Sell my 2015 27” iMac and get a 2020?

[Grubster]

I just heard that the 2015 retina 5K iMac will not get the next macOS. Should I make the move and sell mine now and pick up a 20 2027 inch iMac? I feel I can get $550-$600 easy for my iMac and can pick up a used one on eBay for 900 to 1100 or get a refurbished one while they still have them for around 1300. I typically just get the base configuration as I don’t do anything heavy with video or photo editing. I really don’t want to consider a different style machine I love having the 27 inch iMac which I use for work with two additional external monitors and it really meets my needs.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

I just heard that the 2015 retina 5K iMac will not get the next macOS. Should I make the move and sell my know and pick up a 20 2027 inch iMac? I feel I can get $550-$600 easy for my iMac and can pick up a used one on eBay for 900 to 1100 or get a refurbished one while they still have them for around 1300. I typically just get the base configuration as I don’t do anything heavy with video or photo editing. I really don’t want to consider a different style machine I love having the 27 inch iMac which I use for work with two additional external monitors and it really meets my needs.

I would do the same, as the risk of having pinky edge on the 2015's monitor is quite high.

 

[chrfr]

I just heard that the 2015 retina 5K iMac will not get the next macOS. Should I make the move and sell my know and pick up a 20 2027 inch iMac? I feel I can get $550-$600 easy for my iMac and can pick up a used one on eBay for 900 to 1100 or get a refurbished one while they still have them for around 1300. I typically just get the base configuration as I don’t do anything heavy with video or photo editing. I really don’t want to consider a different style machine I love having the 27 inch iMac which I use for work with two additional external monitors and it really meets my needs.

It hardly seems worthwhile to make the change. Your 2015 will get a couple more years of security updates with Monterey, and the 2020 will probably not get software support as long as your 2015 did, as Apple phases out the Intel Macs.

 

[ian87w]

I just heard that the 2015 retina 5K iMac will not get the next macOS. Should I make the move and sell my know and pick up a 20 2027 inch iMac? I feel I can get $550-$600 easy for my iMac and can pick up a used one on eBay for 900 to 1100 or get a refurbished one while they still have them for around 1300. I typically just get the base configuration as I don’t do anything heavy with video or photo editing. I really don’t want to consider a different style machine I love having the 27 inch iMac which I use for work with two additional external monitors and it really meets my needs.

I wouldn't get another intel mac at this point in time as it is clearly that Apple is starting to prune off intel support more aggressively to push the transition into Apple Silicon. I'm sure by next year or so, Apple will prune off more intel machines, and the 2020 models might get cut, leaving you only a year or 2 advantage than your current iMac.

Unlike iOS, Apple still "supports" down to -2 versions of macOS (Catalina still got the updated Safari 15 introduced with Monterey, minus the major UI changes). So your iMac on Monterey will likely to be fine and supported with patches for the next 2 years. By then, I'm sure Apple Silicon offerings will be more diverse and mature.

 

[Grubster]

I wouldn't get another intel mac at this point in time as it is clearly that Apple is starting to prune off intel support more aggressively to push the transition into Apple Silicon. I'm sure by next year or so, Apple will prune off more intel machines, and the 2020 models might get cut, leaving you only a year or 2 advantage than your current iMac.

Unlike iOS, Apple still "supports" down to -2 versions of macOS (Catalina still got the updated Safari 15 introduced with Monterey, minus the major UI changes). So your iMac on Monterey will likely to be fine and supported with patches for the next 2 years. By then, I'm sure Apple Silicon offerings will be more diverse and mature.

Couple other thoughts, my current machine has a 1TB fusion drive, where as a new one would have 256 or 512 GB SSD so I would get a big performance boost. Also, I don't want a 24" iMac and there is NO 27"iMac in the works. Sounds like my only option would be a Mac mini and separate monitors. I guess if I get a good deal on a 2020, say $800, I might jump on it and sell my 2015. I do get image retention "Pinky effect"?? on the 2015. With the smaller SSD, I would just store all my photos which probably chews up the most space to a External Drive.

