I'm doing a research for my own analysis, so I'd very much appreciate if you folks could poll and comment 
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Poll: Which iMac is more widely used by forum members, 21.5" or 27"?
- Thread starter yjchua95
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I'd always get a 27" without a doubt - that beautiful big canvas is perfect for everything I do and I find the 21.5" far too cramped.
I've got both, but I use the 21.5" most of the time because I use it just for work, editing images with Photoshop and some light gaming. The 27" acts as a server at home
I looove my 27". But I do video production for a living, so that extra resolution is a big help to me. For people who have more typical needs, I think the smaller one would still be great-- maybe even the better choice.
27" with a 21" external monitor, typically just ordinary stuff but also do some Aperture and iMovie stuff for personal use.
I love my 21"; it's large enough for everything I do, but small enough that it doesn't dominate everything else on my desk. It nestles in quite well between my 20" ACD and 20" iMac G5
Nice clean setup you've got there!
It's pretty much neck and neck. I've always had the 27" but have friends with the 21 and they seem happy...I have become very used to the real estate, and it's my main desktop.
Nothing wrong with the 21" though, and your poll seems to confirm that...about fifty fifty.
Nothing wrong with the 21" though, and your poll seems to confirm that...about fifty fifty.
And all this while I always thought the 21.5" was more popular than the 27"
I now stand corrected.I use both the 21.5" and 27", but end up on the 21.5" most of the time because the 27" takes up too much space on my desk, so I set the 27" up on a VESA mount in the basement server room and use it as a home server cum panic room computer.
27" all the way - unless footprint is an issue, there is absolutely no reason not to get the bigger screen.
The 27" display is just utterly wonderful. Oddly, while it seemed enormous at the time I've had mine for several years and now it just seems normal. In the office I'm using a piece of **** Dell 14" laptop and I feel I need a magnifying glass to use it.
Footprint is an issue for me, and if I put my 27" on my desk, there'd be no space for me to work.
That's about the only reason why the 27" is now mounted on a VESA to the wall in the basement, acting as a home server.
I've read several post on "Desktop/Screen" and its interesting that so many 21 owners have multiple displays. So deep down in inside they really want 30s!
Maybe your poll needs to be modified.
Maybe your poll needs to be modified.
I have bad eyesight. You would think the 27" would be a no-brainer. It's not. I have the 21 inch iMac and the 27 inch Thunderbolt Display. I like the 21 inch screen better. Too much physical maneuvering needed with a huge screen. Of course the glare and bluish tint compared with the 2012 iMac screen might also be a factor. They definitely upgraded the screens last year.
I mount my 27" on a VESA mount on the wall and I view it from quite a distance away, so I don't really need to swivel my head from side to side. It acts as a home server too.
But my primary work machine is still the 21.5" on my desk.