Another should I buy or fix thread

[doobybiggs]

So, a while back (like 4 years ago) my brother in law knocked over my 2012 imac 27" cracked the bottom left screen, but it was mainly out of the way so not a huge issue. However, this weekend I needed to upgraded to SSD and between prying off the extra sticky it sent a crack through the middle of the monitor. I will grab a pic of it later, on my laptop now ..

I dont do much besides play league of legends, which works fine on MacOS, normal personal work, minor video editing. Been playing just fine on my 2012 iMac too.

My thought was if I needed to get something new, I would go 2020 Mac Mini, get a ~32" ish monitor and an eGPU setup, most likely Razor Core and AMD 5700 XT. Yes, roughly the same $$ or just a little more $$ than a new 27" iMac ... depending on the monitor I go with.

Or, do I just buy a used 2012 iMac and swap out the screens ... would be like $500 or so from what I have seen. I looked for just 27" screens and they did not seem to be any cheaper.

 

[0128672]

Sorry to hear about your screen! If you're thinking about a mini, there are a bunch of configurations available in the refurb store ranging from $849 for an i3/16/256 or i3/8/512 to $2549 for an i7/64/2TB. They'll go quickly as usual but it's an option to save some money.

 

[doobybiggs]

ya not sure if I really need 6 core .. I am also planning on yanking the 16GB out of my imac and using it in the mini if I go that route too. Also, dont need a lot of storage space, got a 12TB NAS for anything more than the apps

 

[frou]

That iMac RAM won't work in a new Mini. DDR3 vs DDR4

 

[richmlow]

Hello doobybiggs,


I would recommend that you purchase the "2020" Mac mini with the following specifications:


3.0GHz 6-core Intel Core i5
8GB RAM (memory)
512GB SSD (storage)

The nice thing about the "2020" Mac mini is that it has state-of-the art I/O ports and a modern CPU (along with its efficiencies, compared to older-generation CPUs)

The recommended specs will last you for 10+ years.

Good luck in your purchasing decisions.



richmlow

So, a while back (like 4 years ago) my brother in law knocked over my 2012 imac 27" cracked the bottom left screen, but it was mainly out of the way so not a huge issue. However, this weekend I needed to upgraded to SSD and between prying off the extra sticky it sent a crack through the middle of the monitor. I will grab a pic of it later, on my laptop now ..

I dont do much besides play league of legends, which works fine on MacOS, normal personal work, minor video editing. Been playing just fine on my 2012 iMac too.

My thought was if I needed to get something new, I would go 2020 Mac Mini, get a ~32" ish monitor and an eGPU setup, most likely Razor Core and AMD 5700 XT. Yes, roughly the same $$ or just a little more $$ than a new 27" iMac ... depending on the monitor I go with.

Or, do I just buy a used 2012 iMac and swap out the screens ... would be like $500 or so from what I have seen. I looked for just 27" screens and they did not seem to be any cheaper.

 

[retta283]

I don't believe the 2012 iMac's RAM will work, but I do recommend buying RAM from a third party as Apple's prices are absurd. 256GB SSD would probably be enough if you have that large external storage, up to you whether to spring for the extra SSD space.

I've noticed that iMac screens of any year are usually about the same price as the computer, sometimes more. Very odd to me.

 

[doobybiggs]

That iMac RAM won't work in a new Mini. DDR3 vs DDR4

Ah, ya didnt look at that yet. Well thats a shame ...

Hello doobybiggs,


I would recommend that you purchase the "2020" Mac mini with the following specifications:


3.0GHz 6-core Intel Core i5
8GB RAM (memory)
512GB SSD (storage)

The nice thing about the "2020" Mac mini is that it has state-of-the art I/O ports and a modern CPU (along with its efficiencies, compared to older-generation CPUs)

The recommended specs will last you for 10+ years.

Good luck in your purchasing decisions.



richmlow

Solid idea there! Will seriously be looking at that one.

I don't believe the 2012 iMac's RAM will work, but I do recommend buying RAM from a third party as Apple's prices are absurd. 256GB SSD would probably be enough if you have that large external storage, up to you whether to spring for the extra SSD space.

I've noticed that iMac screens of any year are usually about the same price as the computer, sometimes more. Very odd to me.

Ya doesnt look like it will match. Yes, I will never pay for RAM upgrades from Apple, that is the worst rip off I have ever seen. Not sure how they get away with screwing people like that. Even if you are not tech savvy, opening up a computer is easy and you should learn lol.

It is a shame they felt the need to solder the SSD in place, which they would leave the RAM and HDD/SSD replaceable.



Now, the only thing I am curious about .. with the new 'AS' coming out 'soon' should I wait and see what their plan is with that and if the mini will be in the first group upgraded with it? Just to see what it can actually do?

 

[Cookie18]

Ah, ya didnt look at that yet. Well thats a shame ...



Solid idea there! Will seriously be looking at that one.



Ya doesnt look like it will match. Yes, I will never pay for RAM upgrades from Apple, that is the worst rip off I have ever seen. Not sure how they get away with screwing people like that. Even if you are not tech savvy, opening up a computer is easy and you should learn lol.

It is a shame they felt the need to solder the SSD in place, which they would leave the RAM and HDD/SSD replaceable.



Now, the only thing I am curious about .. with the new 'AS' coming out 'soon' should I wait and see what their plan is with that and if the mini will be in the first group upgraded with it? Just to see what it can actually do?

If you don't need to buy right now and you're at all interested in the ARM Macs then definitely wait. It's likely that the new Macs are announced in October and the Mac Mini having older 8th gen processors puts it towards the front of the queue for Macs that are likely to get updated.

 

[doobybiggs]

If you don't need to buy right now and you're at all interested in the ARM Macs then definitely wait. It's likely that the new Macs are announced in October and the Mac Mini having older 8th gen processors puts it towards the front of the queue for Macs that are likely to get updated.

Was thinking the same thing ... I was going to hold off until the October announcements and see if they provided any better info on when the mini was going to get the ARM update. IF its not this year, then I will prob just grab the mini

 

[richmlow]

Hello doobybiggs,



Regarding the new "Apple Silicon" computers which will be making their way into Apple's lineup....

I don't recommend purchasing "first-generation" Apple products (or any company, for that matter).


richmlow

Ah, ya didnt look at that yet. Well thats a shame ...



Solid idea there! Will seriously be looking at that one.



Ya doesnt look like it will match. Yes, I will never pay for RAM upgrades from Apple, that is the worst rip off I have ever seen. Not sure how they get away with screwing people like that. Even if you are not tech savvy, opening up a computer is easy and you should learn lol.

It is a shame they felt the need to solder the SSD in place, which they would leave the RAM and HDD/SSD replaceable.



Now, the only thing I am curious about .. with the new 'AS' coming out 'soon' should I wait and see what their plan is with that and if the mini will be in the first group upgraded with it? Just to see what it can actually do?