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2009/2010 iMac, Worth it or Not

A

AlexxRyzhkov

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 17, 2014
133
3
So I decided that I'm finally done with Windows and I'm planning to buy an iMac. The only problem is I don't have a very high budget, around $800 or so. So I have been looking at Ebay Auctions and basically, here are my options:
2009 iMac 27" with i5, 8GB ram, and a Ati 4850 for $720
2010 iMac 27" with i5, 4GB ram, and a Ati 5750 for $800
2011 iMac 21.5" with i5, 4gb ram, and a Amd 6770m for $730
Are either of these iMacs still good for Internet, Word, Email, Watching Movies, and light gaming? by gaming I mean GTA: San Andreas and Minecraft on OS X.
Also how well do these Macs run OSX Mavericks? Should I buy any of them?
 
AlexxRyzhkov said:
So I decided that I'm finally done with Windows and I'm planning to buy an iMac. The only problem is I don't have a very high budget, around $800 or so. So I have been looking at Ebay Auctions and basically, here are my options:
2009 iMac 27" with i5, 8GB ram, and a Ati 4850 for $720
2010 iMac 27" with i5, 4GB ram, and a Ati 5750 for $800
2011 iMac 21.5" with i5, 4gb ram, and a Amd 6770m for $730
Are either of these iMacs still good for Internet, Word, Email, Watching Movies, and light gaming? by gaming I mean GTA: San Andreas and Minecraft on OS X.
Also how well do these Macs run OSX Mavericks? Should I buy any of them?
Click to expand...

2010/11 has better Sata bus speed - 6g vs 3g on the 09. All run Mavs about the same.
I vote for the 2010 27 out of the bunch. You can add ram to help with performance. Good Luck
 
Alright, also do you think $600 for a 2010 21.5" iMac with the i3 and 4gb ram is a decent deal? It is in pretty good condition and comes with an Apple Magic Mouse and an Apple Wireless Keyboard.
 
AlexxRyzhkov said:
Alright, also do you think $600 for a 2010 21.5" iMac with the i3 and 4gb ram is a decent deal? It is in pretty good condition and comes with an Apple Magic Mouse and an Apple Wireless Keyboard.
Click to expand...

That's a pretty decent deal. I don't know if the i3 with a Radeon graphics card is going to play GTA very well. And you'll definitely need more RAM, but that's an inexpensive upgrade. I think you can go as high as 16 GB of RAM, but honestly I think 8 GB will be plenty.
 
Okay thanks, also is the 4670 the desktop or mobility card?
I read that the desktop card has no issues with GTA, but the mobility will have to run it at low settings.
 
AlexxRyzhkov said:
Okay thanks, also is the 4670 the desktop or mobility card?
I read that the desktop card has no issues with GTA, but the mobility will have to run it at low settings.
Click to expand...

The 4670 is the lesser of the desktop Radeon graphics cards with 256 MB of VRAM. The 5670 has double the VRAM.
 
I would prefer a new mini of refurb iMac to an older model. Like many user my internal HDD died and had to rip open my mac to change it. I have a 2008 and the HDD lasted 2-3 years MAX.
 
I'm in agreement with the poster above.

I'd suggest a new (or Apple-refurbished) Mac Mini i7 2.3ghz. Get the "base configuration" and add RAM yourself.

You can also add an SSD. It's tricky to open the Mini case and add the drive internally, but it will give you nearly-identical speeds by putting an SSD into an external USB3 enclosure or USB3/SATA docking station.

You can use your existing display, and also the mouse and keyboard (provided that they are USB).
 
I would get a Mac Mini, but the problem is the Intel HD 4000 gpu isn't exactly good enough for The games I'm planning on playing on
 
AlexxRyzhkov said:
I would get a Mac Mini, but the problem is the Intel HD 4000 gpu isn't exactly good enough for The games I'm planning on playing on
Click to expand...

I have a 2011 Mac Mini with the Radeon 6630M. I've been playing Star Wars: The Old Republic (in Windows 7), Star Trek Online, WoW, and some others on it with no difficulty. The games that run in OSX run pretty flawlessly, other than a few concessions on some of the pretties. I'm running at 1920x1200 on an Apple LED Cinema Display.

The HD4000 GPU is supposed to be slightly quicker than my Radeon. I wouldn't hesitate to go with the mini over an older iMac. If you decide you don't like it, you can take it back.
 
Well one thing is that the Mac Mini is starting to get a bit old, and with rumors of a 2014 Mac mini I'm wondering should I wait for the 2024 Mini or just get one now?
 
AlexxRyzhkov said:
Well one thing is that the Mac Mini is starting to get a bit old, and with rumors of a 2014 Mac mini I'm wondering should I wait for the 2024 Mini or just get one now?
Click to expand...

They haven't refreshed the Mac Mini line since 2012. Even still, the Mini is a very capable computer, especially considering the ultra-small form factor.
Quad core Intel Core i7 processor up to 2.6GHz (Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz)
Up to 16 GB of RAM

On the downside, you're stuck with Intel HD Graphics 4000 and no support for the c-standard in WiFi.

So depending on your intended uses, this is quite a capable little device. It really shines as a media server and has ports ports ports! The only thing that troubles me is that it's been two years since a refresh, making me think Apple is considering discontinuing it. Hard to believe, seeing as how it fills a need in Apple's lineup, but the fact that Apple has ignored it for two years makes me wonder.
 
AlexxRyzhkov said:
Well one thing is that the Mac Mini is starting to get a bit old, and with rumors of a 2014 Mac mini I'm wondering should I wait for the 2024 Mini or just get one now?
Click to expand...

Definitely wait ... but don't wait 10 years!! ;)

Seriously though, it's worth waiting. Most people here are going to tell you to get a Mac, because we all use and love them. But the Mac Mini is currently waaay outdated and underpowered. Especially with no dedicated GPU -- it's worth waiting to see what they do.

The next-gen graphics alone (from Sandybridge to Ivybridge) adds a good 50% performance. Haswell/Broadwell is going to be significantly better.

Please either wait or if you're desperate, buy a Wintel -- but don't buy a Mac Mini yet.
 
There's a craigslist ad for a 21.5" iMac 2010 with these specs:
Processor: 3.06 GHz Intel Core i3
Memory: 4 GB 1333 MHz DDR3
Storage: 500 GB
Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 4670 256 MB
Software: OS X 10.9.2
The asking price is $500 and it comes with the Apple Magic Mouse and the Wireless Keyboard.
If I can talk him down to around $450, would that be worth it?
 
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