iMac 24" Mid 2007: Best iMac ever?

[apfelmann]

I guess it has been said many times before on this forum, but I have to praise this machine again:

it is insane that this iMac from 2007 still runs as good as it does. in the last weeks I "reactivated" this machine after I gave it to my son for 1,5 years (but he rarely used). I did a clean install of OS X and Boot Camp and was delighted about the results. it still runs the latest Mac OS X and with some tricks it even runs Windows 10 64 bit with Boot Camp. with 6 GB of RAM and still the old 320 GB HDD it serves me very well with OS X and Windows.

and the design is timeless. like it more than the current iMac Design.

I hope some guys of you out there also still enjoy this machine!

 

[bogg]

I had a 24" 2007-model but replaced it with a 27" 2011. The 2011 in my mind was just a good of a machine and even better in expandability as it has a spare internal sata connector if only bought with a hard drive (you could buy it with both an hd and a ssd drive, in which case the extra port was used for the ssd).
It also offers thunderbolt ports for external expansion and 4 instead of 2 memory slots (if my memory serves me right the 2007 only has 2)

The 2011 and 2007 basically shares the same design but the 2011 will last just as long as the 2007 one, If not longer. I recently (5 days ago) sold my 2011 iMac, a decision I'm starting to regret as it would have lasted me years

 

[maflynn]

I haven't had an iMac since the Bondi Blue days, so I'm a little out of the loop, but I will say that the 2015 5k iMac is on the top of my list of being the best Mac I've owned

 

[MadDane]

For me the best iMac to date is the late 2009 model. It is fairly easy to take apart and upgrade, is expandable of up to 32GB RAM and (still) has a gorgeous screen. It was also the first model to be offered with a quad core i7, a processor that is still comparable in performance to the processor in the latest 13" MacBook Pro more than 6 years after it was introduced.

I have also had a 17" PPC G5 iMac and a 20" Intel iMac (forgot which one). They where both okay, but nothing compared to the 27"

 

[ryannel2003]

I've had various iMac's over the years (Bondi G3, 2 17" G4's, 17" C2D) and my 27" beats them all by a mile. Along with my old 13" Retina MacBook Pro it's the best computer I've ever owned. I will say I still love the design of the G4's though and overall it's my favorite design-wise.

 

[ucfgrad93]

For me it would be my 20" 2007 iMac. It was the first generation of the aluminum iMacs, and my first ever Apple computer.

 

[dogslobber]

I had a 24" 2007-model but replaced it with a 27" 2011. The 2011 in my mind was just a good of a machine and even better in expandability as it has a spare internal sata connector if only bought with a hard drive (you could buy it with both an hd and a ssd drive, in which case the extra port was used for the ssd).
It also offers thunderbolt ports for external expansion and 4 instead of 2 memory slots (if my memory serves me right the 2007 only has 2)

The 2011 and 2007 basically shares the same design but the 2011 will last just as long as the 2007 one, If not longer. I recently (5 days ago) sold my 2011 iMac, a decision I'm starting to regret as it would have lasted me years

I had a 24" 2007 iMac too until I sold it when I got a 21.5" 2011 iMac. I agree it was a great machine for the years I had it and was sad to sell it. Those aluminum iMacs are truly a generation of iMacs to be proud of and use so it was sad when they got replaced by those thinner models from 2012 onwards. I will never sell my 2011 model so will use it until it dies. Long may the grandparent's 2007 model keep running!

 

[bogg]

I had a 24" 2007 iMac too until I sold it when I got a 21.5" 2011 iMac. I agree it was a great machine for the years I had it and was sad to sell it. Those aluminum iMacs are truly a generation of iMacs to be proud of and use so it was sad when they got replaced by those thinner models from 2012 onwards. I will never sell my 2011 model so will use it until it dies. Long may the grandparent's 2007 model keep running!

I sold my more or less on a whim, thought that "What the heck, I'll put it up for auction!" and also offered a "Buy it now"-price... When it sold via the "Buy it now" less than 72 hours later I immediately regretted my decision to sell.

Ahh well, I'll just have to buy a new 27" Retina iMac then... Right now I'm trying to decide if I'll go for the M395x over the M395 to go with the i7 and 512GB SSD... But in a few days I'll be having other plans, so probably I'll never come around ordering one. Doesn't seem as good of a deal as when I ordered my iMac in 2011 mere days after release :/

 

[dogslobber]

I sold my more or less on a whim, thought that "What the heck, I'll put it up for auction!" and also offered a "Buy it now"-price... When it sold via the "Buy it now" less than 72 hours later I immediately regretted my decision to sell.

Ahh well, I'll just have to buy a new 27" Retina iMac then... Right now I'm trying to decide if I'll go for the M395x over the M395 to go with the i7 and 512GB SSD... But in a few days I'll be having other plans, so probably I'll never come around ordering one. Doesn't seem as good of a deal as when I ordered my iMac in 2011 mere days after release :/

I think the reason i sold the 2007 iMac is when I sat it side by side with the 2011 model. The screen on max brightness on the 2007 looked dull compared to the bright 2011 model. From then on I wouldn't have been able to use it for anything based on that. The 2011 model just feels so modern to me with the Sandybridge processor it flies. In fact, it's a memory monster and SSD in either model really improves the experience dramatically.

The 2012+ iMacs to me still have a spinner in some form in the basic models. I feel insulted by Apple in that regard so wouldn't by another iMac.

 

[MadDane]

I think the reason i sold the 2007 iMac is when I sat it side by side with the 2011 model. The screen on max brightness on the 2011 looked dull compared to the bright 2011 model. From then on I wouldn't have been able to use it for anything based on that. The 2011 model just feels so modern to me with the Sandybridge processor it flies. In fact, it's a memory monster and SSD in either model really improves the experience dramatically.

The 2012+ iMacs to me still have a spinner in some form in the basic models. I feel insulted by Apple in that regard so wouldn't by another iMac.

I agree that Apple should not put in spinners anymore, or at least have the 128GB SSD Fusion Drive as a standard. However it is possible to configure the iMac with an SSD or use an external one. So it is not like you are forced to use a HDD

 

[dogslobber]

Post deleted. I can't count :-(

 

[MadDane]

Post deleted. I can't count :-(

I saw it before you deleted it

If you add external storage instead of internal storage, it becomes a lot cheaper, especially in the lower end models. You can get an external USB3 with UASP enclosure for $15. Paired with a Samsung EVO 850 500GB SSD for $160 you can get an external 500GB SSD for $175. It is only a meaningful option because of USB3, something the older iMacs do not have.

PS: I know that USB3 does not support TRIM. But from what I can see, real life differences between TRIM or not does not seem to make up for the added cost of ThunderBolt for the average user.