iMac? - looking to upgrade a 2012 Macbook

Forums › Mac OS › iMac? - looking to upgrade a 2012 Macbook

OnceBitten

545 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 11

#280099 26-Nov-2020 12:54

Hi All,

We are looking at upgrading our 2012 Macbook Pro as it is painfully slow to use most of the time

I got a black Friday sale e-mail come through from Noel Leeming - in it there was Apple 21.5 inch iMac for $1479 (see link below)

does anyone know if these are any good??

We have an iPad so it doesn't need to be portable like a laptop

Reviews I've read are mainly positive, but seem to indicate this is a 2017 model - can someone confirm this?

any advice would be appreciated thanks

https://www.noelleeming.co.nz/shop/computers-tablets/desktop-computers/imacs/apple-mmqa2x-a-imac-21-5-intel-core-i5/prod155373.html?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=&utm_content=WK17BFA_28-11-2020_Black+Friday+Apple+edm&et_rid=NLG-fac414d3-524d-445b-866f-77c02b907945

Stu

Hammered
8742 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2400

Moderator

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2611122 26-Nov-2020 13:10

With the 5400rpm drive, I think you may find it slow. That's what my mother has, and it certainly feels slow. My father's is the same era, but with the 'Fusion' drive and doesn't annoy me the same way.

This one has the 'Fusion' drive, and is certainly quicker https://www.noelleeming.co.nz/shop/computers-tablets/desktop-computers/imacs/apple-mrt42x-a-imac-21-5-retina-4k-display-3-0ghz-6c-1tb/prod178927.html

People often mistake me for an adult because of my age.

Keep calm, and carry on posting.

Referral Links: Sharesies -

Are you happy with what you get from Geekzone? If so, please consider supporting us by subscribing.

No matter where you go, there you are.

Nate001

677 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 465

#2611125 26-Nov-2020 13:13

The 21.5 iMac hasn't had any major refreshes since 2017 to that is the current model. But recently they started shipping with 256GB SSD instead of the 1TB HDD. Personally I would only consider an SSD for speed.

What is your use case?

lxsw20

3689 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2174

Subscriber

#2611126 26-Nov-2020 13:14

Even better, avoid any mac with a traditional HDD and get one with an SSD. I don't think you can buy a mac new from apple now that doesn't have an SSD.

wellygary

8810 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 5287

#2611135 26-Nov-2020 13:47

Again, get one with an SSD,

Also be aware mac are currently transiting away from Intel to their own in house chips,

If you intend to hold on to it for a while some software might not get updates in 4-5 years...

firewire

107 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 11

#2611197 26-Nov-2020 14:48

Disc drives are horrifying slow in the 21st Century. Compared to interstellar space the response time is from here to pluto. I don't even think windows 10 is geared up for disc drives. SSD is the only way to go. However they apparently don't last as long and are more prone to failure but don't need defragging every hour of the day.

gzt

18679 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 7816

Lifetime subscriber

#2611287 26-Nov-2020 16:38

The current M1 generation is reasonably priced. Take a look.

No point buying the older generation unless you have some critical software today or near future need that doesn't yet run on M1.

The cheap solution is DIY replace your existing drive with SSD for around $150 to get some speed back. Edit: Run a wipe and recover before that it might be enough.