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Oldest iMac that can run current MacOS

The oldest iMac that can run macOS High Sierra is late 2009 which remains a fine machine with the mid 2011 iMac being the sweet spot with the excellent Quad Core i5 Sandy Bridge Processor and with the inclusion of Thunderbolt 2.

Neither of these iMacs including the 2010 models will be able to run macOS Mojave however they remain well worth considering particularly the 2011 release. Both the 21.5" and 27" models and are not expensive
https://everymac.com/systems/apple/...inch-aluminum-mid-2011-thunderbolt-specs.html
https://everymac.com/systems/apple/...inch-aluminum-mid-2011-thunderbolt-specs.html
 
my old 2007 imac will be running High Sierra soon, but I did have to upgrade the CPU though.

With OSX 14 due soon then if looking for machine 2012 or newer is way to go.
 
flyinmac said:
Check this link for what can be made to run High Sierra.

http://dosdude1.com/highsierra/
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I do not recommend these hacks. Depending on the unsupported model not everything works or there are issues such as no WiFi, volume control, display brightness control etc.
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elf69 said:
my old 2007 imac will be running High Sierra soon, but I did have to upgrade the CPU though.

With OSX 14 due soon then if looking for machine 2012 or newer is way to go.
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Basically Apple are holding the Mac user to ransom.

Don't buy in to the upgrade con but purchase a late 2011 iMac and continue to run High Sierra.
 
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I like HS personally.

my 2007 imac will keep going for few years yet with HS running with the hack.
swapped the wifi card while was in there so fully compatible with HS now.
 
I use usb2 on my 2007 imac too.
plus my newest purchase a mac mini is usb 2.0 as well.

on fixed device the backup speed not so important, laptops etc then yeah might be as you don't want wait around for it finish.
 
Guy Clark said:
I do not recommend these hacks. Depending on the unsupported model not everything works or there are issues such as no WiFi, volume control, display brightness control etc.
Click to expand...

I think it depends on the situation. If you already have an older model, like our early 2009 iMac, and it's doing the job except you need (for example!) HEIF format support, the dosdude1 hack works just fine, the machine runs HS just fine, and it's pushing our replacement spending out at least another year if not two.

For many, the ability to run High Sierra for a more years is a good trade against potential minor issues that may or may not affect a given machine.
 
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kschendel said:
I think it depends on the situation. If you already have an older model, like our early 2009 iMac, and it's doing the job except you need (for example!) HEIF format support, the dosdude1 hack works just fine, the machine runs HS just fine, and it's pushing our replacement spending out at least another year if not two.

For many, the ability to run High Sierra for a more years is a good trade against potential minor issues that may or may not affect a given machine.
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Exactly. My Early 2007 iMac is running High Sierra just fine. With everything working properly, and no hardware hacks or upgrades. It’s a factory original minimal configuration.

Edit... mines the early 2009. Too many projects in my brain at the moment.
 
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flyinmac said:
Exactly. My Early 2007 iMac is running High Sierra just fine. With everything working properly, and no hardware hacks or upgrades. It’s a factory original minimal configuration.
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Firstly, there was no "early 2007" iMac, only a "mid-2007" iMac. Are you sure your 2007 iMac is running High Sierra with no hardware upgrades? If, so, please share how you managed that.
 
mreg376 said:
Firstly, there was no "early 2007" iMac, only a "mid-2007" iMac. Are you sure your 2007 iMac is running High Sierra with no hardware upgrades? If, so, please share how you managed that.
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You’re right. Got my numbers mixed. Worked on my brothers recently. His is the early 2007.

Mine is the early 2009. Thanks for the catch. Otherwise, yes it’s stock.
 
flyinmac said:
You’re right. Got my numbers mixed. Worked on my brothers recently. His is the early 2007.

Mine is the early 2009. Thanks for the catch. Otherwise, yes it’s stock.
Click to expand...

