21.5 regrets?

[darkmatter343]

I know this question is usually asked of the 27" iMac, but does anyone regret buying the 21.5...?

Best Buy had some specials running last week and so I jumped at a deal for the 21.5" iMac 3.4/8gb/1tb Fusion Drive with the AMD 560. I haven't opened the box as I'm having 2nd thoughts on the screen size.

Currently I'm running a 2014 base Mac mini (upgraded to 240gb SSD), which over the summer I had hooked up to a 40" 4K TV. I sit on average about 2ft from my screen, maybe 3 at most, but after a few weeks I started to hate the 40" 4k TV as a monitor. I found it was a chore just to move the cursor across the screen, even with the tracking speed turned up. So moving forward I used 2 24" LCD's monitor's which I've grown to like. I don't use the 2nd all that much, but it's handy to watch movies on etc... but I could live without it. And with an iMac I would prefer to live without a 2nd screen. (besides... the iMac probably doesn't want to be caught hanging out beside a HP LCD... )
So when I was buying the iMac I thought back to the 40", and decided 21.5 would probably be better. But today I dropped into the Apple Store just to make sure, and in doing so I'm started to 2nd guess things. I put the 21 and 27 right up next to each other and used both for a good 15 minutes.

Because I got the 21.5 on sale, moving to the 27" base would actually cost me $500, normally only $400. Even still, for the extra cost you do get 5" more real-estate, a GPU almost twice as powerful, and the ability to upgrade the ram without having to rip the iMacs entire face off.

It's too bad they no longer make a 24", because I can see how people have said the 21 feels cramped, but the 27" feels overwhelming when in front.

Anyone else moved from a 21 to 27 and not looked back? Cheers,

 

[alien3dx]

I know this question is usually asked of the 27" iMac, but does anyone regret buying the 21.5...?

Best Buy had some specials running last week and so I jumped at a deal for the 21.5" iMac 3.4/8gb/1tb Fusion Drive with the AMD 560. I haven't opened the box as I'm having 2nd thoughts on the screen size.

Currently I'm running a 2014 base Mac mini (upgraded to 240gb SSD), which over the summer I had hooked up to a 40" 4K TV. Now I sit on average about 2ft from my screen, maybe sometimes 3 but that's the most and after a few weeks I started to hate the 40" 4k TV as a monitor. I found it was a chore just to move the cursor across the screen, even with the tracking speed turned up. So moving forward I used 2 24" LCD's monitor's which I've grown to like. I don't use the 2nd all that much, but it's handy to watch movies on etc... but I could live without it.
So when I was buying the iMac I thought back to the 40", and decided 21.5 would probably be better. But today I dropped into the Apple Store just to make sure, and in doing so I'm started to 2nd guess things.

Because I got the 21.5 on sale, moving to the 27" base would actually cost me $500, normally only $400. Even still, for the extra cost you do get 5" more real-estate, a GPU almost twice as powerful, and the ability to upgrade the ram without having to rip the iMacs face-off.

It's too bad they no longer make a 24", because I can see how people have said the 21 feels cramped, but the 27" feels overwhelming when in front.

Anyone else moved from a 21 to 27 and not looked back? Cheers,

I come from 2014 Mac Mini base

Mac mini annoying

1. 4GB ram ain't enough.I mistake think it similar to linux environment but not at all. Hungry Ram.
2. Monitor to tv, the resizing monitor pretty bad.Need real pc monitor.
3. Slow..

What i regret is

1. Keyboard freakin not nice.. so as mouse..** mouse i used my old logitec mouse.. Sometimes i used magic mouse.
2. Slow loading macos is acceptable, but this is not main concern because i always on sleep wakep so as quick as fast like ssd ..
3. I'm using dual monitor 2k. It much easier and cheap then finder 4k,5k monitor.. It dam nice all small table. 27 Too big for my table if need 2 monitor, it would be seem..
3. I'm a software developer, ain't need good graphic card. I just need stable intel graphic card. But in reality , i don't know how mac or intel graphic card take shared memory or not shared memory..
4.If just want to expand, do it your self upgrade the ram. Buy external ssd join usb 3.1 gen 2.. Buy e-gpu. So it will not lock down like old mac mini 2014.
5. In the end if you had money just upgrade the ram first to 16GB,external ssd hardisk more cheaper then apple upgrade thou.

 

[Apple_Robert]

The 1TB Fusion Drive is going to be very slow (5400 rpm). I don't think you will like it, especially since you have been using an SSD. If you want to stick with the 21.5", at least get the 2TB Fusion drive.

 

[darkmatter343]

The 1TB Fusion Drive is going to be very slow (5400 rpm). I don't think you will like it, especially since you have been using an SSD. If you want to stick with the 21.5", at least get the 2TB Fusion drive.

Seriously...? that would have been a deciding factor before the fact... ouch. So how about the 27" base 1tb fusion..? Is that also 5400 or 7200 ?

 

[nambuccaheadsau]

7200rpm for the 27" model, BUT the big problem is Apple saw fit to reduce the PCI-e Flash Drive to a miserable 24GB. The 2/3TB Fusion drives still have the 128GB Flash Drive. For mine the 27" models are much much better and memory is cheaply and simply upgraded.

 

[darkmatter343]

my Mac mini literally just died as I was typing a reply. Everything froze except the mouse, and then the mouse froze. Rebooted and now I get the blinking folder... so ether the SSD just croaked which is only a few months old, or maybe the OS just deleted itself...

Anyways... it’s pretty sad to pay $2200 with taxes and be given a 5400rpm hard drive... is Apple using left over stock from 2001...? So unless you CO an iMac you have to purchase the top 27” to get the 2TB with 128gb/7200. I suppose on the bright side you get the Radeon 580.

Can’t believe this mini just died

Replying on an iPhone lol

 

[Apple_Robert]

Seriously...? that would have been a deciding factor before the fact... ouch. So how about the 27" base 1tb fusion..? Is that also 5400 or 7200 ?

If budget allows, I think the 27" would be a better deal.

 

[alien3dx]

my Mac mini literally just died as I was typing a reply. Everything froze except the mouse, and then the mouse froze. Rebooted and now I get the blinking folder... so ether the SSD just croaked which is only a few months old, or maybe the OS just deleted itself...

Anyways... it’s pretty sad to pay $2200 with taxes and be given a 5400rpm hard drive... is Apple using left over stock from 2001...? So unless you CO an iMac you have to purchase the top 27” to get the 2TB with 128gb/7200. I suppose on the bright side you get the Radeon 580.

Can’t believe this mini just died

Replying on an iPhone lol

For that price 1 grand.. Yeah i'm pretty sad, but this is work.. no choice. 1 grand can get a super computer compare to mac price. if 2 grand with no ssd.. Yeah. you don't get super computer you get the best ever computer in linux,windows. RAID SSD,1 grand graphic card .. good monitor..

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"So how about the 27" base 1tb fusion..? Is that also 5400 or 7200?"

Get the base model and use build-to-order to upgrade it to the 256gb SSD ($100 more).
It's worth the extra money.
If you need more storage space, "go external" with the drive size and type (HDD or SSD) of your own choosing.

You'll be much happier this way.

If the price is too high, consider an Apple-refurbished model with the same specs (when it becomes available).