Should YOU Buy a 2011 27" iMac in 2022??
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
- Let's take a look at the Pros and Cons of owning a 2011 27" iMac in 2022 and weigh wether this could be a good candidate for an affordable Mac All-In-One. Hope you enjoy!
🐦 Follow me on Twitter!
/ taylorcbrauer
📸 Follow me on Instagram!
/ taylorcbrauer
Music from Epidemic Sound:
epidemicsound.com
Personally, I would highly recommend this device. It might be a little outdated, but with the right specs, few simple and cheap upgrades and the right mindset, this device is a beast for whatever office task you need to do. Also for some light gaming (very light gaming).
So if you’re on a budget and are looking for an awesome computer that won’t let you down, look no further!
It plays MW2 (2009) decently well.
I think the same , Apple computers are made to be good for years , i have personally MacBook Air 2014 and it was best decision to buy it I ever mad cause it works a lot better than my last windows laptop , and I have a chance to get this iMac for free , I just going to change disk for 1tb ssd and put some more ram , and it should work a lot better then my MacBook
how you improved it
I personally think this is just a case of upgrading too far and expecting too much of what is an 11 year old computer at the end of the day. (12 as I write this.)
I have a Mid 2011 iMac running Big Sur on the i7 2600, 16GB of RAM, Nvidia GTX 880m 8GB, 512GB SSD and a 2TB HDD.
I edit videos in Final Cut Pro, Davinci Resolve, Premiere and After Effects. I also use this computer to design graphics in Photoshop and Illustrator and it has never once given me any trouble or an error of any kind.
I've also used this to play Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition and Dying Light at 40fps plus, albeit with some dips here and there. (I do typically use another computer to game as this performance isn't perfect.)
I plan to upgrade to 32gb of RAM in the near future and possibly upgrade the GPU even further. I will try to run this computer until it becomes a software compatibility problem, but at the moment with everything I use it is absolutely perfect.
I would recommend buying one if you have the skills and knowledge to upgrade them, do not do anything without extensive research as there are risks attached as mentioned in the video, but it is a great computer and I love it.
What's the price of that spec? I would like to start the journey with Apple OS and looking for sth similar.
@Bartosz Maszkiewicz I bought this one for £250 about 2 years ago, the upgrades were already done when I bought it.
I have the same machine, I change the "POS" Graphics Card with a Nvidia K2100m, I put 32GB and Install GNU/Debian 12 and work very well as a File Server, TM Server, DC Server and Backup server for itself, I'm very impressed.
That's awesome. The Quadro sounds like a great choice. I might have to try this out myself.
Recently I’ve purchased a 2011 21” iMac for €100 ($105), and despite its age it performs well. The seller upgraded it with a 240gb ssd and 8gb of RAM which I’m planning to upgrade to 16gb. I’ve also installed Logic and Final Cut and it doesn’t fell like an old trash fire. It’s not perfect, but it’s also not a piece of old tech whose purpose is to be in a dump. This machine will not replace my 2018 13” MacBook Pro, but as a secondary device or a domestic machine is more than enough.
your cam generates a perspective view with such violent distortion that it makes you look like an alien😂
haha I can see it.
I just bought a 2011 27” iMac with the i7 and the 2gb gpu was only £90 so can’t complain
That's a great deal. Enjoy, Tony!
I have IMac mid 2011 and i can’t install nothing,apps and games its imposible to instal
I have this exact version. It was rebuilt for me, and I'm still using it without issues. It is a bit slow compared to newer models. It used to run hot for a while. I'm not sure what I did, but I'm not having that issue now. The Wi-Fi has been okay, but I use a hardwire connection. I don't use it to edit videos, but I do a lot of photo editing without issues using Photoshop, got too frustrated with Lightroom editing
My question is, I'm running macOS High Sierra 10:13.6. and not able to update the OS Monteray \. Does anyone have any recommendations?
