Should You Buy An Old Mac in 2023?
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- čas přidán 22. 08. 2024
- Should you buy an older Mac in 2023? In this video we cover this topic to see if buying an old or refurbished Intel Mac mini, MacBook, iMac, or any Mac is a good idea in 2023. If you are looking at some of the older Mac models that are selling for a good price, then watch this video. We will tell you the pros and cons of buying an older or refurbished Mac versus buying a newer M1 or M2 Mac.
Some of the new models we recommend on a budget are:
2020 27" 5K iMac (still great) - amzn.to/3H8FKHY
M1 Mac mini Base - amzn.to/43ZpG4X
M2 Mac mini Base - amzn.to/41PxFjd
M1 MacBook Air Base - amzn.to/3H894hP
M2 MacBook Air Base - amzn.to/41RVJ5e
isellimac site - ebay.to/40yqXgC
Thanks for watching this video on older Macs, but if you want hundreds of Mac and Apple related videos then please subscribe. Disclaimer - if you make a purchase using any of the links above it's possible a very small percentage could go to help my channel grow. Thank you.
Thanks Craig. I like to tinker with computers, have done so since the 90s (primarily Windows PCs). For a few years I purchased old Macs on eBay to upgrade, just for the challenge and learning experience. It turned out that the experience came in handy because some of my friends have older Macs and I was able to upgrade/repair them with the knowledge I had gained. However, when the M series chips came out I sold or gifted the old computers and made the transition to the newer technology because it is SO much faster (and has better support).
Yes, I still like the older Macs for sure but also feel the average user should just get the M1 or M2 chips now because they are so much faster. I'll still make videos if people like the older systems since they are fun to use. Thanks again for watching.
2000s!
I picked up an EXCELLENT MacBook Pro 16” 2019, 6-core i7, 16GB, and 512GB SSD, 4GB GPU for $600; cosmetically it was in pristine condition, use it as a solid backup. Yep, could have purchased a new MacBook Air M1 for $799, but considering what the 2019 brings to video and photo editing it was well worth it.
If it works good for you and you researched it then that is perfect. But too many people buy really old systems and may not be happy. You know my channel though, I like to buy them but in the end with the $499 or $599 M2 Mac mini you always need to think about that for the price.
I own 4 macs. I've owned about 20 in the past. My favourite at the moment is my tiny 11 inch 2015 macbook air 8gb ram. I use it for youtube/surfing etc. I paid 90 dollars for it in Malaysia. I use it every day in preference to my M1 air and 27inch i5 imac. Biggest is not always best. It's nice to have a couple of options though for different tasks and family members. You don't need to break the bank. Just buy wisely and do a bit of research. This channel is great for that ❤. Thanks for all the info Sir. 👍
Thanks for watching and the feedback. Yes, the 2015 was a great little system and they still work fine for most things today. I did a video on one if you look back through my videos.
thank you for making this video, very informative
Welcome and thanks for the post and for watching.
I’m using an early 2011 MacBook Pro for music production only, with Logic Pro X. I actually bought it 2nd hand from owner about 5 years ago. He upgraded to 256 SSD and upgraded it to 8 gigs. It runs Logic flawlessly. I still love the fact that I can unscrew the bottom and actually upgraded everything even more at anytime. Apple scams everyone nowadays with their BS, “ Your stuck with whatever you bought, forever “ way of doing things. I can even take the CD drive out and add even more stuff. It isn’t slow or lagging at anything. Immediately responds to everything I do. I wouldn’t mind having a bra new MacBook Pro but. For what I’d want the prices are just ridiculous. And not being able to ever upgrade it, is absolutely insane to me. I love my old Mac and hope it continues to serve me well forever.
Yes, the older systems work great if you use something like Open Core to update the OS. I have about 4 older Macs that I use on a regular basis for the channel and all perform good enough. Thanks for watching and posting.
