Who here is still using an "old" iMac?

Sensamic · Jan 29, 2015

Just wondering how many people are still using an "old" iMac as their primary computer.

I'd say "old" would be 2009 and anything before that. 5 years old minimum.

I have the late 2009 27 inch i5 or something like that. It basically has the processor that came right after C2Duo, right?

I just love the machine. Super high resolution screen, 27 inch size, booting from an external FW SSD (which makes the system go faster and the computer is completely silent), love OS X (and it performs excellent, no hiccups whatsoever), 4GB RAM (enough for my daily tasks), etc.

Doesn't have Thunderbolt, USB 3.0 and stuff like that, but I use a NAS over gigabit Ethernet, so I don't need it.

I don't see myself changing in years. It's super fast and has no signs of aging.

So who else is happy with their "old" iMac? What year and configuration?

When are you planning on upgrading to a new one?

Are you happy with it? Or is there something you would like to change?

One thing I know is next time I won't go iMac again. I might go Mac Mini + monitor or laptop + monitor.

Mac'nCheese · Jan 29, 2015

Sensamic said:
Just wondering how many people are still using an "old" iMac as their primary computer.

I'd say "old" would be 2009 and anything before that. 5 years old minimum.

I have the late 2009 27 inch i5 or something like that. It basically has the processor that came right after C2Duo, right?

I just love the machine. Super high resolution screen, 27 inch size, booting from an external FW SSD (which makes the system go faster and the computer is completely silent), love OS X (and it performs excellent, no hiccups whatsoever), 4GB RAM (enough for my daily tasks), etc.

Doesn't have Thunderbolt, USB 3.0 and stuff like that, but I use a NAS over gigabit Ethernet, so I don't need it.

I don't see myself changing in years. It's super fast and has no signs of aging.

So who else is happy with their "old" iMac? What year and configuration?

When are you planning on upgrading to a new one?

Are you happy with it? Or is there something you would like to change?

One thing I know is next time I won't go iMac again. I might go Mac Mini + monitor or laptop + monitor.

My about 10-year-old iMac is still fine for the kids to use and for me to check email and browse the web. Our newer one is the one we use to save everything important, use iPhoto, work, etc.

redheeler · Jan 29, 2015

My 2010 27" Quad-core i5 iMac is still going strong, although it badly needs an SSD. In terms of performance it can still compete with brand new 2014 Mac minis.

sgiera · Jan 29, 2015

Still rocking a 2006 20inch imac. Only had to replace the hard drive twice. Put a 3tb in there and it's still going.

Larry-K · Jan 29, 2015

my Original G5 20" stills does the checkbook.

cincygolfgrrl · Jan 29, 2015

Thanks for this thread

My iMac is late-2013. All these posts give me confidence it will last to 2020, and beyond.

javelin343 · Jan 29, 2015

Mid 2007

My mid 2007 20" iMac has only needed 1 HD replacement. Still running fine

charliex36 · Jan 29, 2015

2009 27 inch, hard drive crashed last year. Running just fine now, only problems were caused by my stupid downloading habits.

driftless · Jan 30, 2015

I have a late '09 iMac that is still going strong. The prices aren't high enough to sell it and yet it is still very capable.

cltd · Jan 30, 2015

White iMac 20" from 2007 (C2D 2.16, 3 GB ram and new 7200 drive). Used as main computer for browsing, writing, reading, movies, iTunes, some amateur audio production. Unfortunatelly, has symptoms of gpu failure (artefacts and restarts when gpu is heavily involved).
This year will be replaced with brand new iMac 27", but old one will stay within family.

brendu · Jan 30, 2015

javelin343 said:
My mid 2007 20" iMac has only needed 1 HD replacement. Still running fine

I had that same iMac. My parents use it still as well. It was a very powerful computer at the time and has aged well.

cairene2011 · Jan 30, 2015

Can you guys share photos of your grandpa iMacs? I just love the look of the white iMac...
Watched "The world according to Monsanto" so many times because of the highly important topic, but maybe also 1 or 2 times for the white iMac that was featured so prominently...

Sensamic · Jan 30, 2015

I think using a SSD as the main drive on our older iMacs is all we need to keep going strong a few more years.

