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Is it time for a new iMac
- Thread starter jqworle
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It all depends on what you're doing, but in almost all cases, the 2012 i5 3.2GHz will be faster. Depending on why you want or need a new iMac, if you can wait, I'd wait for the next iMac update.
That is a good question. However we don't know if there is anything wrong with it, or if he needs some features on the current iMac that the 2009 doesn't have. (USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt or Fusion Drive)
That's an awfully open-ended question that can only be answered with "it depends". But a safe guess is that, assuming both machines are configured with similar hardware, the newer one will be faster.
That said, my advice for someone in your shoes is to replace the HD with an SSD and add RAM so you have at least 8GB. I did this on my mid-2010 21.5" and in casual usage it flies. It's nice to never see a beachball when using OS X.
Of course, this is also a much cheaper route to having a faster machine that will most likely last you another 2 or 3 years, and be able to keep up with the latest OS X upgrade. But it all depends on your use case.
That said, my advice for someone in your shoes is to replace the HD with an SSD and add RAM so you have at least 8GB. I did this on my mid-2010 21.5" and in casual usage it flies. It's nice to never see a beachball when using OS X.
Of course, this is also a much cheaper route to having a faster machine that will most likely last you another 2 or 3 years, and be able to keep up with the latest OS X upgrade. But it all depends on your use case.
thanks for the replies, i already have 8Gb of memory but i feel that the graphics card may be my main problem area in that it does struggle sometimes with the games i play and i have noticed i get a lot of beach balling when editing photos even though activity monitor is saying i still have over 2Gb of memory free.
I have the exact same computer as you (2009, 27", i7, 2TB, 8GB) that I recently replaced with a 2012, i7, 2GB 680MX, 768GB SSD, 16GB. I also have dual 27" displays (ATD) and a 8TB Thunderbolt Pegasus array. For most things that I do, the new machine experience is "instant". I do not game.
We generally keep/use our computers for 6 years or more... I upgraded the 2009 iMac to 16GB... and probably should upgrade it with an SSD. Now it is used my my wife 100% as her iMac... and she will keep it until my 2012 iMac is upgraded... in 2-3 years. She cares less than I do about having a recent vintage computer.
/Jim
I also have have late 2009 27" iMac (2.8) and it runs rather slow, beach balling once and a while (it has 16GB Ram). I am planning on purchasing the updated iMac to be released later this year, including a 3TB Fusion drive and the new ac 3TB Time Capsule.
and Yes, newer is faster
and Yes, newer is faster
I would agree with this overall advice... but not necessarily all of the items.
I'll be surprised with a retina display this year. I just think it would be too expensive for a mass market consumer device (iMac). I could be wrong, but I would be surprised.
WiFi for me (and most) is probably immaterial for a desktop. It is hard for me to imagine not finding a way to get a Gb hardwired ethernet connection to my iMac by hook or by crook. The fact that my ISP ethernet connection is in my office makes it easy... but over the years, I have had Gb run all over my house to most rooms. None of our four iMacs even have WiFi turned on.
SSDs are definitely worth waiting for. I suspect that we will continue to hit new price points, and would hope for 1TB options. Equally important, we will likely see the interface move from SATA to PCIe.
I also agree on the GPU.
So for me... the GPU & SSDs will probably offer the most. If I absolutely needed a new iMac tomorrow, I would buy now... but if it was a simple upgrade, then I would wait.
/Jim