I love my old iMac with a 27 inch screen and am hesitant to buy the newer models... what are my options?

Question

I love my old iMac with a 27 inch screen and am hesitant to buy the newer models... what are my options?

I have an old 2012 iMac with the 27 inch screen, OS Catalina. Used it for years and love it but unfortunately it is now so out dated (no longer supported by Apple) that most apps no longer work. I would like to buy a new iMac but they only come with a 24 inch screen. Maybe I'm picky but that feels like a visual downgrade. What are my options? I would love to keep the same screen size but have a newer iMac that is supported by Apple.

Earlier displays & monitors

Posted on Nov 8, 2024 5:33 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Nov 8, 2024 6:39 AM in response to patrickhowson

Why not consider a new M4 Mac Mini with 16 GB RAM (or more) and a 1TB drive instead of a new iMac? You then pair a new 27 or 32-inch 4K or 5K display with that mini using a Belkin Ultra High-Speed HDMI 2.1 cable. The new Apple Silicon Macs do not feature upgradeable RAM, so get what you think you will need in the future when ordering.

I have a 2020 27-in Core i7 5K iMac in the other room and my main Mac is an M2 Mac Mini Pro paired with an LG 32UN880-B 4K UltraFine display. A new M4 Mac mini Pro is out for delivery to replace the current mini. I rarely find myself sitting in front of the iMac now owing to the 32-inch ultra-sharp screen.

Reply

Answer 2

Nov 8, 2024 2:13 PM in response to patrickhowson

When the first 27" iMac came out in Late 2009, a standalone 27" 2560x1440 pixel monitor from Dell went for $1200 (list price) or $1000 (on sale).

These days, you can get a 27" 2560x1440 or 3840x2160 pixel monitor with an IPS screen and near-100% coverage of sRGB for as little as $300. A 27" 2560x1440 monitor has the same resolution as your 2012 iMac's screen. There are also three 27" 5120x2880 monitors on the market. The Apple Studio Display ($1599+) is about the same as the screen on a 27" 5K Retina iMac. Its competitors from LG and Samsung also list for well over $1000, but they sell for as "little" as $800 – $850 at some retailers.

For the computer part, add a M4 Mac mini, M4 Pro Mac mini, or M2 Max Mac Studio; a keyboard; and a mouse.

Reply