Mine gets so hot. There’s no more official updates to the OS anymore, but there’s patchers that’ll bring you to newer OSs.
Another solution is to just install a Windows 10 on this thing. Fully supported and the spec is still quite respectable especially for most of the demestic usage scenarios excluding havy gaming.
That is another solution. However, I wouldn't say it's fully supported as you will have to jump through some hoops. There's some challenges specific to audio. Windows 8 is the targeted compatibility for Apple with this spec of iMac.
I'm saying fully supported as it's possible to get every single device up and running and achieve fully functioning Windows environment. All solutions and drivers are easily googleable.
I found this model literally in the garbage 27 2011 16gb 2tb hdd when I try to boot up it can't load the os because gpu failure , I try many times to repair the card But I can't do it recently I buyed a card from ali express the nvidia k4100m 4gb that have the firmware flashed to use with the imac I hope it works !
I forget this card have metal support so I can update the os without problem
@@NAM3L3555 Nice find! Hope the GPU works out. That Metal support will make the experience way better.
@@TaylorBrauer yes!! I hope it works :-)
I bought a 2009 dual cpu mac pro and a 27 inch cinema display for $100 and I prefer to use it than my $2000 27 inch 5k imac.
Haha that’s awesome. What is it about the Mac Pro/Cinema Display combo that you like over the 5k iMac?
@@TaylorBrauer Value to price ratio and the mac pro seems faster to use than the imac and how upgradeable and fixable the mac pro is. Mind you my needs are very basic.
Mac Pro 4,1 is always been a bit of a sleeper in the SH market, firmware updatable to the 5,1. Support for six Sata drives, PCI-E expandability, Will accept dual Xeon X5690's for 12 cores/24 threads at nearly 3.5ghz. Ram expandable to 128gb. Adapters available for PCI-E NVME storage, USB 3 or USB C and accepts supported PC GPU's. Combining it with the Cinema Display makes a nice solution. Damn, i want one now.
@@86config Until we talk about your power bills. They will rise like hell, these cMPs are very power hungry and inefficient machines, so it will be costly to run everyday FYI
@@mal4951 Thats a definite caveat.
Shold I buy one 27 late 2011 20 Gb ram for 300 euro ? Better than a china notebook low cost ?
I have the 2011 27 imac on High Sierra i5 32g Ram. I create videos, and run my recording studio Logic Pro X. Photo editing, Internet, Movie servers, A true work horse. Have never had any of these issues, so im assuming its the new technology that is killing this pc, or there is something wrong with it. My pc is older that the one you have and I Have Never had any problems
You could even opencore it and install Monterey, probably not Ventura because of gou failures for it and wifi issues.
How you can install apps and games,i can’t install nothing
These iMacs have many more years of life left to go if you're willing to get your hands dirty. The glitches in this video are caused by the lack of a metal capable graphics card which all of these transparent notifications rely on. Many apps do not work on non metal such as final cut and now microsoft office is having issues. You can pick up a k610 GPU for ~$20 which is metal capable. If you flash it's vBIOS youll have a boot screen and metal support which will get rid of most of the glitches seen in this video. hope this comment is of use
I appreciate the suggestions. The iMac is still around my room so perhaps I'll take up one of these projects to get it more modern.
@@TaylorBrauer let us know 😄
@@TaylorBraueryeah many of the issues you encountered are related to the gpu being non metal capable. You should also replace the thermal paste, remove the DVD drive, and run the fans harder a bit.
@@stevenbenson9976 Those are all good points. Thanks!
I have a 2009 iMac running Monterey with opencore and it works just fine. I did upgrade the hard drive to a ssd and upgraded the ram from 4 to 16, and now it works better than before.
Those are some good upgrades Mario. Glad you're getting the most out of your machine!
I wanna buy one 20 gb ram for 300 euro ! 2011 late , is it worth ?
What kind of GPU do you have?
