I have this exact Mac. Came with the 3TB Fusion Drive. Ok, it now has 3 TB of SSD, 32 Gb of RAM and it's running 15.1 courtesy of OCLP 2.1.2. OWC seal kits work fine.
@@rebootretro Yes, well, I have never had the need to take mine apart again, so... Definitely agree on the eBay or Amazon junk if their iPhone kits are anything to go by.
I used 3m tape and my screen fell out ripping the connectors clean off the motherboard leaving me completely computer-less until I can save enough for a replacement. I’ll not be purchasing 3M adhesive tape again.
That's horrible!! I'm sorry to hear that happened! I've read about a few people that happened to, but also people who used the proper seal kit and had it fall out too :( I would suggest as a temporary solution to use it with an external monitor. I use an iMac with a completely smashed and unusable screen as my daily driver - 2x external monitors connected. If you go the external monitor route, the fans will run full speed if the connector is ripped off (because it can't measure screen temperature, and then thermal throttles). You should be able to fix this by installing OCLP (OpenCore Legacy Patcher) just like in the video; there is a custom mod (off by default) to disable thermal throttling. With throttling disabled it should run at full speed again and the fans won't sound like a jet taking off. Hopefully this can get you your computer back until you can buy another one :)
That's the same Mac I use, only thing I have found moving from Sonoma to Sequoia is that it takes a bit longer to boot with Sequoia, but all the apps run just as well
Fun fact: Even a 21.5" iMac can outperform the M4 iMac, by a lot too. You can upgrade a 2019 4K model to 64GB of RAM, an 8TB NVMe if you use an adapter for the m.2 slot, an i9-9900 (Not a K/KF/KS skew), Vega 20 (GPU non upgradable, best onboard option), and up to 16TB of SATA SSD storage. You can do all of these upgrades totaling out to $3500, which is the same price as an M4 iMac with a 10C CPU 10C GPU, 32GB of RAM, and 2TB of storage. This doesn't even consider that with TB3 you can get 10GB Ethernet, or another 8TB of storage in an external drive, and even an external GPU. In MacOS it's up to a 6900 XT but in Bootcamp you can use an RTX 4090 without any driver issues. Intel iMacs are still the KING of All in Ones.
Many of those things might be true. However, you also generate enough heat to warm a 2 bedroom apartment, a much higher electric bill, and enough noise to hear people complain about the airplanes flying over all the time. In addition, as soon as you add an external gpu, it’s no longer an all in one. For me personally, the never ending noise from my 2020 5k iMac (a powerhouse of a machine btw), was a major issue when working with my students and my teachers, and even more of an issue when I started making music recordings to send out. Honestly, once I got my M1 MacBook Air which was silent, and ran rings around the iMac in the apps I was using. I did find it a good home with my wife’s brother and his family. Who in their right mind would max out everything on an m4 iMac?
M4 it is bullshit for dekstop computer Intel is way better ram can upgrade almost everything RIP iMac 27 best Mac Ever made Never who is never come back
I believe it does work on a 2011, but I haven't looked deeply into it or tried it yet. You're right though, it could be buggy. Realistically the biggest reason to upgrade an old Mac is to run modern software and get security updates. If you're on Sonoma, you're still good for all of that. If you want to keep your system stable, it would be a good idea to only load it after they officially support it.
I have an Intel iMac - Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020 3.8 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i7 I recently upgraded to Sequoia and have had numerous issues and have spent much time on the phone with Apple Sr. Advisors. Evidently, I found some bugs. Maybe that is why there are now 2 updates for Sequoia. I have been using iMacs since 2008 and this is the most trouble I ever had with a Mac OS upgrade. If I had to do it over, I would really consider skipping Sequoia altogether.
That sounds really frustrating! I haven't noticed issues with Sequoia yet, but I haven't used it very much. My personal systems are not upgraded yet. I expect they will fix most issues as updates come out. Hopefully your experience gets better!
While I do have a VERY modern Intel machine for gaming on Windoze, I LOVE these videos showcasing old hardware and how you can get more life out of them. I have an iMac older than this one out in my garage running Linux Mint for music and web surfing for learning/resource (car fixes etc...) Good vid Retro
I do the exact same! Got an iMac with cracked screen on my garage workbench. Mine's running Monterey (last official supported OS), but Mint is a fantastic alternative! Thanks for the comment!
How are your boot times? Im using a 2013 iMac with OCLP running Big Sur and once I started upgrading to Monterey and Ventura, my boot time slowed down drastically Thank you for this informative video.
@@melchora7 Thanks for the comment! I didn’t time it before/after, but I didn’t notice it was unusually slow. Everything seemed normal. If you find that it’s hanging for a long time before the loading bar, try doing a PRAM reset, then holding OPT on startup to choose boot device (make sure to choose OCLP partition). Sometimes the EFI “looses” the default boot device and will hang trying to detect it before the system even begins to load.
I run my 2014 iMac 5K i5 with 24GB since 4 years with OCLP running the newest OS from an external 2TB NVME diks with the original fusion drive separated into a 128 GB SSD and 1 TB harddrive as my daily driver without any problems. Furthermore where did you get the pricing for the proper adhesive strips, I bought mine on ALI express for less than €5. I also run a number of older mac’s on OCLP with various versions of the OS depending on the hardware (don’t run the newest OS on non metal hardware, it does work but with some issues and very slow) and these run fine as well. Remember to provide the guys behind OCLP with some financial support for their great work! I also do run various Windows and Linux virtual machines on the iMac and on a Mac Pro 2013 using Parallels and that also works great under OCLP.
The adhesive strips, last I checked for ones that seemed even remotely reputable (which admittedly was quite a while ago now), were priced from Amazon. The problem with Ali Express is it can take up to 6 months to receive parcels in the Americas, depending on how they ship it. And so many people reported those cheap strips have caused screens to fall out and destroy the screen, logic board, or both. I'm not saying it's impossible to find decent ones for cheap; I once bought cheap no name Ethernet crimp ends which were way better than name brand ones from a local big chain store. If you found reliable strips at that price, that's an amazing score for sure!
Haha, it was only a matter of time before someone mentioned Linux! ;) Mint is my favourite desktop distro. Although I do use Linux, I'm not a guru by any means! Mint is fantastic because it's easy to setup and use, and for the most part I don't have to fight with it to get it working. I know some guys like to assemble their OS from scratch, but that's not me, lol. But you're right, Linux is a fantastic option for old Mac. TBH though, I prefer to run Linux on PC hardware because of better upgradability and cheaper hardware. But if you already have a Mac kicking around, you're 100% right - Linux runs great there too!
If your older Mac has only 4GB of RAM, update to macOS Ventuta, it will get updates until at least fall 2025, with 8GB of RAM go macOS Sequoia using OCLP. I successully updated a MacBook Air 2013 with 4GB of RAM to Ventura, one with 8GB to Sequoia and two MBA 2015 with intel Core i7 2.2 GHz and 8GB of RAM to also Sequoia. Save especially those super easy to upgrade SSDs and replace non glued battery equipped MBAs from getting to become e-waste, they have great size, are lightweight and are still perfect for internet and word processing.
