New to iMac question

[ron7624]

I see older iMac's that have 20 inch screens for cheap, with almost no memory and small hard drives.
Are these older machines upgradeable to Yosemite? Can I bring them up to 8 or 16 gb of ram?
In other words, is it possible to modernize them? I just purchased a new 2014 Mid Mac Mini for my wife and am having a great time with my personal login on her machine, but she uses it a lot and I'm getting the itch.
Any thoughts at all please.

 

[Mac-lover3]

The upgrade possibilities depend of the year of build.

iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
Xserve (Early 2009)

Remember the you need at least 2GB of RAM.

 

[ron7624]

The upgrade possibilities depend of the year of build.

iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
Xserve (Early 2009)

Remember the you need at least 2GB of RAM.

So this used 400 dollar machine could be upgraded to work with Yosemite?
http://www.amazon.com/Apple-iMac-MB...c&ie=UTF8&qid=1425810343&sr=1-6&keywords=IMac
I'd have to investigate year of manufacture of corse.

 

[cynics]

A better question is do you want to run Yosemite on it? Just like a PC or any other machine, updating to the latest software can yield poor performance.

What exactly are you trying to accomplish with the machine?

To answer your question, yes that iMac will run Yosemite.

 

[Mac-lover3]

This is the newest non-retina iMac so should run Yosemite just fine just mind that this is an iMac with a HDD an not a SSD which slows the whole system. If I were you I would look for one with a SSD..

EDIT
I looked at the wrong iMac this is an Early 2009 you can upgrade the RAM to 4GB which is just fine for Yosemite IF you put an SSD in it which is easy with these models https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac+Intel+20-Inch+EMC+2266+Hard+Drive+Replacement/919
But running Yosemite comes with a bit of work, you could also upgrade to Snow Leopard which well run beter on this machine.

 

[ron7624]

I am simply looking at all options. Asking questions that I have is part of my learning process. I've done a lot of searching here and on line but have not found all the answers to questions that I have. Since I purchased the Mac Mini for my wife, I've set up my own login and am very happy with all that I've found.
I'd like one for myself, but have to wean myself from a very nice and powerful Win 7 desktop that runs 4 programs that are not Mac compatible. One of my own, and 3 for my job. I can work from home at times.
My second Mac will have to have an intel based chip powerful enough to run bootcamp easily, or just get an older mac to put on the spare table in my man cave home/office if you will, and keep my Windoze machine active.
So, I'm just finding out what my options are. I'd like to run Yosemite because its on her computer and is what I'm learning/know. I guess the earlier versions are similar enough for me to use, but like newer ios versions will not have all the bells and whistles.
Thanks for your replies. I may spend a few hundred dollars to see, I'm not prepared to spend 2 thousand just yet.

 

[ron7624]

This is the newest non-retina iMac so should run Yosemite just fine just mind that this is an iMac with a HDD an not a SSD which slows the whole system. If I were you I would look for one with a SSD..

EDIT
I looked at the wrong iMac this is an Early 2009 you can upgrade the RAM to 4GB which is just fine for Yosemite IF you put an SSD in it which is easy with these models https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac+Intel+20-Inch+EMC+2266+Hard+Drive+Replacement/919
But running Yosemite comes with a bit of work, you could also upgrade to Snow Leopard which well run beter on this machine.

Thank you.

 

[Bruno09]

this is an Early 2009 you can upgrade the RAM to 4GB

Nope : 8 GB maxi.

(source : Mactracker)

 

[stroked]

I am simply looking at all options. Asking questions that I have is part of my learning process. I've done a lot of searching here and on line but have not found all the answers to questions that I have. Since I purchased the Mac Mini for my wife, I've set up my own login and am very happy with all that I've found.
I'd like one for myself, but have to wean myself from a very nice and powerful Win 7 desktop that runs 4 programs that are not Mac compatible. One of my own, and 3 for my job. I can work from home at times.
My second Mac will have to have an intel based chip powerful enough to run bootcamp easily, or just get an older mac to put on the spare table in my man cave home/office if you will, and keep my Windoze machine active.
So, I'm just finding out what my options are. I'd like to run Yosemite because its on her computer and is what I'm learning/know. I guess the earlier versions are similar enough for me to use, but like newer ios versions will not have all the bells and whistles.
Thanks for your replies. I may spend a few hundred dollars to see, I'm not prepared to spend 2 thousand just yet.

An older Mac running Yosemite will not have all the bells and whistles, of a new Mac.

 

[ron7624]

An older Mac running Yosemite will not have all the bells and whistles, of a new Mac.

Yup, I figured that. I can't justify the purchase of a new one at this point, just because I've got an ample system and my need for my work software for use at home.
I am so impressed with using my wifes Mac Mini with all the bells and whistles that don't want to regress. But, will not buy something that I can't upgrade like another Mac Mini. For her, its fine. She will never need anything more, but I'm much different in my use.

 

[rkaufmann87]

Yup, I figured that. I can't justify the purchase of a new one at this point, just because I've got an ample system and my need for my work software for use at home.
I am so impressed with using my wifes Mac Mini with all the bells and whistles that don't want to regress. But, will not buy something that I can't upgrade like another Mac Mini. For her, its fine. She will never need anything more, but I'm much different in my use.

You may want to consider an Apple refurbished computer, you can save hundreds of dollars. They are virtually identical to new, have the same warranty as new and are eligible for AppleCare. They are available from Apple's online store, look at the bottom of the store's home page. If you do not see the configuration you want check very frequently because availability can change by the hour.