Did you go from a 27” to a 24” iMac?

[edophoto]

I still have a mid-2011 iMac 27” specifically because it’s the very last model that can natively deal with old 32-bit applications without a fuss as it’s locked in High Sierra 10.13.6.

I have a iMac 2012 27" running Mojave booting off an external SSD and my 32 bit apps are still working and this is the reason I keep this iMac as a second machine as it works with my old scanner and a few apps I still use. Can't go any higher with the OS (Catalina will make 32 bit obsolete). Main machine is a 2021 14 inch MacPro M1 MAX with 2TB disk and 64GB memory connected to a 24 inch Eizo "old-but-good" monitor, mostly used in clamshell mode. Fine for photo and video editing. Now I find the 27 iMac too big 🙂

 

[AL2TEACH]

I'm still happy with my 27" 2015 iMac and can't see a reason to upgrade to new equipment or software.
I did upgrade my sister's from a 27" 2015 iMac to a 24" M4 iMac, she got use to the size difference, I can't it looks like a toy to me.

 

[SalisburySam]

I'm still happy with my 27" 2015 iMac and can't see a reason to upgrade to new equipment or software.
I did upgrade my sister's from a 27" 2015 iMac to a 24" M4 iMac, she got use to the size difference, I can't it looks like a toy to me.

Well said. When I first compared my 2017 27” iMac to the then-new 24” iMacs, all I could think of was Fisher-Price, especially in the bright colors.

 

[bigglow]

I went rom a 2012 iMac 27" to a 2025 ASUS 32" 6K + 2019 MBP 16".

iMac 24" is a step back and buying the 2019 Apple 32" 6K is over spec for my photography work.

I'm looking towards getting a M5 or M5 Pro Mac whether it be a mini, MBA 15" or MBP 16"

 

[Black Tiger]

Zero regrets. It has such a stunning design and the m4 colours are delightful and I personally love the updated white bezel over the thick black ones on the monochrome models. The iMac has always been my favourite Mac. Have a MacBook pro and it just isn’t the same. iMac just makes me want to work with it. The screen is smaller but what is also great is that it is such a compact unit overall now. It’s just awesome.

 

[WebHead]

The axing of the 27" iMac was the final straw to drive me to a headless Mac. My next one will be a Mac mini with 32" Dell display.

I've owned either iMacs or notebooks for the past 20+ years, and it's usually the screen that fails first.

 

[triumvirate]

Man ... I wanted to use my 27" iMac forever. It still works fine from 2012, but obviously gets no security updates so I don't use it as a main machine anymore. It has the same amount of RAM as my M5 MacBook Air does (24gb) because RAM was upgradeable back then. Their switch to those 24" questionable designs pushed me back into MacBooks and their "Studio Display" prices are outrageous, so I can see why they killed the 27" iMac in that lens ($$$).

 

[tornado99]

Bought and sold a 24" iMac. The screen size is actually 23.5" and didn't feel significantly bigger than a 21.5" iMac. Also the white border, and visible black border between that and the actual LCD panel bothered me. As did the shiny plastic chin. Also viewing angles v average. Now back on a 27".

 

[SalisburySam]

Bought and sold a 24" iMac. The screen size is actually 23.5" and didn't feel significantly bigger than a 21.5" iMac. Also the white border, and visible black border between that and the actual LCD panel bothered me. As did the shiny plastic chin. Also viewing angles v average. Now back on a 27".

Yeah, agree. Went from the amazing 27” iMac to a 27” ASD with an M4 Mac mini. Kept the 27” display real estate but lost the all-in-one form factor sadly. Just the way it is today if the almost 30% less real estate on the 24” iMacs doesn’t do it for you, as it didn’t for me.

 

[iMas70]

It looks like my 27” iMac has booted for the last time. I hope to be able to fix it, but it’s not looking good. They gave me eight years of service so I can’t complain. The 24” iMac and Mac Mini should be getting the M5 chip soon. So I rather wait until they are updated.

I still haven’t decided which way I’m going to go with this. I like the all in one and looks of the Apple product. But I prefer the larger screen. And it’s something I’m probably going to use for at least another eight years. I don’t like returning things like this. But if I’m going to try anything, it’s going to be the 24 inch Mac.

btw - What’s up with 4-5 month lead times for an iMac?

 

[maflynn]

The size of the screen was one fact on why I moved on from the iMac. The smaller screens guaranteed that I'd never return

 

[tornado99]

If you're on a budget just get one of the many 5K monitors now on the market + second hand M1 or M2 Mac mini.

The new M Series iMacs are just toys for dentist offices and to put on your breakfast bar.

 

[saintmac]

If you value the 27" screen size, and need performance, you should really consider getting a studio display + mac mini.
Might be slightly more expensive but if you want to upgrade 5 years from now, you'll be glad you don't have to buy the same display yet again.
Regarding your performance needs. I don't know what you do, but first of all your old mac doesn't have 72GB RAM.
It has 64GB RAM and 8GB VRAM. So basically CPU can use 64 and GPU can use 8. What GPU uses will be duplicated in the RAM as well.
A Mac mini with 32GB unified memory, is like having 32GB RAM the CPU can use AND 32 VRAM the GPU can use, no duplication needed.

While I don't have iMac experience, I can tell you that I went from a 2019 16" mbp with 64GB RAM and 8GB VRAM to a 32GB UM M1 Max and I was blown away. Then I "downgraded" further to M5 with 24GB UM and the performance was still better for CPU bound tasks.

If your budget allows and you want to be safe get a M4 Pro Mac Mini with 48GB RAM and I can guarantee you that it will not be a downgrade at all, whatever you use your mac for.