I have a iMac 21.5”, Mid-2011, 24gb, upgraded 1tb ssd, 2.7 core i5, running Monterey 12.7.6. Anything higher than this causes problems with the TV app. I tried several os’ starting with Sonoma and worked backward until settling on Monterey - which works great.
The newer OSes have some DRM issues when using legacy graphics hardware acceleration (on the older GPUs). I haven't tried to confirm, but theoretically if you upgraded to a Metal-supported GPU it should work with the TV app on newer OSes. If you're curious about GPU upgrades, I also have a video on this - I upgraded a 2009 27" which is a very similar process to yours.
Thanks, you’re right …I figured that out through trial and error. The only upgrade I did (beside memory) was the SSD - which turbocharged its performance. I wish there was a nice chart that showed models corresponding to their max OS when using OCLP. The Open Core Legacy Patcher has been a game changer. I also have a newer 27” that is now running Sequoia - albeit without the iPhone app and other features.
@@BradfordBeckett Ya, the SSD makes a HUGE performance boost! Does OCLP system not work with the iPhone app? I've tried the app (it's cool), but I don't recall if I tried it on the 2012 system.
@@rebootretro I was referring to my main system where I am running Sequoia on my 2017 Retina 5K, 27" using OCLP. I upgraded it with 40gb ram and a 2tb SSD....the iPhone Mirroring app won't work because it's running a 3.5 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5....BUT, other than that, it runs like an absolute beast with no problems. The 2011 machine won't go higher than Monterey without issues - but that is a huge improvement over it's Apple max OS.
I use my imac i purchased in 2011 as a screen in TDM works flawlessly and amuses me greatly im still using it, looks great and plan to use it for however long a peace of sting is. One word of advice, you do need Betterdisplay and Soundsource. I tried finding free or alternatives for years but these two are the best and makes everything work like OEM. If you dont sound and brightness is stuck at 100%. I know screens are not expensive but i dont want to be someone that chases technology, too much stress. I keep the imac on its native OS as its just now a display and for storage. Ive had this system with a Macbook pro for nine years and now a mac mini. The macbook pro was always a bit funny with detecting the screen ( thunderbold mini display port) could never find a way of successfully doing this, so i simply ended up unplugging and plugging the thunderbolt cable for almost a decade, ironically the mac mini is seemless, absolutely no issues. So id look forward to see if you use a imac as a screen. Id encourage anyone to not chase technology but try and use what we have for as long as possible.
Thanks for the comment! Absolutely agree, we need to be less wasteful and stop chasing after the newest, shiniest things that come out. I'm curious, what Macs have you used with a 2011 TDM? Apple says the second Mac must be 2019 or older with Catalina or older; we know this is false for the 2009/2010 since it uses standard DP signals. But from what I've heard, 2011 onward do actually have some real limitations. Particularly, I've read that it does not work in conjunction with Apple Silicon Macs. There is very little info online about this. Any insight as to where the real world limits are?
Target display mode requires the main Mac running Mac OS Catalina or older. The iMac should be running El Capitan , Sierra or High Sierra. Airplay to Mac is the successor to target display mode. You would need to use open core legacy patcher to install Monterey or later to enable Airplay to Mac. A USB or thunderbolt connection between the Macs would improve resolution and decrease lag on the iMac.
I think some people have managed to use TDM outside those specific OS versions, but it seems really dicy. Kinda silly that that TDM is proprietary and can't just operate as an industry standard Thunderbolt display. That's interesting, I didn't know you could use USB/Thunderbolt to direct connect for AirPlay. I'll have to play with that. That's the biggest issue with AirPlay, is the latency is horrible.
Is OCLP safe? I've played with it a little bit and it runs something in the background of MacOS that checks for updates to itself, etc. Would it be in the realm of possibility that they could put something in there that steals your apple password when you login to the os for iCloud, etc?
I talk about this later on in the video. Is it possible they intentionally (or even unknowingly) get malicious code into OpenCore? Yes, it's possible. But the OpenCore team has historically proven themselves to be a reputable group. And the code is open source, so it can be scrutinized by anyone. Ultimately you have to trust somebody. What's to stop an Apple employee from injecting malicious code into stock macOS? Apple's code isn't open source, so we rely entirely on the internal developers to vet the code. Also, for example, there has been vulnerable code in the past (I think it was related to the C compiler, or SSH, or something) which was also open source and included in macOS for years before anyone noticed. While we can assume that an OCLP system is likely less secure in certain ways just simply based on the system using certain old drivers/patches, I don't think it's necessarily fair to call it outright "insecure". Based on the longstanding history of the OCLP team, I would seriously doubt there would be any intent to cause harm. Realistically, a stock macOS should always be more secure, because you're not using patches and rolled back drivers. But for some people who can't afford a computer, my opinion is that a OCLP system is more secure than running an outdate/obsolete stock macOS. Just my opinion though.
I've several old iMacs and mac minis that are more than capable Linux machines, servers,, or use for running obsolete versions of Windows in bootcamp or a virtual machine. The notion that I have to upgrade just because they need a constant stream of profit is absurd.
So true! For power user tasks the new hardware has some benefit, but most of the population just uses their computer for watching videos and web browsing. For general computing and web browsing the improvements are not very noticeable. I have another video comparing a 2009 iMac to a 2020 iMac; in synthetic benchmarks the 2020 is faster, but in real world testing the 2020 is barely faster at all! If I recall, the 2020 loaded apps and web pages only about half a second faster.
No, unfortunately Target Display mode on these Macs is proprietary and does not work in combination with Apple Silicon Macs. I show other methods (like Sunshine/Moonlight) in this video: th-cam.com/video/TQwCJYiLqSo/w-d-xo.html
May I ask which processor that 2012 iMac 27” has? It seems significantly faster than the one I have. And I don’t think you mentioned (apologies if you did) whether it has the stock HD or has been upgraded to SSD? Great video, thanks
Thanks for the comment! I don't have the computer on-hand anymore, but I believe it was the Core i7-3770. Stock it had a mechanical hard drive; when it started acting up, it was upgraded to a SATA SSD. The i7 shouldn't be significantly faster for general tasks - I'd mostly expect the SSD to affect this. I didn't check to confirm, but the 2012 models should have the Apple proprietary NVMe slot, which will accept standard NVMe SSDs if an adapter is used. It would be ideal to use the NVMe slot, since you can use much faster SSDs than SATA SSDs. Either way, if you find yours unusually slow, there might be something else wrong; if you haven't already, might be worth trying a fresh OS install.
The only reason I had to stop using my late2008 iMac is it developed a 'green pixel line' fault - which is common with this era of iMacs - it was a home movie, music streaming/audio machine long after being unsupported by Apple. Love your retro videos - great content.
Thanks for the comment! I really enjoy making more retro content, but I find I need to pepper newer stuff like this in so YT promotes the content better. I try to make everything entertaining so it's enjoyable for everyone to watch :). And yes! Those graphics artifacts were very common! If you saw my 2008 iMac video, that Mac was purchased brand new and had a GPU replaced a few years back for similar failure. Still running great after the new GPU, and only retired it more recently.
