If I were to sell my iMac...

[sstevens]

I have a Mid 2011 27" iMac Built to Order with the following:

Intel i7 3.4GHz Quad Core
256GB SSD (Apps) + 1TB SATA Drive (docs)
32GB of Ram
2GB AMD Radeon 6970M Graphics

If Apple does come out with a Retina - I'm debating what the cash difference would be for me to spend and if I could afford it or sacrifice the performance of mine for just a better screen. What would be an appropriate price?

My question basically lies in the value of SSD over the Fusion, I was told that after the last upgrade (thinner iMac models) where Apple switched, that anyone with the SSD from before still had strong value in their product since they are favored over the fusions. Inputs?

 

[FreakinEurekan]

I have a Mid 2011 27" iMac Built to Order with the following... If Apple does come out with a Retina... What would be an appropriate price?

Now, or after the Retina comes out? I'd expect if a Retina is introduced, it will affect the used market supply.

 

[fa8362]

Check ebay, but your market is much more limited with a machine maxed out like that. Stock computers sell much faster because they're cheaper and most people don't want all the upgrades, or in many cases, any upgrades.

 

[sstevens]

^ If I sold it after the Retina comes out. Of course it will be a larger margin the longer I wait but I just constantly see people praising the SSD over the fusion (regardless of the minimal performance boost regular users wouldn't even notice).

Check ebay, but your market is much more limited with a machine maxed out like that. Stock computers sell much faster because they're cheaper and most people don't want all the upgrades, or in many cases, any upgrades.

Yeah, I've unfortunately realized this back when I got it. Retina is such a nice addition - I have the 15" MBP as well.

Basically, if this computer was built identically with a Fusion Drive instead of a SSD, isn't it going to sell for less without it? I feel like the SSD was more of an investment that is going to hold this computer's resale value high.


If I sold this right now the way it is, I'd probably list $2299. It was ~$3.1-$3.2 brand new.

 

[khedden]

Hard to say. Like everyone else days, the highly upgraded machines are hard to move sometimes.

Some comparable listings:

Didn't sell at $1999

Did sell at $1639

Looking at this I think you'd be lucky to get $2299, honestly. Consider you can get a refurb 2013 with i7, 3TB fusion, and 780m w/4GB for $2289. Yes, your machine has more memory, but a minority of folks will pay a premium for that.

 

[AlexxRyzhkov]

$2299, good luck...
I've seen Maxed out 2012 27" models sell for under $2000 all the time. Right now, your model will probably fetch $1400-$1500 at Most

 

[MacOG728893]

I usually buy used Macs in near perfect condition on craigslist for a steal. However, this time around, I purchased my late 2013 fully specced 27" iMac in November brand new.

I think it'll be slightly weird for me seeing that a nearly $3000 system has depreciated by half when I go to sell it. Honestly, that's only an after thought at this point. I love my machine and will continue to use it until it doesn't fit my needs.

Things get old. Use it until it doesn't work for your needs. Sell it for what you can get for it in fair market value. Then just call it day.

 

[khedden]

I usually buy used Macs in near perfect condition on craigslist for a steal. However, this time around, I purchased my late 2013 fully specced 27" iMac in November brand new.

I think it'll be slightly weird for me seeing that a nearly $3000 system has depreciated by half when I go to sell it. Honestly, that's only an after thought at this point. I love my machine and will continue to use it until it doesn't fit my needs.

Your 2013 hasn't depreciated by nearly half. The OP has a 2011. If you max out the memory through Apple, you're paying a premium for that and will likely not recoup that cost.

 

[sstevens]

I didn't pay apple for the 32GB of DDR3 ram. I got it with 8GB, and inherited 4x8gb sticks from a good friend at no cost...

Now I guess the question could be if I ever did sell it, do I list it at 8gb, 16gb, or 32gb and keep the remainder 8gb-32gb of ram...however, newer iMac's are not RAM upgradable sooooo nvm I guess.

 

[eXan]

Any upgrades/BTO options don't add much (if any) value to a resale price. Stock and especially base models hold value much better.

No matter how you spin it, its still going to be a 2011 machine

 

[Orr]

Not sure where you heard that older SSD iMacs are more favored over the newer fusion ones. Many get the current ones with just the SSD which totally negates any advantage an older non-fusion machine might have.

It's always good to be optimistic, but if someone was going to drop $2300 on an iMac, they would always get a brand new top of the line Haswell one over your 3 year old, dated model.

As others have already stated, maxed out machines are generally always harder to move and recoup significantly less of their original cost since most people just want base ones. 32GB of RAM is worthless to almost everyone.

If you are able to get $1500, I'd be impressed. I think between $1350-$1400 is realistic. For that $ you can now get the base 15" Iris Pro rMBP on Craigslist which is a much better machine. Apple always has refurbished 2012 15" rMBPs with the GT650M for $1600 refurbished which is also superior.