How Does The 2013 iMac Perform in 2022
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ต.ค. 2024
- How Does the Late 2013 21.5" iMac perform in 2022? In this video we review the 2013 iMac to see if this Apple computer still works good in the year 2022.
Will this 9+ year old iMac perform good and run all the modern MacOS applications. You can upgrade the Late 2013 21 inch iMac to MacOS Catalina and we have done that in this video to show you how it runs that OS.
In this video we show you the real world performance of the 2013 iMac (with SSD) including 2013 iMac specifications, pricing, boot up time, applications performance, SSD speed tests, and video render speed tests with both 1080p and 4K editing. Is this 2013 iMac any good in 2022 and how snappy does it run? That is what we find out.
In this video here are a few markers:
Intro to video:
0:14 - Intro to Late 2013 21.5 Inch iMac plus current cost / pricing
1:28 - Late 2013 21.5" iMac Specifications
3:06 - Boot Up Time Example - Booting Up MacOS
4:09 - Application, Browsing, TH-cam Performance
7:02 - SSD Speed Test (Writes and Reads)
8:22 - 1080p and 4K Video Render Test on 2013 iMac
12:15 - Closing Comments on Late 2013 iMac with 21 inch screen
So if you are interested in older iMacs and are not a benchmark person, then watch this video to see how fast of a system you can buy for only $148 in 2022. I think you might be surprised.
For my previous video on the condition of $148 iMac in the video click here - • I Bought A $148 iMac i...
If you are interested in purchasing and iMac and helping out the channel you can find them below or many other places (just make sure to get SSD). Thank you.
www.ebay.com/s... - Great Seller
amzn.to/2HxYQrM - Buy and upgrade to SSD
amzn.to/3OB86fr - Or get newer iMac like this
I just bought one of these locally for $40 because it was stuck in a boot/error message loop. Reinstalled the OS and it works perfectly!
Nice. If it doesn't have SSD install one or boot off external SSD. It will make world of difference.
@@craigneidel I didn't want to try to remove the screen to put in an SSD, so I used an external USB SSD and it works great.
@@JasonBellisle great. I have done that with a bunch of older iMacs and it does work great. I think I have 3 different videos on that from a while back. Good luck and thanks for watching.
Mine is stuck on a blue screen and I need help reinstalling the os in a usb can u help?
Do that and the good thing is my 27” iMac 2013 has 32GB 1600 MHz DDR3 upgrade… and it also now runs Ventura… but I need to add a SSD drive
I got a 27" for the same price and its quite impressive. Even got at 2012 Mac Mini with an I7 and SSD for cheap. The switch to M1/M2 really has made these a nice deal and they make nice windows 10 / 11 machines!
Yes, for sure. The key to the older systems is an SSD. Without one they are slow but with the SSD and 8 to 16 GB ram most people can use them just fine for almost all tasks.
@@craigneidel Is it suitable for light office use in 2024?
@@jonathanllerena1578we use a late 2012 13.1 21,5 Imac definetely you can use the opencore patcher to get it to the newest os works perfect
@@jonathanllerena1578 YES, use a 21 inch as a media center over bed ant i all works fine but i would use open core to install latest OS
Great video man! With Open Core Patcher the 2013 iMac is fully compatible with macOS Ventura. Using Ventura on this Mac is a game changer, it’s amazing how capable these old machines still are with some slight tinkering
Thanks for sharing tip and watching.
How did you download ventura?
Yep! That's what I did. Wonderful💯🔥💯
Is Open Core Patcher free?? I’m looking to purchase this iMac today
@@the23imani Yes! Very user friendly and works great!
We still use this one currently. It was left at my moms house when I went to college. During the height of the pandemic I set it up for her and installed google chrome so she could work from home. It has worked well for the light web browsing, file downloading, emailing and video calling that she needs to pull her work up and do her job remotely. She still uses it to this day for when she works from home. It has been working great and she has no complaints. Google chrome has sped it up significantly as has the fact that it is plugged in through an Ethernet cable. Mind you she does not do anything processing intensive, mainly basic internet and file tasks.
Thanks for sharing. The key is having an SSD . If you don't these can be much slower but you can always upgrade with ssd or boot off SSD. Thanks for watching.
I just picked up a late 2015 model for $100 on Marketplace.I absolutely don't regret buying it. I'm definitely going to replace the HDD to SSD to help maintain longevity.
Thanks for sharing and yes, the SSD will make it 10 times faster and it will be like a new computer. You can also try booting off an external SSD (if you don't want to open up the screen) and I have a number of videos I created on that. I did one for a 2017 iMac and it would basically work the same way.
I picked up a flawless 16gb model for $53 at a goodwill auction. I've never had a mac before, and I'm fairly impressed how well a 11 year old system does.
Nice deal. I'm guessing though it might not have an SSD. If it doesn't make sure that you try booting off an SSD or replace the internal drive to an SSD. That is the main thing you need to make these older machines fast. With an SSD (either boot from an external SSD or inside), these things are 500% faster than with the HDD.
My late 2013 iMac only cost $97.00 shipped, its the 2.9ghz flavor with a 1tb Fusion Drive and 8 gb of Ram and it is beautiful. I am running Monterey at the moment and I just seen Cade stating they are running Ventura. I may upgrade to that in a while. Nice video, Keep up the great work.
Thanks for watching and the comment. Yes, for that money it's totally worth it for sure.
