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“Downgrade” from 2020 27-inch to 2021 24?

P

pedregosa

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 31, 2010
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I have the 2020 27-inch iMac, entry-level configuration. Like it a lot. It was a solid, final upgrade to that design, especially with the improved video camera and microphones and — finally — standard SSD. Plenty powerful for my needs, which are based around office work. Working with large PDFs is my most processor-intensive task.

Can’t really see much practical benefit in “downgrading” to the new 24-inch M1 iMac, but the techno-tourist in me is thinking of doing so. I’ve been using Macs for 30 years and I wouldn’t mind experiencing M1 life. (The iMac is my only Mac these days — I use an iPad for mobile needs.) Plus I actually like the look of the new iMacs. Apple would give me $900 for my old one as a trade-in. And I don’t really care about ports, SD card slot, etc.

I don’t think I will make the switch, but wondered whether anyone else is thinking of doing so.
 
OP: I'd keep the 27" until the new design comes out.

If your current iMac is fine then continue to use it.

My wife uses a 2019 21.5" iMac with the dreadfully slow spinning HDD and I had to configure an external bootable SSD to avoid the spinning beach balls as a workaround.

So for her, I am buying the 24" M1 iMac.

She also uses a second display (27" Thunderbolt from 2011) with the Apple TB3-2 adapter so she can continue using the same 10 year old display on the new M1 iMac.

Her crafting setup currently:
IMG_7229.jpg
 
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Fishrrman said:
That would be a foolish move, in my opinion.

"Hold whatcha got" for at least 2-3 more years.
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I tend to agree. While I like to think I am not a fool, I am capable of doing foolish things. So thank you for your discouragement.
 
I have a 27" (2014) iMac and am considering upgrading to the 24" new iMac Model.
I use an electronic medical record and do zoom meetings and such, and I like to game but not the horrifically high-end games necessarily (lots of Starcraft, classic games and so on). Plus it's the repository for my business work and photos and videos and so on.

I'm seeing that if we get a next-gen iMac with a 27" screen (or larger), it's going to be mega expensive and probably higher end than I really need. I mean, i love me a high end Mac :) but realistically.

So looks like buying one of the newly releasing 24" is going to be major hardware upgrade for me, yeah?
 
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I would wait to see what they have in store for the big model before I'd trade it in. It's only a few more months. I've got the fully specced 2020 iMac - which I will probably trade in for an M1X 32" iMac when available.
 
I think the bigger iMac could still have a few drawbacks compared with the existing 27" especially if you like to use lots of screens. The second version of the new bigger iMac is likely to be the one that is better in every way (other than optimal compatibility with legacy Intel apps) than the current 27".

Unless you work in IT and absolutely need the latest and greatest technology (e.g. to help with iOS app development), as you have the 27" 2020, I would be waiting for at least the second version of the new bigger iMac and letting others deal with the first gen problems.
 
The main concern I have now for my current Intel Mac is that it sounds like a jet-engine taking off when it gets under load. It's loud and distracting when I'm trying to mix music. Yes, I can mix with headphones, but for an optimal mix, I need to hear it through my studio monitors...and it's absolutely noticeable more and more.
 
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I have a somewhat similar decision. I have the mid 2011 27 inch iMac (2560x1440 resolution). Aside from it being 10 years old it works great. I’m not using it for any heavy duty stuff. Trying to decide if I’ll miss those 3 inches going to the new 24 inch iMac. I’d be gaining much much better resolution, better camera and sound, faster processor and a much quieter machine. The current footprint is pushing it for my desk and I suspect the 27 inch redesign will be even bigger - just not sure how noticeable the 3 inch loss will be -anyone regret going to the 24 inch screen from 27 inch? In my case there will be a huge improvement on resolution.
 
dpm1 said:
I have a somewhat similar decision. I have the mid 2011 27 inch iMac (2560x1440 resolution). Aside from it being 10 years old it works great. I’m not using it for any heavy duty stuff. Trying to decide if I’ll miss those 3 inches going to the new 24 inch iMac. I’d be gaining much much better resolution, better camera and sound, faster processor and a much quieter machine. The current footprint is pushing it for my desk and I suspect the 27 inch redesign will be even bigger - just not sure how noticeable the 3 inch loss will be -anyone regret going to the 24 inch screen from 27 inch? In my case there will be a huge improvement on resolution.
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Due to the Retina display, the 24" would look just as good as the 27" in screen real estate.