The answer for a 27" iMac, hell yes. Once you have experienced that screen, anything else is like looking at a tablet from the Stone Ages. I bought a refurbed 2020 i7 for about 1800 and sent it back. Found a 2017 i7 1tb SSD for 750 and the speed difference is negligible, maybe 15% on 4K rendering. Had I not broke the screen on my 2014 i7, which I bought from isellmac, I'd still be using it. The one downside is Safari will quit rendering pages correctly. You have to change to Firefox, which has an update daily or Chrome, which I try to avoid. As far as security goes, don't download free software or visit porn sites. Your bank or doctors office will be hacked before you.
Thank you, this is a great post (smile...smile).
Thanks for posting and I agree. The 27" 2017 or 2020 still work great and I use my 2017 (I boot off external SSD) every single day just fine.
Hi Craig,
I have a question for you: I found a great deal on a second-hand Mac Mini M1 with 16GB RAM and a 1TB SSD for $600. I plan to use it for music production on logic pro x and smaller projects, as well as an all-around desktop PC. Do you think this is a good choice for my needs,
Also, do you think it will be future-proof for at least the next 5 years? Would it be worth getting the M2 chip, or even the Mac mini M2 pro, or do you think the M1 is still sufficient for my needs?
Also, I wanted to add that I'm a big fan of your work and really appreciate your expertise in the tech and music space.
Thank you!
Hello Craig, I just checked Apple's refurbished web site and the price appears to be around $1,000. So, yes this should be an excellent buy and should be able to support your projects. Also, if you find out later that you need to upgrade to a M2 Pro "mac mini", you should be able to sell or trade in this model for about what you paid for it (smile...smile).
Yes, I agree it should be a pretty good deal with the 1 TB drive. The M2 would be slightly better for obvious reasons, and provide slightly more OS upgrades in the future, but the M2 Mac mini with the same setup is around $1,200. So it comes down to how you justify that extra $600 and what you can do with that money. Maybe keep the M1 for 2 or 3 years, and sell it for $400, and buy an M3 in a few years. Then you are only spending $200 for 2 or 3 years of solid performance. To answer your question it should provide many years of solid performance either way.
Using one iMac of 13 years old and one of 10 years old and having no problems at all, both have SSDs, sufficient memory and more than enough well working apps and programs …. I appreciate your video a lot.
Thank for watching. I also have a bunch of older Macs. If you can deal with the older OS etc. then not a bad option especially with things like Open Core Patcher now but for new people (to Mac) it might be better if they get the M1 Air or similar.
Agree, just get the M1 Macbook Air or M1 Mac Mini. One thing that people advocating older machines are not mentioning is that older machines used to have still functioning versions of Adobe or other expensive software.
Thanks for the tip and for watching.
I'm here because the 27" 2011 imac which I had maxed out finally bit the dust. Probably going for the M1 MacBook Air when I find a good sale. Thanks for this video.
The M1 are still great and you can find a good price on them now.
If someone wants to buy an older macbook theyre not buying it cause they like it theyre buying it cause theyre low on cash 😅 so all these comments are not helpful and the video is pointless if i had the money id buy the newest for 899 at best buy 😂 but thank you for telling us not to buy an old macbook i guess..i could barely tell your an apple fanboy.
Ok ... I guess
Nah I phoned up adobe and the technical staff made it clear that you don't need M1 M2.
A 2017 macbook pro is the cheapest/highest quality MacBook you can buy right now that runs ventura natively
Yes, but might have the keyboard issue so you need to make sure and test that out.
That's what I'm thinking GF wants one but don't think she will actually use it so🤷🏾♂️
It's all about the money. The Amazon refurb M1 Mac Mini is a heck of a good computer for $450... especially if you only have $450.
I agree, it really comes down to budget for many people and that is fine. Just get the best thing you can and then enjoy it.
quick answer what is the latest MacOS operating sistem right now? Big Sur or Ventura or a different one?
