Still have my mid 2011 iMac 27 inch. It’s running Windows 11 at the moment, ram has been upgraded to 24 gig and the hdd has been swapped for a 1tb SSD. Since 2017 it stopped being my main workhorse and has moved to the living room where it’s used for basic tasks like ms office, browsing, reading email, playing music (hooked up to hifi system) and some light photoshop use. Basically, it became the family computer. Now, after 13 years of intensive use, time is catching up on it. The lack of USB 3 + speeds and it’s gpu are letting it down mainly. None of us are gamers, but it struggles with full screen youtube videos from 1080p60 and upwards, and fusion360 becomes challenging when models become more complex.
The best thing about older iMacs is that they are upgradable, the worst thing about them is that you're not getting the latest MacOS unless you want to use OpenCore but even that is being threatened by Apple's support for Intel being dropped in general. My advice is that if you're doing this than the suggestion is always to migrate over to a Linux platform like Ubuntu or Fedora (especially if you're upgrading the GPU)... Where I live you can get these pcs for less than $100AUD
have same mid 2011 imac. feel your pain. I'm also upgraded RAM, SSD, and also my fan kept runnng strong. Amazingly durable to last that long. Keyboard fantastic, mouse pad square - fantastic. I started to use fan app too. Now Instead of doing opeclegacy software I'm looking to upgrade gpu to install better OS, will try to do it without any IT skills. Just need recommended mid 2011 size 21' GPU for good price and flashed!! Just because I'm interested if I can do that. many thanks!
Nice, what a little workhorse! Worked with a couple of the 2011 27" ones right up to the pandemic. It was sometimes a lesson in patience and working within your means😂 We never got to the point of upgrading any components besides ram, but it cannot be overstated: 16gb RAM and an SSD are critical quality of life upgrades if you want one of these today! After that, if you are into projects, go crazy with GPU, CPU and wireless upgrades! OS wise, Opencore is nice but they can also run windows (download bootcamp drivers or else) and Ubuntu near flawlessly. It's blasphemy, I know, but if it keeps you going with modern security and features, you can just ask Jobs for forgiveness later😂
I actually upgraded my 27" 2011 MacBook to 20GB. Apple officially said up to 16 but it supports 20. My disk drive still works but I barely used it. My hard drive needed to be replaced, upgraded to 2TB. Anyways, I just came here to get ideas on what to do with the things now. Right now I have it set up in an extra room where I basically use it for youtube and email.
I've installed Ubuntu 24.04 LTS on my imac (mid 2011). It's running great, also swapped the drive with an SSD and there's 32GB ram in it. It runs better than upgrading macos with OCLP. Good machine for browsing and streaming music/video.
With Opencore Legacy Patcher I'm running Sonoma, with glitches here and there. For light tasks still runs perfectly fine... Maybe not as energy efficient, but who cares, right?
Quite informative review. I have a Mid 2012 Macbook Pro that is still working well besides the dead battery i enjoy doing most of my tasks on it. How can i upgrade my Siftware from Mojave using 3rd Party Apps for a test run? I want to do that to run WhatsApp on the Mac
Help, I hate the fact my iMac 27 inch, mid 2011 is now a paperweight. I only use it for word processing and watching Netflix, Amazon prime. Is there not any work around?
You can try upgrading the software using opencore legacy patcher, you can also upgrade to an SSD if you are using hard disk drive, and max out the ram, you should be able to do a few more things with your mac
Running one of these with Open Core to run Big Sur as my goto desktop. I don’t have a Metal GPU, so some video decoding is broken. But it works well for basic graphic design, 3D modeling and general productivity.
i've one, i'done two partition, 500Gb for macos, 1To500 for Linux, with linux it still works well, i've tried, manjaro, ubuntu, and others, but for some reason, in some distro we need to precise to grub that the graphic card is an old amd card. But it works fine, and the sreen is more beautiful than other new pc. In windows, the screen is not as good as in macos or in linux. I don't know why, but windows doesn't know to make good display...
