoot anything lol and that’s the one appealing thing about buying new. Knowing it hasn’t been messed with.

 

[DaiwaGuy]

Yeah, I do NOT have the ability to trouble shoot anything lol and that’s the one appealing thing about buying new. Knowing it hasn’t been messed with.

It's never too early to start learning. Then you can answer your own questions. Self-reliance is a wonderful thing.

 

[DaiwaGuy]

I would argue that unless you have good knowldge of what you're buying and know how to troubleshoot problems NEVER EVER buy used. If you want to save a few pennies buy a refurbished model from Apple. If you buy new or refurbished from Apple you get Apple support and warranty.

Have you never cracked a computer open? That's not a bad first step. Observe what things are where and figure out why. It may be computer science but it ain't rocket science nor brain surgery. The means and skills are available for anyone willing to learn.

So that is the question. Are you?

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Hello. So, I currently have a mid 2010 Mac mini. 2.4 Ghz Intel core 2 Duo. 8 GB 1067 MHz DDr3 Memory. Sierra 10.12.5 and I haven't upgraded that in a long time because I'm afraid it will cause an issue, although I was told by an Apple employee that Apple would never send an update the computer couldn't handle, is that true? I have an Acer display and use the apple keyboard and wireless mouse. Its time to Upgrade. Its starting to make grinding noises and lag a bit.

I do very basic stuff on my Mac. I do web browsing, work on google classroom for work, my wife does spread sheet stuff for work, I use the photo app to upload photos and put them my external hard drive ( is the photo app still on Macs?). I don't do anything too nuts. Is it safe to say that the 21.5" screen 2.4 Ghz processor iMac for $1099 would be a major upgrade and be fine or should I step up to the $1200 3.6 ghz model? Im assuming anything will be better than what I have?

Thanks.

With the information above, I assume that you are reluctant to open your Mac mini for upgrades.

1. If you have money to spend, go for the new iMac (3.6Ghz model). Bring your Mac mini to the store and ask them to copy all you apps and stuffs to the new machine. Buy Apple care ++, too.

2. If you don't have $1k to spend, or would like to wait for the new iMac with ARM chip,
- Spare 150$ for a Samsung T5,
- Clone your internal HDD to this Samsung T5 you just buy
- Boot and work from it, while saving money for the new iMac
When you have bought the new iMac, that Samsung T5 is still usable.
At that time, maybe you would want to explore your Mac mini a little bit, before sending it to the trash bin, perhaps.
Follow the below video to tear it down

 

[r6mile]

2. If you don't have $1k to spend, or would like to wait for the new iMac with ARM chip,
- Spare 150$ for a Samsung T5,
- Clone your internal HDD to this Samsung T5 you just buy
- Boot and work from it, while saving money for the new iMac
When you have bought the new iMac, that Samsung T5 is still usable.

Absolutely terrible idea. The 2010 Mini does not have USB3 so it will be painfully slow. Get someone to install an SSD, if you have a techy friend.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Absolutely terrible idea. The 2010 Mini does not have USB3 so it will be painfully slow. Get someone to install an SSD, if you have a techy friend.

Great idea if OP has a techy friend.
Bad idea if he doesn't.
USB 2.0 is still better than a dying internal HDD.
Opening a 2012 Mac mini is not very difficult, but there are people who are afraid of opening electronic devices.

 

[zhenya]

Buy a new (refurbished) iMac with middle of the road specs. Keep it for another 10 years. That's less than $150 per year for something you probably use every day and enriches your life immensely.

 

[Juicy Box]

Absolutely terrible idea. The 2010 Mini does not have USB3 so it will be painfully slow. Get someone to install an SSD, if you have a techy friend.

Great idea if OP has a techy friend.
Bad idea if he doesn't.
USB 2.0 is still better than a dying internal HDD.
Opening a 2012 Mac mini is not very difficult, but there are people who are afraid of opening electronic devices.

I would also recommend installing an internal SSD. You don't need a tech friend or anything on that model. There are a bunch of DIY videos and iFixit is also really helpful.

If you can put together furniture from Ikea, you would be more than qualified to follow iFixit instructions.

- Spare 150$ for a Samsung T5,

USB 2.0 is still better than a dying internal HDD.

For the price of the T5, you could get a FW800 enclosure and a SATA SSD and have some money to spare. It would be faster and also have TRIM support.

I would still highly recommend doing the internal SSD, but if someone was really worried about their ability to open the Mac mini, getting a FW800 drive would be a better compromise than USB2.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

Get a 27" iMac.
You will NEVER regret buying the larger display. NEVER.