Ventura
Ventura
As usual, great video. I have an M1 MacBook Air & a Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra as my newer devices. However, I love the older Intel MacBooks as my projects. The older Intel MacBooks are good depending on your use case. The new systems are better, but the older Macs aren't that bad
Yes, and thanks again for watching. I also use the older Macs quite a bit and they are good for most things. For new users though I would just recommend going with the M2 Mac mini or at least the M1 chip so they don't run into issues down the road. Thanks.
Just bought a refurbished 2013 Imac for my mom for around R2000 which is roughly $105, and i'm quite surprised at how well this older machine performs and beautiful the built quality is and how good the screen looks, obviously this isn't going to be for high graphical intensive tasks, just general browsing and basic business admin work and some light games, but it performs quite well and sure beats an Intel Celeron PC.
as for me if i'm going to spend anything more i'll probably just upgrade my current desktop or get myself a top of the Chromebook, but for my mom that older imac is perfect.
Yes, they still work great as long as they have 8 GB or more and an SSD in them. Thanks for watching and posting the story.
Difference between a 2019 Imac 27" and a 2020 iMac 27" is 2019 you can install a 12 to 16 pin SSD 2280 to help storage and 2020 is just the hard drive. so for Me 2019 is my choice. Great Video and Thank You
Thanks for the information and for watching again.
One use case would be if you are running Docker and need to run Intel (AMD64) containers.
A 2018-2020 Mac Mini with an Intel chip will run the containers natively and you can bump the RAM up to 32 or 64 gig. These machines typically have Thunderbolt and USB 3.2 interfaces so one can run the external SSD drives you feature on this channel. The new OS out in Sept (Sonoma) may help with some of the Docker issues so make sure the machine is 2018 or newer (eligible for Sonoma).
Thanks for watching and sharing another use case. I appreciate it. Yes Dockers might be a good one.
Great video! I currently have a 2015 iMac. I am looking to purchase an updated Mac for music production and video editing. What would you recommend?
Went from a 2012 iMac 27 to a 2019 iMac 21.5 with 32gb ram. Runs current software and was still fast for our needs.
@@ral211able awesome!
My M2 Air with 16 GB of ram works great for that or the 14" M3 Pro (with pro chip). Or Mac mini with Pro chip. Key is getting 16 GB of ram or higher and they are all great for those functions.
im looking for an older mac version that can handle photoshop and lightroom. can you recommend a model/year and specs? thank you
What is the budget?
Nice video do you think that the 2018 iMac would be a good choice?
I think there might be a 2017 and 2019 and 2020 but not a 2018. Is this the 27" you are talking about?
i'm planning to buy one, i want to own it as a piece of art.
They are nice to look at but never heard that before. Thanks for watching.
Paldies, man ļoti palīdzēja jūsu video. Izvēloties datoru, par drošību nebiju iedomājies. Thank you!
Thanks for watching and for the post. Yes, the security can be an issue for sure.
Cool. I like your videos. Straight to the point. No bullshit. ❤
Thank you for watching and the comment. Appreciate it.
Looking alot into buying a iMac for home purposes. Looking into the 2017 27" 5k ones with i5/i7. I have the MacBook Pro M1 16GB ram for traveling but I wonder if I might be unhappy with that iMac? Can it run Premiere Pro? Or will it bug out?
If you get the 2017 you would just need to add ram which is simple on those models. If you can find a 2020 it's even better since those are faster and will work great. I only run FCP and CapCut and both work great on my system (2017 27") but I upgraded ram and have an SSD (not HDD with small SSD).
What do you think about open core legacy patcher. I am switching off Microsoft and Chromebooks. I am going with Macbooks and Linux machines only.
For older Macs that is not a bad way to go. I have used it a few times in the past and one day might do a video. But at the same time it takes some time getting used to installing it.
Thank You for this vid!! I am a college freshmen, and want a imac just to use at home for assignments or zoom classes. I found this deal on BackMarket, it is a "iMac 21.5-inch Retina (Early 2019) Core i5 3GHz - HDD 1TB- 8GB" in excellent condition all for $636.13, should I get this?