If you install Windows as the OS, they can be used for videoconferencing just fine. Zoom, Google Meet, MS Teams, you name it. Also Chrome works fine. I would suggest upgrading the ram to 16 gig or more and swapping the hdd for a SSD though. As long as your kids don’t expect to game on it, they make excellent machines for school work!
I wonder could u make a video how to install windows 7 or windows 10 on an older iMac? I use a iMac from mid 2010 and after I format with bootcamp my usb stick and partition the memory it reboots into no bootable device found. My theory is that it can only boot from optic drive ( dvd / cd ) which I will test on Wednesday with very little hope to be honest. Because with what bootcamp formats the usb stick into + the bootcamp support software for windows for ( audio, wifi etc ) its not just a iso anymore its just full of folders and data which I am not sure if I can burn this on a dvd. Besides that the iMac 2010 and 2011 are still beasts, I have a MacBook Pro m3pro maxed out and I still use the old iMac sometimes for work or coding. Besides all that the old iMacs looks beautiful af Would appreciate if u maybe could make a video on the problem I am facing ( I have seen this for a long time being an issue in the apple community and u would help a lot of people ) Have an amazing day and much love
Download Windows ISO of choice (windows 11 runs great with 16gb ram and an ssd), create usb installer with rufus (MBR mode, not UEFI), reboot mac while holding option key, boot from usb you just created, press shift f10 on welcome screen, start diskpart and clean the internal drive, exit command prompt and go through installer. Download bootcamp drivers and install what’s needed (i believe isight and bluetooth are the only ones). Once installed boot from a macos installer / internet recovery to set windows as startup drive (reduces boot time).
Maybe not this era, but definitely the older ones. Up until the 2015 models, iMacs had Direct Display Mode, a method where you can directly connect another computer. Search for 'Direct Display Mode' tutorials to get an idea how it works and which model years are compatible.
I mean i had a 2012 mac mini for a bit and with a couple upgrades it was useable. Not good by any means, it was slow as hell but it was useable for browsing which is all you could want out of an old device
Great video at 6.22 mins super.agree whit you if you need a work computer buy a windows pc if you are rich buy every 4 years a mac cos no matter how much money you spend whit macs you have to switch every 4 years cos the software developers they like to tinkering whit software and the hardware cant and wil not keep it up they talk about security yeah right do you want security just don't go online im still using my 2011 imac corei7 32gb of ram NVIDIA K3100M 4GB software patch full metal support and brightness control and welcome screen Mac os Big sur not problems at all.greets
I have the same iMac model bought 2012. Still intact - all drives still work, the keyboard and Magic Mouse gave up the ghost though.
😄😄😄 dead by gave up the ghost! Well done for keeping it intact though!
Still have my mid 2011 iMac 27 inch. It’s running Windows 11 at the moment, ram has been upgraded to 24 gig and the hdd has been swapped for a 1tb SSD.
Since 2017 it stopped being my main workhorse and has moved to the living room where it’s used for basic tasks like ms office, browsing, reading email, playing music (hooked up to hifi system) and some light photoshop use. Basically, it became the family computer. Now, after 13 years of intensive use, time is catching up on it. The lack of USB 3 + speeds and it’s gpu are letting it down mainly. None of us are gamers, but it struggles with full screen youtube videos from 1080p60 and upwards, and fusion360 becomes challenging when models become more complex.
They couldn't accept more than 16gb ram
@@aliaulman Well, since I'm running 24GB as we speak (2 x 8 + 2 x 4), this statement obviously isn't correct.
Hi, can you pls tell us how you installed windows11 on this mid2011 model.