With the 27", get 8gb of RAM. If it's not enough, it's EASY to add more later on with the "door" in the back. YOU CAN'T DO THIS with a 21" iMac. It doesn't have "the door".

Get an SSD inside.
THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT BUYING DECISION YOU WILL MAKE.
It will run fast when new, and keep on running fast as the Mac ages.
512gb or even 256gb. There's no comparison to a fusion or platter-based drive.
The SSD is SUPERIOR.

I'd suggest either an i5 CPU or perhaps the i7.
You don't need the i9.

Consider buying from the Apple online refurbished store.
They have 27" iMacs with SSDs show up there from time to time.
You have to keep checking back morning, noon and night (literally), and if you see the configuration you want (again, CHECK CAREFULLY), BUY IT, because it probably won't be there very long.

Finally, I like the idea of buying a 2019 iMac if you need to save money.
I would prefer a 2019 27" iMac to a 2020 21", hands down...!

 

[zowenso]

OP:

Get a 27" iMac.
You will NEVER regret buying the larger display. NEVER.

With the 27", get 8gb of RAM. If it's not enough, it's EASY to add more later on with the "door" in the back. YOU CAN'T DO THIS with a 21" iMac. It doesn't have "the door".

Get an SSD inside.
THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT BUYING DECISION YOU WILL MAKE.
It will run fast when new, and keep on running fast as the Mac ages.
512gb or even 256gb. There's no comparison to a fusion or platter-based drive.
The SSD is SUPERIOR.

I'd suggest either an i5 CPU or perhaps the i7.
You don't need the i9.

Consider buying from the Apple online refurbished store.
They have 27" iMacs with SSDs show up there from time to time.
You have to keep checking back morning, noon and night (literally), and if you see the configuration you want (again, CHECK CAREFULLY), BUY IT, because it probably won't be there very long.

Finally, I like the idea of buying a 2019 iMac if you need to save money.
I would prefer a 2019 27" iMac to a 2020 21", hands down...!

Do Macs come with SSDs or would it have to be a Mac that someone bought, added the SSD and then sold it back to APPLE?

 

[Fishrrman]

"Do Macs come with SSDs"

That depends.
It depends on what kind of Mac you buy, and the year the Mac was made.

The 2020 27" iMacs come with an SSD as standard equipment.

But 2019 and 2917 27" iMacs came with both fusion drives and SSDs (the SSD had to be specially-ordered through Apple's "build to order" page).

You have to be careful about what you're buying, if you buy used or from a source other than Apple.

Do they have Apple Stores where you are?
If not, can you buy online from the Apple refurbished store?

 

[zowenso]

"Do Macs come with SSDs"

That depends.
It depends on what kind of Mac you buy, and the year the Mac was made.

The 2020 27" iMacs come with an SSD as standard equipment.

But 2019 and 2917 27" iMacs came with both fusion drives and SSDs (the SSD had to be specially-ordered through Apple's "build to order" page).

You have to be careful about what you're buying, if you buy used or from a source other than Apple.

Do they have Apple Stores where you are?
If not, can you buy online from the Apple refurbished store?

Cool, thanks. Yeah there’s an Apple store about 30 minutes from me. Sounds like the odds of finding a 2019 27” with a SSD would be super random. And I know ZERO about this tech stuff. But I guess I should try to find that particular model. If you see one, please post the link lol.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Cool, thanks. Yeah there’s an Apple store about 30 minutes from me. Sounds like the odds of finding a 2019 27” with a SSD would be super random. And I know ZERO about this tech stuff. But I guess I should try to find that particular model. If you see one, please post the link lol.

By all means, if you are to buy a new one, I strongly suggest 2020 model. Gen 10 intel chips are better than gen 8 & 9, in all aspect.

 

[colodane]

With the Apple store only a half hour away, here is my recommendation for a plan for you to consider:

First, continue to educate yourself about the options available on new iMacs and their costs. Your questions about the SSD option, for example, is the type of thing you need to be aware of. Use this forum and ask any other questions you can think of.

Use the Apple online store to purchase your new 2020 machine. Start playing with the online configurator for a BTO (Built To Order) machine that best suits your combination needs and price. If you have questions as you do this, post them here. This process might take a couple of weeks before you are confident in your selection of options.

Then, order a BTO iMac from the Apple online store and have it shipped to your Apple store. There is no extra charge for this service. I've used it many times to avoid the hassle of having an expensive item delivered by UPS or Fed Ex to my house. You will be notified by email when your new iMac is ready for you to pick it up at the store. The folks at the Apple store can also, if needed, assist you with any questions or installation issues you might have.

Have fun with your purchase - it will be an awesome machine!