As I mention in your previous video; I took the liberty (after watching your previous video) and ordered a late 2013 / 23.5 iMac from isellimac to add to my collection, C-grade 2.9GHz/16GB RAM/500GB SSD/1024MB GPU got it for $147.68 to include shipping. The company is super professional, packaging was the best I've seen and they shipped it via UPS and I had it 3 days after I ordered it. It was in NEW CONDITION except for a super small 1/64th inch chip on the top leading edge, which I used a black sharpie to fill it (really undetectable). This system is a real powerhouse. You cannot go wrong with this system. This system will do anything you can throw at it; within reason. It beat out my 6-core/i5/2018/Mac Mini with 32GB RAM in my testing of a 5 minute basic video when rendering in iMovie by 10 secs. (Quality High/Compression Faster) (Possibly the 1024GB GPU in the iMac was key ?). Looking forward to your results. I did a rendering comparison against my MBA M1, same setup and the test was eye popping. Keep up your excellent work and thanks for your suggestion regarding isellimac.
Thanks for feedback and I'm glad it worked out for you. Yes, everything I get from them is pretty good and so far they are the best company I found who stand behind their products. I think that the videos may have had a few people buy iMacs since the supply seems to have dried up a bit on their site. That is a great systems and yes the dedicated graphics card makes a difference for sure no matter how old. These things are good at really burning through video editing quickly. That video with M1 vs 2013 may come out in a week or two and I'm just curious on actual render times.
Thanks for watching again Eduardo.
I really appreciate this video! I've been browsing for an iMac for light video editing & other creative projects since my base model 2018 MacBook Air has started to really get some hang ups and older iMacs tend to have good options for specs in terms of RAM and storage at good prices. Your video has solidified to me that getting an older iMac may be the route for me. Will you be doing a video soon about using the Mac mini with an older iMac as a monitor? I haven't been able to find videos on this type of set up and I'm leaning on this route to "future proof" my set up while still trying to save a bit of money. Thanks again for the video! It was really helpful!
I might do a video on that in the future but not 100% sure. Either way though if you can find an older 2015 or best 2017 5K iMac (27") they are even better if your primary goal is video editing. I use a 2017 27" for all my 4K editing and it never has an issue (just make sure you have an SSD). The good things about the 27" (not the 21.5") is you can add your own ram. I added 24 GB and the computer is very fast and crunches through 4K edits very easily. But, even the 21.5 2013 with and SSD can do it but the issue there is the ram etc. If you can get a 2013 i7 with like 16 GB of ram then that will work great too. But, the SSD is the key.
@@craigneidel Ah, thank you so much for the insight! This is super helpful! I'll keep an eye out for these models.
I have 2012 27" I upgraded with SSD and it works fine for the family. I also have 2019 that's mine still happy with both.
They are nice for sure. Thanks for sharing and hope you can sub if not already. I may get some other older apple systems and test them and try to come up with some unique things
How do you do this to your family let them use a 2012 mac? Shape up and get them a new machine.
My late 2013 IMac is still up and running in 2024, and its been used for years playing games like Minecraft, Stardew, LoL, Valorant daily with windows bootcamp downloaded on it. Changed the keyboard and Mouse to Logitech and its completely fine at running standard fps
Nice, no need to stop using something that is working good for you.
Just bought a slightly upgraded version of this exact mac for a +-250 dollars. Super excited! Looking forward to install ventura on this thing
Thanks for sharing. As long as it has an SSD (not spinning drive) it will be fast for sure. If you didn't get an SSD you can boot of an external SSD or install one internally.
Still using this in 2023. I'm just now hearing hearing a buzzing on the power supply area. I am waiting for the M2 Pro Mac Mini to come in with a studio display. 10 years of service is more than I can ask for. I couldn't even imagine using a 2003 computer in 2013.
Yes you got you money's worth for sure. Good luck and thanks for watching.
I am condisering to buy iMac 27" late 2013 these days with 16GB RAM and Intel i7 and after this video I am a few steps closer to do so. Thanks Craig!
Thanks, they are getting older so just note you can't update the OS to the newest etc. The main thing is to make sure it's running an SSD.
With an SSD upgrade, it can take the boot time from 1 minute (for me) down to just 20 seconds. If you use DMG files, you can install just about all of the modern apps as well.
Upgrading the SSD doesn't take a lot of time or effort either. The hardest part is putting it back together, specifically putting the new adhesives on.
Yes I have done that on a few but this one has an SSD inside already. I also boot off an external SSD enclosure on a few older iMacs.
I changed the hard drive on mine but when I plugged the display cables back in, the display wouldn't fire up. Then when I pushed the wide cable more firmly on the display side, I bent up the display receiver cable. At this point, I am thinking that it is not worth pursuing further.
Yes, they could be difficult to fix and are not worth too much now. But, maybe ask somebody who has experience with fixing older Macs as it could be an easy fix also, you never know.
I bought mine brand new. Still got it today. Made the smart choice back in the day to spend the extra on the SSD and the upgraded CPU and graphics card. However I moved on from MacOS due to the support issues and run Linux on mine now. I ran OCLP for a while but its getting a little flaky running Ventura... No such issues with Arch... 😀 At this stage i'll just continue to run it until it fails...
Yes these machine can run great with Linux. Thanks for posting.
Update. I did a full tear down on my $50 21.5 2013 i7 4770 iMac. Replaced the failed stock NVMe SSD and maxed the ram to 16gb. It's absolutely fantastic! Perfect for my pocket audio studio!
Thanks and these older systems can still fly 10 years later which is crazy.
