2009 iMac for €80... worth it?

[firelighter487]

I found a 2009 iMac listed online that only boots to recovery, so basically it's got a corrupted OS. it's a 20" model, I don't know what spec it is.

I negotiated down to €80 for it, is that a good deal? theoretically I can just reinstall macOS and be up and running on it.

 

[Juicy Box]

Short answer: It depends...

I am unsure about the going rate of used Macs is where you are located, but for the US, that seems a really expensive for an older Mac that you are unsure if it works. Maybe if it was a rare, but in this case, probably not.

I would try to get it booted first, look at the specs, then make a decision.

Swapping the HDD for a SSD is pretty easy with this model, so that is a plus. I think El Capitan is the newest OS for it, at least officially.

I also wouldn't use this as my primary Mac, as it is pretty old, but for you, depending on what your intentions are for it, it might be okay for a primary Mac.

What do you plan on doing with it?
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I would try to get it booted first, look at the specs, then make a decision.

Oh yeah, I forgot to ask if you think that the seller would allow your to test it with a bootable external drive, just to see if it boots and if it has any issues.

You can just bring your own.

 

[firelighter487]

Short answer: It depends...

I am unsure about the going rate of used Macs is where you are located, but for the US, that seems a really expensive for an older Mac that you are unsure if it works. Maybe if it was a rare, but in this case, probably not.

it's cheap for one of those compared to a working one, but it's broken. so like...

I told the seller no. I did some searching and I can get a broken one if I want for less.. so like, even if I was gonna buy it just for tinkering and then reselling or using it as a secondary machine I can get one cheaper than this.

 

[Fishrrman]

I would advise against spending ANY money on a Mac that won't boot...

 

[4sallypat]

If it's just the hard drive gone bad, you can easily replace it because the glass cover is magnetically held in place.

I have done tons of HDD replacements on these "thick" iMacs...

The newer iMacs with the razor thin bodies are a pain to gain access to...

 

[velocityg4]

€80 is too much for a broken Mac of that vintage. I might risk €80 on a 2014 model if I was reasonably certain of the problem.

 

[jerwin]

I have a 20 inch imac from 2009. After I got my current machine, a imac 5k from 2014, I thought about reverting to the last rosetta compatible OS on my older imac, and using it to play games of that vintage. I never did.

Quite frankly, the 20 inch imac 2009 from that era isn't anything special. It will work-- but it doesn't have an nvidia 9600 GT, for instance. The screen isn't hd, or ips. Installing fast enough storage still requires opening the case.

If you do get one, max out the ram.