Used 27 in iMac vs new Mac Mini

[hkaplin]

Tried to read through threads before posting this. Will definitely keep it short and simple. Have a 2012 Mac Mini that's experiencing some slow down. Decided to pull the trigger and upgrade. Current setup is dual monitors off the mini. Trying to decide if I should do a 2017 21 or 27 in iMac and use one of the current 27 in monitors, or go to the new mini and keep the current setup.

As a user, I'm pretty low maintenance. No heavy pic or music editing. Mostly work related (Office applications, Salesforce, web-based stuff...). Price point on the new mini is $800 for the base model (which should be plenty) and the 2017 iMac I'm looking at is around $1K-$1100. Also saw an iMac on the Apple refurb page (21 in) for around $980.

Again, as a lower maintenance user I think the mini should fit my needs for many years to come. Just wondering if a few more bumped up specs on the older machine is the way to go.

Probably repetitive to some other posts, but figured I'd throw it out.

Thanks!

 

[redfirebird08]

If you already have dual monitors, I think the brand new Mac Mini sounds like a better option.

 

[r6mile]

I agree.
Out of curiosity, what are the specs on your 2012 Mac Mini?

 

[hkaplin]

I agree.
Out of curiosity, what are the specs on your 2012 Mac Mini?

My mini is a late 2012. 2.5, dual core i5. I bumped the ram to 16gb. Solid machine but moving slow and definitely gets warm while in use. 500gb HD. On the Apple trade-in tool it only said it was worth $80. Figure I'll hold on to it in that case unless I do buy something direct from Apple. Been a solid machine but ready for the upgrade.

 

[r6mile]

My mini is a late 2012. 2.5, dual core i5. I bumped the ram to 16gb. Solid machine but moving slow and definitely gets warm while in use. 500gb HD. On the Apple trade-in tool it only said it was worth $80. Figure I'll hold on to it in that case unless I do buy something direct from Apple. Been a solid machine but ready for the upgrade.

That machine is definitely worth way more than $80! The culprit for the slowness surely is the HDD - why don't you replace it for an SSD, or even easier just boot from a USB3 external SSD? My parents have the same machine and after an SSD it makes a world of difference. Unless you find the issue is the slowness of the GPU? No fix for that I'm afraid.

 

[redfirebird08]

That machine is definitely worth way more than $80! The culprit for the slowness surely is the HDD - why don't you replace it for an SSD, or even easier just boot from a USB3 external SSD? My parents have the same machine and after an SSD it makes a world of difference. Unless you find the issue is the slowness of the GPU? No fix for that I'm afraid.

Very good advice here.

@hkaplin: you can easily copy all data including your operating system from your spinning hard drive to an external SSD via USB3 connection. You can even change your boot drive to the external SSD very quickly & easily inside of System Preferences on Mac OS. Your operating system will run a lot better and smoother on external SSD via USB3 compared to your current situation with internal spinning drive. USB3 external SSD is a lot cheaper than spending $800-1,200 on a new computer.

 

[Fishrrman]

One more vote for a new Mini.
Just "swap the boxes" and keep using the rest of your setup as it is now.

If you want "more GPU power", get an external GPU.

 

[hkaplin]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. With some extra "cash in hand" I may do the suggested upgrades the the 2012 mini and set it up as the "family" system. That should be plenty for the family and still let me upgrade to a new mini.