iMac Upgrade for My Kiddo

[JaysonW]

My 2nd grade daughter is way ahead of her classmates in her use of a Mac and currently has a 2011 model that of course is now obsolete. Still works good, but I'd like to give that to her little sister and upgrade hers. Would like to spend less than $1K. Is there a particular year I should consider? I've read through the forums and understand an SSD is a must. I've been looking on macofalltrades and see a couple in the $850-$900 range, but they don't come with a keyboard or mouse and are 2015 models. Are those any good?

Thanks,
Jayson

 

[Fishrrman]

How about a an Apple-refurbished 2018 Mini?
Then use whatever keyboard, mouse, and display you like.

 

[jerwin]

I've never liked the Apple Keyboard and Mouse-- I have a cheap Gaming mouse, and a cheap mechanical keyboard. I sacrifice aesthetics and a single USB port for a more reliable human interface.

 

[padams35]

Short version:
Keyboard/mice aren't an issue, 2015's are fine, wise choice on SSD.


Long version:
An SSD is indeed essential on the 21.5". The default 5400rpm HDDs are a downgrade. On a 27" you could get away with a Fusion since those are an objective upgrades over a 2011's HDD (although SSDs are still preferred).

Peripherals are easy, just buy a 3rd party mac keyboard (Logitech makes good keyboards) and your favorite 3rd party mouse (I've been less impressed with Logitech mice).

As for vintage...

2013 is probably the best value performance wise, but is also next in line to loose support. I'm betting those will only run one more version of MacOS before Apple starts requiring newer. In ~3 years those will be where a 2011 is today.

2015 is a decent year. Closer to 2013 than 2017 in performance but they seem reliable and are still comfortably mid-life. Just remember that the 21.5" models don't have upgradable RAM so, so if you plan to keep it until the security updates end then finding something with 16GB Ram could be beneficial.

You might also consider looking at the used macs sold by OWC (macsales.com). Slightly more expensive and less variety than macofalltrades, but they're willing to preinstall upgrades where possible as a build-to-order.

 

[JaysonW]

How about a an Apple-refurbished 2018 Mini?
Then use whatever keyboard, mouse, and display you like.

There's something about the clean all-in-one look of the iMac that we want for our kids. With that said, I have a 2018 MM connected to a Dell 34" Widescreen and love it.
[automerge]1574222982[/automerge]

 

[JaysonW]

Short version:
Keyboard/mice aren't an issue, 2015's are fine, wise choice on SSD.


Long version:
An SSD is indeed essential on the 21.5". The default 5400rpm HDDs are a downgrade. On a 27" you could get away with a Fusion since those are an objective upgrades over a 2011's HDD (although SSDs are still preferred).

Peripherals are easy, just buy a 3rd party mac keyboard (Logitech makes good keyboards) and your favorite 3rd party mouse (I've been less impressed with Logitech mice).

As for vintage...

2013 is probably the best value performance wise, but is also next in line to loose support. I'm betting those will only run one more version of MacOS before Apple starts requiring newer. In ~3 years those will be where a 2011 is today.

2015 is a decent year. Closer to 2013 than 2017 in performance but they seem reliable and are still comfortably mid-life. Just remember that the 21.5" models don't have upgradable RAM so, so if you plan to keep it until the security updates end then finding something with 16GB Ram could be beneficial.

You might also consider looking at the used macs sold by OWC (macsales.com). Slightly more expensive and less variety than macofalltrades, but they're willing to preinstall upgrades where possible as a build-to-order.

This is great info, thank you! Will post what we end up going with soon!
Do you know if the SSD upgrades from macsales.com would be internal drives? (I'm not interested in cables for an external drive)

 

[JaysonW]

Was thinking about pulling the trigger on a 2017 iMac 27" over at B&H. They have a promo for the 1TB, 4GB 570 & 575 GPU for $1349 and $1379. These are the lowest prices I've seen. I understand the 2TB Fusion or 256GB SSD is the preferred route, but this is for my daughter so she won't be storing too much on the drive. I ask because 2014 models over at Macworld and MacofAllTrades are pricing out around these same when I add the 256GB option and that's before keyboard and mouse.

Any issues about the 1TB model that I should consider before buying?

 

[Fishrrman]

"Any issues about the 1TB model that I should consider before buying?"

Yes.
Speed.
It's very slow.
You could add a cheap external SSD and make that "the boot drive". It will speed it up somewhat.

 

[retta283]

Are you sure that she needs the 27"? I'd imagine just due to age she is not doing a lot of intensive work/editing, so the 21.5 may be a better option. Get an SSD no matter which size you get.

 

[padams35]

Any issues about the 1TB model that I should consider before buying?

I don't know anybody in person or on this tech enthusiasm forum who actually uses one.

I'm concerned how they will perform on high-ram systems (Apple officially recommends not using one with 32GB or more RAM). The next guy is concerned the complexity will be less reliable. Yet another will say every computer going into 2020 should have pure SSD speeds just on principle.

That said complaints by actual users (of a 5K 1TB fusion) are rare: I've only seen three or four, all of whom where either gamers, multimedia editors, or curating a massive photos library. For a second grade student it should be fine.