I grabbed a 27 inch late 2013 model from the garbage, surprisingly works fine and was wiped clean when I got it. Has the i5, 16gb of ram and 775m currently running on catalina os
If it doesn't have an SSD try booting off an external SSD to speed it up too.
I bought a 2017 iMac for £400 and a £69 Samsung EVO SSD, I cloned the HDD to SSD via USB opened it and swapped, now I have a super fast computer for less than £500
Nice job and thanks for watching.
Just found your video. Very cool! I've had a 2012 21.5" Imac since new. It has an i5 2.7 ghz cpu with 512mb external graphics card(Nvidia), 8gb ram. Came with a very laggy laptop class 1tb hard drive. Less than 50 MB/s transfer rates. Replaced it with a SATA2 500MB SSD. Get the same basic 500MB/s transfer rate as your gem. Very nice. My 2011 21.5 inch thick imac came with a much faster 7200 rpm desktop class hard drive. It blew this stock imac away. The 2012 thin base imac out of the box was "backward". I now use that junk mechanical drive in an interface case as my boot/backup/scavenger drive.
Thanks for sharing and watching. I like to see what others are using out there.
Thanks for sharing and good luck with everything. I agree with what you said.
Hi, thank you for all your content. I have the 2013 iMac with Fusion Drive. It’s gotten slow and noisy. Which external ssd are you recommending these days for this machine? Thank you!
For these older systems just use the fastest port on the 2013 and use something like a Samsung 2.5" SSD drive. You will only get around 500 MB/s but it will be was faster then the fusion drive. I boot my 2017 27" off a 2.5" Samsung drive for now 5 years. i have edited 500 4K videos and it's snappy enough for me.
@@craigneidelthanks for the reply Craig. I see there are a few versions of the Samsung with kinda widely varying prices. i.e. 1tb 860 is twice as much as the 1tb 870 on Amazon. And is there an important difference between the evo vs qvo? I’ll be getting the owc mercury elite enclosure you recommend using your link. Hope it compensates you in some way. Thanks for the help!
Also seeing a lot of Amazon reviews that these are failing. I wonder if the quality has gone down since you got your evo 860?
I don't think so as the Samsung are normally the highest quality of SSD drives you can buy. It's. your best bet if you want to spend a bit more for them.
great video. I have the same imac, I'm thinking of using it as my main monitor for the new mac mini M2 pro I ordered, what do you think? can I hook up with just a cable? thanks
Thanks, here is some info on that - support.apple.com/en-us/HT204592
Thanks for your video mate, I recently got the same Imac 21.5 2013 for 600 HKD (roughly 80 USD), with the upgrade wave to apple silicone, these are probably the best bargain in second hand computer market. Mine one just got an old spinning disk so I took some risk and got a ifixit type screen open kit and to my delight, found an empty pcie slot, popped in a nvme 256 with the original 1tb as a data drive, system runs like a dream!
Thanks for sharing. Yes, once you put in an SSD they run very smooth. Without the SSD they can be super slow. But anybody can add an SSD or just boot off external SSD in about an hour so they work great.
I have a late 2014, so your video is super helpful in deciding whether I should ditch it or not. I’ve replaced the hard drive twice and added 32 ram, and now the startup disk is giving me problems. I’m not sure if I should invest more money or not. Taking it in tomorrow. Am thinking of getting a Mac Mini M2; what screen/ monitor would you recommend?
Yes, I would not spend too much money when you can pick up the mini for $499 on sale. As for monitors there are hundreds of them. I have a video on that as well. It comes down to what you want like 1080p, 4K, 5K, and the price points.
Managed to grab a 27” Late 2013 for £80 (around $110) shipped - 16gb ram, gtx775 and the I5 - great machine so far… well impressed with the speakers.
Nice, if it has an SSD it will be fairly fast. If it does not boot off an external SSD and it will speed it up.
You are just a savior, and Even you really reply to all comments. Blessings.
Which is the best one for Video Editing for a wedding videographer, i am currently using 2012 mac pro i7 but the speed nowadays is awful 😞
If you are using the Mac for a job like that I would upgrade to a more modern M2Pro Mac like the 14" MacBook Pro or even the new M2 15" MacBook Air. It will make the job much easier. Even a 2020 27" 5K iMac can be bought for about 1K now and the screen makes those attractive. Just make sure you get an SSD and have about 16 GB ram on the 2020.
Excellent video! I jsut saw a 2013 21.5 come up in local FB sale for $150. After seeing your video, I can use this as a negotioation since it does not have a SSD, which is a great upgrade. Thsnks again, and I'm subscribing to check out your other content.
Thanks for sharing. You really want an SSD or it will be very slow but you can boot off an external SSD like a Samsung T7 drive (1 TB for only $89). Then you will have a super fast Mac with 1 TB. I have some videos on how to boot off external SSD.
@@craigneidel Thanks Craig! I scored the iMac for $130. I just bougth the T7 you recommended, sale was ending tonight, so great timing! Going to check out your videos on external boot. Thanks again!
Your best line, at the end: it is as much as an Apple Pencil. You are right. I just bought an iMac like yours, similar price, May 2023, so I don't need to carry my laptop from home to office and back.
Thanks for watching and the comment. They are nice for the money but just make sure it has the SSD or boot from an external SSD and they still run great.
Thanks for your video. i'm considering installing an ssd in my 2013 imac, but i wasn't sure if it was worth the effort. But 21 seconds to boot is good.
Yes it will make huge difference for sure.
I just shipped my 2012 Imac convert to a relative via UPS. It cost $50 to ship, so the cost for a nice used Imac is pretty amazing, considering high shipping costs these days.