I am getting the base M1 iMac and it will pair with either a non Retina 24" Apple Cinema display (using a MD adapter) or non Retina 27" Apple Thunderbolt display (using a TB-3-2 adapter).

I'll see what I prefer after I set them both up with the M1 iMac.
 
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Would you mind a smaller screen? Is so, then maybe just wait for the bigger one and reassess the situation then. Your iMac is still great and won’t feel old and outdated for years I think.


ksgant said:
The main concern I have now for my current Intel Mac is that it sounds like a jet-engine taking off when it gets under load. It's loud and distracting when I'm trying to mix music. Yes, I can mix with headphones, but for an optimal mix, I need to hear it through my studio monitors...and it's absolutely noticeable more and more.
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Which model do you have?
 
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Zapranoth7 said:
I'm seeing that if we get a next-gen iMac with a 27" screen (or larger), it's going to be mega expensive and probably higher end than I really need.
Click to expand...

There’s been no real indication of this, just speculation that the bigger iMac will be an “iMac Pro” and cost more.

I would bet a lot of money there will be a big $1799 to replace the current one.
 
While it's true that the 24" display is slightly smaller than the 27" display its higher resolution, higher pixel density, 10 years worth of improvement in panel technology, and last but not least the ability to scale the resolution to your liking will more than make up for it.

I would trade in my 27" 2017 iMac in a heartbeat if it weren't for the x86 VMs that I need for work.
 
mj_ said:
While it's true that the 24" display is slightly smaller than the 27" display its higher resolution, higher pixel density, 10 years worth of improvement in panel technology, and last but not least the ability to scale the resolution to your liking will more than make up for it.

I would trade in my 27" 2017 iMac in a heartbeat if it weren't for the x86 VMs that I need for work.
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Ya. I think I’ll be able to decide once I can get to an Apple store and see it Definitely a lot of nice changes from the 10 year old iMac that I currently have.
 
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I think Macs are kinda like cars — they lose a lot of value when you drive them off the lot — then in the following year or two, not so much. I would want to get at least a couple more years use out of a practically new Mac before selling or trading it. By then maybe you could get a second or third generation 24" iMac or something we haven't even imagined yet.
 
ErikGrim said:
4.5K < 5K last I checked
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I think @mj_ was replying to someone with a 2011 iMac with a non-retina 2560x1440 display, in which case their comments make sense - including the new ability to use "scaled mode" to get different physical text/icon sizes at decent quality (incomparably better than the horrible results of driving a non-retina display at anything other than it's native resolution).

Otherwise, the "retina" Macs all have roughly (maybe exactly, but I'd have to check) the same pixel density - so 13" -> 16" -> 21.5" -> 24" -> 27" -> 32" really is just increasing the "real estate" of the screen (plus any other developments in brightness, dynamic range, colour gamut etc.) while keeping the same level of detail. Of course, it all depends a bit on your eyesight and how far away you sit...

So I think the 24" is going to be a downgrade, screen-wise, to the 5k/P3 iMacs, and while it might out-perform the lower-spec 5k models (esp. the fusion drive ones) it is going to be swings-and-roundabouts against the higher-end models, especially for RAM-hungry applications (considering the RAM in the 5k can be easily and cheaply upgraded), if you want to connect more than one external display, or if you need loads of ports. In that case, you'd be better off waiting to see what Apple releases over the next 6 months. (Honestly, I think that Apple need to announce, or at least tease, what their "pro" range is going to look like at WWDC - the M1 is great, but it's obviously tailored to ultraportable applications - we need to see what Apple Silicon looks like in a higher-end system).

There are lots of rumours about "bigger" iMacs - but AFAIK they are just rumours, and we've seen plenty of wrong rumours from "reliable" sources in the past.

All we really have to go on is that, so far, Apple have been sticking roughly to their existing Intel price structure, with even the first "all-new" M1 iMac priced to replace the 21.5" Intel iMac. Of course, "past performance is no guarantee of future results" but the best current guess is that Apple will release something targeted at the current 5k iMac price range.

A 32", 6k XDR iMac would probably be targeting the vacant $5000 iMac Pro slot so it would be surprising if that's all we see.

I'm not sure that more than 28-30" @ 5.5k makes sense in an all-in-one format, anyway: if I were spending that much on a display I'd want a range to choose from, and something that could outlive the computer it was bought with.
 
pedregosa said:
I don’t think I will make the switch, but wondered whether anyone else is thinking of doing so.
Click to expand...

