Did you go from a 27” to a 24” iMac?

[MisterSavage]

Interesting.
I was lucky to pick up a little used 2022 Studio Display for a steal of a price. But somehow I don't totally love it compared with the total package 27" iMac. As mentioned in this link it's probably due to the wider border and especially the extra 6cm 'chin' of the iMac - effectively imho a more imposing piece of kit.

Honestly it felt right from the very beginning.

But I'm one of those people where the notch on the iPhone completely disappears because I'm laser focused on the content on the screen. YMMV.

 

[Abydos]

no I went from 17" iMacs to a 27" iMac , not entirely sure of my next Mac I've set up some MBP's and MBA's for colleagues but still sitting on the fence - I haven't decided what my needs are yet (but being 60 years younger would help)

 

[iMas70]

IMO, it boils down to how you use your screen. I went from 27” to 24” and have no regrets. However, I rarely have more than one window open at a time and most always run my apps in full screen mode. When thinking about the 24”, I looked at my 27” screen and realized that I frequently sized my window down a bit and centered it on the screen. So, all I gave up was the space around my typical window. I don’t use my computer for work (retired) and my primary usage is web surfing, emails, etc. If I was working and was a user with more than two windows at a time, I think I’d go with the Mac Mini setup with a screen (or screens) to match my usage. For me, 24” is fine. DW has a windows machine with a 32” monitor, has a bunch of windows open but she’s managing her picture library and she also handles our finances (Quicken) so her usage is significantly different.

I also usually just have one window open and apps are usually in full screen mode. Sometimes I have a few open on the screen depending on what I'm doing.

 

[eRondeau]

I went from a 27” Late-2012 iMac i7 to a yellow 24” M3 iMac at my family's cottage. The screen is still big enough that I can have Safari, Mail, and Messages tiling the screen together — but I have to give-up a 1” strip of empty Desktop on the right where the Dock goes. The overall quality of the 24” display more than makes up for it though. The happy yellow finish has really grown on me too. No regrets.

 

[TumbleDryer]

I too waited and waited and in the end I went with an M4 Mini and third party 34" monitor so Apple lost out on quite a chunk of change as my budget was £2500. Instead I spent just £1200 with them and it might very well be my last Apple purchase.

I know a lot of design studios (i.e. rooms full of iMacs) wanting new 27" but are still holding off. Apple just don't care about professional studios anymore that were once their bread and butter. My budget was always £2500 for a pimped out iMac. Now they expect you to pay £3500 for a MacStudio and Studio Display. Apply that to 10 iMacs in a design studio and its massive money. Im phasing out my reliance on Apple after being on Macs for 30 years, they just don't care about the professional user anymore. They live in their own world and think everyone is absolutely minted, prices keep rising while quality is nose-diving.

 

[SalisburySam]

I too waited and waited and in the end I went with an M4 Mini and third party 34" monitor so Apple lost out on quite a chunk of change as my budget was £2500. Instead I spent just £1200 with them and it might very well be my last Apple purchase.

I know a lot of design studios (i.e. rooms full of iMacs) wanting new 27" but are still holding off. Apple just don't care about professional studios anymore that were once their bread and butter. My budget was always £2500 for a pimped out iMac. Now they expect you to pay £3500 for a MacStudio and Studio Display. Apply that to 10 iMacs in a design studio and its massive money. Im phasing out my reliance on Apple after being on Macs for 30 years, they just don't care about the professional user anymore. They live in their own world and think everyone is absolutely minted, prices keep rising while quality is nose-diving.

Agree, but one alternative could be the Studio Display and a tricked out Mac mini, coming in likely around your £2500 budget. Good display and probably enough power, especially the incoming M5 Mac mini. A second alternative might be to go the other way: 3rd-party 27” Display and Mac Studio.

Then again inflation says: What £2500 could buy five years ago represents about £2990 today.

 

[mrgraff]

Then there's me. I'm getting ready to replace my 2017 21.5" iMac (couldn't afford the 27" at the time) so looking forward to having 24" 😀 - might even spring for a secondary monitor.