Yes, the old iMacs are fun to play around with for sure.
I am using an IMac 8gb 1TB and it still rocks! Alongside an IPad 9 and a MBA M2 it is more than enough for my art wortj. I think to buy MBP but depends of my carreer path maybe within 2 or 3 years max. Apple hardware is really powerful and built to last for a long time.
Yes, the 2013 still work great even 11 years later. I agree they can last quite a long time. Thanks for watching and good luck with your career.
I'm looking into getting one with a fusion drive. Would you still recommend an ssd instead?
You can always try it and normally fusion drives are fast enough. But, you can boot off an external SSD if you wanted to in the future to add some speed.
I just purchased one of these for $50, and so far it works perfectly. How well would a computer like this work for things such as schoolwork or editing videos/pictures?
They would work as long as it had an SSD. The other issue is the OS but if you load Open Core Legacy Patcher and then install the newest OS that fixes that issue also.
Hi, great video. Wanted to know if this could comfortably run the latest version of photoshop and other similar Adobe softwares? How would it compare to the latest i mac models?
To tell you the truth it could run those but you need to confirm the latest version of those Apps run on the OS version that the iMac can run. That would be the only issue I see. Just make sure they are compatible with the OS and the iMac has an SSD.
Very well delivered review Craig!
Was hoping you could coach me on how to setup and Imac 21.5 (2013) as a dual monitor?
Would appreciate any advice you can give me.
I might make a video on this but there are a ton of good videos on that topic online for sure. You need I think 2 different cables etc. and it should work for you on the 2013 iMacs. Thanks for watching and the feedback.
Hey Craig. What's your thoughts on iMac Pro 2017? Is it still solid in 2022? Base model with the 8 Core Xeon is going for $1300 right now on eBay. I'm switching from Windows and want to enjoy a 5k panel, but that new studio display is $1600 on its own haha.
It's not back with the 5K display. Either that or the 27" 2020 iMac with an i7 etc. could work also as you get more years of OS updates. It won't be quite as fast but I have seen those for around $1000 used here and there.
question. how come you have imovie on catalina, meanwhile on apple apps mention minimum on mac os ventura?
You can get older versions to run just fine
Great information thank you. What do you think of a late 2014 27" i7 with 16gb memory stock SSD fusion drive for about double the price?
If I go this route I would like to add an SSD but is the stock fusion drive painfully slow for even general use like streaming and web browsing?
That is a pretty good deal even at double the price as it's the better 27" screen, cpu, and memory. The fusion drive is actually a spinning 5400 HDD but has a small cache basically that is fast SSD space. So it's not as good as a straight SSD but better than just the normal HDD for sure. Just make sure it's at least a fusion drive and you should be good.
fusion is quite a bit faster but if you do longer tasks it can slow down. For most people it will be much quicker than HDD.
I have one and just bought the m3 2023 model. I can’t believe how fast this old one is with the SSD. WOW I’m gonna buy a external SSD right now
They still work good for the age.
0:00 I’m so glad I came across this video. I have this same iMac (minus SSD) and I stupidly updated the software not realizing that iMovie would no longer work after that version of iOS. I mainly only use my iMac for internet and iMovie. I don’t want to waste money because I feel like this computer is still good enough for my needs. My question is, what can I do to make it so I can still run iMovie? I tried returning to a version of catalina but even then iMovie doesn’t work. Yes, obviously I’m completely computer stupid so I could really use your advice.
Does it have a camera?
@@ggray1213 yes it does.
You can normally get older software like this - discussions.apple.com/thread/8299452 . I would also do a search on Google as they have a bunch of people discussing this to help out. Thank you.
you should mention something about Target Display Mode... I have almost the exact same iMac from 2013 hooked up to a Macbook pro 2015 on Monterey, using a Thunderbolt 2 cable... it's extremely responsive and the screen is lovely.. much better than the airplay mirroring... in fact I tried upgrading to Ventura using OCLP, but went back to Catalina after a couple of days....in fact I just picked up another for 99 pounds to use a second or third monitor
I might in the future and they are great monitors but only 1080P. I'm not sure I could go back to that after 5K but I do agree they are very high quality and great secondary monitors.
Great video. I have a Macmini corei7 2.3ghz 2012 and I woul like to replace for the model iMac 21.5 Core i5 2.9ghz Nvidia 750m 1Gb. Do you think will be a good upgrade?
Thanks for watching. I guess it depends on how you are using it. What is the age of the iMac also etc. I would just look for the model you are buying and then see if you can find specific videos on that model. Also, make sure it has an SSD drive as that is the most important feature on an iMac.
I am new to apple ecosystem. i didnt understand the part that we need external SSD. so do we need to buy apple ssd ?
If you don't have an SSD in the computer you can boot off external ssds. I have some videos on that.
I have this exact computer and it's still going strong. That being said, it is pretty slow to start up and to open apps. Also, any suggestions on a port hub? I've bought two online from Amazon that say they work with Macs, but neither work on mine.
Does it have an SSD? That will make boot times about 20 to 30 seconds and make the system very fast. You can boot off an external SSD also which I have video on. The Anker hub should work good. - It is Anker hub model - A8346 - amzn.to/3QQeBNn
I have a video on that also if you wanted to view it but I have about 20 videos of hubs that work good on Macs.
Please could you tell me what spec older iMac I would need for using TradingView as a forex trader please. I’m looking at a 2014 1TB SSD, 32GB Ram, quad core i7, 4ghz. Does that sound ok? How many years would I get from it before I couldn’t get the new updates? Thank you
I don't use that so would not know. Just make sure you get one with ssd.
