Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
I have a 2020 iMac 27 with i5 6 core processor, 8 gig ram 5 k Retina display.....What I was wanting to know is how long do you think we will be able to use the 2020 iMacs? And when will Apple stop supporting the intel based Macs?
Those were discontinued in March 2022. I would say that main line updates end with the 2027 macOS (5 years) plus 2 years of updates thereafter.
 
Those were discontinued in March 2022. I would say that main line updates end with the 2027 macOS (5 years) plus 2 years of updates thereafter.
So I should be safe until at least 2027 then? I want to get an M based iMac but I have some bills too pay off before that happens.
 
So I should be safe until at least 2027 then? I want to get an M based iMac but I have some bills too pay off before that happens.
Well, it’s not officially declared as such but it’s a reasonable assumption based on previous macs. And being the last generation of Intel Macs we shouldn’t expect Apple to be too generous with support. Plenty of time to pick up an M series Mac in 3-5 years time. The only Intel Macs remaining after that would be the Mac Pro - let’s see how much respect Apple have for professionals who purchased one of those.
 
Well, it’s not officially declared as such but it’s a reasonable assumption based on previous macs. And being the last generation of Intel Macs we shouldn’t expect Apple to be too generous with support. Plenty of time to pick up an M series Mac in 3-5 years time. The only Intel Macs remaining after that would be the Mac Pro - let’s see how much respect Apple have for professionals who purchased one of those.
Thanks....I will be clear of those bills long before that 3-5 year window.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Wesmosis
Based on the history, I was thinking Sequoia would be the last major release for the 2019 model, and whatever comes after Sequoia would be the last major release for the 2020 model. But I no longer have a horse in the race, since I replaced my 2020 with a Mac Studio.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Wesmosis
Well, it’s not officially declared as such but it’s a reasonable assumption based on previous macs. And being the last generation of Intel Macs we shouldn’t expect Apple to be too generous with support. Plenty of time to pick up an M series Mac in 3-5 years time. The only Intel Macs remaining after that would be the Mac Pro - let’s see how much respect Apple have for professionals who purchased one of those.
Computers aren't like 2006 anymore. We don't change computers every 3-5 years. Nowadays computers are made to last for at least 5-7 years and it will probably be the lifespan of the 2020 iMac. I know for sure I'll only upgrade my computer when I won't have any updates anymore because this computer is already fast enough for all the things I do. I don't need my apps to open 0.5 seconds faster or my scrolling in Safari to be more snappy than it actually is.

My point is it's not in the interest of Apple to stop supporting those computer too soon. I think for now, with guaranteed security updates for 2 years if the 2020 iMac stop receiving major updates is already a decent lifespan but I expect at least one last year of major update.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Wesmosis
Computers aren't like 2006 anymore. We don't change computers every 3-5 years. Nowadays computers are made to last for at least 5-7 years and it will probably be the lifespan of the 2020 iMac. I know for sure I'll only upgrade my computer when I won't have any updates anymore because this computer is already fast enough for all the things I do. I don't need my apps to open 0.5 seconds faster or my scrolling in Safari to be more snappy than it actually is.

My point is it's not in the interest of Apple to stop supporting those computer too soon. I think for now, with guaranteed security updates for 2 years if the 2020 iMac stop receiving major updates is already a decent lifespan but I expect at least one last year of major update.
Yeah, I plan on using my 2020 until I no longer can.......I think there will be at least one more major update for the 2020 then after that security updates as needed.....I just hate changing computers I lose all my bookmarks. I pay all my bills on my computer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Wesmosis
Based on the history, I was thinking Sequoia would be the last major release for the 2019 model, and whatever comes after Sequoia would be the last major release for the 2020 model. But I no longer have a horse in the race, since I replaced my 2020 with a Mac Studio.

The 2018 Mac mini received Sequoia so I think that the 2019 model may get one more and the 2020 two more.
 
I have a 2020 iMac 27 with i5 6 core processor, 8 gig ram 5 k Retina display.....What I was wanting to know is how long do you think we will be able to use the 2020 iMacs? And when will Apple stop supporting the intel based Macs?
The 2019 is able to go to macOS Sonoma, so you'd think probably two more OS releases...but with Apple Intelligence being the thing, they might be releasing a 27"+ iMac soon...
 
I too have a 2020 iMac and don't plan on renewing it any time soon.
As some say, OS15 may possibly be the last official release for Intel Macs. But after that I'd be very surprised if the Open Core Legacy Patcher team don't review their magic and release something to see our 2020 (and earlier) Intel Macs singing & dancing well into 2030 and beyond.
Fwiw, I've just upgraded my ancient 2013 MacBook Air 4Gb/128 laptop to OS14.7 Sonoma. (OS15 Sequoia wasn't advised by the specialists). I initially did it for a bit of fun and thought I'd be really pushing my luck with only 4GB RAM memory, but was truly astonished at the excellent performance for general everyday use. It even plays back YTube videos superbly without any signs of stuttering or other problems!
My advise is, don't write off and trash early Intel Macs, let alone our 2020 iMacs without researching current/future OCLP possibilities.
 
I too have a 2020 iMac and don't plan on renewing it any time soon.
As some say, OS15 may possibly be the last official release for Intel Macs. But after that I'd be very surprised if the Open Core Legacy Patcher team don't review their magic and release something to see our 2020 (and earlier) Intel Macs singing & dancing well into 2030 and beyond.
Fwiw, I've just upgraded my ancient 2013 MacBook Air 4Gb/128 laptop to OS14.7 Sonoma. (OS15 Sequoia wasn't advised by the specialists). I initially did it for a bit of fun and thought I'd be really pushing my luck with only 4GB RAM memory, but was truly astonished at the excellent performance for general everyday use. It even plays back YTube videos superbly without any signs of stuttering or other problems!
My advise is, don't write off and trash early Intel Macs, let alone our 2020 iMacs without researching current/future OCLP possibilities.
I don't think Open Core is going to be able to help in the future. Either the next macOS release (16.x) or the one following (17.x) will be for Apple Silicon (ARM) only. Nothing Open Core or anyone else does will make it work on Intel Macs at that point. We Intel Mac users will be left with no further updates of any type from Apple, except maybe for security fixes, if we're lucky.

