I did a bit of searching on the forum, but thought I'd ask my specific questions in a new post - hope it's not too redundant.
I'm looking to replace our 2006 iMac with a newer one. It will be used by my two teenage boys, mostly for school work, surfing and some gaming. So...nothing all that taxing. I do want a model that will perform efficiently/quickly and will last for their needs for the next 5-6 years (ideally).
21.5" vs 27" - 21.5 is probably just fine for them (the 2006 is a 20"), but I can't help but be drawn to the 27". Other than the obvious screen size decision, are there other factors to consider (for instance, I understand the RAM is upgradeable on the 27").
Model year - any particular models/years to stay away from?
RAM - I'm leaning toward 16gb for a 21.5", since I won't be able to upgrade it later, and I guess I don't care that much on the 27", since it's easily upgradeable.
HD - obviously everything I read points toward the Fusion or SSD option, not only for speed, but for long-term reliability. How critical is that?
I started out looking at Apple refurbished iMacs, which certainly is a safe approach. But I am also entertaining the following models on my local craigslist:
Or...go with a newer model?
Thanks for any advice.
[doublepost=1512099343][/doublepost]Also just found a late 2015 21.5" model - pretty much the base model, but with the 256gb SSD upgrade. They are asking $599. Perhaps that's a good way to go for the newer model and SSD?
I'm looking to replace our 2006 iMac with a newer one. It will be used by my two teenage boys, mostly for school work, surfing and some gaming. So...nothing all that taxing. I do want a model that will perform efficiently/quickly and will last for their needs for the next 5-6 years (ideally).
21.5" vs 27" - 21.5 is probably just fine for them (the 2006 is a 20"), but I can't help but be drawn to the 27". Other than the obvious screen size decision, are there other factors to consider (for instance, I understand the RAM is upgradeable on the 27").
Model year - any particular models/years to stay away from?
RAM - I'm leaning toward 16gb for a 21.5", since I won't be able to upgrade it later, and I guess I don't care that much on the 27", since it's easily upgradeable.
HD - obviously everything I read points toward the Fusion or SSD option, not only for speed, but for long-term reliability. How critical is that?
I started out looking at Apple refurbished iMacs, which certainly is a safe approach. But I am also entertaining the following models on my local craigslist:
- Late 2013 21.5", 2.7ghz i5, 16 gb RAM, 1 TB HD, Iris Pro - for $435
- Late 2012 27", 3.4ghz i7, 32 gb RAM, 1 TB Fusion, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX with 2GB of GDDR5 -memory - for $850
Or...go with a newer model?
Thanks for any advice.
[doublepost=1512099343][/doublepost]Also just found a late 2015 21.5" model - pretty much the base model, but with the 256gb SSD upgrade. They are asking $599. Perhaps that's a good way to go for the newer model and SSD?