Took my late 2013imac apart and upgraded the ram to 16Gb and removed the 1TB HDD for a 1TB SSD. Apple really wanted to punish anyone who wanted to do simple upgrades. I had to take the whole machine apart plus glue the screen back on. 🤦
I even I managed to get Ventura installed with Open core legacy patcher and so far it runs fine.
Nice, yes anything after I think the 2011 iMacs are much harder. The ones before that used magnets for the screen which was way easier. I just boot off an external SSD on some of my older iMacs and it works great so I didn't need to remove the screen.
I am sure there are many stories of older macs still being useful. I have an early 2008 imac from new. It has served me well for day to day stuff. I put an SSD drive in it and that's it. Up until maybe a year ago it didn't really struggle for those day to day tasks but now I am ready to let it go as it can't handle some web pages and is getting slow (like me).
Great content by the way. Finding content that is clear and to the point is becoming difficult.
Thank you Kevan for watching.
Works great with my iMac 27 inch late 2013 which I bought new and in with I four years ago replaced the original HD with an 1TB Samsung ssd. I have 24 gb of ram memory in it. Thank you very much for all these information. I have only one question, the system shows an update for Mac OS Sonoma, I am not sure if I should I ignore that?
Thanks for watching. Are you saying it's asking about Sonoma on a 2013 iMac? That should not be possible unless you are running something like Open Core patcher so I'm not sure why you would be getting that message on a 2013 since it can't upgrade to that new OS.
Thanks for the reply. I'm sorry I wasn't clearly enough. Yes I'm running Mac OS Ventura on my iMac 27 late 2013 with the Open Core Legacy Patcher. The system give me software update message for MacOs Sonoma 14.2.1 (13.36 gb). I wasn't sure wat to do with this update. Hope I have made it a bit more clearly now. @@craigneidel
Yes, thank you. I'm not sure either since I have used open core but have not really done an upgrade after I did the initial install. I would do a quick search on Google and then follow that. My guess is the update should work but it might come down to testing.
@@craigneidel thank you for your answer. Yes I already have search the internet if there is more information about it. But until now I haven’t found the right answer. I will look further.
Thank you again for your time and have a nice day.
Thanks and good luck.
witch iMac i should buy for doing basic things like browsing internet because I can't decide between 21.5 late 2013 and 21.5 mid 2014
Both are good and not a ton of difference but make sure you get an SSD on the system or they will be slow. With an SSD these systems are still very capable. Also get 8 GB min and 16 GB if you can.
I got ventura on it got it for 65 bucks damn can't believe it this thing is amazing in 2023 I'd buy it and upgrade to ventura 3tb hard drive is a plus as well
Yes they are nice machines for the money. I'm releasing a review of my 2017 27" imac soon so keep an eye open for that video.
Keep an eye out for a late 2012 or 2013 imac 27", these have GTX GPU's that are comparable to the GTX 750ti!
Thanks for the info and for watching.
Thanks for sharing your video.
Im glad I found your channel.
I own a 2013 21” iMac with an i5, 8gb ram & 1TB storage running macOS Catalina. It still works but
I can’t use it with LogicPro or FinalCut pro. It’s horrible with the performance. Overloads, lags, freezes.
So I bought a 2020 27” 5k iMac with an i9, 2TB storage adding 64gb ram. Problem Solved.
And my M1 16” MacBook Pro Max is a beast.
These are my video & music recording machines.
After Watching your video here I find I can still use the 2013 iMac for everything else except Logic & Final Cut.
If I was to factory reset it (I already TimeMachine backed up) would mine get the performance like yours?
Just out of curiosity.
I would like your advice.
Thanks again for posting your information video here. 😊
Thanks for watching. If you replace the 1 TB HDD with an SSD it will run most of that unless it's not compatible with the version of the OS. If you don't want to open it up and install the SSD try booting off an external SSD. I have a few videos on that and do it with my 2017 in one of the videos. It is a night a day difference and makes the 2013 super quick. Thanks for sharing.
Do you not have added risk when using an older OS and not the most current? You are still protected?
Yes, you do but you can use something like Open Core to load the newest OS on devices like this.
Thanks for the video -- Well done and ... Encouraging.
I have had my own Late 2013 21.5" iMac since new and it hasn't given a minute's problem. Very happy with it, though recently disappointed that my Adobe photo package now needs MacOS 12 for Photoshop and Lightroom Classic (although the newest Camera Raw 15 DOES download and work great - Yay!); I'm topped out I guess with Catalina 10.15.7 but still very happy.
Oh, I did install a 5TB SSD a couple years ago (pretty easy to do) and the machine came new with 16GB RAM. It also came stock with an NVIDEA GForce graphics card that Apple long since "divorced," so I guess GPU doesn't do anything now. Still fast though and works very smoothly all the time for my photo and video clip editing. Cold boots up in about 30 seconds.
Thanks for the massage and good luck with everything. For some reason I love the older macs but with my channel I keep changing. 2013 can be good for most things and too bad it can't be upgraded to current os. Thanks again for watching. Appreciate it.