The issue is the spinning drive. If this is a normal 5400 RPM or 7200 RPM spinning drive I would say no because that is what makes the Mac fast. Make sure to get one with an SSD if possible. You can boot off an external SSD drive and load the OS on there to really speed it up but at the end of the day you may not want to do that. I would look for one with an SSD and you will be much more happy.
I’m looking to get something used as a desktop to do my bachelors degree online. I was thinking of getting a 2014 Mac Mini and a 29-inch ultrawide monitor. You can get an i7, 16 gb ram, and a SSD in a 2014 for half the price of a new M2 base model.
Would cost me around $450 for both, which sounds pretty good.. but I’m worried even with a SSD and Catalina OS it will have issues doing school tasks. Any tips?
To be honest if it's for school you may need to use the newest programs etc. and you may not really want to deal with an older Mac and slightly older OS. I would get the $499 M2 Mac mini (with school discount) and then pick up a cheaper monitor for about $100. Those systems fly and you will have many years of use of it plus you won't need to worry about software compatibility for school. I think you will be happier as the 2014 Mac minis were not that fast and compared to the M2 they are not even in the ballpark.
@@craigneidel I ended up buying a base M2 and a 28 inch 4K monitor. I was going to keep it cheap, but then I said “fuck it” and spent $1100 on a setup! 😭
@@squidwardtortillini8816 what monitor did you get
Hi Craig which computer is that on the desk is that a iMac??
Yes, M1 MacBook Air.
I just got a refurbished 2019 imac, 16gb, 1tb, 4gb graphic card. Perfect for lightroom and photoshop and saves time. Before this I had a lenovo... never again. I've got my life back!
Nice and good luck with everything
@@craigneidel Thanks. I do photography and not videography, so it more than meets my requirements.
@@craigneidel and good video.
@craigneidel oh and I could afford an m1 imac but I would prefer to have the cash for more camera equipment and still have a system that works for editing. Camera and lenses first. Editing second. But hey adobe constantly evolves and requires more and more food!
Yes, a good camera is key for sure. Good luck with everything.
As a user of a 2020 27" 5k iMac that's pretty nicely specced for it's time (8-Core i7, Radeon Pro 5700 XT with 16 GB video ram, 1 TB internal HDD, and user upgraded 72 GB 2667 MHz ram) I'm curious when systems like mine make sense to get replaced and what their current day equivalent would be. I would assume for mine it would be a Mac Studio w/ Studio Display, since there still isn't an iMac equivalent for the 27" 5k iMac (I don't consider the 24" iMac it's equal or replacement due to the downgraded display). Would love to see benchmarks of this platform vs today's closest equivalents.
Yes, I would say that a Mac Studio would be the best replacement. If the system works good for you then no reason to replace it. The only thing that makes people update is the lack of OS support when you can no longer update the OS to the newest versions. There is software like Open Core Patcher that can help with that if you are technical. Thanks for posting.
Currently running two iMac 2011. 1 TB HDD on both and 12 GB running smooth as ever. Used for music production and everything saved to external HD. If you take care of it it’ll take care of you
yes, I have a few older iMacs and they still work great. Incredible how they still work after 13 years.
You can upgrade the ram al the way up to 32 gb if you want.
@@craigneidel Sadly the new stuff while really fast will unlikely be running in 13 years. That is unless there is some easier way to replace the hard drives fro the mother board.
Time will tell I guess. So far I know it's only been 4 years since the M1s came out but I have not heard of early burn out of the SSD drives in any capacity yet.
@@craigneidel you have not watched some of the board repair channels then Rossman has put out several videos about the hard drives dieing and you not even able to power on and use a external drive. There is a bit of a epidemic of no boot units on several models on the older ones that are coming into the depo also
Depends, I run Ubuntu, which doesn't care that my imac is a 2010 with i7. Perennially I wouldn't dump money in a 2009 etc., as the core 2 is a bit too old.