I do have a 2017 MacBook Pro that supports Ventura, but I can't have that as my main work machine.

 

[ian87w]

Well, your first concern was OS support. The question will be are you willing to spend that much money for a machine that will also get dropped off support soon after? Apple already cut off anything older than 2017, 2 year cut off from Monterey. I won't be surprised if Apple dropped anything 2020 or older next year or two. So you might be in the same dilemma again by next year or two. Either that, or save the money for Apple Silicon Mac. By the time Monterey is completely unsupported, I'm guessing we will be seeing more variety of Apple Silicon Macs. And maybe you can even consolidate your machines into just an Apple Silicon MacBook Pro and external monitor. I'm sure by then, the performance of the MacBook Pro will superspeed any Intel iMac.

Just my 2 cents though. Get what you need. Only you know what you really need, not us.

 

[Grubster]

Well, your first concern was OS support. The question will be are you willing to spend that much money for a machine that will also get dropped off support soon after? Apple already cut off anything older than 2017, 2 year cut off from Monterey. I won't be surprised if Apple dropped anything 2020 or older next year or two. So you might be in the same dilemma again by next year or two. Either that, or save the money for Apple Silicon Mac. By the time Monterey is completely unsupported, I'm guessing we will be seeing more variety of Apple Silicon Macs. And maybe you can even consolidate your machines into just an Apple Silicon MacBook Pro and external monitor. I'm sure by then, the performance of the MacBook Pro will superspeed any Intel iMac.

Just my 2 cents though. Get what you need. Only you know what you really need, not us.

I only look at the cost as the difference in price between what I get for mine. I've done fairly well buying and selling these things. Bought my 2011 27" refurbed for 1100 and sold it in 2020 for $500. Bought my 2015 from a co-worker who gave it to me for $500 which was about what Apple offered him in trade. I felt, if I can sell mine and upgrade for only 300-400 it would be a nice upgrade. Also, I just checked, it looks like the 2020 iMac was discontinued in March of 2022. So If I'm correct, doesn't Apple promise 5 years of support from when a device was discontinued, which means 2027?

The thing I love about the iMac, is I work all day on MS Teams calls, Face Time Calls, phone calls, the thing is like a Giant Speaker phone. At the same time, I run windows via a remote Citrix XenDesktop so I can toggle between windows and MacOs Seamlessly. The integrated Mic/Camera works so well, I'd have to spend what, $1600 just to get the new stupid monitor it sounds like PLUS a Mac mini just to replace what I have. That being said, I'm in no panic, what I have is working well!

 

[pmiles]

Running Mojave on a Mac Pro tower from 2010... still runs just fine.

Newer OSes on older devices doesn't always mean better performance. Security updates are to fix holes/bugs in the OS... the OS that the update is for. When an OS is depreciated, it no longer receives updates because there hasn't been any changes to the OS, thus nothing new to fix. There may be rare instances in which some sort of security vulnerability is discovered in an older OS that hasn't and never will be patched, but they are rare... like probably not in your hardware's lifetime rare.

What's the point of exploiting a vulnerability in an OS that's over 10 years old? A little common sense will tell you that it's not really worth the effort. You want to crash the latest OS, not one running an OS from over a decade ago.

The reason to keep pace with the latest OS is because you are keeping pace with the latest hardware and software. If you are happy running older versions of software or using older hardware, then there really is no need to upgrade the OS.

Discontinued doesn't mean dead. Support doesn't really mean what you think it does. Just because you can install an OS onto the machine, doesn't mean it's the best version to run on said machine. Apple doesn't tailor their OS to every machine that they make... they tailor it to the latest machine that they make. Meaning, little, if anything, in the later OS really benefits the older hardware, bug fixes are generally for the newest hardware, and security patches are to fix holes in the latest OS (that often times were introduced in that OS version, not prior ones).