I’m running Sonoma on a 2015 15 inch MacBook Pro along with Windows 11 and Officially Supported Mac OS Monterey. I’m a recent bought a hard drive less 17 inch 2010 MacBook Pro for $20 Canadian it’s running Monterey and Windows 10.
For audio apps GB/Logic Pro, use OCLP version 2 or higher. Older versions enjoy timing errors and halted playback. Logic runs perfectly on my 2011 27inch i7 running Catalina. The 4k & 5k thin iMacs offer the best iMac graphics, making them prime candidates for OpenCore. I bought a 4k 21.5 2015 model with this upgrade path in mind.
That's interesting about V2. From what I've seen so far, V2 brought huge improvements for older Mac support. I like how you're thinking ahead for upgrades; just knowing full well Apple will drop support and having a plan!
4:54 it's really not important to be the latest version of MacOS I have an iMac under macos high sierra I don't update it even though it supports macOS sonoma the new features are not interesting I prefer the original design of macOS than iPhone icons
I agree, I don't care for most new features either, or new bugs. However, the security updates can be somewhat important if you use the device online. The biggest problem with old OSes is they don't support the latest web browsers, which means you're missing vulnerability patches. I do wish there was a way to get security patches without needing full system updates.
@@rebootretro the best macOS yosemite style now with big sur with the phone icons it's ugly and a little weird I liked everything on big sur apart from the dock
I have 2010 and 2012 Mac minis that I've owned since new and have upgraded RAM on both and kept the macOS software updated to the max possible. I use one for playing with Linux Mint 22 and the other I'm looking to install TrueNAS for a home ZFS RAID. I also recently acquired (quite cheaply) a refurbished 2013 MacBook Pro 15" Core i7 Retina (beautiful screen) for using macOS portably, since my other modern Macs are both minis (2018 and 2020). The MBP came with 16GB of RAM and a 500GB SSD, so, hardware-wise it's pretty capable. I'm seeing more of these OCLP videos and may take the plunge to upgrade to Sonoma or Sequoia to get the latest feature and security updates. There are great deals out there on older Mac hardware that still have good performance and many years of life. Thanks for the great video!
I have a 27-inch 2010. Moving to SSD was crucial, but I was already a Ubuntu user on other systems. That stopped working reliably on imac as of version 24.04, so I moved to Debian. It's a very competent system. The only disadvantage is high i7 wattage. That's okay for intermittent use.
Yes, these suck back quite a bit of power. It's been a while, but I think I clocked it at about 150W under typical use. They'd make great monitors over Target Display if the consumption wasn't so high. Fine for occasional use, but for daily it adds up fast! We're running the same setup, but a 2009. It's only used occasionally for accounting and light graphics work - totally a perfect system still! For what little hours it runs, the power isn't really an issue. If it was used daily I'd replace it just from a power standpoint.
For others reading along, it's the xeon that runs 160-plus watts. The i7 870 is 95 watts TDP. If you have the i7 3770 that's down to 77 watts. It's not a ton of amperage, but 20 hours a day it adds up. I couldn't find a definitive rating on the M4, but some hobbyists suggest 22 watts. That's how an M-series laptop runs so long on battery.
you could go to win11 too. Did you test iMac as a monitor? my 27" has the old plug mini display port. Do I have to keep high sierra on the iMac? iMac 27" as monitor for the new iMac mini M4 would be great.
You should check out the video I did here (th-cam.com/video/TQwCJYiLqSo/w-d-xo.html) where I used an iMac as a monitor. As for what connects to what, it depends on which Mac you have. The late 2009/2010 models will accept any DisplayPort signal from any other device, including an M4 Mini. With my testing I had upgraded to Monterey via OCLP and I think had a GPU upgrade at that point too. Mine was a little buggy, which I think was the aftermarket GPU. It does work past High Sierra, but completely unsupported so it could potentially be glitchy. Just watch out, because the 2011 iMacs have the same connector on the back but DO NOT support DisplayPort signal, only a proprietary Thunderbolt TDM connection. The 2011 only works with certain Mac models and OS versions; I'm told the Apple Silicon Macs don't work at all with this. But nearly every model of Mac will work with the Sunshine/Moonlight method shown in the video (or use Parsec alternative for an easier Mac to Mac setup).
@@susihormon7821 Yes, the 27 inch 2010 is one of the best systems to use as a monitor! If you need an HDMI input, you can use an active DisplayPort to HDMI converter (the passive cables don't work, you need an active cable with a converter chip inside). The DisplayPort input is much better than LAN method. Good luck with your project :)
You did really well with it for sure! These were pretty reliable systems, with the biggest issues looking to be GPU failure. Although with replaceable GPUs, these just keep on going!
@@robertrea8829 I don’t have the Mac on hand anymore, but I think I set the fan to CPU average sensor, and set a manual range between 30 low speed and 90 full speed. But your settings really depend on how you use your Mac. Ideally you want the fans to ramp up sooner, but if you regularly get into heavier loads the fan will get very loud very fast and you may have to play around with settings. Anything you set more aggressive than the Apple default will help the system out.
@@rebootretro If it has AMD Radeon..poof...no second monitor...if you run Linux. I have dual boot Catalina and Linux Mint. Radeon could not work...used nomodeset driver
Wish I could upgrade the CPU inside that thing. I have one from 2011 before even thunderbolt, using it for simple stuff now with win 7.... But I'd like more from it. It's a 24inch display I don't want to throw away.
Wait 2011? I dont think thats 2011. The 2011 had 21.5 and 27 inch. And 2011s are still very usable with their sandy bridge cpus. You could even upgrade the gpu.
You're right, I'm guessing it's a 2008 which I believe is the last iMac with 24 inch screens. I'm pretty sure the 2011 also had Thunderbolt 1, but I could be mistaken.
You're right, it always feels like such a waste to toss an iMac with a good screen! Since it's older, you might want to try using it as a screen with Parsec or Sunshine/Moonlight. I made a video about that here: th-cam.com/video/TQwCJYiLqSo/w-d-xo.html
Thank you⭐I appreciate the reply. Yes tbh you might as well be right regarding the monitor size -I haven't seen or used it in a long while but keep wondering what to do with it since I've kept it🙏
Yes, but only the older ones get Metal acceleration. The new ones (8xx onward I think) are basic framebuffer driver only. So they all work fine for basic web browsing and video playback, but only the older ones work for Metal apps like iMovie, Apple Maps, etc.