I am on a 2017 iMac 5K so I am waiting for the "big brother" iMac to upgrade because I need a large screen = 24" is too small for my needs so that is the only reason I did not buy the new iMac.

I almost bought a 2020 iMac 5K when they launched, but being perpetually back-ordered when I could get a nice SAC financing via my Barclayscard nixed that so I decided to just wait to see what Apple brings out.

There is an off-chance I might yet end up with the 2020 iMac 5K, anyway, as I currently work from home and need Boot Camp. If we go back to the office, then I can commit to M1, but we might go work-from-home permanently and the Intel iMac would work better for me. In that case, I would then buy a MacBook (Air) as my M1 Mac.
 
I'd wait if I had a 2020 iMac unless I were filthy rich, that's practically brand new lol
I'm "downgrading" to the 24" M1 but I'm coming from a 2015 27". My primary use case is video editing in Final Cut & music production in Logic. It'll be a massive upgrade over my computer despite the loss of some screen real estate
 
Trade in my 27" iMac for the new 24"? Such a thought never even crossed my mind. First of all, it's practically brand new still and performs superbly. Second, what's the plus side of losing 3 inches of diagonal screen real estate? If I traded it for anything it would be a M1 Mac Mini and a 32" minimum 4k display (don't really need 5k), but I'm not doing that either.
 
pedregosa said:
I have the 2020 27-inch iMac, entry-level configuration. Like it a lot. It was a solid, final upgrade to that design, especially with the improved video camera and microphones and — finally — standard SSD. Plenty powerful for my needs, which are based around office work. Working with large PDFs is my most processor-intensive task.

Can’t really see much practical benefit in “downgrading” to the new 24-inch M1 iMac, but the techno-tourist in me is thinking of doing so. I’ve been using Macs for 30 years and I wouldn’t mind experiencing M1 life. (The iMac is my only Mac these days — I use an iPad for mobile needs.) Plus I actually like the look of the new iMacs. Apple would give me $900 for my old one as a trade-in. And I don’t really care about ports, SD card slot, etc.

I don’t think I will make the switch, but wondered whether anyone else is thinking of doing so.
Click to expand...

In your specific scenario, I wouldn't get a 24" iMac to replace your 27". I might get one as a secondary system. But you're probably better off getting a Mac mini for that seeing as you wouldn't have to spend as much (and it's basically the same computer). Otherwise, you might as well wait until there's a proper replacement to the Intel 27" iMac before replacing it.
 
ksgant said:
The main concern I have now for my current Intel Mac is that it sounds like a jet-engine taking off when it gets under load. It's loud and distracting when I'm trying to mix music. Yes, I can mix with headphones, but for an optimal mix, I need to hear it through my studio monitors...and it's absolutely noticeable more and more.
Click to expand...
I had a 2012 27" with Fusion until it died a few weeks ago forcing my hand, got a fully loaded new iMac 24 on order, 512Gb SSD is not enough, need 2Tb and 16Gb of RAM. Also got a M1 MBP to use until then and the one thing I notice was how quiet it is.

With my old iMac you knew when its working hard with all the fan noise. But this little baby going at full speed encoding video twice as fast as my i7 iMac it is whisper quiet and I have to check to make sure its still on and not gone to sleep. Also now the only noticeable noise is from the external HDDs.
 
usagora said:
Trade in my 27" iMac for the new 24"? Such a thought never even crossed my mind. First of all, it's practically brand new still and performs superbly. Second, what's the plus side of losing 3 inches of diagonal screen real estate? If I traded it for anything it would be a M1 Mac Mini and a 32" minimum 4k display (don't really need 5k), but I'm not doing that either.
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On advantage I can think of with the iMac over the Mini is with an iMac you can add a 2nd monitor, can't do that with the Mini M1. So if you find a 24" 4.5k monitor too small, get another 4k monitor and run dual monitors side-by-side?
 
mdgm said:
I think the bigger iMac could still have a few drawbacks compared with the existing 27" especially if you like to use lots of screens. The second version of the new bigger iMac is likely to be the one that is better in every way (other than optimal compatibility with legacy Intel apps) than the current 27".

Unless you work in IT and absolutely need the latest and greatest technology (e.g. to help with iOS app development), as you have the 27" 2020, I would be waiting for at least the second version of the new bigger iMac and letting others deal with the first gen problems.
Click to expand...
for me , 2017 and 16 gb ram enough and it might not fast as m1 but it got android emulator which m1 doesnt exist.
 
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