replace 2020 iMac 27 5k, or keep it longer?

[Calbear88]

Hi, I own a 2020 iMac 27 inch 5K, with an intel core i7-10700K, AMD Radeon Pro 5700, 32GB of RAM, 2TB SSD. I use the computer for email, web browsing, Microsoft office, and I don't play any games or do any photo or video editing.

I am considering purchasing a M4 mac mini and an external 5K display.

As an alternative to upgrading, I could hold onto my iMac until it is no longer supported by the newest version of MacOS, to get the maximum lifespan out of it. Upgrading later would also mean my next computer could have a M5 CPU and may be supported by MacOS for a few more years.

Just wondering if anyone who has upgraded from a latest generation intel Mac to apple silicon could comment on how impactful the upgrade has been for basic productivity tasks?

Thanks so much!

 

[aries81]

Judging from what you're using it for, you should get another good 5 years out of it, maybe even more. You're going to be stuck on a MacOS version at some point however.

I've replaced my 2014 iMac with the M4 iMac back in December only because I wanted something more up to date. The 2014 was still working fine though.

 

[Regulus67]

Hi, I own a 2020 iMac 27 inch 5K, with an intel core i7-10700K, AMD Radeon Pro 5700, 32GB of RAM, 2TB SSD.

Your iMac has the T2 chip with the fast SSDs. No other intel iMac had that, except for the iMac Pro. These macs are one of a kind, or class of their own, depending on how you look at it. But that might not matter to you.
Sadly you can not upgrade the SSD as it is soldered.

I doubt you will find a better display. But the machine itself are of course getting older.
Since your main concern seems to be macOS support, I would keep it for now. What if Apple releases a better display shortly after you got the new setup? Why do I mention that?
With Thunderbolt 5 ports, the chances are higher that Apple will also offer newer displays, because of the doubling of bandwidth offered, compared to Thunderbolt 3.

edit: just look at this rumour

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-working-on-mystery-new-display.2453258/

 

[Nermal]

For what it's worth, I have one of these machines, and I'm not even considering replacing it. Apple never made a direct replacement for it, and it's still a very fast machine in most cases. With the exception of gaming - which you say you don't do - I've yet to see any problems with mine (I did open it up six months ago and clean the dust out, but that was probably a waste of time when compressed air in the bottom vents would have done much the same job: there's a grille in there that stops most of the dust from getting into the computer proper).

 

[throAU]

Hi, I own a 2020 iMac 27 inch 5K, with an intel core i7-10700K, AMD Radeon Pro 5700, 32GB of RAM, 2TB SSD. I use the computer for email, web browsing, Microsoft office, and I don't play any games or do any photo or video editing.

I am considering purchasing a M4 mac mini and an external 5K display.

As an alternative to upgrading, I could hold onto my iMac until it is no longer supported by the newest version of MacOS, to get the maximum lifespan out of it. Upgrading later would also mean my next computer could have a M5 CPU and may be supported by MacOS for a few more years.

Just wondering if anyone who has upgraded from a latest generation intel Mac to apple silicon could comment on how impactful the upgrade has been for basic productivity tasks?

Thanks so much!

Given your usage keep and run this machine until it dies or goes end of support.

An m2 or m1 would feel snappier but your usage is light and I think you’re better off waiting given you have already skipped m1-m4.

I do have an old trash can which is less performant than your iMac and that’s still fine for the tasks you mention.

 

[Panos_GR]

I am the owner of an iMac Pro 18-core/128GB/1TB SSD, as well as modern Apple M series products (currently the M4 MAX). For the use you're making, I don't think it's worth sacrificing the All-in-One experience, which includes a 5K display with excellent speakers, microphones, and camera. Unfortunately, despite past rumors, Apple doesn't seem willing to release an iMac with an M series chip and a screen larger than 24" (23.5" actually) that exists today. Also, selling a 2020 iMac won't even get you half of the cost of an Apple Display. Unless you've decided to go for a 4K display, sacrificing PPI due to scaling

 

[MultiFinder17]

I'd keep it for now given your uses. Once it stops getting macOS security updates I'd look at the lineup then and decide what you'd like to upgrade to, but that machine still likely has plenty of life left in it for you.

I have a 2020 27" iMac myself in daily use as my main machine in my classroom and plan on squeezing as long as life as I can out of it

 

[Fishrrman]

If everything is working well right now, why change?
The iMac you have is "stuffed" -- well equipped with RAM, SSD, etc.

Considering your use case, you could probably keep on using it for 2, 3 years longer. Maybe even a few more...

 

[Eriamjh1138@DAN]

(Looks at 2013 non-5K iMac).

Surrrrre…. Why not?

 

[AL2TEACH]

I could hold onto my iMac until it is no longer supported by the newest version of MacOS, to get the maximum lifespan out of it.

You could even hold onto it longer for your use case. I understand why you would want to scratch your update itch. I'm still using a 2015 27" iMac because it still does the job I need it to do. Would really like Stage Manager but Mission Control works fine. Wait until you NEED to upgrade or don't scratch that itch until you want to have the latest stuff just to have it.

 

[zarmanto]

To add one additional consideration, which may or may not apply to your use case: if you upgrade to an M-series Mac, you should probably anticipate that some of your legacy Intel based software may suffer. Many apps will of course work just fine, as the latest M-series Macs are a lot faster, and other apps have likely been upgraded to ARM versions by now... but with this kind of architecture shift, there's always a non-zero chance that you'll end up having to cast some of your older software aside, particularly games and/or discontinued software.

So, yeah... to sum up -- and to confirm what everyone else has basically already said: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."