Please Help - Which iMac Should I Keep (2011 or 2012)?

Joe Duffer said:

Yes, I somehow ending up owning two 21.5” iMacs and I see no reason to have a "back-up". The 2011 (2.7GHz/4GB/1TB 7200) was originally purchased in Feb 2012 and the 2012 (2.7GBz/8GB/1TB 5400) was purchased in Feb 2013. Both seem to be in excellent condition…

In my market, the asking prices seem to be similar. I'm fairly new to Macs, but have heard a few things from friends related to differences in design, but I don't know who to believe. Hopefully someone here can offer some direction…

Thank You,
Joe

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2011 Pros:
You can uprgade the RAM in the 2011 easily
the HDD is faster.

2012 Pros:
Despite the same 2.7 GHz clock, the Ivy Bridge CPU in the 2012 will be slightly better.
650m GPU is better than the 6770m in the 2011

It's a close call.

I'd probably go with the 2012 myself due to the GPU, but it's not clear cut in my mind since I really like to add RAM and swap out the HDD later.

I believe the 2012 model was when they went to the slim design which I think handles thermal issues much better than the older top-vented design.

The only thing going for the the 2011 is being able to upgrade the RAM easily and further than the 2012. Yes the HDD is faster as well. But with the 2012 you are already ahead in RAM, you can always use an external SSD as your main drive, which would make the 2012 quicker. Same can be said for the 2011.

But the biggest difference will be the heat issue. I have had both a 2011 & 2012 myself, and can tell you that the 2011 will get significantly hotter than the 2012 when you are working on it. Especially if you are doing any video editing.

I would recommend staying with the 2012, get an external SSD and use it for your main drive instead of the internal drive. I think in the end you will be further ahead.