Which mac as a replacement to replace my old iMac 5K (late 2015).

[Moriske]

Please advice to replace my old iMac 5K (late 2015) with 500GB SSD and 24GB memory. As an amateur photographer I have been working with Adobe Photoshop and Ligtroom for several years. And would like to update the OS that is no longer supported and hardware.

Unfortunately, there is still no direct successor to the 27” iMac. This means that only the options below are discussed if you want a 32-inch screen.

A Mac mini is available this week with M2 and M2 Pro.
A Mac Studio is available with M1 Max and M1 Ultra, but on the expensive side.

Would a new Mac mini with M2 (plus separate monitor) be an option or should I look to Mac mini with M2 Pro to replace my iMac?

 

[Fishrrman]

M2pro Mini.
16gb RAM (or more if you want). But I'll reckon 16gb is just fine for still photo processing.
1tb SSD.

You'll have to decide on a display on your own...

 

[tis100]

Are you happy with the speed of your current iMac? If what you want is to upgrade macOS then may I suggest using OpenCore Legacy Patcher to upgrade to Ventura:

OpenCore Legacy Patcher

Experience macOS just like before

dortania.github.io

The latest version came out yesterday.

It's going to be hard to match the quality of the Late 2015 iMac 27" Retina display without spending a lot more on an Apple Studio Display, LG UltraFine or the upcoming Samsung ViewFinity S9.

Compared to your i7 4.0ghz, the mac mini M2 Pro is only going to be about 86% faster in single core performance than your current computer, which is not quite double. I would say the M3 cycle would be better for you. At that point Apple is expected update the iMac.

 

[tstafford]

Another option is to buy a more recent Intel iMac 27". Refurb 2020 (which should get a few more years of support) is $1,429 w/ 1TB and you could bump it to 32 GB if you do it yourself for under $100. Cheaper if you are willing to get a smaller SSD or buy from a third party (not Apple).

 

[eyeseeyou]

Are you happy with the speed of your current iMac? If what you want is to upgrade macOS then may I suggest using OpenCore Legacy Patcher to upgrade to Ventura:

OpenCore Legacy Patcher

Experience macOS just like before

dortania.github.io

The latest version came out yesterday.

It's going to be hard to match the quality of the Late 2015 iMac 27" Retina display without spending a lot more on an Apple Studio Display, LG UltraFine or the upcoming Samsung ViewFinity S9.

Compared to your i7 4.0ghz, the mac mini M2 Pro is only going to be about 86% faster in single core performance than your current computer, which is not quite double. I would say the M3 cycle would be better for you. At that point Apple is expected update the iMac.

I 2nd this.
Aside from the lack of usb c ports, if you’re happy with the speed of your iMac I’d recommend at least trying out open core and updating to Ventura. If you don’t like it you can always revert and sell your iMac like you’ll most likely end up doing anyhow. I did this to my 2014 macbook and for my needs it probably added a few more years to its lifespan.