I have a iMac 27-inch, Late 2013 with a 3.2 GHz processor and Intel core i5. Would I be able to upgrade to a SSD Boot drive? If so, would you refer one? Thanks
Yes, it should work fine. I don't use external SSD Boot drive for my 2013 but have a bunch of videos where I do this on my 2017 iMac and 2011 iMacs (search on my channel for those). I normally get an enclosure from OWC like this - eshop.macsales.com/shop/owc-mercury-elite-pro-mini/usb-c - and put in a Samsung drive for reliability and more control, but in this case you would need to have an adaptor so it can plug into your 2013 since it doesn't have usb-c and only usb-A But should be backwards compatible. But, something like the Samsung T5 should work for less work just fine. I like to use Samsung or a reliable drive when it's going to be the boot drive even if external.
Can you use this as a monitor for mac mini M1?
I think you can with 2 specific cables from apple. It's like 60 bucks in cables. I think somebody did video on it but I have not yet. Thanks for watching.
@@craigneidel OK thanks for the reply 👍
can you give me your advice please ?... should i buy imac 2015 for rendering and editing videos?
It's not optimal. You can maybe get by if it has SSD and good ram but if you are going to do editing a 27 inch 2017 or 2020 is better and m chip laptops like even m1 is better for sure. All depends on how you want the experience to be like.
@@craigneidel "I am bound by a specific budget." The prices in Egypt it’s very expensive..2017 io higher would be hard to buy ☹️☹️
If you bump up the ram you can do editing on a 27" imac from 2015. 1080P for sure and for 4K just use a codec that isn't too demanding and it should do the work, just take longer to do.
@@craigneidel thank you sir
@@craigneidel if iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015)
3.1 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
8 GB 1867 MHz DDR3
Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200 1536 MB
500 ssd
What do you think about it ?!!
Sorry for asking too much
Hello, your videos are awesome 👌 thank u very much. I am watching your videos because I saw 2 imacs on Facebook market and I have to pick them up tomorrow. I know you do not recommend buying from a person directly 😒 which is why I'm watching your videos in order to know what to look for. I'm buying it for my kids to use it for school homework (grade 5). I was hoping that you will mention 🙂 things like imac 2013 is for students. But you said a lot positive things, so I assume it will be good for my kids. I will let you know how it works tomorrow. Thank u thank u. Keep up the good work. 😊
Thanks for watching and the nice words. The 2013 will be good as long as you have 8 GB ram and and SSD. If you didn't get an ssd then you might need to boot off external SSD or it could be a bit slower. I always say that in the videos and try and make sure it comes with SSD and you will be happy. Thank you again.
Great video thank you
Appreciate the feedback, thanks for watching.
Can I use this computer for programming?
It depends on what you are doing etc. Also, you need 8 or 16 GB of ram and an SSD for them to be fast enough for most things but the compatibility of the software you would need to check and confirm it works with the older OS (unless you update os using Open Core).
Does premiere get stuck on loading quick time bundle. Cause that's what mine does
Mine did not.
I have the late 2013 27in w/ Nvidia 780 maxed out the ram to 32gb and put a 2tb ssd in bit of advice if u do the ssd upgrade don't forget to clean with alcohol after removing the old adhesive or the screen will fall off the next day luckily my computer chair saved the day also use a blow dryer to heat the new adhesive a bit. I used open core for ventura prior to the ssd and it run like crap but flawless after the ssd upgrade.
Thanks for sharing. I also boot off external SSDS with these older systems and they are so much faster even when doing that. Thanks for watching and commenting.
I got this same model.... mainly for nostalgia.
Yes they are fun to use and thanks for posting.
I have a late 2013 iMac running 3.1Ghz quad core i7 , 16GB 1600 Mhz DDR3, Nvidia GeForce GT 750 1GB. Been using it for around 5 years or so but now I am bored of it. It works fine for basic stuff like web surfing, checking e-mail, listening to music, using it as a plex server, downloading stuff, Office 2019, etc. I decided to buy a ThinkCentre from ebay for $150 to replace my old iMac. The specs on the ThinkCentre M920s is 16GB 2600 DDR4 Ram, nvme storage, i7 gen 8th 6 cores, usb-c port, 3.2 usb ports. The iMac is a beautiful machine but what I no longer like about it is that I no longer can get security or OS updates, old USB 2.0 ports, not fast enough for anything serious like video editing. The new iMacs have soldered hard drive and ram so that's a big no for me.
I always say get what works best for you. I don't mind the new Macs and use them for all my content on a daily basis but if a Win PC is better for you there is nothing wrong with that.
Will it work with IEX for elementary kids ?
I'm not sure what IEX is.
I have the same model. The issues I ran into is browsers like Brave and Chrome will freeze which is annoying.
I am only able to use safari. Also I noticed certain websites I frequently visit will not load properly because I am
using Catalina 10.15.7 which is the only update I can use on this late model. I have 80% freed up space on my
hard drive so it's not that as many will elude to. Is any one experiencing these annoying issues? Yeah it works
but there are limitations.
Do you have an SSD inside? If not boot off an external SSD and the speed difference will be incredible. It also helps to have 16 GB Ram. Also, maybe use Open Core Legacy Patcher to put the newest version of MacOS on it and that is good also. Thanks for watching the channel.
Hey just came across this. I have the chance to trade for a 2013 Imac with the i7 , 27 inch screen. I saw where Apple made these obsolete. Does that change anything since you made this video? Thank you
You won't be able to upgrade to the newest OS but you haven't been able to for a while. Also, make sure the 2013 has an SSD or it will be very slow. They still work on older MacOS versions but you won't be able to run Ventura unless you use something like OpenCore patcher. You can watch videos on how to use that on TH-cam but it's semi-complicated.
