Anyone went from iMac 27 to 24? Experiences

[Sensamic]

Would like to know other users experiences going from the previous iMac 27 models to the new M3 model specifically, since it's the most powerful 24 iMac.

How has the transition been? I'm going to buy it and I actually prefer the smaller screen size. For me, a 27 inch screen is too big to be comfortable when sitting at my desktop.

 

[IngerMan]

I used to have a 27” 2015 with a fusion drive, kept it for about 3 years and switched to the 2018 Mac Mini with a 4k monitor. It took some getting use to loosing that beautiful screen but I hated the Fusion Drive.

Now I have the new M3 and baby the Beautifl Screen is Back….Im loving the setup and using sidecar occasionally with my 13” IPP to watch TV while working on the 24” iMac is a wonderful setup.

 

[Jackbequickly]

it went from 27” to 24” and have no regrets. My home office desk is not very deep the the 27” sometime felt like sitting in the front row at the movies. The 24” M3 is just right and does not lack any performance for what i am doing. Very happy.

 

[Sensamic]

Anyone else?

 

[EdwardC]

I also feel 24" is a very nice size particularly if your desk is not too large.

 

[JamesMay82]

I think 24 inch is great. I have 27 inch and my parents have the new 24 and its lovely. will take a bit of adjustment but you will get use to it.

 

[Pyrotechnic]

I agree, I have had 27 inch for 10 years and was waiting for Apple to come out with a newer 27 inch. Obviously it didn't happen and I went for the new M3 24 inch. Its took a little getting used to, but I think I am there now. Still have the 27 inch and it looks too big when I use it.

 

[loekf]

I had the 27" iMac Late 2015 models, upgraded to the 27" 2019 model, then got the M1 24" in 2022, and
upgraded to the M3 24" this year (yeah I'm crazy to from M1 to M3), but wanted more memory.

No regrets. The M1 and M3 ones are feeling much snappier and quicker than the old 27", where even with a SSD you could still get bucky balls. The 24" screen is smaller, but very good. I use it at max res btw, so not scaled.

One remark is that the M3 model looks more critical wrt USB 3/TB4 cables. I had accidently connected a 10 Gbps USB 3.2 drive with a standard Apple USB-C cable, which in fact is a charging cable and only support 0.5 Gbps USB 2.0 speeds. The M1 model didn't complain, the M3 one suffered from kernel panics. Once I used a "USB4" cable, all OK.

 

[SalisburySam]

I much prefer the 5K Retina 27” over the 4.5K 24” Retina one that Apple states is actually 23.5”. I know the difference is only 3½” diagonally, but in actual viewable area there is quite a difference. The 27” had 14,745,600 vs. the 24” having 11,289,600 pixels or only about three-quarters as many. That’s a large change in real estate. For me, losing 25% of my screen is a big stumbling block to getting a new iMac. Also gone in the new iMacs are the SD card slots, the 128GB max RAM, up to 8TB storage, and two of the four USB ports.

But you do gain the M3, current macOS, TouchID, 802.11ax, and many case colors.

 

[ignatius345]

I appreciate the way the 24" iMac doesn't hulk over my desk the way the 5K one did -- but a lot of that is more the depth and bulk. A 27" in the current thin design would work nicely I think.

As for the screen real estate, I find it's like (for a couple) going down from a king sized bed to a queen: basically large enough, but you can't quite spread out the way you'd like.

Still, it's workable and the machine is a massive upgrade in every other way, except the speakers which I still think were better and loud on the 5K iMac with its larger volume to work with.