I have a late 2009 iMac that a friend gave to me after the HDD kicked the bucket. I've upgraded it with an SSD and reinstalled MacOSX High Sierra, amd it was running okay, for a while. Seems like the GPU is giving up the ghost now. I reballed it in the oven once or twice, but I think I'd like to eventaully try my hand at upgrading the GPU and seeing if I can install a more modern OS. Anyone else done the same thing and have some tips for me?? :)
Ya, the whole reflow thing is only a temporary fix unfortunately. On some laptops I have had it last longer with increased fan speed and good paste but they generally always fail again. I upgraded a 2009 with a Radeon M5100 (video here: th-cam.com/video/n9koG8p9Ch0/w-d-xo.html). I used OCLP and it has full native Metal graphics support on Monterey. With additional patching, you should be able to take the M5100 all the way to Sequoia (but haven't tried yet). I like the M5100 because it's cheap and (up to Monterey) had full graphics support without patching drivers. It's a bit of a pain to install it, but once you flash the vBIOS it's not too bad.
I just tried to install Sequoia and Sonoma onto a Late 2012 iMac with a 3tb Fusion Drive and 32gb Ram. I tried three times but it failed to install at the same point , 14 minutes remaining on the first installation part before you select which type of installation to select. Any idea?
I can't say for sure, but I have heard that certain brands and sizes of USB sticks cause this problem. I would try a different brand stick and a different size. I don't think I show in the video, but I used a USB to SATA adapter with an old SATA SSD. Also, I would try to fully erase your system disk and freshly partition for APFS. Sometimes the installer defaults to HFS+ which will cause problems. I've also had a problem in previous installs where the installer would get "stuck" at "x minutes left" - but if you let it sit there for an hour+ it would eventually make it through. Hopefully one of these helps!
I got given two old 27” Mac computers. My cats enjoy watching TH-cam “CatTV” on them. Brilliant since the screen is glass and won’t mark like normal unprotected LCD panels…. I keep wanting to SSD them, but the cats really don’t mind them being a bit slow. It gives them a chance to play with the mouse cursor on screen before the main event!
That's pretty neat! Very little info unfortunately on what it does, but seems to be balancing driveshafts somehow. I have a couple C64's and various Commodore gear that will eventually show up on this channel when I get to it :)
Thanks for the great info. I have updated to Catalina, but I can not get all the latest updates. In Logic X, I can not get the Logic 11 update. The computer is 12 years old. Apple will not accept it as a trade in. I will bite the bullet and buy the Mini 4, hopefully I will get 10 years out of it!!
Thanks for the comment! At 12 years old you didn't do bad at all! If you're comfortable with a modded OS, I bet you could get a few more years with OCLP. I think the Mini 4 will be a fantastic system for years to come; my only concern is that because the OS is so locked down we may not have upgrades like OCLP anymore with Apple Silicon. Right now on Intel we can upgrade a system if the hardware is still good, but on Apple Silicon we'll be stuck at whatever OS Apple last releases. Time will tell :)
They can “run” forever. But they lose access to OS upgrades after about 6 years and security updates after about 8-9 years. My 2015 MBP is still running fine on the older software version… they only stopped security updates this September. Yes, it’s Apple’s way of forcing you to buy new hardware and yes, I think DOJ should force them to break up hardware from software. I did go the OCLP route and it just made the fan run constantly… but it worked. It’s not my main computer any more so my wife uses once or twice a month for Zoom meetings.
That's weird about the fan... I've never seen that problem with OCLP. It might be an SMC issue; you could try an SMC reset to see if it resolves it. But yes, very true; Apple hardware often long outlives the OS support. Very sad, because Apple generally ships good spec hardware even on base model systems.
What version of windows are you running? It’s not windows 11. I had a 2007 iMac that was my main computer until 2015, and my windows machine until 2016. It’s still in use by a friend of mine running some version of Linux.
@@musicalimarc Windows 10. Unfortunately I will be forced to buy a new PC next year but not because it’s slow. I’ll probably install Linux on my desktop first to see if I can find alternative programs that I can use.. The Intel 4770 still has plenty of power.
My dell xps from 2009 with 8g ram, i5 is now running Windows 11 as of yesterday. Everything seems to work perfectly. There is a yt video that uses a script on github by builtbybel. Smooth upgrade. I also use the opencore method to run sequoia on a 2014 imac. No issues.
Ya, I did the same. The only laptop I ever bought brand new was the original 2006 polycarbonate Macbook, and I sold it after a few years when I stopped really using it. I've got "replacement" ones, but it's not the same. Mine had the original box and was pretty mint condition. Oh well.
I had the 12 inch PowerBook G4 and I loved that thing. I think it’s still hiding in a box somewhere since I still have the power brick for it and I don’t recall ever giving it away. The only reason I stopped using it was major back issues. I know it doesn’t seem like much, but almost 5lbs for one computer plus many many textbooks including one that weighed more than the laptop meant something had to give. I in 2099 I hackintoshed a dell mini 11 inch netbook which got me through a fair number of years of grad school and I wrote some of my masters thesis on that, and some of it on my first gen iPad.
People that want to do high-end gaming, or edit complex 4k videos, or do 3D modeling with Blender or Maya really need a new computer! A 2012 iMac will be dog slow for all of these activities.
Ultimately it still works great for someone learning and poking around. For heavier workloads in a commercial environment, you're right - an upgrade may be necessary.
What? The dust? I've seen worse. I worked in computer service for a number of years, and some of the people with the most spotless houses had the most dust in their computers. Most people don't think much about maintaining their computers until they stop working, lol.
Think you don't understand the meaning and science of marketing for our economy of eternal growth. *Every* consumer goods manufacturer has to animate exactly the target consumer group that doesn't need something (because the others would pay any price without manufacturers' effort), but is sensible in their subconscious for G.A.S...
Still using my late 2012 Mac Mini 16/512GB (upgraded to an SSD).
I have this exact Mac. Came with the 3TB Fusion Drive. Ok, it now has 3 TB of SSD, 32 Gb of RAM and it's running 15.1 courtesy of OCLP 2.1.2. OWC seal kits work fine.
That's good to know about the OWC seal kit! I know a lot of the ones on eBay and Amazon are junk.
@@rebootretro Yes, well, I have never had the need to take mine apart again, so... Definitely agree on the eBay or Amazon junk if their iPhone kits are anything to go by.
I used 3m tape and my screen fell out ripping the connectors clean off the motherboard leaving me completely computer-less until I can save enough for a replacement. I’ll not be purchasing 3M adhesive tape again.
That's horrible!! I'm sorry to hear that happened! I've read about a few people that happened to, but also people who used the proper seal kit and had it fall out too :(
I would suggest as a temporary solution to use it with an external monitor. I use an iMac with a completely smashed and unusable screen as my daily driver - 2x external monitors connected.
If you go the external monitor route, the fans will run full speed if the connector is ripped off (because it can't measure screen temperature, and then thermal throttles). You should be able to fix this by installing OCLP (OpenCore Legacy Patcher) just like in the video; there is a custom mod (off by default) to disable thermal throttling. With throttling disabled it should run at full speed again and the fans won't sound like a jet taking off.