@@craigneidel thank you. I have someone wanting to trade a 27 inch model with the i7 for this DJI Spark Drone I have for sale. I asked about the drive and he says it's a hybrid drive? Any experience with those? I've never heard of one but I'm not a real familiar with Apple products and only just getting acquainted with my iphone 14 and ipad so I apologize if these seem ridiculous questions. I will search for info on that drive as well, I'm just worried that information will be dated to when the item was newer and not how it may be performing today. Thank you.
@@leeshope fusion are not as good as an SSD but better than spinning drive for sure. Should be fine or you can boot off external SSD. Just not you can't upgrade to newest os on 2013 iMac but it would still work fine.
I need a new mouse and keyboard for my Late 2013 iMac 27-inch. what kind can i get? thanks
I would just get the standard Apple keyboard and you can find them refurbished on Amazon for less.
Compared to this the mid-2014 model is a staggering downgrade, for only around $200 saving. I'm trying to give my parents' one a little more active life but with a mere dual core cpu, slower gpu, soldered RAM, no blade connector etc. I'm facing a major challenge. Hey, perhaps do a video on that one - if you get it running well I promise to be very impressed.
If I get that one in one day I'll do a video. Good luck and thanks for watching the channel.
Does ir work great with adove , Photoshop? Indesign?
I only tested Photoshop but the OS version could be the issue so make sure it's compatible with the OS version that it can run.
should i get the 2014 iMac 27-inch 5k Retina Core i5 3.5GHz - HDD 1 TB - 8GB?
Not sure what are you using it for. Also does it come with ssd or at very least fusion drive. If it's standard spinning hard drive you want one with ssd.
Can I use this computet for programming? ( I’m gonna buy 24gb ram 1tb ssd model)
1tb hdd
I would get one with an SSD and not an HDD as they are very slow back then.
Is a 2013, 27”, 32GB RAM, 1TB hardDrive for $250 a good deal? I need a machine to edit my videos and pictures.
You don't want anything with a spinning hard drive since it would make the system slow. I assume that system has a 1 TB spinning (5400 or 7200 RPM) hard drive. You can boot off an external SSD with the older Macs, and there are tons of videos on how to do that. That would speed it up to what I was seeing. Also, just note you won't be able to get the newest OS on the 2013 systems. I love the older iMacs but if it's your main computer then I might try and stretch out the base M2 mac mini (if you have a monitor).
I am just afraid I won't find nothing better for this price ($250 for a 32GB RAM). I could go max for $400-500.
If you get it just boot off external SSD. I have videos on how to do that and that is the key. Only takes about an hour to setup.
Can u play online and multiplayer games, like Minecraft or farming simulator22 ???
Yes, simple games like that should work good on this system but other more challenging games won't run great. It's not a gaming machine but if it has an SSD (not spinning HDD) it is capable of running basic games pretty good.
@@craigneidel is farmingsimulator 22 Calle for it yeah?
I just ordered a 2015 iMac with SSD. Im surprised it can run Monterey! Im excited to use it in my office
Good luck with everything. If the price is good they are still nice machines.
so what is the best deal for an imac now_? the late 2013still the best deal? and...what about the macbook pro? 2015?
2015s are nice for sure. For the 2013 try and get one like this - Apple iMac 14,1 - 21.5" 2013 - Core i5-4570R @ 2.70GHz 8GB RAM 256GB SSD - Good - $220.00 eBay etc. is a good price point.
@@craigneidel in the States there is a lot of second hand stuff... here choices are limited bro
THANKS!!!!
I'm looking forward to your comparison with the M1 MBA.
Not sure how much faster 1080p can be. If that's all you need this 2013 crunches it out great.
I'm curious too.
@@craigneidel I benchmarked the 2020 M1 Mac mini I had at the time against my mid 2012 MBP (which also has an SSD) using Cinebench and Geekbench 5. I'm interested in seeing how my results compare with yours. I like the Macs of that era, they're great hobbyist machines.
@@bryans8656 thanks. I'm not going to benchmark since that only give part of story and is well documented. I'm just going to have them render the same video to see real world use differences.
This video has been so helpful!
Would this iMac work perfecting for photoshop photo editing work?
Thank you. If you get a 2013 with an SSD it should be fine with general photoshop work but just take a bit longer than the new M1s. Just make sure you know what version of the OS you need etc. since there are limitations on what this can be upgraded to via my video. But, for under $200 these are nice machines.
Thanks Craig, just what I wanted to know.
Thanks
I got that same ad today.
What Ad?
The Hugh white ad
2015 iMac quad core 2.8ghz but with HDD vs this one ?
No, I would not get this with HDD. World of difference with speed and it will be way slower.
Okay, but you can't casually mention the iMac being tested "...was updated with an SSD..." and then "...but it doesn't really matter." Putting a modern SSD in an old iMac matters a lot when doing performance and speed testing. In effect, it's not really a 2013 iMac anymore.
This video should have been something more like "How Much Can a 2013 iMac Be Modernized", or something like that.
Coincidentally, I just replaced the terrible hard drive in my 2013 iMac (which was likely defective from the start...thanks, Apple) with a 1 TB SSD from Other World Computing and then used the Open Core Legacy Patcher to get MacOs Monterey on it. It's like a whole new machine, and scores pretty well on GeekBench's benchmarks.
The hardest part of tearing apart an iMac is getting the screen glued back on with good alignment. Otherwise, the job wasn't as hard as I initially feared.
In at least 20 videos I made I always say all mac's need ssds and never get Mac with spinning drive. So I know it matters.
I am trying to install virtual box for ubuntu ,let's see if it will work fine .