@@takacsi I don't even remember I got rid of that computer in December, but I think it had a NVIDIA GPU that's all I remember
Never an Apple product user but come look at that everything that came since 2009 looks AGELESS.
Methinks you left off running the open core post-installer. Which would have sped the machine up as well as taken care of the graphical artifacts.
Why not buy this 27" iMac for... say $350 and turn it to standalone display. There are kits available that can turn it to a display and connect it with either an apple laptop, or a mac mini, or even a mac studio. The display is awesome, its a shame to let it go to waste when u can use it ;-)
That's one option, yes. Getting a good deal on an Apple Cinema display or Thunderbolt is even better.
@@TaylorBrauer What do u mean by a deal on Thunderbolt?
@@giorgos7six The Apple Thunderbolt Display. It came out a year after the Cinema Display. It's the same panel just with Thunderbolt 2 instead of miniDP.
Any plans in making a video to suggesting/presenting a way to turn the 27" iMAC to a 27" display?
How bro? I have an M1 Air which I would like to do this with, but AFIK it's not possible between these two devices.
I have a 2011 27 inch iMac as my daily driver with an i5-2400 and 16 gigs of ram and an HD 6770M and a 512 GB SSD. This thing is good for what I do like some ROBLOX and web browsing and even iMovie. It currently runs macOS High Sierra 10.13.6
What's the price of that spec? I would like to start the journey with Apple OS and looking for sth similar.
I think majority of the problems were u at fault its a good machine for the money
lmao, thanks for the feedback. I will continue to make videos regardless if I know how to use a computer 🙂 Have a good rest of your day, Danny.
Im glad I found this video. I have a 2011 21 inch that I got for $20. Instead of dumping money into it I’ll just get an m1 mini. Thanks!
Yw! Glad you found the video helpful. m1 Mini is a great machine. Have you looked on the Apple refurbished store to see if they have one? Those are usually discounted and in excellent condition.
Honestly saying this is an amateur review. How can You expect all these not working features to work properly from device with Monterey installed. I own MBP Retina 2012 16gb ram 750SSD i7 2.7Ghz. Converts raw files smoothly. Works with 4K without any problem. Last week I compared my 11yrs old MBP with M1, 16Gb ram. Both devices did the same 3D scan procedure with similar results and time.M1 under Monterey, mine under win10 and Catalina. Before M1 this computer was fastest mobile device for converting files from one format to another. I.e. Raw to jpg, tiff etc
I'll try how it works with Monterey because I had to install it. Preview works fine without any lag, raw conversion from DXO Photo also.
Greetings.
Glad it's working out for you.
I have a mid2011 iMac 27” and It has the same Wi-Fi problem you mentioned. I’ve installed the OS on an external ssd and sometimes the system crash, but apart from these minor problems It’s still a good computer
Electrocuting yourself... UNPLUG IT. 100% consider this product. If it has an SSD, then this machine has longevity. the screen display is excellent, add memory which is easy (you don't need to take of LCD to do this, very simple accessible opening at bottom of display) and they run like a dream. As long as your not looking for the very latest software they are beautiful machines for your money.
You got a dud machine or haven't done the necessary upgrades to conform to the platform. BAD research.
You’re right about the upgradability. That’s great on this machine. A couple things that make this not so great a machine is, number one, software support is not current which leaves you open to vulnerabilities (if you connect to the internet). This machine I have had 32 gb of ram which is the max this accepts. SSDs can’t save this machine because the CPU and graphics card are very slow. You CAN be seriously injured touching the power supply even when the computer is unplugged. Thanks for watching. Glad you enjoyed!
I used to sneer at Apple products until I bought a 2nd hand 2013 27 inch imac. Simply wonderful.
hey..what prgram u used at 5:33 to monitor temps?
It's called iStat Menus.
@@TaylorBrauer Thank you
Thanks for the video. I am planning to get one just for tinkering. Do you think it can run on Ubuntu Linux?
