Not sure what to buy to replace 2011 iMac

Hi there!

Sorry to hear your iMac isn't working, but a refurbished Mac would be a great replacement for your 2011 iMac! Here's a link to the Apple Refurbished Store: Certified Refurbished Products - Apple.

A refurbished Mac mini would be a great option for you, such as this one: Refurbished Mac mini Apple M1 Chip with 8‑Core CPU and 8‑Core GPU - Apple. However, with a Mac mini, you'll need a display, keyboard, and mouse. Apple does have options for those accessories, however, you can also use 3rd party options to meet your target price.

Another great option would be a refurbished M1 MacBook Air, such as this one: Refurbished 13.3-inch MacBook Air Apple M1 Chip with 8‑Core CPU and 7‑Core GPU - Silver - Apple. While more than your target price, since MacBook Air is a laptop, it has a built-in keyboard and trackpad with a Retina display, so you don't have to worry about additional accessories.

Hope this helps. If you have any questions, let us know!

- Jack

Look for a late 2015 5K or maybe a 2017 4K with 16GB+ RAM. A 2017 5K would be better but might be hard to find one of those for under $600 sold by a reputable used mac reseller.

Those are just new enough to install Monterey(L2015) or Ventura(2017) which will let you install Apple's iWork software (Pages/Numbers/etc), and just old enough you can install High Sierra or Mojave which should let you continue using CS6. (Mojave/Monterey may have to be installed on different drives, but USB SSDs have gotten cheap).

If you are serious about moving forward with Adobe Cloud consider stretching your budget to get a newer M1/M2 Mini or Studio. See also Adobe's new cloud pricing.

Only a used Mac in that price range. NEVER EVER buy from places like Ebay or Facebook Marketplace. Macsales.com is a reputable source, I'd look for a Mac mini and an external display. If you up your budget to $1000 you will find more offerings. Also, if you have pretty good credit Apple offers 1 year no interest financing using an AppleCare.

I'd also consider a refurbished Mac from Apple. Navigate to apple.com then scroll to the bottom of the page and look in the refurbished section.