Good luck with everything.
Not sure about mine because of "wear and tear", but but I've had mine for about ten years, and it's slow. Having browser tabs open, music playing, and maybe another active app, with several background processes- mine's slow.
Does it have SSD or normal hard drive? They need an SSD to be snappy
@@craigneidel 1TB Fusion Drive
Fusion are good but if you can install an SSD or boot off external SSD that can speed them up. Good luck with everything.
How bout imac 2013 i3, is it still worth?
Depending on price etc. 2013 iMacs still work fine but you need to have an SSD inside or boot off an external SSD in order for them to be snappy. Otherwise they will be slow with a spinning HDD. Of course it's hard to recommend something so old but in the end they can still work if that is what you have budgeted but just understand it won't get all software updates etc. Thanks for watching.
I have the exact same it’s fantastic
Yes, they are pretty good for the age and still work great.
How is the browser & internet
Surfing works great which means it can run safari perfect with no lag. Rest is up to you internet speed.
@@craigneidel awesome thank you .
Is this have ssd drive...??? Because mine is too slow that it take 56 seconds to Boot
Yes, you need the SSD for this to be quick otherwise it will be very slow. You can boot off an external SSD and I have some videos on that. That will make a older Mac fly when compared to standard spinning drive.
@@craigneidel ohhww yaahh..thank you so much man... I was literally curious about that 😌
I'm trying to livestream using my i5 late 2013 27in imac with 24gb ram. using obs and youtube to test. results not good. lots of lag and really didnt cut it. Using HDD not SSD so would a SSD help? any other suggestions? Thansk
The SSD speeds up the performance of the 2013 by 10 times in my opinion. I'm not sure how it would affect streaming but in the end it really speeds up the system. I have some video on booting off an external SSD enclosure (there are others also on TH-cam). I would watch those and try booting off an external SSD and then review the speeds. It only takes about an hour etc. to setup and it will make a world of difference. Thanks.
@@craigneidel Thanks Craig, I’ll check out the other videos. I’ve actually thought about cracking open my iMac and putting a NVMe SSD into the main board. I didn’t get a Fusion Drive but all 27iMacs have the slot regardless. It’s a challenging process but since the spring retention piece broke recently, I’d like to fix that as well. The screen will droop all the way down unless I prop it up with something (a small notebook in my case) in the back.
How did you get iMovie on Catalina ?
You need to search for compatible versions online or go to the Apple store and reload a version that you used before if you downloaded previous versions of iMovie. I would just search that topic on Google and you should find out how to do it.
Did yours come already pre-loaded? Thank you.
I did have a clean OS on it but I reloaded it as I always do.
How is this iMac for photo editing in Lightroom
It's from 2013. It is what it is but it can do light editing but maybe not as fast as most need if you do that for a living. If you just dabble in it then it might be able to handle it if it had an SSD. The computer is fine for very basic tasks.
This model but 27 inches, is upgradable to a core i7 4770 or 4771, 32GB of ram with 4 sticks of 8GB and the most amazing, supports NVME PCIexpress SSD apart from the mechanical HDD or SATA SSD. So you can have 2 solid state drives, and maximum capacity for little money, the computer is still a bullet for everyday stuff and normal user demanding work (no disney productions or nonsense like that). I fully recommend it until 2020, all of them are full upgradable processor, memory and ram. The new all welded and with cell phone technology... I see them with doubts.
Thanks for sharing and I agree with you. These are great systems for the money (with SSD) and can do most thinks short of creating a Disney movie. I may pick up the 2020 27" iMac if it comes down in price as I have a 27" 2017 and it's very fast still and being able to add 64 GB Ram is a huge plus. I have the 24" imac for my channel but love that too even though only 8 GB ram.
@@craigneidel From iMac 2017 to 2020 you can put 128GB of ram with 4 sodimm 2666 modules, they work perfect.
A year-plus later, the prices are even lower. I run Kubuntu, which finds the 2013 i7 to be very gainful.
Nice, yes they are pretty nice considering the age.
Should I pick up a 2013 i5 for 100$ 2.7ghz
If it has a SSD then it's worth it or if you plan on adding one to boot off of it. If you don't they are slow but the SSD is everything. That is a good price if you buy it with an HDD but then add an SSD.
I jyst wiped my mid-2010 iMac. It was so slow and was stuck back in 2016 for OS! It was so slow it took 10 mins to boot up!
Yes, the 2010's are getting very old now and even if you boot of external SSD you can only do so much with them. The 2013 actually still works pretty good all things considered for a normal household computer - except the OS is going to be a bit older.
BRUH I never thought they would have a video about this let’s go I can see what my iMac can do now and it still hasn’t arrived in the mail so yeah
Thanks for watching. Just make sure you get one with an SSD and it will perform the same.
Ok Ty
I actually have this machine and it is slow, it also sounds like a key is stuck when i click on a tab.
It's from 2013 so it is not going to be crazy fast. Also, do you have an SSD or a HDD - massive difference and also the ram is important.
Biggest downside is the low resolution display (assuming this isn't a 4K model). MacOS doesn't really play well with 1080p screens these days.
It's a very sharp and clear 1080P display though and one of the best for sure I have seen with the glossy screen. For the money not bad at all since it comes with the computer all for about $165 give or take.
I’ve been trying to update mine how do i do it?
Update how.
Like from Catalina to Big Sur but it’s not been working.
It's hard for me to trouble shoot individual systems but if you want to bring these up to more modern OS take a look at something like Open Core legacy patcher. Thanks again.