Core2duo refurb iMac

Dandytf

Seriously considering purchasing an old school refurb iMac.
20/21 inc screen
Core2duo cpu -(non dual core) 2.0 ghz
500 or 1tb hdd
200 or slightly more u.k. pounds

Why - I thought it could look smart in my Flat and I could return to OS X -El Capitan pre installed -possibly 3rd party app to install slightly later os -possibly Sierra

Are there any mser's using old school iMacs.
Whilst a later model with ssd and modern thunderbolt etc would be nice it's only a inexpensive model I seek for Living room

Dandytf

This is very tempting

Apple iMac 20″ Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz, 4GB, 320GB OS 10.11
https://www.affordablemac.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/iMac-20-inch.jpg

EveryWhere

Dandytf wrote: »

This is very tempting

Apple iMac 20″ Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz, 4GB, 320GB OS 10.11
https://www.affordablemac.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/iMac-20-inch.jpg

Why would you pay £200 for such an old thing. I wouldn't pay more than £100 for one in good condition. They are certainly available for even less than that.
Unless you intend to max out the RAM to at least 4GB and to install an SSD, I wouldn't bother. It will be a useless ornament.
With the RAM and SSD it will be usable;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7E6sjr-1dw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7E6sjr-1dw

https://everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/specs/imac-core-2-duo-3.06-21-inch-aluminum-late-2009-specs.html are newer, though still ten years old.

Dandytf

EveryWhere wrote: »

Why would you pay £200 for such an old thing. I wouldn't pay more than £100 for one in good condition. They are certainly available for even less than that.
Unless you intend to max out the RAM to at least 4GB and to install an SSD, I wouldn't bother. It will be a useless ornament.
With the RAM and SSD it will be usable;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7E6sjr-1dw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7E6sjr-1dw

https://everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/specs/imac-core-2-duo-3.06-21-inch-aluminum-late-2009-specs.html are newer, though still ten years old.

The +200 range best I could find can be ordered with 8gb ram -maybe from160 to 250 hdd and it had the later Penryn cpu -stil core duo though maybe slightly nippier than the non Penryn

iMac 2.40–3.06 1066 6 1 2 April 2008 October 2009

EveryWhere

Dandytf wrote: »

The +200 range best I could find can be ordered with 8gb ram -maybe from160 to 250 hdd and it had the later Penryn cpu -stil core duo though maybe slightly nippier than the non Penryn

iMac 2.40–3.06 1066 6 1 2 April 2008 October 2009

RAM you can fit for yourself with ease. SSD makes a much bigger difference in use than more RAM.

Look;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn6zxoh3oK4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn6zxoh3oK4

Pop a Crucial MX 500 250 GB in there and you actually might use the thing.

Dandytf

EveryWhere wrote: »

RAM you can fit for yourself with ease. SSD makes a much bigger difference in use than more RAM.

Look;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn6zxoh3oK4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn6zxoh3oK4

Pop a Crucial MX 500 250 GB in there and you actually might use the thing.

Don;t like idea of attempting to lift a screen on my own.
Rather pre order ram -SSD I could settle for external and consider using 1tb hdd though in use with i3 laptop.
I don't think storage is going to be a concern and for discs etc I still have my upto 50gb iCloud storage. That could, be accessed don;t think I've used anywhere near 50% yet.

Undervalued

Dandytf wrote: »

Don;t like idea of attempting to lift a screen on my own.
Rather pre order ram -SSD I could settle for external and consider using 1tb hdd though in use with i3 laptop.
I don't think storage is going to be a concern and for discs etc I still have my upto 50gb iCloud storage. That could, be accessed don;t think I've used anywhere near 50% yet.

An external SSD on a machine like this (only USB2) will be slower than a traditional hard disk working internally.

I have a iMac similar to the one you are proposing. It is not my main computer and I only keep it so as I can provide some informal support to a couple of colleagues who are entirely Mac based and not very technical!

With an internal SSD and 4 GB of ram it is fine for Office 365 and actually runs Photoshop CS4 acceptably providing the image files aren't too large. If it only had a normal HD and / or less ram it would have gone in the bin!

If you are not comfortable changing the HD for an SSD yourself I would seriously consider buying one that has already been upgraded or a higher spec machine.

By the way, El Capitan (10.11) is the latest OSX it will run and I suspect that will soon be an issue.

boyse7en

I'm running a couple of older Macs - a 2009 Mac Pro and a 2013 iMac

The Pro is on El Capitan and works fine. I use it with Adobe Creative Suite and it is fast enough for Indesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. Don't do anything with video so i can't say how fast that would process.
Biggest problem is that some software is being deprecated on El Capitan - I can't install the latest Excel and Word updates for example.

EveryWhere

Dandytf wrote: »

Don;t like idea of attempting to lift a screen on my own.
Rather pre order ram -SSD I could settle for external and consider using 1tb hdd though in use with i3 laptop.
I don't think storage is going to be a concern and for discs etc I still have my upto 50gb iCloud storage. That could, be accessed don;t think I've used anywhere near 50% yet.

It's not about the size of the storage. Did you actually watch the video??

If you don't feel comfortable with the fitting, talk to your local independent about the cost of fitting if you supply the parts.That way, you can cost the project before going forward.
Don't waste your money on a large paperweight.

Dandytf

@everywher..

My ssd ref is thinking of speed v old school hdd.
What makes you think I didn't watch the video- I repeat I'm not remowing the screen.

EveryWhere

Dandytf wrote: »

@everywher..

My ssd ref is thinking of speed v old school hdd.
What makes you think I didn't watch the video- I repeat I'm not remowing the screen.

I didn't suggest that you should.

Anyway...this is going nowhere. Do whatever you want to do.