Hardware wise, yeah, it should be a great little Ubuntu machine. Not sure what hoops to go though for getting it installed.
I have one of this iMacs. Do not buy, not even try to recover from the trash. Nice panel, but is not worth the time and money. If you are a techie person and your are learning, have fun.
Mine was getting crazy hot running windows 11 until I got all of the drivers updated. It's room temperature now unless I'm really pushing it hard. Nothing like it was though
Oh, that's a pretty odd issue. I wonder what in the drivers would regulate that. Might be something with CPU and GPU power management.
I like my 2011s. If you still have yours and heat is still an issue try replacing thermal paste on the CPU and GPU. Would love to see an update with upgrades as well - maybe a better GPU? 2011s are definitely good bang for the buck - for what they do well.
good video, I have bought an imac 2013 late and runss smothly, new ssd and 16 GB ram updated....I love that machine
Odd stuff. Firstly, the 1gb gpu was NOT the most powerful you could have, they offered a 2gb version.
You're also talking about running an OS that apple say cannot be used. Yes, you can use OpenCore. It just sounds like you didn't put the graphics patch in which you need on the non metal GPUs, which this one is.
So if it had been done properly, and if the information was correct, it might suck a little less. Itll still be an old mac, but ita no different to a windows machine. Upgrade a few parts, like an SSD would help, then it might not be quite so bad.
True, the 2gb model was available. It probably helped some in higher resolutions. I should have clarified I was speaking in terms of graphics card model and not variant specs.
The graphics card patch was applied. The issue might have been something else with the patcher. I'm not really sure what. idk if that would have made it suck less. This thing is slow af. It's got an ssd in it.
@TaylorBrauer tbf those patches are constantly updated, and this video is 2 years old.
They are worth buying with failed AMD graphics. By a more modern card that had metal support to replace it and you are good to go
My iMac 2020 is so slow
I7 11th gen
72gb ram
512gb
Latest OS
Any tips .
My m1 MacBook Air is so much faster no lag etc and that is a base model
Depends on what you're doing. The m1 MBA can handles larger workloads because it's faster in almost every regard. If your iMac is running off a HDD perhaps you can look into upgrading to an SSD.
I'd say, the video is eye opener, for lots of issues mentioned I hadn't even considered that they could've occurred.
Do you have the wallpaper you used at the beginning? Is it god of war?
I think it's Skyrim. I'm not sure where I got it :(
I recently purchased a 27 inch 2011 imac for $100 AUS. I have put it side by side with my 27 inch 5k imac and holds its ground with my newer imac. Really there is not a great difference between 2.5k and 5k, but the brightness is superior on the 5k imac. Opening apps is faster on the 5k imac but not by a great deal. I don't do video editing so I cannot compare the difference. The advantage of the 2011 imac is the cost to value ratio. great computer for watching youtube videos and word processing.
Those are some really good points, John. Everyone has a different view on value so to some folks, this computer is still very good. If it's doing what you need it to do and you're enjoying it, and you're paying less for it, then that's a pretty sweet computer 🙂 Have a great weekend!
Is good to buy for programming task like Android Studio, VsCode,& Cloud works?
I just bought one about a month ago on eBay, and not even a top spec model, i5, 8gigs of ram, it does have an ssd, I got it for 120 including delivery and I must say am very impressed, its very snappy, so far I haven't done an awful lot with it, a little website design, watching TH-cam, emails and word processing, I must say am very impressed with how snappy it is, its like brand new, running Catalina for 120 can't go wrong, and it looks great!
@@dominicoconnor8874 That's great to hear, Dominic! Having a machine that suits your needs and for an affordable price is the real goal. Enjoy and have a great week!
This reviewer is a 🤡
Actually High Sierra might be better as it is very snappy
High Sierra was a pretty snappy OS. Unfortunately, it's no longer supported which is a large reason I didn't want to use it. At least, not connected to the internet.