My friend, ram on iMac 2011 can go up to 32gb.
thank you bro for the information they said i was wasting money when i bought this baby...i got a 27inch mid 2011 and its amazing
The best thing about older iMacs is that they are upgradable, the worst thing about them is that you're not getting the latest MacOS unless you want to use OpenCore but even that is being threatened by Apple's support for Intel being dropped in general. My advice is that if you're doing this than the suggestion is always to migrate over to a Linux platform like Ubuntu or Fedora (especially if you're upgrading the GPU)...
Where I live you can get these pcs for less than $100AUD
have same mid 2011 imac. feel your pain. I'm also upgraded RAM, SSD, and also my fan kept runnng strong. Amazingly durable to last that long. Keyboard fantastic, mouse pad square - fantastic. I started to use fan app too. Now Instead of doing opeclegacy software I'm looking to upgrade gpu to install better OS, will try to do it without any IT skills. Just need recommended mid 2011 size 21' GPU for good price and flashed!! Just because I'm interested if I can do that. many thanks!
Nice, what a little workhorse! Worked with a couple of the 2011 27" ones right up to the pandemic. It was sometimes a lesson in patience and working within your means😂 We never got to the point of upgrading any components besides ram, but it cannot be overstated: 16gb RAM and an SSD are critical quality of life upgrades if you want one of these today! After that, if you are into projects, go crazy with GPU, CPU and wireless upgrades! OS wise, Opencore is nice but they can also run windows (download bootcamp drivers or else) and Ubuntu near flawlessly. It's blasphemy, I know, but if it keeps you going with modern security and features, you can just ask Jobs for forgiveness later😂
You're giving me ideas on installing windows, at least it gave me my ROI
I actually upgraded my 27" 2011 MacBook to 20GB. Apple officially said up to 16 but it supports 20. My disk drive still works but I barely used it. My hard drive needed to be replaced, upgraded to 2TB. Anyways, I just came here to get ideas on what to do with the things now. Right now I have it set up in an extra room where I basically use it for youtube and email.
I've installed Ubuntu 24.04 LTS on my imac (mid 2011). It's running great, also swapped the drive with an SSD and there's 32GB ram in it. It runs better than upgrading macos with OCLP. Good machine for browsing and streaming music/video.
With Opencore Legacy Patcher I'm running Sonoma, with glitches here and there. For light tasks still runs perfectly fine... Maybe not as energy efficient, but who cares, right?
I agree, It's perfect for light tasks
Quite informative review. I have a Mid 2012 Macbook Pro that is still working well besides the dead battery i enjoy doing most of my tasks on it. How can i upgrade my Siftware from Mojave using 3rd Party Apps for a test run? I want to do that to run WhatsApp on the Mac
Help, I hate the fact my iMac 27 inch, mid 2011 is now a paperweight. I only use it for word processing and watching Netflix, Amazon prime. Is there not any work around?
You can try upgrading the software using opencore legacy patcher, you can also upgrade to an SSD if you are using hard disk drive, and max out the ram, you should be able to do a few more things with your mac
Locally these sell from $30-60 constantly.
Running one of these with Open Core to run Big Sur as my goto desktop. I don’t have a Metal GPU, so some video decoding is broken. But it works well for basic graphic design, 3D modeling and general productivity.
I think it's still has a lot of life in it especially for basic tasks
@@ZimTechGuyis this iMac good planning to get 1 soon does it support games?
Thank you! Very good review 💛
Thank you! How about Zoom classes, will it hold it?
THIS PC IS UNDERRATED FR I CAN PLAY ROBLOX WITHOUT LAG WHILE THERE IS OVER 30 TABS OPEN IN CHROME AND CHROME IS RUNNING IN THE BACKGROUND TOO
Can you start a CZcams channel with the 2011. I was hoping to buy one and make and edit videos ect
If you will be working with 1080p footage, I don't see anything wrong, but if you want to edit in 4k then you will have problems
I just typed 2011 2024 and landed here
i've one, i'done two partition, 500Gb for macos, 1To500 for Linux, with linux it still works well, i've tried, manjaro, ubuntu, and others, but for some reason, in some distro we need to precise to grub that the graphic card is an old amd card. But it works fine, and the sreen is more beautiful than other new pc. In windows, the screen is not as good as in macos or in linux. I don't know why, but windows doesn't know to make good display...