 

[svish]

I have the 27” and 24”. Granted the 24” is smaller but still big enough and don’t feel the smaller size once I use it for longer periods.

That being said, I am looking to replace my 27” and would like to get another one of the same size. Don’t think a bigger iMac is coming any time soon and even if so, it is not going to be a simple bigger screen option. It will most likely be a ‘Pro’ computer with ‘Pro’ chip and much higher price tag. Highly unlikely that it will come for $1999 with the same fun colors as the 24” iMac.

Have even considered getting a mini and a Studio Display but ultimately I prefer to have an iMac. Most probably I will get the 24” to replace my 27” though I would love the 27"/32" to come back soon. Would choose that.

 

[ignatius345]

I did this 27 to 24 downsize a while back when the M1 iMacs came out. Some random observations:

- The 24” fits much more cleanly and feels less like some giant hulking thing looming over my desk. The thinness seems like it shouldn’t matter, but to me it did. And this matters even more now that my iMac lives in my living room.

- Day to day use, the 24” is sufficient for working with a couple of things side by side. But at the same time, I can’t totally stretch out visually like with the 27” screen. I feel like it’s the difference between a queen sized bed and a king: the queen is pretty much enough space, but on the king, you can just really spread out and luxuriate.

- If you do a lot of design work, video editing, maybe working with apps like Illustrator or InDesign, then the 24” can get pretty crowded with control palattes. With the 27” I’d just leave a lot of these little panels and things expanded and still have ample space to see my document, but with the 24” I’m usually wanting to collapse them.

- Even the M1 iMac was a huge upgrade in performance from my i5 iMac 5K. The M4 iMac is even more so. It’s just night and day going from Intel to Apple Silicon.

- Speakers on the 27” were excellent. The M-series iMacs have good speakers, but not quite as full sounding or as loud.

 

[TumbleDryer]

Agree, but one alternative could be the Studio Display and a tricked out Mac mini, coming in likely around your £2500 budget. Good display and probably enough power, especially the incoming M5 Mac mini. A second alternative might be to go the other way: 3rd-party 27” Display and Mac Studio.

Then again inflation says: What £2500 could buy five years ago represents about £2990 today.

A barely tricked out mini comes in at £1800 plus £1500 for the display that’s £3300. Plus you miss out on the convenience of the all in one which is why many design studios love them.
It’s the cost of the display that’s way overpriced.

 

[Sinfonist]

I'd agree with those recommending a Mini/Studio plus external monitor or two for those who need the screen estate. You can rack a Mini up to 64GB if you need the RAM and upgrade the SSD (or get an external box - there are ones with extra ports as well, making the Studio marginal for most people). If you don't want to pay for the Studio display, there are good non-Apple 4K and 5K displays out there, some of which have builtin speakers.

My own setup has two Mac Minis with a 27" LG monitor. That works quite well for me. I'd prefer a 32" or 34" display, but that's too big for my study desk

But maybe wait for next week's announcements to see whether there's a 27" or bigger iMac in the works?

 

[ignatius345]

I'd agree with those recommending a Mini/Studio plus external monitor or two for those who need the screen estate.

If I was doing a lot of more demanding work I would for sure go this route, especially considering how compact the Mini has gotten at this point.

 

[SalisburySam]

A barely tricked out mini comes in at £1800 plus £1500 for the display that’s £3300. Plus you miss out on the convenience of the all in one which is why many design studios love them.
It’s the cost of the display that’s way overpriced.

Yeah, certainly true. I also very much miss the AIO form factor and really REALLY wanted one to replace my 2017 27” iMac. However the reality is that isn’t going to happen so I had to decide what was more important to me: the AIO form factor or the 27” display. I went with the 27” display, now wanting to give up 30% of my visual real estate for my declining eyesight. Having had my Studio Display and m4 Mac mini now for almost a year, I’m happy enough with my decision. Still a bit bothered though with the extra box, cabling, and lack of ports in this config requiring me to add yet another box in the form of a docking hub for the Mac mini. Function first though for me, then form.