Actually I'm disappointed. I have a mid-2007 and was hoping you discovered a way to install High Sierra without the processor and wifi card upgrades. I have the parts but I am NOT looking forward to the project.
 
mreg376 said:
Actually I'm disappointed. I have a mid-2007 and was hoping you discovered a way to install High Sierra without the processor and wifi card upgrades. I have the parts but I am NOT looking forward to the project.
Click to expand...

I’m sorry to disappoint you. Yes, on the 2007 you’ll need to have a penryn core2duo.

It’s not as scary as it seems. But yes, it will require some time to do it right if your inexperienced.

Honestly, having seen how these things come apart, the most concerning part for me would be trying to keep those annoying dust specs from getting behind the glass.

Wish my error had been correct for you.

I have about 30 projects I’m bouncing between. Everything from building furniture, to carpentry / detail work on the house, to refinishing antiques, to additions to the house, to audio systems, computer / office area reworking, to landscaping, to also trying to keep up on household chores.

Every time I get a project done, someone shows up with more. If only this was paid work. Lol.

I’m trying to get my place ready for family in a week. And, got tons of projects here. But also trying to do everything everyone else wants. Which trashed my place. Lol.

Ever try to clean a house and get it ready for company while also using every room for a workshop?

So... I have a case of scatter brain going
 
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Haha I understand. I upgraded the 2007 along the way from its original hard drive to a new hard drive, and then again to an SSD, so I've been in the innards a couple of times. But it's the 16 motherboard connectors and maybe as many screws of different sizes that has me worried. Parts have a tendency to start flying around me. In any event, my 24-year old son is using the machine now so my upgrade project is delayed by about six months. If it survives him I will give it a go.
 
mreg376 said:
Haha I understand. I upgraded the 2007 along the way from its original hard drive to a new hard drive, and then again to an SSD, so I've been in the innards a couple of times. But it's the 16 motherboard connectors and maybe as many screws of different sizes that has me worried. Parts have a tendency to start flying around me. In any event, my 24-year old son is using the machine now so my upgrade project is delayed by about six months. If it survives him I will give it a go.
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Left over parts are the gift that keeps on giving. Any good project blesses you with extra screws to be found later.

I’m still fixing things with nuts and bolts from cars twenty years back.

Anything left over goes in a bin. And someday it comes in useful.

I repaired a neighbors bicycle with parts left over from a lamp project that had been sitting in my bin for over 15 years.

A friend was missing a bolt in their grill on a new car last year. So I pulled a matching bolt from my bin that originally held a fender on a 1972 Oldsmobile.

I just repaired a table with parts from some old curtain rod.

I’m always holding onto scrap that becomes something else someday. I just built a desk out of old scrap bits. And it came out beautiful. And has a bit of flair. Almost like it was influenced by a 1957 Chevy Bel Air.

I was sitting there the other day saying I needed a coaster in this spot. So then this stack of 10 to 15 year old Mac memory modules became a set of coasters. Lol.

Scrap bits are a great thing.

Who knows what iMac screws might fix someday. Perhaps a coffee maker. Now that’s definitely important.

Coffee outranks computers. Without coffee, computers wouldn’t be useful. Lol
 
my 2007 imac I swapped out the CPU for the T9300 and the wifi card card, while in there fitted a SSD and swapped the optical for a HDD and maxed out to 6GB ram.

Next is the HS hack but I use it every day so until my mac mini is up and running the HS upgrade has to wait.
 
I'm running High Sierra on a 2009 iMac with no problems. Though I did upgraded the HD, and optical to SSDs. It sounds like this macine is no longer going to be supported on Mojave, and doesn't have a reasonable path to get it run due to the old video card.

So I'll be in the market for a new 27" iMac in the next year or so. I was hopping for a release with an i7-8700 this year, that would be a perfect processor for a 27" iMac. 6-core, lower power and heat than the i7-8700K or i7-8086K. By the time Apple finally gets around to doing updates, that processor will be obsolete though.
 
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