Apple & iMac Newbie

I'm a total Mac newbie and although I have an iPhone 5 & iPad 4...I don't know anything about the Mac OS, having spent all my years with PC's at work and at home...and I'm certainly no tech wizard.

I was actually going to trade my iPad for a late model MBP up until yesterday, but some clear-headed members here talked me out of it. So...I have planned to pick up a "like-new" upgraded 2006 20" iMac from a friend of a friend who is an IT manager tonight, for $200 that is already loaded with some must-have software. I figured that this is a cheap way to spend time learning the OS, instead of spending $1500+ (which I don't have) on a nice MBP and then realizing I don't like the OS, and be stuck with an expensive laptop. Did I do the smart thing? Is the 2006 a good "starter Mac"?

Question...what is the latest OS I can upgrade this iMac to? Mountain Lion? Lion? Also, are there any well known or notorious bugs to look to on this model?

I'd appreciate some "first things first" tips to follow later tonight as far as setup goes. Like I say, I'm a newb...so any help would be appreciated.

GGJstudios said:

Early 2006 20" iMacs can run a maximum of 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard)
Late 2006 20" iMacs can run a maximum of 10.7.7 (Lion)

You can find specs on all Apple products:

• By visiting EveryMac.com
• By using Mactracker
• By entering your serial number here to find specs for your model.

This may be useful:

Helpful Information for Any Mac User​

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info...I'll need it, no doubt.

So your're saying the 2006 is still a good machine for what I'm buying it for? Will it be a good one for learning the OSX on?