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2013, 2014, or 2015

O

Oldmanmac

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 31, 2012
445
14
Edmond, OK
I'm looking to buy a new refurb iMac shortly, and replace my 2011. I bought the '11 in 2012 because it was the last model to have an internal DVD.
So, not being in the know so much, do any of the current ones have advantages? It'll be a 27", so that's not point.

What should I go for?

Thx
 
Ko opinions on say, better graphic cards?

Is there a place where they are ranked?

Edited to Add: 575+ views and no comments?
 
Last edited:
2015 retina iMac has the best rated screen. Any "retina" model is excellent, however, but '15 saw even more improvements.

If 2013/14, you could consider as small as 1 TB Fusion drive. If it's 2015,you should consider 2 TB fusion at least.... Only SSD is a fine option on any.

If you provide more info on your use cases and budget, we can offer more specific suggestions.
 
Thanks pjfan, guess my description was more in my head.

I'm a fairly generic user, but like everyone else, I want the best bang for the buck. Probably most are like me, in that we keep our heads down working most of the time. Only popping up sometimes.

Refurb '13/14/15's are not separated by a lot of money, really. I look for when they have an additional % discount. Currently it looks to be the '13's mostly.
 
I'd opt for a late 2015 5k iMac because the screen is better, and it uses the skylake chipset which runs cooler then what was in the prior 5k iMac model.
 
Oldmanmac said:
Was there one later than May '15?
Click to expand...

Yes the whole line of 5K iMacs was upgraded to sky lake chips and newer AMD graphics cards in October, at the same time they also put in a better screen, it really is getting great reviews.


One thing to watch out for though is the 1TB fusion drive dropped from 128GB SSD to 24GB SSD, making it a pretty poor upgrade option with the 2TB Fusion being a far better bet.
 
I went from a 2009 27" to a 2014 retina 27", pretty much top end and ordered when first announced in both cases. Just a few remarks:
  • Definitely buy a retina version (that means skip the 2013). Your choice will be late-2014, mid-2015, or late-2015 which differ mainly in speed bumps and...
  • The new late-2015 displays are nicer but the improvement isn't near that of non-retina to retina.
  • As was pointed out, if you buy the late-2015, avoid the 1TB fusion option.
  • As much as I thought I'd miss the built-in DVD drive, the external I bought is faster and the tray makes it easier to use. What I don't like is the SD card slot on the back is hard to reach.
 
I think I understand your desired outcome now... Similar to what I would do. Due to the late '15 upgrades, I would buy new (normally try to buy refurb).

After messing around on the Apple Store, I'd buy the top end, as it seems to be the best all around and check all the boxes. Not sure if I would go for 512 SSD or not.
 
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