Are you happy with your iMac 24 or would you rather have bought a Mini + display?

[Sensamic]

For those who own the iMac M1 and M3 models, I'm curious to ask if anyone regrets not going for a different setup like a Mac Mini + display or Mac Studio + display?

Whether it is because the "small" 24 inch screen, not wanting an AIO, less power than expected, not upgradable, doubts about the future of the iMac, etc.

 

[CheesePuff]

I just got my 24" M3 (24 GB/1 TB SSD) and love it - the display is great and since it's 4.5K it really isn't a huge step down from a 27" 5K, and I've been playing with switching between the native @2x resolution scaling or using looks like 2560x1440 which is what the Studio Display runs at and it still looks very sharp.

Performance wise I came from the 10-core M1 Pro (16" MBP) and this M3 is noticeably faster on application launching and similar tasks (benchmarks show about a 33% improvement on single core activities)

 

[IngerMan]

There is a very similar thread to yours that I posted below and copied to yours.


No regrets at all. I purchased 2 months ago a Blue M3/16GB/512SSD.

I still have a 2018 MM i7/32GB/512SSD on a 38” Dell 4K in the basement office. It still a worthy computer minus the super weak GPU. I have a external eGPU I can hook up to it if I need to. I will keep it till it is no longer usable for what ever reason.

Prior to the MM was a 2015 27” iMac with the dreaded Fusion Drive, that is why I sold it after 3 years of use.

What I really like about the M3 iMac is the obvious beautiful screen, but the sound system to me is spectacular, the mic and video for teams meetings is top notch. The gaming on this thing is excellent. I finished Resident evil Village and now in the middle of Resident Evil 4 remake. The few cables I have compared to the MM makes for a very clean desk. I have one plug going to the outlet. It’s the fastest computer I have owned.

I would/did consider a New Mac Studio Max over a MM because of the 32GB Ram standard and more ports, faster computer.

The basic 4K screens out there are good but they don’t compare to the 4.5 iMac., or a 5K.

If I did team up with Mac Studio then it would need paired with Studio display, that would be one sweet setup but $3,600 + roughly compared to $1,900 for my setup. Studio to Studio Means great internal speakers and mic/video, less clutter.

The negatives I found with the MM probably true for Mac Studio is everything does not always work with non apple accessories/devices. Or did work until the next software update. I know, I lived it 😉

Regardless these are all personal preferences, and all 3 of those computers are really good computers.

 

[kagharaht]

I got my M3 maxed out memory and SSD, because i wanted the fasted iMac just to read email and surf the web... ok just kidding! Everything the guys said above. I almost went with MM and decided the M3 has everything I need in one super slim machine. Bonus, Having owned a 20th Anniversary Mac i always longed for having something as slick, thin and modern looking like my TAM. With modern hardware and screen again. I missed having that on my desk for everyday use. The iMac M series comes the closest in my opinion. for Some reason the previous design never really made me as excited as the iMac M design.

 

[Steve121178]

I am glad I held out for the M3 iMac. It's everything I need in a computer. I went for the M3/1TB/24GB config so it should last me many years as my previous iMac did (11 years!). The screen is amazing though, the 4.5K display is a real upgrade to my old iMac's 1080p screen! Definitely the cherry on the cake.

I was tempted with the Mac Mini M2 Pro & Apple Studio Display but I didn't really need the extra horsepower and with the limited space I have available an AIO was really a must.

 

[agregson]

For those who own the iMac M1 and M3 models, I'm curious to ask if anyone regrets not going for a different setup like a Mac Mini + display or Mac Studio + display?

Whether it is because the "small" 24 inch screen, not wanting an AIO, less power than expected, not upgradable, doubts about the future of the iMac, etc.

I had 27" iMac since 2011 - changed every 2-3 years. Really enjoyed 5k since 2016. Moved to iMac 24 in July 2022. It was a lovely computer but I always missed the 5k display. It always felt just a little smaller and constrained.

