Which used iMac for video?

[peterreb]

I’m seeking advice from the knowledgeable folks here about the purchase of a used iMac.

The question, simply stated: What would be the best used 21.5” iMac to buy for someone who wants to begin doing rudimentary videos? I’m not talking about Hollywood quality or length stuff here. I’m talking about YouTube videos averaging 5 to 10 minutes in length. The camera I’ll be using is capable of 4K video.

At the Apple store, the cheapest new iMac sells for (round numbers) $1100, or in refurbished form for $930. I assume that would be the best option for me because presumably it’s the latest and greatest for the price point. That purchase isn’t out of the question, but if I could save money without any big loss in performance that would be great.

I’ve been weighing the purchase (from online sellers or craigslist) of something from around 2012 or 2013. Would that be sufficient to accomplish my goal? I assume that any such iMac would come with GarageBand and iMovie installed. Correct?

Is there any specific model from a given series that would be better than another? Example: Is a late 2013 model going to offer any significant advantage over an early 2013 model? Is there a certain video card you’d look for?

What would you buy in my circumstance?

Pete

 

[jerwin]

Prior to skylake (late 2015), the only cpus capable of handling 4k video were 4 core i7 machines. After skylake, most any cpu could playback 4k.

My recommendation would be a current mac mini with a 4 core i3-8100, and a 4k monitor.

 

[peterreb]

Prior to skylake (late 2015), the only cpus capable of handling 4k video were 4 core i7 machines. After skylake, most any cpu could playback 4k.

My recommendation would be a current mac mini with a 4 core i3-8100, and a 4k monitor.

Thanks. That's helpful. A Mac mini you say ...hmm. You've given me something new to think about. If I may pester you for a brief explanation, why do you say that? I'm not asking you to take time to give me a full education on Mac 101, which is my responsibility to get on my own, but in a few sentences that hit the high spots, why would the mini be your choice? I'm thinking the SSD is part of the reason?

 

[Erehy Dobon]

.

 

[jerwin]

My sister has a mac mini. The i3-8100 is as fast, or faster than my imac's i5-4690 for most tasks. It can decode and encode 4k video in hardware (with minimal cpu load). I believe that it can even playback 4k itunes files. (given an hdmi 2.2 monitor), but you might want to verify this.

Many of the new catalina features (like sidecar) take advantage of 6th generation and later chipsets.
The newest mac mini has 10 Gbs usb 3.1, and thunderbolt 3. (usb 3.1 10 Gbs is not all that rare for things like SSD enclosures). My sister has an external 512 GB SSD; the included 128 GB SSD is too stingy....)

(Catalina does break 32 bit compatibility, though, and the mac mini uses intel graphics (which have improved since 2012). Gaming might pose a problem, if that's at the back of your mind).

 

[Fishrrman]

I'd suggest a refurbished 2018 Mini, configured thusly:
- i7
- 512gb SSD
- 16gb RAM

And a 4k display, preferably 27".