 

[Starfia]

It's a really reasonable question, and I congratulate you for waiting.

I gave it two years after the Apple Silicon announcement, then upgraded from my Intel 27-inch iMac to an M1 Mac mini and Studio Display. For me, that was right. The Studio Display matches the Intel iMac's display, but the form is sleeker and nicer. And the modularity is more my thing.

Fortunately, I live with a person who ended up choosing an M1 iMac, so I've seen and felt both paths. The iMac is great too; I feel the missing three diagonal inches, but all 24 remaining inches are great. The real strength of the modern iMac is that, compared to the Intel 27-inch iMac, it's just this utterly thin and lightweight thing, capable of doing everything many people want without connecting anything but power and input devices. The built-in sound is almost unbelievable considering how it looks.

It all feels like more of a recollection of the original four-quadrant thing; the iMac isn't trying to be everything for everyone; it's shining as the all-in-one for the all-in-one people again.

 

[iMas70]

I stopped by my local Apple Store today. First sat down with the 24" iMac. Used it for a few minutes and thought I'd be fine with the smaller screen. Then I moved the chair over to the 32" screen on the opposite side. That was a mistake. Love the screen but might be overkill. I don't need all of that real estate. I then slid over to the Studio Display attached to a Mini. That was a mistake too. Very nice screen at the size I prefer. Left that and went back to the 24". I wasn't as happy with it as I was when I first started. Not knocking it at all. It just wasn't the same experience after looking at the bigger screens. It's definitely in the running but I am giving the Studio Display with a Mini more throught.

I set the resolution of the 24" screen to 2048x1152 and the Studio Display to 1920x1080.

Looking at pricing, for an iMac I would go with -

8-core CPU
24GB
1TB
Ethernet port
Magic Mouse
Magic Keyboard with numeric Keypad - didn't think I'd want this until I used it today

$1896

Mac mini with Studio Display -

10 core CPU
24GB
1TB
Ethernet

Magic Mouse - $79
Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad - $179

$1337


Studio Display

$1499

Total for Mac mini, Studio Display, Magic Mouse and Keyboard

$2836

I have kids in school so I can get education pricing. No sales take where my daughter is in school so I'd have her pick it up.

I rather now use a non-Apple monitor but... just considering, what would be a good 5K option if I went with the Mini?

 

[Moonjumper]

I went from a late 2015 27" iMac + 27" 4K external monitor to an M4 Pro Mac Mini with 2 32" 4K screens. I lose out on resolution, so run them at a lower density, but still get more workspace.

But what is relevant, is I go back to my iMac for some graphical work as it can run Illustrator CS4, which I still prefer to the newer alternatives. Going down in size isn't too much of a problem, but perhaps that is lessened by doing different work, and with only one piece of software open, so not a direct comparison.

 

[Racineur]

I'm in the same position, sitting here with a 2017 27" iMac with i7 and 64GB. Still doing fine, but I'm hesitant to go to a 24", and I'm not ready to spend $3,000+ for a Mac Mini/Studio Display combo. I do think that Apple Silicon with 32GB will get you more speed and performance than the Intel chip and 72GB, so I'm not worried about that, but the display size...

Almost went the same route. Finally ditched my old faithful iMac late 2012, 24 RAM and 1T Fusion Drive (with the 128g SSD though) and could not decide to let go of the 27 inc screen. Plus the M4 are very expensive in Canada. I could have bought refurbished but I jumped on the occasion to narrow my actual needs. So I decided to stay Intel and searched forr a used 2019 5K 27. Why 2019? The not so reputable T2 chip on the 2020. So I have now a 3 ghz i5 6 cores, 32 G RAM, yep a 1T Fusion Drive but I'm booting from an external SSD with Sonoma connected to TB port. Sequoia is installed on the FD now and I will give it a good try. Perfect for my light needs.

