Help Deciding Between Used iMacs

[lightdisc]

I am in the market for a budget used iMac that'll get video/audio editing done (especially After Effects). I've come to two affordable options that I will present here for your valued advice.

1. Late 2013 21.5in - 16gb RAM from macsales (OWC) in Excellent condition, 90 day warranty $629 - here

2. Late 2013 21.5in - 16gb RAM from macofalltrades in Very Good condition, 1 yr warranty $658 - here

The main difference here is the company selling and the warranty length. I am looking for something that will last, while being aware it is a 6 yr old computer. Do you have any advice on these two websites and the idea of shorter/longer warranties given the pros and cons of each?

thank you!

 

[Rich B22]

On Resellerratings, both companies have excellent reviews. I've dealt with OWC and can vouch for them. It basically comes down to that you're paying $29 for a 9 month warranty.

I assume you've taken storage into account in comparing the 2. How long do you intend on keeping said machine? While I realize you're looking for a budget computer, bear in mind that since the 2013 is getting a bit long in the tooth, it may not be long before Apple no longer supports it with OS upgrades. Not necessarily a deal-breaker as you don't have to update to the latest & greatest OS, however, there may be security issues without OS updates, and newer apps may not run on an older OS. I run a 2012 myself which is the oldest supported by Mojave.

Good luck

I am in the market for a budget used iMac that'll get video/audio editing done (especially After Effects). I've come to two affordable options that I will present here for your valued advice.

1. Late 2013 21.5in - 16gb RAM from macsales (OWC) in Excellent condition, 90 day warranty $629 - here

2. Late 2013 21.5in - 16gb RAM from macofalltrades in Very Good condition, 1 yr warranty $658 - here

The main difference here is the company selling and the warranty length. I am looking for something that will last, while being aware it is a 6 yr old computer. Do you have any advice on these two websites and the idea of shorter/longer warranties given the pros and cons of each?

thank you!

 

[lightdisc]

On Resellerratings, both companies have excellent reviews. I've dealt with OWC and can vouch for them. It basically comes down to that you're paying $29 for a 9 month warranty.

I assume you've taken storage into account in comparing the 2. How long do you intend on keeping said machine? While I realize you're looking for a budget computer, bear in mind that since the 2013 is getting a bit long in the tooth, it may not be long before Apple no longer supports it with OS upgrades. Not necessarily a deal-breaker as you don't have to update to the latest & greatest OS, however, there may be security issues without OS updates, and newer apps may not run on an older OS. I run a 2012 myself which is the oldest supported by Mojave.

Good luck

Thank you. I'm not too concerned with software updates, but do intend to keep the machine indefinitely for years ahead. I'm not sure what you are referring to with the $29 9 month warranty? To my knowledge OWC only provides a 90 day warranty. They do have an "excellent condition" available for the one I'm considering, but will have to put that up against the 1 yr warranty from MAOT. Thanks again.

 

[bpeeps]

Thoughts on saving up a few extra dollars for a 2017 or 2019 refurb? They can be found for around 1K in the US refurb store.

 

[nambuccaheadsau]

Do not buy a model with the slow 5400rpm platter hard drive. It will be slow and disappointing. Go for an SSD!

 

[Rich B22]

$658 for Mac Of All Trades minus $629 for OWC= $29
12 month warranty for Mac Of All Trades minus 3 month warranty for OWC=9 months for $29

Probably the difference between Excellent and Very Good amount to a scratch on the aluminum case. Does either vendor have a free return policy if its more than that?

I can understand you wanting a budget machine and while one suggested SSD's, which do make a huge speed difference (I put one in my 2012 27"), they would also add to your cost, even installing yourself. For a 2017 refurb, even at $1,000, that's half-again what you want to spend. While the newer machines should hold you for more years and perform faster, if you're not prepared to pay the extra, than either of these should suit your need.

Thank you. I'm not too concerned with software updates, but do intend to keep the machine indefinitely for years ahead. I'm not sure what you are referring to with the $29 9 month warranty? To my knowledge OWC only provides a 90 day warranty. They do have an "excellent condition" available for the one I'm considering, but will have to put that up against the 1 yr warranty from MAOT. Thanks again.

 

[lightdisc]

Does anyone know if a newer model with 8gb RAM would be slower or faster generally than these older 16gb RAM models I linked to?

 

[mikehalloran]

I am in the market for a budget used iMac that'll get video/audio editing done (especially After Effects).

If you already had one of these and were looking to upgrade, that would be one thing.

Why you would buy something that is way underpowered ... there's got to be a better way.

Do not buy a model with the slow 5400rpm platter hard drive. It will be slow and disappointing. Go for an SSD!

Let me fix that.

Do not buy a model with the slow 5400rpm platter hard drive. It will be slow and disappointing. Go for an SSD!

Much better.

A 21.5 (probably) does not have a PCIe slot for an SSD. Though some do, it's not supposed to which means that an NVMe blade cannot be installed in one. Thing is that a 1TB 660p costs less than $100 and really improves the speed of a 2013 iMac if originally equipped with a Fusion or AHCI SSD from Apple.
https://www.amazon.com/Intel-Internal-Solid-State-SSDPEKNW020T8X1/dp/B07GCLLKDC/ref=dp_ob_title_ce
(yes, there's a wake from sleep issue but it's easily solved with a Terminal Command).

Even if you can't afford to upgrade now, don't cut yourself off from the ability to do an inexpensive upgrade later. Get a Fusion (yech) or SSD (meh) so you can upgrade. Darkroom is going to need all the horsepower you can muster.
[doublepost=1564011745][/doublepost]Really, newer is much better. I'm not a fan of Fusion drives but those on this page can be upgraded with fast NVMe blades later or can boot from a Samsung X5 as your budget increases later.

https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished/mac/imac