I just unboxed a "brand new" 2011 still in sealed box with i5 I immediately did software update. now it wont connect to app store or load itunes. Any idea?
Im not entirely sure but if I had to guess it sounds like network card issues. I guess check that it’s making a connection to the internet. Software really is a hinderance with these older macs because you can’t put any modern OS that’s Apple supported with all the security updates needed to use this computer safety online. Good luck and do be mindful of those vulnerabilities when using your Mac.
you are not experienced enough to use a computer with an unofficially supported os: it requires knowledge and a few more steps
this is not a mac for you, in your case it is better to always take the latest model (or the best deal on new models)
haha yeah ok.
Hi Taylor Brauer, what I don't understand is my computer man told me my 2012 macbook pro won't update past catalina because apple won't let them do so, so I wonder how can a 2011 imac update to monterey?
It can't, not natively. There is a 3rd party patcher out there that gets around the OS limitation. They have good documentation but it is much more technical than a normal upgrade and keeping it updated is much more involved.
I have one and its graphics card is replaced two times. this model has a faulty graphics card
oof, that's rough. Replacement of the card isn't the easist either.
I had one when it came out, love your videos!
Thanks, John! Glad you enjoyed.
I dont know about that if it can be flashed and stuff then ya. I have one here and I was just thinking of buying the @TaylorBrauer Nvidia GTX 675MX video card with 4gb which is sold on ebay for £150. Only because I want to see how good it edits videos lol it already has i7 and loads of ram. Paid 15 squids for it with gpu problem so there ....😂
It’s a good monitor you just have to upgrade the internal components.
i am running ventura on a imac 27 inch 2010 with no problems using opencore
That's awesome! What are you using it for mainly?
Thanks for your honest review.
Yw! Glad you liked it.
start of video “it sucks”. LOL At least you get right to the point!
Hello i have imac (27inch late 2009) 3,06 GHz intel core 2 duo 12GB 1067 MHZ DDR3 macintosh HD ATI RADEON HD 4670 256 MB. can you tell me the price please?
Thats youre opinon. My imac 27" 2011 runs very smooth. Just a few upgrades to ssd and more ram
Yep. Glad you’re liking it. That’s all that matters.
Same here, runs like a dream, never had any problems with it
I am using the very same model I picked uo for $40 dollars on Craigslist. I think you have a lemon. I don't have your issues and it plays games perfectly. It's great for browsing. streaming etc.
2011 iMac can use Video Editing Software Adobe 2023
I'm not sure if this is meant as a question but I'd recommend not using this for video editing unless you're rendering light 1080p footage or you like waiting a really really long time for 4k footage to render, if it ever does. The entry level M series Macs are miles ahead of this while being reasonably priced, especially if you get M1 generation.
Can we use Photoshop & lightroom ? iMac 2011 27inch? 2k
Why not just run Linux or Windows on this, instead of dealing with Apple's planned obsolescence?
Haha! Taylor, I was expecting a positive review of an old iMac, but instead, it sucks (the iMac)! Not your vlog of course very fun and informative. Cheers!
I wanted to give it a good review but it's just too old. The review would be very different if Apple supported its OSs on older hardware. OpenCore helps but it still isn't going to revive this machine.
@@TaylorBrauer dude! I forgot to tell you, your framed artwork that hit the wall is sweet! Home Sweet Home, buddy. Make it you own! 🏠
@@PeterGreter thank you! Got a couple more to hang up.
Don’t blame the computer if you running one of the latest Mac OS . The computer is still good for home business, mount in kitchen for food recipes, run Mac OS server to host business website,lite gaming, mount in bathroom for display news and tv while in bath tube or shower,mount on patio for music entertainment
Just found one today at the thrift store for $20
$20 is a steal. That'll be a fun project. What are your plans for it?