Yes, if using Linux then a ton of these work perfect for sure.
6:52 It's running the brand new OS. That is the main reason I don't want a new mac. I think Mojave is peak-mac-os. From there, it is a Windows 11 wannabe MacOS wannabe Windows 11 ping-pong game trying to be as much Candy Crush UX as possible. The thing is, every proper app today is still made for 10.14,. why"? because it is the last proper OSX.
Then this video is totally US-biased. In the EU prices are crazy. That 799 Macbook is 999€. The 499 Mini is 599€. While at the same time vintage Intel is cheap as heck.
Last thing, a 25€ 2009 Core2Duo mini is still responsive as heck. It does not edit 4K video you say.... It does, but not very fast, although FCP will get you through. Anyway, nobody should edit 4K video except major film studios in 2023. CZcamsrs shouldn't. I know I did, but I stopped doing so. It is total bullocks. 95% of my views are on 720p. So save yourself expensive backup storage, editing time, energy use for distribution and go back to 24 fps 1080p. It is good enough for every youtube video there is. Even following gamers on their 120fps 4K rig is usually done at 30fps 720p on a phone.
Today I have come to the point I really don't care what computer is put in front of me. If I have to earn a living on a 25€ MacMini 2009, then I have no trouble doing so, and nobody will notice. Shitty Windows laptop: ditto. Computers have not offered anything new since 2010 or so, and all that is new runs in the cloud, not local.
Yes, I think about 70% of my views are US based plus I can't do the same research for Europe as here on pricing. But I know both Europe and Australia are more money for sure. I also like the older Macs but the video was saying unless you are like us, with some history and love of the older systems, new users might just want to pick up the M2 mini. I still use a few 2011 iMacs and my main system is 2017 imac even though I have an M1 iMac. So I still like using older systems too.
Thank you, for another excellent video. I agree with your comments about picking-up an older Intel based Apple computer system. Got my first Apple computer new in 1996, an All-in-One 5400 with its built-in speakers, 15-inch Sony display, floppy drive, CD-ROM, internal Apple video card system, internal Apple TV/FM radio card system with its matching back and white remote control. However, since then all of my Apple computer desktop systems have been refurbished or used including glossy white 20-inch G5 iMac, glossy white 24-inch Intel iMac, 2010 "mac mini" (the last model with a built-in DVD super-drive). Last year, I even picked-up a 2014, trash can size "space gray" Mac Pro 8-core/D700/64GB and paired it with my already owned Apple 27-inch Cinema LED (none thunderbolt) display and everything is working great. My current advise to others is to follow your example and buy off of Apple's certified refurbished web site either a 24-inch iMac desktop or a 13-inch MacBook Pro laptop for about $1,100 (smile...smile).
Yes, for some people buying the older Macs is fine and I buy a ton of them. But for the first time Mac buyer I feel the M2 Mac mini is a great starting system and will be fast enough and provide OS support for a long time. But, like you, I like to look for deals and still love that part of computers and electronics.
I’ve got a 2015 with Monterey. I’m new to Mac’s, can I stay secure with something like Trend micro on my Mac?
If you keep up to date on the Virus software side and are careful etc. I think you would be fine. I still use some older Macs and even the older versions of the OS were pretty secure.
I appreciate your opinion Craig, I just don't agree. First off I have a Macbook Pro "2008", running Sonoma, hmmm?. Slow, oh yea, but security is all there. I have a 2012 and a 2015 imac, all running intel chips, older quadcore i5' and i7. Both running a 16 or 32 memory. The biggest disadvantage of the M series chips, not only overpriced and over rated, but no longer offer Boot camp.
We are all different and that is fine. I just think the M1s are very good and if people are buying these for work or video editing etc. the M series is the way to go. This is coming from a guy me who has a ton of old Macs and uses them all the time. But, it's not for everybody is what I was basically saying. Yes, they still work great and check out my channel as I have a ton of videos on that. But for most people a 2015 MacBook pro isn't the best choice is all.
