Keep old iMac or new MacBook

[photogpab]

New MacBook looks beautiful and I've been thinking of selling my iMac for a while now for a laptop. Just wondering if I would notice any significant improvements in speed/performance with the new MacBook vs my old iMac.

My current iMac: 2011 iMac - 27" - 3.1GHz i5 Model with 1TB and 16GB Ram

Its been running a little slow the last year or so. I'm not even sure what I could get for it if I sold it. Or where the best place to sell it is.

Advice is welcomed!

 

[talmy]

The SSD in the MacBook may make it feel faster (faster boot and program load times) but the processor itself is very weak, so if you do anything heavy (particularly video processing would be bad) you would be sorry.

 

[redheeler]

The SSD in the MacBook may make it feel faster (faster boot and program load times) but the processor itself is very weak, so if you do anything heavy (particularly video processing would be bad) you would be sorry.

This. If you're ok with having a desktop simply put an SSD in your current iMac.

 

[photogpab]

The SSD in the MacBook may make it feel faster (faster boot and program load times) but the processor itself is very weak, so if you do anything heavy (particularly video processing would be bad) you would be sorry.

I don't perform a lot of video editing although I do from time to time... but I do a lot of photo editing (lightroom, photoshop, etc). So I definitely don't want a slower machine that will make these tasks take longer.

At this point I'm looking to upgrade my old machine for something newer and faster and better and not sure where to go.

 

[keysofanxiety]

The SSD in the MacBook may make it feel faster (faster boot and program load times) but the processor itself is very weak, so if you do anything heavy (particularly video processing would be bad) you would be sorry.

Processor in the MacBook isn't that weak, same performance as a 2.4GHz i3-3110M which isn't anything to scoff at for a 1GHz CPU. If you hit the bottleneck with that CPU you're not going to fair much better with a MacBook Air.

Nonetheless I agree with the other posters -- keep the iMac & pop an SSD in it.

 

[photogpab]

I'm wondering what I could get for my iMac. I think I paid $2k for it, but that was three years ago. What would be the best way to sell it? Craigslist?

 

[AppleFan360]

I'm wondering what I could get for my iMac. I think I paid $2k for it, but that was three years ago. What would be the best way to sell it? Craigslist?

Expect to get less than $1000 for your iMac.

Personally I would stick with the iMac but if you are dead set to get the MacBook, it's not a bad choice but don't expect the same performance. Might even help (and it would be cheaper) if you simply replaced the hard drive in the iMac with an SSD. Then you probably wouldn't even want the MacBook anymore.

 

[spatlese44]

Processor in the MacBook isn't that weak, same performance as a 2.4GHz i3-3110M which isn't anything to scoff at for a 1GHz CPU. If you hit the bottleneck with that CPU you're not going to fair much better with a MacBook Air.

Scoff? No, but it's nothing too incredible without the qualifier that it's fanless. I checked the Geekbench numbers and it's about twice as fast as my 2007 MacBook with a 2GHz Core 2. Given an 8 year wait to replace my laptop, that's not much of a bump in processing power. Regardless, I'm a big fan of the no fan and other than the lack of Magsafe, this is exactly what I wanted in every way.

So how about Skylake? Isn't it suppose to be released later this year? I wonder if this won't have a really short first refresh. I wouldn't expect a lot, but something. Also, I wonder if they are ever going to axe the Air line, or if it just means something new now: has a fan as opposed to light.

 

[Sensamic]

A 2011 iMac old? Are we crazy?

My 2009 iMac is still super fast, and it only has 4GB RAM. Yours is newer and has 16GB RAM. How is that old or slow?

Anyway, but the MacBook and keep the iMac for more serious work.

 

[photogpab]

A 2011 iMac old? Are we crazy?

My 2009 iMac is still super fast, and it only has 4GB RAM. Yours is newer and has 16GB RAM. How is that old or slow?

Anyway, but the MacBook and keep the iMac for more serious work.

Since I don't have a lot of knowledge with this stuff, can everyone give me advice on how to make my iMac faster? Give it a refresh. Does SSD replace the current hard drive?

And yes the iMac has been running slow as of late. It takes a lot longer to boot up than it used to. Several minutes. And programs lag and freeze all the time. I notice a huge difference from several years ago.

I would be open to upgrading my current iMac, just not sure how.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Ssd

Since I don't have a lot of knowledge with this stuff, can everyone give me advice on how to make my iMac faster? Give it a refresh. Does SSD replace the current hard drive?

And yes the iMac has been running slow as of late. It takes a lot longer to boot up than it used to. Several minutes. And programs lag and freeze all the time. I notice a huge difference from several years ago.

I would be open to upgrading my current iMac, just not sure how.

SSD is almost always the best upgrade for any computer. Yours can hold both an SSD and an HDD if I remeber correctly so you can create your own fusion drive.

I would get an apple certified technician to put in an ssd and see how you go.

 

[photogpab]

SSD is almost always the best upgrade for any computer. Yours can hold both an SSD and an HDD if I remeber correctly so you can create your own fusion drive.

I would get an apple certified technician to put in an ssd and see how you go.