I’m planning on getting one of these just because they are pretty! I already have my main pc but I love vintage 😅
I picked one up for £30 and it’s stunning !! 32gb Ram, i5 2.7, 1Tb hdd (soon to be SSD) running Ventura lovely!! ❤
I have a 2010 i7, but I run Debian so it's largely like a new machine.
I’m assuming you can’t run zoom on this…was abt to set one of these up in the office for the kiddos, but they need chrome & zoom for sure
If you install Windows as the OS, they can be used for videoconferencing just fine. Zoom, Google Meet, MS Teams, you name it. Also Chrome works fine.
I would suggest upgrading the ram to 16 gig or more and swapping the hdd for a SSD though. As long as your kids don’t expect to game on it, they make excellent machines for school work!
I wonder could u make a video how to install windows 7 or windows 10 on an older iMac? I use a iMac from mid 2010 and after I format with bootcamp my usb stick and partition the memory it reboots into no bootable device found. My theory is that it can only boot from optic drive ( dvd / cd ) which I will test on Wednesday with very little hope to be honest.
Because with what bootcamp formats the usb stick into + the bootcamp support software for windows for ( audio, wifi etc ) its not just a iso anymore its just full of folders and data which I am not sure if I can burn this on a dvd.
Besides that the iMac 2010 and 2011 are still beasts, I have a MacBook Pro m3pro maxed out and I still use the old iMac sometimes for work or coding.
Besides all that the old iMacs looks beautiful af
Would appreciate if u maybe could make a video on the problem I am facing ( I have seen this for a long time being an issue in the apple community and u would help a lot of people )
Have an amazing day and much love
There's tons of tuturial videos out there❤
@@feddeguzman3966i been looking forever there isnt one bro
Download Windows ISO of choice (windows 11 runs great with 16gb ram and an ssd), create usb installer with rufus (MBR mode, not UEFI), reboot mac while holding option key, boot from usb you just created, press shift f10 on welcome screen, start diskpart and clean the internal drive, exit command prompt and go through installer. Download bootcamp drivers and install what’s needed (i believe isight and bluetooth are the only ones).
Once installed boot from a macos installer / internet recovery to set windows as startup drive (reduces boot time).
@@wanteds13 I will try this thank vey much
I found one in the trash , still in good condition. Installed 20GB of DDR3 and a 256GB ssd with linux.
Has anybody managed to use this model as a 2nd monitor with a windows laptop for example? I would be really interested to learn how. Thanks in advance
Maybe not this era, but definitely the older ones. Up until the 2015 models, iMacs had Direct Display Mode, a method where you can directly connect another computer. Search for 'Direct Display Mode' tutorials to get an idea how it works and which model years are compatible.
I mean i had a 2012 mac mini for a bit and with a couple upgrades it was useable. Not good by any means, it was slow as hell but it was useable for browsing which is all you could want out of an old device
Great video at 6.22 mins super.agree whit you if you need a work computer buy a windows pc if you are rich buy every 4 years a mac cos no matter how much money you spend whit macs you have to switch every 4 years cos the software developers they like to tinkering whit software and the hardware cant and wil not keep it up they talk about security yeah right do you want security just don't go online im still using my 2011 imac corei7 32gb of ram NVIDIA K3100M 4GB software patch full metal support and brightness control and welcome screen Mac os Big sur not problems at all.greets
would be good to run windows on it since windows still gets updated
Ya but put an Nvidia 675 mx 4gb +metal gpu in it and upgrade max ram and see it fly
So I can't browse much basically no matter what I do! Even upgrading it still same! Got it! Time for something new but what
All in ones are just laptops on a stick
Totally agree!