I have a 2017 iMac and its fast, realiable and i can do everything i need to do including 4k editing etc. I simply do not understand all this M1, M2 etc etc… i feel its just marketing, hype. I love my 5K 27”, and will not pay for 24inch and £2000 pound screens😮
I use my 27" all the time also and they are great machines especially if you fill them up with ram. The M chips are quite a bit faster but if what you have is fine then no need to upgrade. I always say don't give Apple any more of your hard earned money (unless you have a Mac channel - funny).
Depends how old. But obviously yes.
Thanks for watching
I think a m1 imac would last a family for about 30 years if tech doesnt get much better from here for normal use cases
That might be a bit much but I get your point :)
@@craigneidel seeing how a imac 2008 still works after 15 years and has gotten community support a good while it isn't out of question but with apples downward decline in repairability it's questionable
Yes, it's much harder to fix the new Macs. That is true for sure.
I have a late 2012 27” IMac with 16gb 2x8 ram, did an update the other day and it crash my computer. I took it to get it checked and they told me one of my 8gb RAM went bad and I am thinking if I should replace or if it’s really worth it. I understand the security risk so I won’t be doing any banking or anything like that.
The ram is super easy to replace and 8 GB would only cost like 20 bucks and it takes 30 seconds on the 27". I would just do that and then determine if you want to upgrade to a new system.
So what's the best "older" MacBook pro to buy? 2014-2015?
Both are good options but the 2015 might get security updates a bit longer. All MacBooks of this age have issues but both of these still work as far as basic day to day tasks.
@@craigneidel thanks for the info!
You got it.
@@craigneidel I went with a 2015 500gb ssd 15" in excellent condition. Battery only has 240 cycles! This thing is a gem! I'm bummed I didn't get the R9 because I bought it before hearing about the R9 but to be honest, at the price those are going for I would've just bought an m1 MBP. Now I've gotta find a 2017 27" iMac ; ) and I'll be fully upgraded! Thanks for all your videos, responses and help!
Thanks again and good luck with everything. @@kyleb4327
Where can I see someone making an SSD drive EXTERNAL....and also how to upload it and what to do? I ordered everything and its coming soon but I need to be sure I dont screw this up because my computer is my lifeline. So is this risky to do. Or no?
I have a number of video so please search my channel. If you are trying to do this with a newer computer like the M1 or M2 system I would just search on CZcams and there should be videos.
@@craigneidel I am doing it on a 2017 Imac and I love it but its so damn slow no matter what I do ....so I don't want to fuck this up, I may have found the steps online thank you for your video
Thanks, it's easy once you watch a few videos. Just don't delete your older drive and you can boot right back into the older drive at any time. Also, backup before doing anything.
Why not? I just bought a trashcan mac pro, and it's now 2024.
The old trashcan Mac Pro. They are coming down in price finally.
Unfortunately, the 32 GB RAM cards are still well over $200 to get 4. on OWC, anyway. 64GBs is the way to go, at $75.@@craigneidel
Yes, 64 is best price.
OpenCore is the solution 😊
Thanks, Yes I talk about Open Core all the time on the channel.
Craig Neidel ThanksMuch!
Thanks.
I would rather virtual Mac OS on PC than by an expensive macbook pro M1 with only 8gb RAM that can't be upgraded. I run Mac OS VENTURA ON a PC
That is good and do what is best for your setup.
Old Mac ??? Maybe...However, in a few months (especially after WWDC 2023) the OG M1 MacBook Air will start to drop further in price, making it a great value.....get over your nostalgia and stick with Apple Silicon
It's all what you like and people are different but in the end if you are just getting into Apple computers I agree the M1 is still perfect for many.
🧸Buy new one and keep it 3 to 5 years then buy another new one and protect yourself..
Yes, with the resale it's pretty easy to keep upgrading Macs for sure.