It has done wonders in my 2009 iMac. Feels so fresh and fast every day.

jamesdmc · Jan 31, 2015

2007 iMac

Our 2007 24" 2.4GHz Core2Duo was our first mac and is still our daily driver. About 4 years ago, I upgraded the original mechanical hard drive with a 120 gig SSD and replaced the optical drive with a 750 gig spinner. It runs okay for day-to-day tasks, but beachballs (and other odd behavior) are becoming more common and I've been mulling over it's replacement. I'm still trying to decide between another iMac or a mini+monitor.

Binarymix · Jan 31, 2015

My mom is still using my 20" 2006 iMac.

Still running fine despite lack of software updates.

Surprisingly, knock on wood, the original HD is still running fine.

It did have the Motherboard replaced after the GPU went faulty just after its one year warranty date. (This was a known issue though)

bobr1952 · Jan 31, 2015

My 2008 iMac still works great--a little slow on Mavericks--don't really plan to update it--used primarily for music streaming.

Binarymix · Jan 31, 2015

sgiera said:
Still rocking a 2006 20inch imac. Only had to replace the hard drive twice. Put a 3tb in there and it's still going.

How hard is it to replace the HD? I might have to replace my moms soon as it is 9 years old

DieBeachballDie · Feb 1, 2015

Bought my 1st gen Intel 20" iMac in 2006. I've been complaining more and more the last couple years, figuring that my years spent on spammy forums and Limewire (its that old) gummed it up, but i've come to realize it probably still works decently enough... its just OLD. Its never been upgraded, still runs 10.4, still on the original HD and never once had a single hiccup. Hell, its never even done anything weird. Guess i got really lucky.

Just realized my 1st gen Ipod Nano is also 10 years old. Only this last month have i had a single problem with it... as it suddenly has a screwy headphone jack (thick someone dropped it and didn't tell me). I used both every single day, often for hours.

Got both of these pretty much the week they were released (not a fanboy... just kinda worked out that way... good timing!). Guess i got REALLY lucky. Here's hoping the new iMac i just bought fares so well...

Fishrrman · Feb 1, 2015

I'm still using a 24" white Intel iMac (bought in mid 2007) as my "music computer" -- it still boots and runs well enough. I don't use it heavily, but haven't had any trouble with it in all these years. It might even last a couple more...!

Sensamic · Feb 2, 2015

As long as my iMac keeps receiving OS X updates I'll keep it, and even a little longer after it doesn't receive them anymore.

I love how Apple keeps supporting old iMacs with their OS X updates. It's one of the reasons to keep using old iMacs.

Also, I don't see the point in buying a new iMac every 4 years. It's too expensive and the differences are small.

dazzer21 · Feb 3, 2015

I've got 2 2008 8,1 iMacs. One has 4GB, the other has 2GB. In use daily using CS5 all day. Great machines, good enough for what I need them for. Can't currently justify spending on new hardware when what I have is as adequate as I need. Although it's starting to get a little left behind in comparison - They run Leopard and Snow Leopard and Safari, Firefox and YouTube are regularly throwing up messages that they are no longer supported by various sites etc.

dborja · Feb 4, 2015

Late 2009 I5 27" iMac here. I max'ed the RAM to 16GB and replaced the hard drive with a 256GB SSD. Running the latest Yosemite build with no problems. Also using VM Fusion to run a Win7 VM primarily for Quicken 2013 and MSOffice 2010 (the latter to ensure 100% compatibility with files to and from work).

I'm drooling over the new models but no good reason to upgrade for now...

talmy · Feb 4, 2015

I just replaced my "old" 2009 27" i7 iMac with a new retina iMac. However my wife took my "old" iMac to replace her "older" early 2009 24" iMac. Meanwhile our daughter uses a 2008 24" iMac she inherited from my father. And the 2006 20" iMac I had before the 2009 27" I gave to a friend, who still uses it.

0007776 · Feb 4, 2015

I'm using a 2008 iMac that I recently got when my parents upgraded, wanted to go back to a desktop for writing papers as the bigger screen is nice. I'll probably try to track down some ram to upgrade it soon though.

Count Blah · Feb 5, 2015

My son is using a 2008 imac for mostly mine craft. I also have a 2008 iMac I use for simple browsing, IM, and word. My macbookpro meets my modern needs.

For simple tasks, an old iMac works great.

Who here is still using an "old" iMac?

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