More Mac advice please

[colinb]

I'm looking to buy a mac off a friend and she has supplied me a couple of pictures off the box, I can't see any reference to i5 ( if it is or not)

 

would it be possible to update to and run the latest OS version?

 

I have looked on the net the price seems fair (depending on condition when I view) 

 

just wondered if you Mac owners would take a look and give any tips on how suitable this model would be for photos and design work.

 

thanks in advance.

 

 

 

 

Edited November 5, 2014 by colinb

[ChrisLumix]

It's pre-Core i3/i5/i7 family of chips, i.e. Core 2 Duo. However, it wouldn't be a slouch at over 3 GHz, and also you've got a good big display on it. The RAM goes up to 16 GB which should be fine for most Photoshop & Lightroom work. It's got a decent size HD and the graphics - while slightly underpowered for 3G Shoot-em-up games - will serve fine for stills work.

 

There's no USB3 or Thunderbolt connections, which may or may not be important to you. FireWire 800 is fast but sadly fewer and fewer things use FW these days

 

The only remaining question is - will it run OS X 10.10 Yosemite? If not, the previous OS Mavericks (10.9) is also a free download. You ought to check which OS is currently installed though. Also, which version of iLife (though that may not be very important if you're not intending to use iPhoto - the other components are GarageBand (music) and iMovie.)

 

I'm not sure what the price for it is, but do be aware that it's a 2009 model - though the 27" iMacs were top of the range, the Core 2 Duo model was the cheapest of the 3 models on offer.

[colinb]

Cheers Chris - price wise she is looking for £500 although I might start an offer at £450

 

Main use will be photo editing and graphic design work. My current pc is getting on just wondering if to spend money on upgrading it or moving over to Apple.

[kev7d]

I have a mid 2011 imac which has surprised me that runs the latest version of Adoce PS CC 2014 as fast as the day when I first got the machine. I am concious that it won't keep up for ever, and that would be my only worry with a 2009 imac. But, I am not an expert on the matters.

[ChrisLumix]

£450 - £500 is a good price for one that's in perfect working order. 

 

Here's one on eBay : http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/27-iMac-All-In-One-Computer-3-06-GHz-Intel-Core-2-Duo-4-GB-RAM-1-TB-HD-/191396125554?pt=UK_Computing_Apple_Desktops_CV&hash=item2c90191b72 (currently £272 but with 10 hours to go, you can guarantee it will shoot up in the closing minutes).

 

On the other hand, here's one with a starting bid of £450 and a BIN of £675 (though the seller's specs leave something to be desired - he claims Memory is 1TB (impossible!!) and the HD is 256GB which is lower than they were original sold with.) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Apple-iMac-27-Desktop-Dec-2009-Customised-/231379543168?pt=UK_Computing_Apple_Desktops_CV&hash=item35df4ba480

 

Like Kevin, I have a 2011 iMac and it would run the latest versions of software quite happily (Safari + Flash Player are a combination from hell, but for everything else, it's still good, fast, and does what it says on the tin.) I've bumped up the RAM to 12GB, and advise you to do similar if you get that 27" :- 4GB is not nearly enough, especially if you get a later OS such as Mavericks or Yosemite.

 

If you switch from a PC I advise you make sure you've got your Windows install disks handy, then invest in either Parallels or VMWare Fusion, both of which allow you to create a 'virtual machine' that will run Windows INSIDE OS X for any software you find essential and for which there isn't a Mac equivalent. For something like Word though, you can open any document in the Mac's TextEdit basic WP app, and you can also save TextEdit documents in Word format. If you need a 'proper' WP though, Apple's Pages is a good option, and it too will open and save in Word format. 

[Guest]

the minimum specs are here

http://macs.about.com/od/OS-X-Yosemite/fl/OS-X-Yosemite-Minimum-Requirements.htm

 

it says iMac (mid 2007 or later)  so if its a 2009 you should be fine

 

I have a macbook pro and have loved it ever since I bought it, wouldn't go back to windows now

[kev7d]

I'm with Richard in my like for the Mac. I have had a great experience with mine.

[Black Pearl]

Mine is a mid 2010 model and runs Adobe CC really well - like Chris I have upgraded the Ram to 12GB (dead easy to do) and it is an absolute joy to use. 

 

My wide was an ardent Windows fan so never really wanted the Mac nor did she voluntarily make the leap.......until she started to use it.

Now you would have to prise it from her cold dead hands and when she's doing her admin work and flipping between programmes moving data around she can't believe she lived without hot corners.

[FUJI]

my Wide?........I would correct that, before your good lady wife reads it BP 

 

FUJI

[Black Pearl]

Hahahahaha!!!

 

I'll leave it -live dangerously eh 

[kev7d]

............a crash on the imac is a very rare occurrence too compared with my experiences with windows.