Hopefully this can get you your computer back until you can buy another one :)
That's the same Mac I use, only thing I have found moving from Sonoma to Sequoia is that it takes a bit longer to boot with Sequoia, but all the apps run just as well
Fun fact: Even a 21.5" iMac can outperform the M4 iMac, by a lot too. You can upgrade a 2019 4K model to 64GB of RAM, an 8TB NVMe if you use an adapter for the m.2 slot, an i9-9900 (Not a K/KF/KS skew), Vega 20 (GPU non upgradable, best onboard option), and up to 16TB of SATA SSD storage. You can do all of these upgrades totaling out to $3500, which is the same price as an M4 iMac with a 10C CPU 10C GPU, 32GB of RAM, and 2TB of storage. This doesn't even consider that with TB3 you can get 10GB Ethernet, or another 8TB of storage in an external drive, and even an external GPU. In MacOS it's up to a 6900 XT but in Bootcamp you can use an RTX 4090 without any driver issues. Intel iMacs are still the KING of All in Ones.
Many of those things might be true. However, you also generate enough heat to warm a 2 bedroom apartment, a much higher electric bill, and enough noise to hear people complain about the airplanes flying over all the time. In addition, as soon as you add an external gpu, it’s no longer an all in one. For me personally, the never ending noise from my 2020 5k iMac (a powerhouse of a machine btw), was a major issue when working with my students and my teachers, and even more of an issue when I started making music recordings to send out. Honestly, once I got my M1 MacBook Air which was silent, and ran rings around the iMac in the apps I was using. I did find it a good home with my wife’s brother and his family. Who in their right mind would max out everything on an m4 iMac?
M4 it is bullshit for dekstop computer Intel is way better ram can upgrade almost everything RIP iMac 27 best Mac Ever made Never who is never come back
I have iMac 27” 2011 so I can’t update to Sequoia? Is that correct? 😢😢😢so I should stay on Sonoma until I get the Good to go from OCLP. 😢😢😢
I believe it does work on a 2011, but I haven't looked deeply into it or tried it yet. You're right though, it could be buggy. Realistically the biggest reason to upgrade an old Mac is to run modern software and get security updates. If you're on Sonoma, you're still good for all of that. If you want to keep your system stable, it would be a good idea to only load it after they officially support it.
I have an Intel iMac - Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020 3.8 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i7 I recently upgraded to Sequoia and have had numerous issues and have spent much time on the phone with Apple Sr. Advisors. Evidently, I found some bugs. Maybe that is why there are now 2 updates for Sequoia. I have been using iMacs since 2008 and this is the most trouble I ever had with a Mac OS upgrade. If I had to do it over, I would really consider skipping Sequoia altogether.
That sounds really frustrating! I haven't noticed issues with Sequoia yet, but I haven't used it very much. My personal systems are not upgraded yet. I expect they will fix most issues as updates come out. Hopefully your experience gets better!
While I do have a VERY modern Intel machine for gaming on Windoze, I LOVE these videos showcasing old hardware and how you can get more life out of them. I have an iMac older than this one out in my garage running Linux Mint for music and web surfing for learning/resource (car fixes etc...) Good vid Retro
I do the exact same! Got an iMac with cracked screen on my garage workbench. Mine's running Monterey (last official supported OS), but Mint is a fantastic alternative! Thanks for the comment!
How are your boot times? Im using a 2013 iMac with OCLP running Big Sur and once I started upgrading to Monterey and Ventura, my boot time slowed down drastically Thank you for this informative video.
@@melchora7 Thanks for the comment! I didn’t time it before/after, but I didn’t notice it was unusually slow. Everything seemed normal. If you find that it’s hanging for a long time before the loading bar, try doing a PRAM reset, then holding OPT on startup to choose boot device (make sure to choose OCLP partition). Sometimes the EFI “looses” the default boot device and will hang trying to detect it before the system even begins to load.
It would be nice if someone would make a magnetic seal kit, meaning, you can always reopen!!
Yes, this would be fantastic!
I run my 2014 iMac 5K i5 with 24GB since 4 years with OCLP running the newest OS from an external 2TB NVME diks with the original fusion drive separated into a 128 GB SSD and 1 TB harddrive as my daily driver without any problems. Furthermore where did you get the pricing for the proper adhesive strips, I bought mine on ALI express for less than €5. I also run a number of older mac’s on OCLP with various versions of the OS depending on the hardware (don’t run the newest OS on non metal hardware, it does work but with some issues and very slow) and these run fine as well. Remember to provide the guys behind OCLP with some financial support for their great work! I also do run various Windows and Linux virtual machines on the iMac and on a Mac Pro 2013 using Parallels and that also works great under OCLP.
The adhesive strips, last I checked for ones that seemed even remotely reputable (which admittedly was quite a while ago now), were priced from Amazon. The problem with Ali Express is it can take up to 6 months to receive parcels in the Americas, depending on how they ship it. And so many people reported those cheap strips have caused screens to fall out and destroy the screen, logic board, or both. I'm not saying it's impossible to find decent ones for cheap; I once bought cheap no name Ethernet crimp ends which were way better than name brand ones from a local big chain store. If you found reliable strips at that price, that's an amazing score for sure!
I used OCLP to get my 2012 iMac with an SSD to Monterey. I will add users can also use Linux. Ubuntu, Mint and Fedora all worked well for me.
You forgot Option 4: Run a Linux distro like Mint.
Haha, it was only a matter of time before someone mentioned Linux! ;)
Mint is my favourite desktop distro. Although I do use Linux, I'm not a guru by any means! Mint is fantastic because it's easy to setup and use, and for the most part I don't have to fight with it to get it working. I know some guys like to assemble their OS from scratch, but that's not me, lol.
But you're right, Linux is a fantastic option for old Mac. TBH though, I prefer to run Linux on PC hardware because of better upgradability and cheaper hardware. But if you already have a Mac kicking around, you're 100% right - Linux runs great there too!
If your older Mac has only 4GB of RAM, update to macOS Ventuta, it will get updates until at least fall 2025, with 8GB of RAM go macOS Sequoia using OCLP. I successully updated a MacBook Air 2013 with 4GB of RAM to Ventura, one with 8GB to Sequoia and two MBA 2015 with intel Core i7 2.2 GHz and 8GB of RAM to also Sequoia. Save especially those super easy to upgrade SSDs and replace non glued battery equipped MBAs from getting to become e-waste, they have great size, are lightweight and are still perfect for internet and word processing.
I have a iMac 21.5”, Mid-2011, 24gb, upgraded 1tb ssd, 2.7 core i5, running Monterey 12.7.6. Anything higher than this causes problems with the TV app. I tried several os’ starting with Sonoma and worked backward until settling on Monterey - which works great.
The newer OSes have some DRM issues when using legacy graphics hardware acceleration (on the older GPUs). I haven't tried to confirm, but theoretically if you upgraded to a Metal-supported GPU it should work with the TV app on newer OSes. If you're curious about GPU upgrades, I also have a video on this - I upgraded a 2009 27" which is a very similar process to yours.
Thanks, you’re right …I figured that out through trial and error. The only upgrade I did (beside memory) was the SSD - which turbocharged its performance. I wish there was a nice chart that showed models corresponding to their max OS when using OCLP. The Open Core Legacy Patcher has been a game changer. I also have a newer 27” that is now running Sequoia - albeit without the iPhone app and other features.
