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iMacs running Mavericks
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Yup. But if they've the newer EFI installed (basically the late-2013 ones that shipped with Yosemite), I don't think it's possible to revert back to Mavericks.
Thanks yjchua95 for the quick reply. That's exactly the info I was looking for.
Cheers!
The mid 2014 (non-retina) iMacs shipped with 10.9.3 originally. Any of them can run Mavericks, even if they later came with 10.10. You will not be able to "purchase" 10.9.5 from the App Store so you do need your own installer. There was no EFI/firmware change in the later versions to block 10.9.5.
This is a useful reference: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204319
Just spoke to tech support at apple and they are not in agreement with you guys. Told them I want to install Mavericks on a new imac and they said "no problem, as long as you have a copy of Mavericks". Asked specifically if the retina imacs were good to go and they said "yes"!
The retina iMacs won't run Mavericks. They're wrong.
Mavericks does not contain drivers for the M290X and the M295X cards used in the retina iMacs. Just because they're Apple tech support doesn't mean that they're right. I've lost count of the number of times I've corrected such people, along with the so-called Genius Bar idiots.
yjchua95,
In fact you are absolutely correct & both the Apple tech and the sales guy were just plain wrong or at worst, misleading. I loaded Mavericks onto a hard drive and drove over to Best Buy where they were kind enough to let me boot into a 27" iMac w/Retina. No dice, instead I got the grey circle of death.
If I'd gone with Apple's advice and gone through with buying a new imac, I'd have been seriously pissed upon finding out that I had been wrongly informed and had to then run Yosemite from there on out or go through the hassle of returning it.
Wow, really nice that BB let you try it out eh! So why is it you're needing 10.9? Is it certain software or is it just personal preference? If it is only certain software, then you could always run Mavericks in a virtual machine couldn't you? Not sure exactly if that would be compatible either but just an idea
Retina iMacs definitely will not run 10.9.5, as you discovered. The other models will, regardless of what entry level phone support said. Refer to the link I posted and you'll see that the retina iMac first shipped with 10.10 and the current model retina requires a special version of 10.10.2 or later.
The person you spoke to certainly isn't very knowledgeable if they think a Retina iMac which originally shipped with 10.10 will natively run Mavericks. Very rarely is booting an earlier version of OS X than the one it originally shipped with ever possible, due to the absence of required kexts.
What's so bad about running Yosemite?
Wow, really nice that BB let you try it out eh! So why is it you're needing 10.9? Is it certain software or is it just personal preference? If it is only certain software, then you could always run Mavericks in a virtual machine couldn't you? Not sure exactly if that would be compatible either but just an idea
Legacy software that won't run in Yosemite but will in Mavericks is the main reason for preferring Mavericks over Yosemite. I'll be running VMWare for even older software that I don't want to retire & I'll be emulating Snow Leopard in order to run those.
I can't run Extensis Porftolio 8.5 standalone in Yosemite and as hard as I've looked for a replacement I haven't been able to find one. I could run Mavericks in Yosemite on a VM. By the way, updating to the new Portfolio is over a grand and isn't even the same program. I've read about a lot of folks having problems with Yosemite as well, wi-fi etc, that makes me think it's not quite ready for prime time. My business is such that my computer can't end up being borked by an OS update. I can wait until the teething pains are over.
Two people from Apple, one a tech and the other a salesman, both insisted that Mavericks would run on retina imacs. The salesman said he'd set up a bunch that way! No problem! Lulz.....
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Yosemite doesn't have any more wifi issues since 10.10.4. They finally removed the bloody wanker known as discoveryd and reverted back to the older mDNSresponder, which worked.
Good news! Any opinions on whether to buy one of the latest retina imacs or wait for the refresh in the fall?
My computer at the moment is running fine but since I'm no longer on the road, using a laptop for everything
is not ideal and a 27" screen would be a pleasure after a 15" screen. That said, no rush.
Generally, if you need it now, buy it.
Otherwise, just buy an external display for your 15" and use it in clamshell mode as a desktop.
PS - El Capitan fixed all the lag issues and increased performance fairly noticeably.
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If you're happy with your current and don't mind the wait then do that, but if you want it now, buy it now.
I would wait. The next iMac has:
- Faster DDR4 RAM
- Faster SSD (up to 4 GByte/s)
- Quad-Core i7 Skylake processor (+ better iGPU)
- More PCIe lanes (better for the GPU and for external connections like USB, Thunderbolt, and Display Port)
- USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 GBit/s) + better battery charging
Asus has a similar model:
https://www.asus.com/AllinOne_PCs/ASUS_Zen_AiO_Z240IC/
Any recommendations on a 27" monitor with low light reflection like the new imac screens?
Agreed, those were all the reasons I'm thinking it's best to wait. That Asus looks awfully similar to an iMac!
If I ran Windows I'd be seriously interested when it comes out. I wonder what it will price at?