As for application support, if companies have ported their software to Apple Silicon by then, then they'll likely stop all support of their Intel versions. We may get lucky in that some software vendors will continue supporting their Intel versions for a while.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RyanXM
I don't think Open Core is going to be able to help in the future. Either the next macOS release (16.x) or the one following (17.x) will be for Apple Silicon (ARM) only. Nothing Open Core or anyone else does will make it work on Intel Macs at that point. We Intel Mac users will be left with no further updates of any type from Apple, except maybe for security fixes, if we're lucky.

As for application support, if companies have ported their software to Apple Silicon by then, then they'll likely stop all support of their Intel versions. We may get lucky in that some software vendors will continue supporting their Intel versions for a while.

Apple provided Sequoia for the 2018 mini this year so I think that they provide macOS updates for the 2019 in 2025 and the 2020 in 2026. And then three years of security updates beyond that. OCLP depends on the macOS binaries so it's not going to support older hardware once Apple stops distributing binaries. That's fine with me as it looks like another two years of feature updates and then three years of security updates.

I'm comfortable running macOS without security updates and have options to run Windows and Linux or use it as a monitor.
 
My guess would be that they drop Intel as soon as they feel they can get away with it, probably in one go. They might extend security updates to sweeten the pill.
 
  • Like
Reactions: awsom82
I know new iMacs are coming but wondering if folks think this would be a good deal for a used - maybe as a family computer.


M1 16GB Ram, 512GB storage for $950US ($1,250 Cnd).

Not sure yet on its use but it seems tempting to jump on with the spec bumps.
This thread is for the 2020 intel iMac.
 
  • Like
Reactions: pshufd
Quick question please, I have 2020 iMac 5K 27'' and my specs are:
- 3.8Ghz 8-core i7 10th gen Intel Core i7-10700K
- 64GB of RAM DDR4
- 2TB SSD
- Radeon Pro 5700XT 16GB GDDR

Can it handle extra two monitors, one of them is just for gaming and going to be: 4K QDOLED 32'?
 
Yes, it can handle two external 4K displays.
The full specs are here.

The question that I'd have for adding 2 4k monitors to an Intel iMac would be on the thermals. Does it significantly increase fan noise?

Thank you Nermal and pshufd for the prompt response!

Here what's I'm trying to do:

Connecting two 4k monitors (one f them MSI MPG OLED) and NVMe M.2 SSD using enclosure to my iMac 2020 Late 2024 5700XT, any tips and tricks?

I just bought MSI MPG 123 URX 32' monitor, and I want to game on it using my iMac 5K 2020, but I have another LG 32' connected to Thunderbolt 3 port, also I'm storing my games on 2TB Crucial P3 Plus 2TB PCIe Gen4 3D NAND external SSD NVME using enclosure, Am I going to run into problems? Do I need a TB3 hub to run all these three devices?
 
Last edited:
Yes, it can handle two external 4K displays.




Thank you Nermal and pshufd for the prompt response!

Here what's I'm trying to do:

Connecting two 4k monitors (one f them MSI MPG OLED) and NVMe M.2 SSD using enclosure to my iMac 2020 Late 2024 5700XT, any tips and tricks?

I just bought MSI MPG 123URX 32'' monitor, and I want to game on it using my iMac 5K 2020, but I have another LG 32' connected to Thunderbolt 3 port, also I'm storing my games on 2TB Crucial P3 Plus 2TB PCIe Gen4 3D NAND external SSD NVME using enclosure, Am I going to run into problems? Do I need a TB3 hub to run all these three devices?

My experience with adding 2k external monitors to a 2014 iMac 27 and 2015 iMac 27 are increased thermals and fan noise. I do not have a 2020 iMac to test with. I have an iMac Pro but the iMac Pro has a really beefy cooling system and it's always run at minimal fan speed for me. I've not tried attaching an external monitor to it but I suspect that there wouldn't be any problems because of the cooling of this system.

I do not expect your enclosure to have an issues as it's just another drive but performance varies widely based on the drive, enclosure and cable. There are lots of YouTube videos on getting good performance from external enclosures.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Wesmosis
My experience with adding 2k external monitors to a 2014 iMac 27 and 2015 iMac 27 are increased thermals and fan noise. I do not have a 2020 iMac to test with. I have an iMac Pro but the iMac Pro has a really beefy cooling system and it's always run at minimal fan speed for me. I've not tried attaching an external monitor to it but I suspect that there wouldn't be any problems because of the cooling of this system.

I do not expect your enclosure to have an issues as it's just another drive but performance varies widely based on the drive, enclosure and cable. There are lots of YouTube videos on getting good performance from external enclosures.
Gotcha, Ok will open and connect the 2nd monitor today and give it a shot, thanks!
 
Apple provided Sequoia for the 2018 mini this year so I think that they provide macOS updates for the 2019 in 2025 and the 2020 in 2026. And then three years of security updates beyond that. OCLP depends on the macOS binaries so it's not going to support older hardware once Apple stops distributing binaries. That's fine with me as it looks like another two years of feature updates and then three years of security updates.

I'm comfortable running macOS without security updates and have options to run Windows and Linux or use it as a monitor.
The 2018 mini is a T2 Mac, the 2019 iMac is not. Therefore its possible they support the 2018 mini for longer.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.