@@BradfordBeckett Ya, the SSD makes a HUGE performance boost! Does OCLP system not work with the iPhone app? I've tried the app (it's cool), but I don't recall if I tried it on the 2012 system.
@@rebootretro I was referring to my main system where I am running Sequoia on my 2017 Retina 5K, 27" using OCLP. I upgraded it with 40gb ram and a 2tb SSD....the iPhone Mirroring app won't work because it's running a 3.5 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5....BUT, other than that, it runs like an absolute beast with no problems. The 2011 machine won't go higher than Monterey without issues - but that is a huge improvement over it's Apple max OS.
Thanks I got same Mac with same problem running Sonoma thought it was something I'd missed. It was a clean install from OCLP will stick with Sonoma.
Non of tha Screen attach problems in my 7 year olg ASUS gaming Laptop.
I use my imac i purchased in 2011 as a screen in TDM works flawlessly and amuses me greatly im still using it, looks great and plan to use it for however long a peace of sting is. One word of advice, you do need Betterdisplay and Soundsource. I tried finding free or alternatives for years but these two are the best and makes everything work like OEM. If you dont sound and brightness is stuck at 100%. I know screens are not expensive but i dont want to be someone that chases technology, too much stress. I keep the imac on its native OS as its just now a display and for storage. Ive had this system with a Macbook pro for nine years and now a mac mini. The macbook pro was always a bit funny with detecting the screen ( thunderbold mini display port) could never find a way of successfully doing this, so i simply ended up unplugging and plugging the thunderbolt cable for almost a decade, ironically the mac mini is seemless, absolutely no issues. So id look forward to see if you use a imac as a screen. Id encourage anyone to not chase technology but try and use what we have for as long as possible.
Thanks for the comment! Absolutely agree, we need to be less wasteful and stop chasing after the newest, shiniest things that come out. I'm curious, what Macs have you used with a 2011 TDM? Apple says the second Mac must be 2019 or older with Catalina or older; we know this is false for the 2009/2010 since it uses standard DP signals. But from what I've heard, 2011 onward do actually have some real limitations. Particularly, I've read that it does not work in conjunction with Apple Silicon Macs. There is very little info online about this. Any insight as to where the real world limits are?
Target display mode requires the main Mac running Mac OS Catalina or older. The iMac should be running El Capitan , Sierra or High Sierra.
Airplay to Mac is the successor to target display mode. You would need to use open core legacy patcher to install Monterey or later to enable Airplay to Mac. A USB or thunderbolt connection between the Macs would improve resolution and decrease lag on the iMac.
I think some people have managed to use TDM outside those specific OS versions, but it seems really dicy. Kinda silly that that TDM is proprietary and can't just operate as an industry standard Thunderbolt display.
That's interesting, I didn't know you could use USB/Thunderbolt to direct connect for AirPlay. I'll have to play with that. That's the biggest issue with AirPlay, is the latency is horrible.
Is OCLP safe? I've played with it a little bit and it runs something in the background of MacOS that checks for updates to itself, etc. Would it be in the realm of possibility that they could put something in there that steals your apple password when you login to the os for iCloud, etc?
I talk about this later on in the video. Is it possible they intentionally (or even unknowingly) get malicious code into OpenCore? Yes, it's possible. But the OpenCore team has historically proven themselves to be a reputable group. And the code is open source, so it can be scrutinized by anyone.
Ultimately you have to trust somebody. What's to stop an Apple employee from injecting malicious code into stock macOS? Apple's code isn't open source, so we rely entirely on the internal developers to vet the code.
Also, for example, there has been vulnerable code in the past (I think it was related to the C compiler, or SSH, or something) which was also open source and included in macOS for years before anyone noticed.
While we can assume that an OCLP system is likely less secure in certain ways just simply based on the system using certain old drivers/patches, I don't think it's necessarily fair to call it outright "insecure". Based on the longstanding history of the OCLP team, I would seriously doubt there would be any intent to cause harm.
Realistically, a stock macOS should always be more secure, because you're not using patches and rolled back drivers. But for some people who can't afford a computer, my opinion is that a OCLP system is more secure than running an outdate/obsolete stock macOS. Just my opinion though.
How to run the latest Mac software on my late 2014 mac mini?
It should work the exact same on a 2014 mini as shown on the 2012 iMac video.
I've several old iMacs and mac minis that are more than capable Linux machines, servers,, or use for running obsolete versions of Windows in bootcamp or a virtual machine. The notion that I have to upgrade just because they need a constant stream of profit is absurd.
So true! For power user tasks the new hardware has some benefit, but most of the population just uses their computer for watching videos and web browsing. For general computing and web browsing the improvements are not very noticeable. I have another video comparing a 2009 iMac to a 2020 iMac; in synthetic benchmarks the 2020 is faster, but in real world testing the 2020 is barely faster at all! If I recall, the 2020 loaded apps and web pages only about half a second faster.
I run win 11 bootcamp on my 2020 iMac 27" 5700xt
Can we use this screen directly on a Mac Mini M4 (using some sort of adapter)?
No, unfortunately Target Display mode on these Macs is proprietary and does not work in combination with Apple Silicon Macs. I show other methods (like Sunshine/Moonlight) in this video: th-cam.com/video/TQwCJYiLqSo/w-d-xo.html
May I ask which processor that 2012 iMac 27” has? It seems significantly faster than the one I have. And I don’t think you mentioned (apologies if you did) whether it has the stock HD or has been upgraded to SSD?
Great video, thanks
Thanks for the comment! I don't have the computer on-hand anymore, but I believe it was the Core i7-3770. Stock it had a mechanical hard drive; when it started acting up, it was upgraded to a SATA SSD. The i7 shouldn't be significantly faster for general tasks - I'd mostly expect the SSD to affect this. I didn't check to confirm, but the 2012 models should have the Apple proprietary NVMe slot, which will accept standard NVMe SSDs if an adapter is used. It would be ideal to use the NVMe slot, since you can use much faster SSDs than SATA SSDs. Either way, if you find yours unusually slow, there might be something else wrong; if you haven't already, might be worth trying a fresh OS install.
The only reason I had to stop using my late2008 iMac is it developed a 'green pixel line' fault - which is common with this era of iMacs - it was a home movie, music streaming/audio machine long after being unsupported by Apple. Love your retro videos - great content.
Thanks for the comment! I really enjoy making more retro content, but I find I need to pepper newer stuff like this in so YT promotes the content better. I try to make everything entertaining so it's enjoyable for everyone to watch :). And yes! Those graphics artifacts were very common! If you saw my 2008 iMac video, that Mac was purchased brand new and had a GPU replaced a few years back for similar failure. Still running great after the new GPU, and only retired it more recently.
I run Debian 12 on my 2009 27" Imac.
I’m running Sonoma on a 2015 15 inch MacBook Pro along with Windows 11 and Officially Supported Mac OS Monterey. I’m a recent bought a hard drive less 17 inch 2010 MacBook Pro for $20 Canadian it’s running Monterey and Windows 10.