So this is going to sound like a really stupid question. My apologies this is all new to me... I am basically replacing the current hard drive on my iMac (1TB) with an SSD version? And SSD is a new type of hard drive that is much faster than whatever my iMac came with (flash?)?

Or do both types of hard drives stay in there? the old and the new SSD?

 

[ball4lyfe]

So this is going to sound like a really stupid question. My apologies this is all new to me... I am basically replacing the current hard drive on my iMac (1TB) with an SSD version? And SSD is a new type of hard drive that is much faster than whatever my iMac came with (flash?)?

Or do both types of hard drives stay in there? the old and the new SSD?

I just put in a 256gb Samsung Evo SSD in my 2010 27" iMac i5 2.8ghz as a secondary drive behind the optical drive and oh man, it feels like I'm using something brand new. You could probably get about $900 or less for your iMac and I don't think it'll be worthwhile selling it for that price, as you should really be able to get a few more years out of your current iMac.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Ok no knowledge at all..

So this is going to sound like a really stupid question. My apologies this is all new to me... I am basically replacing the current hard drive on my iMac (1TB) with an SSD version? And SSD is a new type of hard drive that is much faster than whatever my iMac came with (flash?)?

Or do both types of hard drives stay in there? the old and the new SSD?

SSD's use flash storage and are way faster for just about everything. Your mac can hold two hard drives or you can replace the superdrive with an SSD as well. With as little knowledge as you have I would get a third party apple technician to do any upgrades. If you add a 128gb or 256 to your 1TB HDD you can set it up as a fusion drive and have OSX organise apps and files to where they will be fastest for you.

If you really would like a laptop then the 13 inch rMBP would be able to replace that mac with a bit more power and comes with the flash storage. It is not much more than the macbook either.

 

[fathergll]

Since I don't have a lot of knowledge with this stuff, can everyone give me advice on how to make my iMac faster? Give it a refresh. Does SSD replace the current hard drive?

And yes the iMac has been running slow as of late. It takes a lot longer to boot up than it used to. Several minutes. And programs lag and freeze all the time. I notice a huge difference from several years ago.

I would be open to upgrading my current iMac, just not sure how.

Before you do anything drastic first look to improve the current iMac you have.

Your iMac has a 7200 RPM 1 TB HD. Not great but certainly a capable machine for a desktop.


I would first do a CLEAN install of the OS. Save off your files and take note of any programs you currently have that would need to be reinstalled.

http://www.redmondpie.com/how-to-clean-install-os-x-yosemite-on-your-mac-tutorial/


What everyone else is suggesting about the SSD is true but you want to go with the easiest/cheapest option first to see if you are satisfied.

 

[TechZeke]

New MacBook looks beautiful and I've been thinking of selling my iMac for a while now for a laptop. Just wondering if I would notice any significant improvements in speed/performance with the new MacBook vs my old iMac.

My current iMac: 2011 iMac - 27" - 3.1GHz i5 Model with 1TB and 16GB Ram

Its been running a little slow the last year or so. I'm not even sure what I could get for it if I sold it. Or where the best place to sell it is.

Advice is welcomed!

Your iMac still destroys the new MacBook in performance, the only reason it feels slow is because of Hard Disk drive. If your iMac had an SSD, it would be fine.

 

[QCassidy352]

And yes the iMac has been running slow as of late. It takes a lot longer to boot up than it used to. Several minutes. And programs lag and freeze all the time. I notice a huge difference from several years ago.

It sounds to me like your current HD may be dying. That is not normal behavior, and the specs on your iMac should still put it faster than several of the macs currently being sold new (other than HD vs SSD). I'd get your hard drive checked for sure, but even if it's not dying, a new ssd would give you a tremendous performance jump.

 

[madeirabhoy]

SSD's use flash storage and are way faster for just about everything. Your mac can hold two hard drives or you can replace the superdrive with an SSD as well. With as little knowledge as you have I would get a third party apple technician to do any upgrades. If you add a 128gb or 256 to your 1TB HDD you can set it up as a fusion drive and have OSX organise apps and files to where they will be fastest for you.

If you really would like a laptop then the 13 inch rMBP would be able to replace that mac with a bit more power and comes with the flash storage. It is not much more than the macbook either.

spooky i came on here to ask about fitting a SSD to a 27 inch 2011 iMac, how would i go about it?

would it affect bootcamp?

 

[Samuelsan2001]

spooky i came on here to ask about fitting a SSD to a 27 inch 2011 iMac, how would i go about it?

would it affect bootcamp?

For dual hard drive see this Kit


https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Mac/iMac-Intel-27-Inch-Mid-2011-Dual-Hard-Drive-Kit/IF174-002-1


This guide for install

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing+iMac+Intel+27-Inch+EMC+2429+Dual+Hard+Drive+Kit/7575

If you want to just replace with SSD it won't affact boot camp as long as you clone the whole drive to mive accross.

If you want an SSD and the hard drive with the data doubler kit above it will depend. If you keep them as separate drives and control where things go yourself you can use boot camp on the SSD fine.

If you set it up as a fusion drive boot camp will be on the spinning hard disk only.