Good deal on late 2012 iMac?

[Horttiger22]

“Late 2012 iMac 27" i5 quad core processor.
Has the maximum amount of ram which is 24gb! Has a 128gb Samsung 840 Pro and a Crucial 128gb (See pics).
This comes with the factory keyboard and touchpad, along with (2) thunderbolt to HDMI adapters for being able to plug in 2 additional monitors to this. Power supply was replaced about 8 months ago and also the screen was replaced also at that time. Everything works fantastic especially with the dual SSD conversion.”
$600
I am looking to replace a 2009 MacBook Pro and don’t really need the portability anymore is this a solid option? What’s the power supply and why would the screen also need replacing? I only need it for typical household office stuff web/photos/word processing/ no editing/coding/gaming.

 

[mikehalloran]

Avoid at that price.

The Samsung 840 had firmware problems never resolved until Samsung released the 845/850 & 860 (all excellent drives). These do not develop problems over time and give you warning—when they go, it’s dead and suddenly. Many firmware updates later, they never really solved it.

On the other hand, replacing it with ... well any SATA III SSD made in the last three years will be easy and an improvement. $49 ($256GB)–$250(2TB) for the Crucial MX500.
https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX500-NAND-SATA-Internal/dp/B0764WCXCV?th=1

At $400, a better buy and lets you put in a decent SSD. That won’t be as fast as the 2013 on but it will run Mojave and should last a few years. My wife’s 2011 runs about the same speed and it works for her.

The secondary 128GB blade is also SATA III. It was designed to be part of a fusion array that is no longer needed — both busses operate at the same speed so there is no advantage to tying the two SSDs int a fusion array. Just put in a single, large SSD and you’re fine.

24G is not the max RAM that these take. It’s 32 if you need it (many users don’t).

 

[Horttiger22]

Avoid at that price.

The Samsung 840 had firmware problems never resolved until Samsung released the 845/850 & 860 (all excellent drives). These do not develop problems over time and give you warning—when they go, it’s dead and suddenly. Many firmware updates later, they never really solved it.

On the other hand, replacing it with ... well any SATA III SSD made in the last three years will be easy and an improvement. $49 ($256GB)–$250(2TB) for the Crucial MX500.
https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX500-NAND-SATA-Internal/dp/B0764WCXCV?th=1

At $400, a better buy and lets you put in a decent SSD. That won’t be as fast as the 2013 on but it will run Mojave and should last a few years. My wife’s 2011 runs about the same speed and it works for her.

The secondary 128GB blade is also SATA III. It was designed to be part of a fusion array that is no longer needed — both busses operate at the same speed so there is no advantage to tying the two SSDs int a fusion array. Just put in a single, large SSD and you’re fine.

24G is not the max RAM that these take. It’s 32 if you need it (many users don’t).

Thanks!
I figured something was suspect as it’s been up for a while and iMacs seem to fly off the market if they are 27 inches and under $700. Also knowing that isn’t the max ram wondered if someone was trying something.
Is this one worth 900? It’s at the top of my budget and I don’t know that I need a Retina display.
“iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)
Processor: 4 GHz Intel Core i7
Memory: 16 GB
Storage: 1.12 TB Fusion Drive

Includes Apple bluetooth keyboard and magic trackpad.”

 

[mikehalloran]

Thanks!
I figured something was suspect as it’s been up for a while and iMacs seem to fly off the market if they are 27 inches and under $700. Also knowing that isn’t the max ram wondered if someone was trying something.
Is this one worth 900? It’s at the top of my budget and I don’t know that I need a Retina display.
“iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)
Processor: 4 GHz Intel Core i7
Memory: 16 GB
Storage: 1.12 TB Fusion Drive

Includes Apple bluetooth keyboard and magic trackpad.”

It's not the bargain of the century but not a bad price at all for the i7 — which I prefer over the i5. I looked at the SOLD listings on eBay to make the determination. $900 is a little higher than an i5 but $100–$300 lower than the i7s I saw.

If that's the top of your budget, I say go for it as long as you have an out in case of a lemon.
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What’s the power supply and why would the screen also need replacing?

Heat from the original HDD was the culprit turning the insides into an oven—same as the 2009–2011 but in a smaller space. Screens, backlights and GPUs were all affected.

By 2014, Apple was using slower, cooler HDDs in the fusion array resulting in far fewer problems.