If what you have works, meets your needs, stick with it. Your machine has many years left in it... if you are willing to accept it's wrinkles along with your own. There will always be a new shiny on the horizon. Always. At some point in time you will know when to replace what you have. Not because of any hoopla or dog and pony show, but because you know.

That being said, if all you want to do is grab the last 27" INTEL iMac that was ever made, now would be the time to do it... because they aren't going to be around for long. Keep in mind you are replacing one piece of older hardware with another. If it's not ARM based, it's not really on Apple's radar anymore... even if they still offer one in the refurbished store. Sticking with INTEL means sticking with the past. For some that is fine. For others, not so much.

 

[Dealmans]

I sold my 2015 last year and got a 24”, had the screen replaced twice for pink tinge, surprisingly got $1500AUD for it, base 2TB fusion and 24gb ram I added myself.

 

[Fishrrman]

IF you're going to buy a 2020 iMac, get one from the Apple online refurbished store (assuming they're still available). I wouldn't buy one elsewhere.

And ... get the 27". Of course.

 

[Grubster]

I sold my 2015 last year and got a 24”, had the screen replaced twice for pink tinge, surprisingly got $1500AUD for it, base 2TB fusion and 24gb ram I added myself.

What is pink tinge? How do you like the smaller 24” vs the 27? I previously had a 2008 24” iMac before moving to 27” which I’ve used since 2014.

 

[Dealmans]

What is pink tinge? How do you like the smaller 24” vs the 27? I previously had a 2008 24” iMac before moving to 27” which I’ve used since 2014.

Yes it's great.

2015 27" iMac has pink edges ..anyone else?

hi I noticed my 2015 iMac has got pink edges all way round the screen. i didn't expect this after just over 3 years of use. anyone else had an issue with pink screen ? any idea what may have caused it ? would it be a faulty panel over time ? i did a search for pink screens but could find any...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[turbineseaplane]

I'd move on probably

The pink tinge thing is real

For a while I'd been shopping preowned and low spec 2015's to repurpose as a standalone display as many have done, but I've not had good success finding one that's not showing some display issues

 

[Grubster]

Does anyone have a thought on a 2017 iMac Pro? Got a guy selling one locally for 1500, I would offer him less and take a shot.

 

[Fishrrman]

NO on the iMac Pro.

Have you given any thought to the Mac Studio?
A "base model" with a 4k display might do the job...

 

[Grubster]

NO on the iMac Pro.

Have you given any thought to the Mac Studio?
A "base model" with a 4k display might do the job...

I think down the road a mac studio would be the way to go. I would just have to get a good quality webcam and speakers and such. Video calls work so well on iMac, don’t want to lose that experience. Are there any other good 5k 27” displays that don’t cost 1600! Cheap monitors are no biggie, my work gives me free 23” displays that I use next to my iMac, I run 3 monitors. But I’m spoiled by the main 5k 27” and wouldn’t want to lose that!

 

[chikorita157]

I think down the road a mac studio would be the way to go. I would just have to get a good quality webcam and speakers and such. Video calls work so well on iMac, don’t want to lose that experience. Are there any other good 5k 27” displays that don’t cost 1600! Cheap monitors are no biggie, my work gives me free 23” displays that I use next to my iMac, I run 3 monitors. But I’m spoiled by the main 5k 27” and wouldn’t want to lose that!

There is the LG Ultrafine 5K, but those are $1299, although you can probably find used ones for a bit cheaper.

 

[ADGrant]

The thing I love about the iMac, is I work all day on MS Teams calls, Face Time Calls, phone calls, the thing is like a Giant Speaker phone. At the same time, I run windows via a remote Citrix XenDesktop so I can toggle between windows and MacOs Seamlessly. The integrated Mic/Camera works so well, I'd have to spend what, $1600 just to get the new stupid monitor it sounds like PLUS a Mac mini just to replace what I have. That being said, I'm in no panic, what I have is working well!

Citrix does not yet have native ARM support and neither does MS Teams (that is coming very soon though). Also it doesn't sound like you are doing anything that will always require the latest version of MacOS. So staying on Intel Mac for a few more years might work for you.