 

[Racineur]

iLondoner wrote in #11 above:
"can't adjust display brightness from the keyboard."

Get BetterDisplay Pro and you'll be able to do that (and much more) from the menu bar:
View attachment 2607118

True, it helped a lot the screen of my late 2012 iMac.

 

[blufrog]

No. I thought about it, but hoped Apple would produce a new M-powered iMac 5K in 27" or larger. It never happened, so I got a Mini with M4 Pro with a 40" 4K display. I'm actually wishing I waited and got the Studio, but that is a different discussion entirely.

I'm debating selling my Mini, but I'm keeping my 5K as long as it keeps going.

 

[ThunderSkunk]

I’ve been using a 27” screen for many years. I’ve been hoping Apple would produce another one but I’m kind of tired of waiting. I’d like to have the newest operating system on my desktop so thinking about selling my 2017 27” iMac and replacing it with a current 24”. For those who have gone down to the smaller screen, do you have any regrets?

I tried but couldn’t go smaller. Instead I disconnected the display cable in my iMac a couple years ago, and it now lives below my desk, driving a nice 38” curved display instead, the easiest on eyes, in terms of eye strain, by far.

 

[JonMPLS]

I don't want to but I will probably do it anyway. I have a 27" from 2017 and, since there are no software upgrades left, I can't run the most current versions of software like Photoshop and Turbotax. Not thrilled, but not a lot of choice either.

 

[SalisburySam]

I don't want to but I will probably do it anyway. I have a 27" from 2017 and, since there are no software upgrades left, I can't run the most current versions of software like Photoshop and Turbotax. Not thrilled, but not a lot of choice either.

Same boat, but different port. After my 27” 2017 iMac died, I looked at the 24” new ones, trying them out at the local Apple Store for hours. Did not like the loss of almost 30% of the screen. So like a good Apple customer, I got an M4 Mac mini and 27” Apple Studio Display. I’m still not happy with NOT having an all-in-one form factor, but I’m satisfied with performance and the ASD screen.

 

[mreg376]

I don't want to but I will probably do it anyway. I have a 27" from 2017 and, since there are no software upgrades left, I can't run the most current versions of software like Photoshop and Turbotax. Not thrilled, but not a lot of choice either.

I had the same issue with Turbotax and Ventura (I have no desire to gamble and tinker with OCLP on my main machine). What I have done to extend the life of my 2017 27", is install VMware Fusion, a VERY fast and free version of Parallels, I bought and installed Windows 11 Pro for $12.97 from the Macworld Shop, then installed the Windows version of TurboTax. I do have 64GB in my iMac, and was able to allot 32GB to Fusion. Fusion runs fast and has been rock solid, TurboTax 2026 works well (actually not as refined as the Mac version), and you may be able to do the same thing with Photoshop. It takes a few hoops to find Fusion, but it's well worth it.

I also run Firefox ESR on the iMac, which is very fast, and I don't have to depend on Safari updates anymore. I use Chrome as a backup if any sites balk.

 

[EugW]

I previously had a 27" iMac and eventually got a Mac mini with 27" screen, but I couldn't take the 27" size anymore. The limitations of the 27" size were a constant irritant.

I'm now using a 32" LG 6K monitor with my Mac mini and I am much, much happier.

BTW, in the past I had actually used two 27" iMacs, my 2017 27" iMac 5K along with a 2010 27" iMac used as a second screen, but I don't actually like using dual screens. A Mac mini with single 32" 6K screen is my preferred setup.

 

[CaptTee]

I’ve been using a 27” screen for many years. I’ve been hoping Apple would produce another one but I’m kind of tired of waiting. I’d like to have the newest operating system on my desktop so thinking about selling my 2017 27” iMac and replacing it with a current 24”. For those who have gone down to the smaller screen, do you have any regrets?

I have an M4 Mac Mini and two 23” monitors. The 17 year old monitor is starting to show a little burn in where one corner of Messages usually sits. So, now I can justify buying 2 new monitors. The question is do I get two 27” or 32” monitors?