I've recently bought the 21,5" 2011 iMac, upgraded the HDD to an SSD and put in 16GB of RAM, did the opencore upgrade to big sur (without upgrading the GPU) and it all now runs perfectly fine! If you are not going to use the iMac for real heavy tasks, it's still a great option! (But don't get it from someone who is trying to scam you asking a lot of money for this mac)
how much did you pay?
Just bought one.
How are you liking it?
@@TaylorBrauer The QHD screen is marvelous. I have deleted OSX, since it is not up-to-date anymore. I installed Manjaro GNU+Linux on it. It has an SSD. Need to test it a bit further. But i paid a good price for it. €175,-
I think i am content at the moment.
@@scality4309 That's an awesome setup. Manjaro is such a nice Linux distro and I bet it runs fast with that SSD.
Need a flashed nvidia 4gb metal
That would be pretty cool. I've heard of people putting in GTX 970s into these.
Hurt yourself upgrading?
Hurt yourself upgrading?
my 2011 iMac is currently running macOS High Sierra with no upgrades. I'd like to upgrade it and use it as a stand alone but ideally for a second or main monitor for my Mac Mini or MacBook M1 Air. Seems difficult though as my HD is locked out . . . I looked up videos on all these issues but seem to hit dead ends at every turn
Sounds like what you're looking for is Target Display Mode. Here's what I found on the Apple docs support.apple.com/en-us/105126. Hope this helps!
You say that the imac sucks because the terrible Apple proprietary system. This PC with Linux has a lot to offer! What happen with millenials and their lack of creativity? come on guys!
You do you, Carlos. You want to put Linux on an 11 year old cpu, you do that.
Editing works if you didn't hack it to have Monterey.
May i know this model imac have airdrop function?
One wonders how they processed photos 10 years ago?!😁
COOL
Thanks!!
You could change the OS…
Gonna get the i5 for $100…is that good??
This is the tech guy nutella ! !
i have same wifi issue with my imac
This is bullshit. Officialy this iMac should works with Mac os high sierra. You install not supported soft Monterey, so what do you expect. I have this iMac 27'' mid 2011 with i7 3,4ghz 16gb ram and HD6970M 2GB and SSD 500GB, but I have high sierra and its works just perfect. I have windows 7 on secound partition, so I can even play som games on it. I cant imagine better computer with better display in this money.
If you watched the video you would know I used OpenCore to patch up to Monterey. High Sierra isn't receiving security updates so hope you're not storing sensitive info on your iMac and connecting it to the internet.
@@TaylorBrauer of course I have sensitive info on my high sierra and I an sure there are more safe than yours on monterey installed from not official ways.
Someone is trying to sell me this computer for $450. Would you buy it at this price today? Same specifications as yours but Ram 20 and storage 3gb
@@CoinDAMENatural definitely, if you have the same specs
@@TaylorBrauer With a modern Apple device, you don’t have to be that concerned about security breaches. On Windows computer, it’s the exact opposite.
Few bad takes there buddy..
Boooooo
@@swankyangelo LOL, it starts with his first utterance and just goes downhill from there. A 27" imac from 2011 is heavy... Probably just as well its not really intended as a Macbook Air replacement ehhh ?.. ."A dodgy opencore install of the very latest MacOS on its unsupported graphics doesnt work right"... But at least he tries a Supported MXM GPU in it for monterey.... Nope... Hardly surprising.. fortunately he shows a SUPPORTED OS on it like High Sierra ... lol.. NO. Well, maybe he tries something that would work with the GPU , like.. erm.. Linux, or Windows.. ... NOPE... Dodgy opencore monterey on an unsupported GPU it is Or Bust.. so Bust it is... Bad take after bad take.. These iMacs can be bought for as little as $100 thesedays.. They make extremely nice Linux machines. Quite desirable windows machines for general use and awsome retro gaming box's. He totally fails to recognise his issues are with OpenCore, not the actual Mac.
@@86config my thoughts exactly, machine of this quality doesn’t deserve such bad review
I'm finding the trackpad you are using interesting.
The standalone Apple trackpad? It's so great!