The 2020 iMac will be supported much longer than the 2015 you already have. It was the last Intel Mac model Apple released so it will be supported as long as Intel MacOS is supported. Apple is still selling the 2019 Mac Pro and the 2018 Mac mini so the clock won't really start ticking until they are discontinued. I think the Mac Pro replacement will likely be M2 based and the roll out of M2 SoCs starts next month. I don't think we will see a new Mac Pro until December of this year at the earliest (which would still be in their 2 year timeframe). I think it is reasonable to expect two more Intel MacOS releases after Ventura with at least another two years of support for the last MacOS release. So another five years of support for a 2019 or later Intel Mac is not an unreasonable expectation. Buyers of $50,000 Mac Pros are going to expect Apple to provide support for those machines. If Apple wants to retain any kind of presence in the high end market, abruptly abandoning those users would not be smart.

One other thing to be aware of. Most of the late model Intel Macs are T2 Macs. Those Macs have an ARM64 coprocessor that manages the SSD, secure boot and the Secure Enclave (as well as the webcam and audio). The 2019 27" iMac is a notable exception. A T2 Mac may be supported by Apple longer than the older designs but the older designs will better support non-Apple operating systems like Linux.

 

[Grubster]

Hey, resurrecting an old thread. Found out my 2015 iMac just needed a reformat to run well again on the Fusion Drive. Basically I erased the Drive, then ran Disk Repair and re-installed Monterey. But I did it because I found a friend to trade with. I traded him my 2015 + a 13" MacBook Pro for a base model 2020 iMac.

I'm displeased that the new iMac has a 256 SSD, but other than that, I'm very happy. I have plenty of external SSD drives that I can now plug in via USB-C and have plenty of storage for things like Photos etc.. My apps really only need about 70GB anyways for what I do. Also have 6 months left of AppleCare+ on this machine. So I'm hoping it will last me 3-5 years as I love the Retina display. I'm hoping to find another 5k display to match it, right now running a Dell 43inch 4K and it's a bit too large at times. I'll see what Samsung or Dell come out with this year. Might be more manageable with 2 27's on my desk. I will not spend over $1k on the apple display. Costco had them on sale recently, but it's hard for me to stomach paying that much for a display when I can buy a complete 2020 iMac still for less with the same panel and a fully functional computer! Maybe I'm missing something...

 

[AAPLGeek]

Hey, resurrecting an old thread. Found out my 2015 iMac just needed a reformat to run well again on the Fusion Drive. Basically I erased the Drive, then ran Disk Repair and re-installed Monterey. But I did it because I found a friend to trade with. I traded him my 2015 + a 13" MacBook Pro for a base model 2020 iMac.

I'm displeased that the new iMac has a 256 SSD, but other than that, I'm very happy. I have plenty of external SSD drives that I can now plug in via USB-C and have plenty of storage for things like Photos etc.. My apps really only need about 70GB anyways for what I do. Also have 6 months left of AppleCare+ on this machine. So I'm hoping it will last me 3-5 years as I love the Retina display. I'm hoping to find another 5k display to match it, right now running a Dell 43inch 4K and it's a bit too large at times. I'll see what Samsung or Dell come out with this year. Might be more manageable with 2 27's on my desk. I will not spend over $1k on the apple display. Costco had them on sale recently, but it's hard for me to stomach paying that much for a display when I can buy a complete 2020 iMac still for less with the same panel and a fully functional computer! Maybe I'm missing something...

Congrats! 2020 iMac is still a great machine and a superb bargain for what it offers.

For the external monitor, I use LG 27UL850 4k with my 2020 iMac and I find the screen quality decent enough for what I do. It absolutely doesn't match the crispness of the 5k iMac though, nor does it have the vividness because of the overly aggressive matte coating. LG 5k is the only other option if you're looking for a cheaper deal than the studio display.