For $20 you can't go wrong! Great extra machine for toying around on.
@@robsavage3296 can you help me put sonoma on my machine?
For audio apps GB/Logic Pro, use OCLP version 2 or higher. Older versions enjoy timing errors and halted playback. Logic runs perfectly on my 2011 27inch i7 running Catalina. The 4k & 5k thin iMacs offer the best iMac graphics, making them prime candidates for OpenCore. I bought a 4k 21.5 2015 model with this upgrade path in mind.
That's interesting about V2. From what I've seen so far, V2 brought huge improvements for older Mac support. I like how you're thinking ahead for upgrades; just knowing full well Apple will drop support and having a plan!
4:54 it's really not important to be the latest version of MacOS I have an iMac under macos high sierra I don't update it even though it supports macOS sonoma the new features are not interesting I prefer the original design of macOS than iPhone icons
I agree, I don't care for most new features either, or new bugs. However, the security updates can be somewhat important if you use the device online. The biggest problem with old OSes is they don't support the latest web browsers, which means you're missing vulnerability patches. I do wish there was a way to get security patches without needing full system updates.
@@rebootretro the best macOS yosemite style now with big sur with the phone icons it's ugly and a little weird I liked everything on big sur apart from the dock
I have 2010 and 2012 Mac minis that I've owned since new and have upgraded RAM on both and kept the macOS software updated to the max possible. I use one for playing with Linux Mint 22 and the other I'm looking to install TrueNAS for a home ZFS RAID. I also recently acquired (quite cheaply) a refurbished 2013 MacBook Pro 15" Core i7 Retina (beautiful screen) for using macOS portably, since my other modern Macs are both minis (2018 and 2020). The MBP came with 16GB of RAM and a 500GB SSD, so, hardware-wise it's pretty capable. I'm seeing more of these OCLP videos and may take the plunge to upgrade to Sonoma or Sequoia to get the latest feature and security updates. There are great deals out there on older Mac hardware that still have good performance and many years of life. Thanks for the great video!
Thanks for the comment! Ya, the OCLP team does pretty great work. These systems have loads of useful life well after Apple drops software updates.
I have a 27-inch 2010. Moving to SSD was crucial, but I was already a Ubuntu user on other systems. That stopped working reliably on imac as of version 24.04, so I moved to Debian. It's a very competent system. The only disadvantage is high i7 wattage. That's okay for intermittent use.
Yes, these suck back quite a bit of power. It's been a while, but I think I clocked it at about 150W under typical use. They'd make great monitors over Target Display if the consumption wasn't so high. Fine for occasional use, but for daily it adds up fast! We're running the same setup, but a 2009. It's only used occasionally for accounting and light graphics work - totally a perfect system still! For what little hours it runs, the power isn't really an issue. If it was used daily I'd replace it just from a power standpoint.
For others reading along, it's the xeon that runs 160-plus watts. The i7 870 is 95 watts TDP. If you have the i7 3770 that's down to 77 watts. It's not a ton of amperage, but 20 hours a day it adds up. I couldn't find a definitive rating on the M4, but some hobbyists suggest 22 watts. That's how an M-series laptop runs so long on battery.
you could go to win11 too. Did you test iMac as a monitor?
my 27" has the old plug mini display port. Do I have to keep high sierra on the iMac?
iMac 27" as monitor for the new iMac mini M4 would be great.
You should check out the video I did here (th-cam.com/video/TQwCJYiLqSo/w-d-xo.html) where I used an iMac as a monitor.
As for what connects to what, it depends on which Mac you have. The late 2009/2010 models will accept any DisplayPort signal from any other device, including an M4 Mini. With my testing I had upgraded to Monterey via OCLP and I think had a GPU upgrade at that point too. Mine was a little buggy, which I think was the aftermarket GPU. It does work past High Sierra, but completely unsupported so it could potentially be glitchy.
Just watch out, because the 2011 iMacs have the same connector on the back but DO NOT support DisplayPort signal, only a proprietary Thunderbolt TDM connection. The 2011 only works with certain Mac models and OS versions; I'm told the Apple Silicon Macs don't work at all with this.
But nearly every model of Mac will work with the Sunshine/Moonlight method shown in the video (or use Parsec alternative for an easier Mac to Mac setup).
@@rebootretro lucky me. the iMac is from 2010. Great tip to the workaround monitor over lan. I will try it.
@@susihormon7821 Yes, the 27 inch 2010 is one of the best systems to use as a monitor! If you need an HDMI input, you can use an active DisplayPort to HDMI converter (the passive cables don't work, you need an active cable with a converter chip inside). The DisplayPort input is much better than LAN method. Good luck with your project :)
Had to get rid of my mid 2010 27" just last week for a new one......14 years of service, not bad by my calculations.
You did really well with it for sure! These were pretty reliable systems, with the biggest issues looking to be GPU failure. Although with replaceable GPUs, these just keep on going!
Hello, what are the mac fan controls you set? Thanks.
@@robertrea8829 I don’t have the Mac on hand anymore, but I think I set the fan to CPU average sensor, and set a manual range between 30 low speed and 90 full speed. But your settings really depend on how you use your Mac. Ideally you want the fans to ramp up sooner, but if you regularly get into heavier loads the fan will get very loud very fast and you may have to play around with settings. Anything you set more aggressive than the Apple default will help the system out.
@@rebootretro Thanks.
10:24 run Linux?
lol, I knew I should have mentioned Linux! Haha.
@@rebootretro If it has AMD Radeon..poof...no second monitor...if you run Linux. I have dual boot Catalina and Linux Mint. Radeon could not work...used nomodeset driver
Wish I could upgrade the CPU inside that thing. I have one from 2011 before even thunderbolt, using it for simple stuff now with win 7.... But I'd like more from it. It's a 24inch display I don't want to throw away.
Wait 2011? I dont think thats 2011. The 2011 had 21.5 and 27 inch.
And 2011s are still very usable with their sandy bridge cpus. You could even upgrade the gpu.
You're right, I'm guessing it's a 2008 which I believe is the last iMac with 24 inch screens. I'm pretty sure the 2011 also had Thunderbolt 1, but I could be mistaken.
You're right, it always feels like such a waste to toss an iMac with a good screen! Since it's older, you might want to try using it as a screen with Parsec or Sunshine/Moonlight. I made a video about that here: th-cam.com/video/TQwCJYiLqSo/w-d-xo.html
Thank you⭐I appreciate the reply.
Yes tbh you might as well be right regarding the monitor size -I haven't seen or used it in a long while but keep wondering what to do with it since I've kept it🙏
Does the metal patcher work on Nvidia cards as well😊
Yes, but only the older ones get Metal acceleration. The new ones (8xx onward I think) are basic framebuffer driver only. So they all work fine for basic web browsing and video playback, but only the older ones work for Metal apps like iMovie, Apple Maps, etc.
