iMac durability

[Bodhitree]

So it struck me that with such low thermal dissipation components the 24” iMac should be relatively immune from the kinds of problems I have seen with iMacs in the past, that heat from the gpu or other chips would eventually cause a failure in the hardware somewhere. A cool-running chip such as the M1 should not suffer such problems?

 

[Fishrrman]

The m-series CPU should be cooler.
And the new iMacs have a power supply block, so that's one less assembly inside generating heat.

So... I'll reckon that "heat" isn't going to be a factor in the longevity of the new iMacs, but right now that's still unknown.

The "qualities" and specifics that determine longevity in a particular run of iMacs usually aren't known until AFTER those units have been manufactured and have been in general use for a number of years.

Some generations of iMac just keep going and going, while a few runs (thinking of the 2013's) seem to have more problems...

 

[za9ra22]

I'm still using a 2012 27-inch iMac - it was extensively used for video editing for years - and it shows no sign of heat stress. There again, I'm also still using a 2003 G4 iMac, which apparently were famous for heat problems, yet haven't had any with that either. And my 2015 27-inch iMac which is running 24/7 still seems perfectly good.

I don't doubt that the M1 will run cooler anyway, but the only sign of heat from the 2015 model is a slight breeze of warmish air from the vent on the back.

 

[Bodhitree]

I’m thinking in particular of a 2009 iMac 27” that my stepfather owned that had its display panel replaced three times under warranty, and eventually the gpu developed a heat fault some years after the warranty period, and the whole machine went to recycling. Would hate to see that happen to a shiny new iMac I bought...

 

[pmiles]

I’m thinking in particular of a 2009 iMac 27” that my stepfather owned that had its display panel replaced three times under warranty, and eventually the gpu developed a heat fault some years after the warranty period, and the whole machine went to recycling. Would hate to see that happen to a shiny new iMac I bought...

I would have declared that particular purchase a "lemon"... too many recurring problems is usually a tell-tale sign.

Any new device has the potential to fail. Hence the lovely AppleCare program for added ease of mind.

I think the only real question at hand is... what really is the life expectancy of a computer with absolutely no user upgradeable parts? I mean I have a computer now that is over 10 years old and completely fine... but then I have been able to add memory, hard drives, swap graphics cards and displays over the years.

These things are like iPhones... if you want more from them, you'll have to replace them. Great for Apple, not so much for the consumer.

 

[Silmakhor]

I had my 2011 27" in to repair under applecare for something heat related, can't remember what. At the time I was using it for heavy gaming. Since the repair it's been fine.

 

[EdwardC]

Have a 2013 that runs 10 hours a day since new, now relegated to streaming Apple Music and Spotify due to the fact it's slow as molasses. No issues what so ever.

 

[neilw]

Given the low power dissipation, external power supply, lack of a hard drive, extremely simple airflow path, and dual fans, I have high hopes for the longevity of the new iMacs. Only time will tell of course, but it sure looks like it should run cool and comfy.

A side bonus of the external power supply is that it is easily replaced. So far, the only hardware failure I've ever had in an iMac was the power supply in my old G5. That was the last model where such a replacement was easy, at least until the new one.

 

[Bodhitree]

I think the only real question at hand is... what really is the life expectancy of a computer with absolutely no user upgradeable parts? I mean I have a computer now that is over 10 years old and completely fine... but then I have been able to add memory, hard drives, swap graphics cards and displays over the years.

Well, I have owned computers since a 486 in 1995, have built a couple as well, and Macs on and off since 1997, but the only time I have seen an upgrade breathe new life into a machine was when I replaced the hard drive in my father’s machine with an SSD a few years back. It may be down to my usage — coding, some light gaming, office — but most of my machines haven’t needed upgrades that much.

I do think that 16 GB of memory is a good investment if you expect your M1 iMac to last a long time, while hard disk space is less at a premium due to Thunderbolt and a cheap external SSD.

 

[SsSsSsSsSnake]

ive been using my 2011 27 mac since new,it needed a new HDD before a year but ever since had not one problem and i didnt even know this thing had a fan until the other day when i heard it for the 1st time, not heard it since either.

 

[Maconplasma]

ive been using my 2011 27 mac since new,it needed a new HDD before a year but ever since had not one problem and i didnt even know this thing had a fan until the other day when i heard it for the 1st time, not heard it since either.

Well you probably use it only for emails and no intense work. I have a 27” 2011 iMac and with video editing which greatly uses the dGPU. It gets hot and the fans blow especially during the warm summers.

 

[kirkla79]

Was using my 2008 imac until it died a couple weeks ago, did upgrade hard-drive to ssd a few years ago.

Was beginning to get real slow towards the end.

 

[Serban55]

thanks to all of those components stay in the chin, including the air flow...there will be no more
1) display issues (Intel imacs a lot of them had dust particles issue) because of the air flow
2) 4.5k display bring some heat alone so, no issues here since the motherboard and the SoC is away from the display
3) 2 fans, so this is build for the future...not just for M1 that we know it doesnt need a fan, maybe 1 is enough for sustain performance

 

[SsSsSsSsSnake]

Well you probably use it only for emails and no intense work. I have a 27” 2011 iMac and with video editing which greatly uses the dGPU. It gets hot and the fans blow especially during the warm summers.

true,only main apps are
Lightroom and affinity,dont think they stress it either

 

[zoom25]

I cleaned out my Late 2009 iMac last year and replaced the slow HDD with a Samsung 860 Evo SSD. This computer is slow, consumes electricity, and can get hot, but it has been reliable! The only issue I've had with this is the DVD drive sometimes acts up and makes sounds. Otherwise, no issues.

I will have to spend more time with this until Apple releases the replacement for 27"

I feel confident in investing $ in the iMac because I know how well they hold up.

 

[4sallypat]

So it struck me that with such low thermal dissipation components the 24” iMac should be relatively immune from the kinds of problems I have seen with iMacs in the past, that heat from the gpu or other chips would eventually cause a failure in the hardware somewhere. A cool-running chip such as the M1 should not suffer such problems?

Based on the M1 Mini that I love so far, I say the new M1 iMac will definitely outlive other Macs - the power supply being remote located (less heat & less obstruction inside the case), dual fans (beats the Mini's single fan), and runs ice cold (my Mini is very cool all day).