 

[bobcomer]

I just heard that the 2015 retina 5K iMac will not get the next macOS. Should I make the move and sell mine now and pick up a 20 2027 inch iMac? I feel I can get $550-$600 easy for my iMac and can pick up a used one on eBay for 900 to 1100 or get a refurbished one while they still have them for around 1300. I typically just get the base configuration as I don’t do anything heavy with video or photo editing. I really don’t want to consider a different style machine I love having the 27 inch iMac which I use for work with two additional external monitors and it really meets my needs.

I've been using a Studio Max, but running Windows didn't work that well for me, I had apps that would work. I bought a refurbed 2020 27" iMac with 8G of RAM and 512SSD. I added 128G of RAM and have 2 external SSD's on it and am extremely happy with it! The monitor is absolutely gorgeous and I don't have the monitor problems like I do with my Mac Studio. And I can bootcamp to use Windows when I'm doing work from where I work. Best machine I've bought in a long time.

 

[Grubster]

I've been using a Studio Max, but running Windows didn't work that well for me, I had apps that would work. I bought a refurbed 2020 27" iMac with 8G of RAM and 512SSD. I added 128G of RAM and have 2 external SSD's on it and am extremely happy with it! The monitor is absolutely gorgeous and I don't have the monitor problems like I do with my Mac Studio. And I can bootcamp to use Windows when I'm doing work from where I work. Best machine I've bought in a long time.

Nice, I wish mine had the 512 ssd or higher, but what I paid, I can’t complain. ( it was essentially free via trade)

 

[Hombre53]

Hey, resurrecting an old thread. Found out my 2015 iMac just needed a reformat to run well again on the Fusion Drive. Basically I erased the Drive, then ran Disk Repair and re-installed Monterey. But I did it because I found a friend to trade with. I traded him my 2015 + a 13" MacBook Pro for a base model 2020 iMac.

I'm displeased that the new iMac has a 256 SSD, but other than that, I'm very happy. I have plenty of external SSD drives that I can now plug in via USB-C and have plenty of storage for things like Photos etc.. My apps really only need about 70GB anyways for what I do. Also have 6 months left of AppleCare+ on this machine. So I'm hoping it will last me 3-5 years as I love the Retina display. I'm hoping to find another 5k display to match it, right now running a Dell 43inch 4K and it's a bit too large at times. I'll see what Samsung or Dell come out with this year. Might be more manageable with 2 27's on my desk. I will not spend over $1k on the apple display. Costco had them on sale recently, but it's hard for me to stomach paying that much for a display when I can buy a complete 2020 iMac still for less with the same panel and a fully functional computer! Maybe I'm missing something...

I have a 2020 27" iMac with the internal 256gb Apple SSD (blade, permanent). I picked up an external OWC Thunderbolt 3 enclosure with a 1 Tb Samsung 970 EVO+ nvme SSD and couldn't be happier. The Thunderbolt 3 enclosure/ssd boots faster than the Apple 256gb blade.

 

[Gudi]

.

 

[jim0266]

I just heard that the 2015 retina 5K iMac will not get the next macOS. Should I make the move and sell mine now and pick up a 20 2027 inch iMac? I feel I can get $550-$600 easy for my iMac and can pick up a used one on eBay for 900 to 1100 or get a refurbished one while they still have them for around 1300. I typically just get the base configuration as I don’t do anything heavy with video or photo editing. I really don’t want to consider a different style machine I love having the 27 inch iMac which I use for work with two additional external monitors and it really meets my needs.

Consider giving OpenCore Legacy Patcher a try. I also have a 2015 iMac and first tried OCPL on my 2015 13" MBP. It installed Venturea and works without issue so far, but I mostly couch surf on the MBP. I did try to run the iPhone as a webcam on the MPB but could not get it to work. I could see the iPhone via Facetime but the image was black. Not sure were the blame resides for that. Seems to be a common problem.

Problem with the 2015 iMac is it was/is a damn fine Mac.

OpenCore Legacy Patcher

Experience macOS just like before

dortania.github.io