I have a late 2009 iMac that a friend gave to me after the HDD kicked the bucket. I've upgraded it with an SSD and reinstalled MacOSX High Sierra, amd it was running okay, for a while. Seems like the GPU is giving up the ghost now. I reballed it in the oven once or twice, but I think I'd like to eventaully try my hand at upgrading the GPU and seeing if I can install a more modern OS. Anyone else done the same thing and have some tips for me?? :)
Ya, the whole reflow thing is only a temporary fix unfortunately. On some laptops I have had it last longer with increased fan speed and good paste but they generally always fail again. I upgraded a 2009 with a Radeon M5100 (video here: th-cam.com/video/n9koG8p9Ch0/w-d-xo.html). I used OCLP and it has full native Metal graphics support on Monterey. With additional patching, you should be able to take the M5100 all the way to Sequoia (but haven't tried yet). I like the M5100 because it's cheap and (up to Monterey) had full graphics support without patching drivers. It's a bit of a pain to install it, but once you flash the vBIOS it's not too bad.
I just tried to install Sequoia and Sonoma onto a Late 2012 iMac with a 3tb Fusion Drive and 32gb Ram. I tried three times but it failed to install at the same point , 14 minutes remaining on the first installation part before you select which type of installation to select. Any idea?
I can't say for sure, but I have heard that certain brands and sizes of USB sticks cause this problem. I would try a different brand stick and a different size. I don't think I show in the video, but I used a USB to SATA adapter with an old SATA SSD. Also, I would try to fully erase your system disk and freshly partition for APFS. Sometimes the installer defaults to HFS+ which will cause problems. I've also had a problem in previous installs where the installer would get "stuck" at "x minutes left" - but if you let it sit there for an hour+ it would eventually make it through. Hopefully one of these helps!
I still use my 27 2013 on El Capitan for editing videos n graphic design
This is newer than 2012 as it is thin side
For the iMac, 2012 was the first year with thin sides and glued screens.
I got given two old 27” Mac computers. My cats enjoy watching TH-cam “CatTV” on them. Brilliant since the screen is glass and won’t mark like normal unprotected LCD panels….
I keep wanting to SSD them, but the cats really don’t mind them being a bit slow. It gives them a chance to play with the mouse cursor on screen before the main event!
HAHA! CatTV... love it.
You should check this video: Commodore 64 still in use - auto shop in Poland. ;)
That's pretty neat! Very little info unfortunately on what it does, but seems to be balancing driveshafts somehow. I have a couple C64's and various Commodore gear that will eventually show up on this channel when I get to it :)
Thanks for the great info. I have updated to Catalina, but I can not get all the latest updates. In Logic X, I can not get the Logic 11 update. The computer is 12 years old. Apple will not accept it as a trade in. I will bite the bullet and buy the Mini 4, hopefully I will get 10 years out of it!!
Thanks for the comment! At 12 years old you didn't do bad at all! If you're comfortable with a modded OS, I bet you could get a few more years with OCLP. I think the Mini 4 will be a fantastic system for years to come; my only concern is that because the OS is so locked down we may not have upgrades like OCLP anymore with Apple Silicon. Right now on Intel we can upgrade a system if the hardware is still good, but on Apple Silicon we'll be stuck at whatever OS Apple last releases. Time will tell :)
My Dell XPS PC from 2013 is still running perfectly fine. I thought Macs were supposed to run forever..
They can “run” forever. But they lose access to OS upgrades after about 6 years and security updates after about 8-9 years. My 2015 MBP is still running fine on the older software version… they only stopped security updates this September. Yes, it’s Apple’s way of forcing you to buy new hardware and yes, I think DOJ should force them to break up hardware from software. I did go the OCLP route and it just made the fan run constantly… but it worked. It’s not my main computer any more so my wife uses once or twice a month for Zoom meetings.
That's weird about the fan... I've never seen that problem with OCLP. It might be an SMC issue; you could try an SMC reset to see if it resolves it.
But yes, very true; Apple hardware often long outlives the OS support. Very sad, because Apple generally ships good spec hardware even on base model systems.
What version of windows are you running? It’s not windows 11. I had a 2007 iMac that was my main computer until 2015, and my windows machine until 2016. It’s still in use by a friend of mine running some version of Linux.
@@musicalimarc Windows 10. Unfortunately I will be forced to buy a new PC next year but not because it’s slow. I’ll probably install Linux on my desktop first to see if I can find alternative programs that I can use.. The Intel 4770 still has plenty of power.
My dell xps from 2009 with 8g ram, i5 is now running Windows 11 as of yesterday. Everything seems to work perfectly. There is a yt video that uses a script on github by builtbybel. Smooth upgrade. I also use the opencore method to run sequoia on a 2014 imac. No issues.
What a pain in the @$$, I would never own anything that is so hard to work on.
LOL! This is probably the most hilariously true comment so far, haha! Can't say I haven't had the same frustration at times with Apple stuff.
Most people never needed an old one.
no music would be better (or lower volume)
Thanks for the comment! I always appreciate feedback! :)
I wish I hadn't given away my old 17" MacBook Pro. It would have been a nice addition to my museum quality collection.
Ya, I did the same. The only laptop I ever bought brand new was the original 2006 polycarbonate Macbook, and I sold it after a few years when I stopped really using it. I've got "replacement" ones, but it's not the same. Mine had the original box and was pretty mint condition. Oh well.
I had the 12 inch PowerBook G4 and I loved that thing. I think it’s still hiding in a box somewhere since I still have the power brick for it and I don’t recall ever giving it away. The only reason I stopped using it was major back issues. I know it doesn’t seem like much, but almost 5lbs for one computer plus many many textbooks including one that weighed more than the laptop meant something had to give. I in 2099 I hackintoshed a dell mini 11 inch netbook which got me through a fair number of years of grad school and I wrote some of my masters thesis on that, and some of it on my first gen iPad.
I tried o'clock on a late 2011 mbp 17" and it worked perfectly, except for the built in camera, which was not detected.
People that want to do high-end gaming, or edit complex 4k videos, or do 3D modeling with Blender or Maya really need a new computer!
A 2012 iMac will be dog slow for all of these activities.
Ultimately it still works great for someone learning and poking around. For heavier workloads in a commercial environment, you're right - an upgrade may be necessary.
You forgot option 4: Install Linux on it instead!
Or, install Linux. Or a supported Windows.
Only use OCLP if you will not be using the computer for professional workloads. It is significantly less efficient than Apple SOC.
JFC!!! What kind of ridiculous environment are you using that poor thing in??
What? The dust? I've seen worse. I worked in computer service for a number of years, and some of the people with the most spotless houses had the most dust in their computers. Most people don't think much about maintaining their computers until they stop working, lol.
Whether they do or they don’t, do we NEED a video about it? 😂
Istall windows and forget about Macos - this very nice display wth pc)
That is a very legitimate option. Older Macs run Windows/Linux perfectly.
Think you don't understand the meaning and science of marketing for our economy of eternal growth. *Every* consumer goods manufacturer has to animate exactly the target consumer group that doesn't need something (because the others would pay any price without manufacturers' effort), but is sensible in their subconscious for G.A.S...