I purchased a Studio Display in June 2023 and ran side by side comparison using 5k with my MBA M1. When I moved back to iMac 24 after a day or so on MBA with ASD I really noticed it. I struggled with the feeling for a while then decided to make the ASD my main system. Sold off the iMac and added a Mini M2 to the ASD along with Apple keyboard and trackpad. While it is more expensive than iMac and less integrated I find the display is far superior.

I don't think I would go back to 4.5k and 24". I also would not go to non-Apple monitor. I tried various - Ultrawide, LG 5k, Dell 5k and various UHD and just did not like the experience or the extra cables. A few features on Apple I really appreciate - especially instant on which no other display seems able to come close to. Also the speakers in ASD are a pleasure. One benefit of the separates approach is a little like my hifi separates - I can sell and upgrade components as and when I need or want to. Purchasing a new mini is much easier (logistically and financially) and a mini is very easy to bundle up and sell to a friend or on eBay where Mx minis generate decent returns.

I appreciate everyone has different needs and views. For me I have found something that is close as to optimal and does not represent a compromise on display. YMMV.

 

[ignatius345]

I've been very happy with my M1 iMac overall. It's been a solid performer and I appreciate the light visual impact on my workspace compared to the hulking 27" iMac 5K I replaced with it. BUT: while I have largely adapted to the 24" display, I do still find myself wanting more space -- particularly when I use it for graphic design work. To me the 24 vs 27 inch screen size feels like going from a king sized bed to a queen. Basically big enough but you just can't spread out the way you'd like.

Given the work I'm doing, which often involves spreading big documents out, I will *probably* want an Apple Studio Display for my next desktop. Since it has high quality speakers, webcam and mic in it, I won't be looking at a profusion of cables. (The last time I had a Mini, I had a bare-bones Dell display that had absolutely nothing extra so I had to plug in a mic, camera and speakers which made my desk a mess.)

I don't have any big concerns about upgrading, because when I check out eBay I see from completed auctions that I could probably get ~$1500 resale value out of it. People seem to overlook that. While you can't upgrade the CPU independently as you can with a Mini, you also don't have to "throw away" the whole machine if it's still functioning well.

 

[FSMBP]

From my perspective with having a Mac Mini pro, I'd rather have gotten an iMac Pro than Mac Mini + Display...Wish Apple would have made a iMac Pro with an M2/M3.

I like the all-in-one aspect of the iMac with the decent speakers, good webcam & display, and can control brightness/sound natively.

 

[ignatius345]

I like the all-in-one aspect of the iMac with the decent speakers, good webcam & display, and can control brightness/sound natively.

Me too, but at my office they have us running Minis with third-party displays. I've found this helps a ton with the native control aspect:

Lunar - The defacto app for controlling monitor brightness

Control monitor brightness, adapt using the ambient light sensor, adjust volume, switch inputs and turn off displays without fiddling with clunky buttons.

lunar.fyi

There are a bunch of special features (color profiles, other customizations) that come with the paid version, but the free version lets you control brightness and volume with the keys on your Mac keyboard which is a huge help.

 

[FSMBP]

Me too, but at my office they have us running Minis with third-party displays. I've found this helps a ton with the native control thing aspect:

Lunar - The defacto app for controlling monitor brightness

Control monitor brightness, adapt using the ambient light sensor, adjust volume, switch inputs and turn off displays without fiddling with clunky buttons.

lunar.fyi

There are a bunch of special features (color profiles, other customizations) that come with the paid version, but the free version lets you control brightness and volume with the keys on your Mac keyboard which is a huge help.

Thanks - I'll check it out!

 

[OneSon]

No regrets at all. I have an M1 iMac as a home computer. I use it to work and my kids use it for homework. It's such a nice machine and everything just works. Sometimes I join meetings and colleagues are faffing about with microphones and webcams not working - that never happens with the iMac.