Will my iMac last much longer?

[shenfrey]

Hey guys,

I am using an old late 2009 iMac (see image for details), and it runs great. As you can see I have upgraded from 4GB to 12GB and it still performs really well and looks brand new. However since it is using a very old now C2D, I am wondering how much longer my system will last me?

My usage involves simple tasks like browsing the internet, and I do alot of my Uni work on here also (word processing and presentations). I also use my iMac as a monitor for my Xbox and it works really well.

I was tempted to sell it and buy a new one but then I thought that would be a foolish thing to do as what I am doing right now probably won't be any faster. I do SOMETIMES play games, but very simple games that my iMac has had no problem in being able to perform well (granted with some settings tweaked).

So how long do you think this machine has left guys? Will Mavericks be my final OS?

 

[mmomega]

Well I still have a 2001 iMac G4 if that says anything about the lifespan, only things I've done was replace the HDD which was still working with an SSD just to do it. Works great though it is showing it's age a little, especially on website with flash.

I also still have an iMac from every year since 2007 until current, some are personal machines some are being used daily at my office, funnily enough the Dell's and HP ended up being replaced piece by piece over the years but the 4 iMacs are still holding strong and are used the most.

 

[RedCroissant]

Hey guys,

I am using an old late 2009 iMac (see image for details), and it runs great. As you can see I have upgraded from 4GB to 12GB and it still performs really well and looks brand new. However since it is using a very old now C2D, I am wondering how much longer my system will last me?

My usage involves simple tasks like browsing the internet, and I do alot of my Uni work on here also (word processing and presentations). I also use my iMac as a monitor for my Xbox and it works really well.

I was tempted to sell it and buy a new one but then I thought that would be a foolish thing to do as what I am doing right now probably won't be any faster. I do SOMETIMES play games, but very simple games that my iMac has had no problem in being able to perform well (granted with some settings tweaked).

So how long do you think this machine has left guys? Will Mavericks be my final OS?


[url=http://s24.postimg.org/lllmixuup/Screenshot_2014_03_26_19_33_04.jpg]Image[/url]

My wife has the same iMac (21.5" 3.06 C2D with 8GB RAM and 500GB HDD) and has had no problems and don't foresee any for the near future. The only iMac that I think is on its last OS upgrade is the 2007 iMac. I would say that you have at least 2 upgrades to go before your machine will not go any further. But if it does what you need to do and has done so for the entire time that you've had it, then there is no reason at all to upgrade.

I just got my new 2013 iMac after using PPC Macs for some time and I can tell you that the only time to upgrade your machine is when it no longer can do what you need it to. In my case, my 20" iMac G5 1.8GHz 2 GB RAM running OS X 10.5.8 could no longer be used as my main machine due to Flash requirements of my school work. If that wasn't the case, I would still be using that machine right now for everything that I do. If that machine can last 10 years plus (and is now with a new owner) I'm pretty sure that your 2009 iMac will last much longer still.

 

[topmounter]

I have an "Early 2009" 24" and it is still an excellent machine, but I went ahead and ordered a new 27" this week.

Why?

Even with 8GB of RAM, Aperture performance with RAW files is sluggish. The 640GB HDD is at capacity and shuffling FW drives gets old. And probably most importantly, I can still get $600-700 for a C2D 24" on CL. And while a minor refresh may occur this year, a major refresh to the iMac platform doesn't seem likely until 2016.

Of course now that I've bought a new iMac, Apple will announce an "enthusiast" level Mac Mini utilizing the nMP tower design

 

[shenfrey]

Thank you for your replies, definitely made me feel more secure about my machine. I look forward to the years ahead : )

 

[Fishrrman]

The OP wrote:
[[ So how long do you think this machine has left guys? Will Mavericks be my final OS? ]]

Well, it "has left" as long as it has left.
Some have "more left" than others.
There's no exact way to know.

I used my old PowerMac g4 tower for NINE years, and it was still running fine when I retired it.
My 2007 iMac is still running and doing OK. It's not my "main machine", however.

You said it still "runs great".
As long as it keeps running that way, keep using it.

It doesn't matter one iota if Mavericks turns out to be "the final OS". I'm still using 10.6.8 on my 2010 MacBook Pro, and it still "runs great". If the OS isn't the latest and greatest, but still does what I need to do, so what?

Another year or two, and you might want something new, nothing wrong with that.
But you might still keep the old one around as a backup or spare...

 

[RedCroissant]

Thank you for your replies, definitely made me feel more secure about my machine. I look forward to the years ahead : )

Another AWESOME thing about your iMac is that it can be used as an external display natively. That's rare in machines and should make you treasure it even more. I know I would be using it as an external display if I had one!

 

[shenfrey]

Another AWESOME thing about your iMac is that it can be used as an external display natively. That's rare in machines and should make you treasure it even more. I know I would be using it as an external display if I had one!

I actually am! I am using it as a monitor for my xbox 360 (and soon hopefully PS4) perhaps when it no longer is of use I will continue to use, but of course by then I may have already upgraded and I don't really like using 2 monitors, I rarely take up one screen lol

 

[RedCroissant]

I actually am! I am using it as a monitor for my xbox 360 (and soon hopefully PS4) perhaps when it no longer is of use I will continue to use, but of course by then I may have already upgraded and I don't really like using 2 monitors, I rarely take up one screen lol

That's just it though. A 27" Amazing display for gaming is pretty awesome and even if it becomes solely a gaming display, that's still a really useful machine for as long as their are adapters for gaming consoles being released.

And if it ever comes down to not being used that much, have fun with it running almost any operating system either through boot camp or VMs or whatever.

I'm not sure of this, but wasn't that the ONLY version of the iMac that can be used as an external display? Even if you do decide to sell it at some point, don't forget about that very rare capability and price it accordingly.

 

[MorpheusXX]

I also have a late 2009 iMac, which is still going strong. My only suggestion is if you would like a bit more speed and give it new life, put in a SDD. Otherwise for your use, it will go for another 5 years.