I know, there’s been 1001 threads on what Mac to buy, blah, blah, blah.
Well, I’ve always been a MacPro guy. The one I have at home is a 2008, my work Mac Pro is a 2012.
For those that know me, I’ve spoke of my psychic wife often and the paranormal investigations we used to do. And of the haunted houses we’ve lived in. My wife of 19 years passed away last week from complications of pneumonia. I’m going to have around $3,000 to update my Mac. I’ll probably buy pre-owned from a Mac reseller locally. He has a 27" iMac for $1400. 1 TB Hard Drive, 8 GB RAM, CORE I5 3000. I don’t need a workhorse. Deal or no deal?
Thanks
Wow, I am very sorry to hear about your wife. If your avatar is indeed a picture of you, it seems your wife must have been way too young to pass and you way too young to be a widower. I won’t insult you by saying I know what you’re going through, because I have no idea. But you have my sympathy.
I’m so sorry to hear that Rick 
You have my sympathies 
Thanks. George Carlin was and is timeless
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Hey Kittie - thank you
I put this in the wrong forum I think
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To actually answer your question, I have an older iMac. It has a 3.4 GHz Intel Core i5, but I maxed out the ram at 64 GB. It works fine for Adobe CC for print and web. Some slow down if I have a huge PSD for a trade show booth or something, but that’s the exception. I think maxing out the ram and keeping a good amount of free space on the hard drive both help quite a bit.
(I did not recognize that as being George Carlin.)
Steve_O - is the ram upgradeable in an iMac?
In the older iMacs, yes. I believe it is strictly a factory option in the newer iMacs. Where that cut off is and why Apple decided to do that, I don’t know. Profit motive, I suspect. I’m not one who enjoys hardware, tinkering with hardware or knowing the latest and greatest and all the specs of hardware. As long as I have a solid platform from which to work, I am happy.
I think it’s ok here in General … if you would like me to move it somewhere else I would be happy to though 
Well, that’s where I thought I put it but… ah well, brain is running on fog fumes
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Any experience anybody with the round Mac Pro? They seem not too expensive even loaded up.
Ten or 12 years ago, when the cylinder-shaped Macs were new, we had one to edit 8K video. At the time, it seems like they were about half the price of a new car. Expensive, but real workhorses.
Today, though, they’re old machines with older technology. Even though they’re going for relatively cheap, I wouldn’t be inclined to invest in ten-year-old technology.
OK, good point. This one says 2019?
- 2.7GHz 12-Core Xeon E5-2697v2 processor
- 128GB memory
- 1.0TB OWC Aura Pro X2 Solid-State Drive
- AMD FirePro D500 x 2 with 3GB VRAM
- Supports macOS 10.9.1 Mavericks to Current (macOS 12.x Monterey)
Still old? I only ask because I haven’t been keeping up.
We bought ours when they first came out in 2013, but I think the last ones were manufactured in 2019.
No, I don’t think 2019 is too old if the price is right. I’m using a 2018 Mac Mini at home with no immediate plans to replace it. It only has 16 GB of memory, but does just fine most of the time. 32 GB would be better and help eliminate a few of the slowdowns I sometimes run into, but I have no need for 128 and 3 GB of VRAM.
Do you really need 128GB of memory. You mentioned in your first post about not needing a workhorse.
I just hit the loaded options because I should have the money 
Even the 2019 uses 2013 chip technology. Apple has moved on to the M-series chip and their software updates are geared toward that now. They are two years into that upgrade. How long they support software on an Apple using an Intel Chip is probably going to be under 5 years.
Have you checked this out?
I think this is my next machine. My boss says I cannot have the verrrrry expensive tower.
I run an M1 Mac mini at home for even shorter money and love it.
Hey PD.
Hmmmmm, OK. That’s an eye opener!
Maybe I should redirect my question:
What’s the best I can get for $2500?
Best is subjective.
If you need portability, a laptop might be best. If that doesn’t matter, a desktop computer is cheaper. If you’re editing huge memory-hogging files or spending hours online playing video games, lots of RAM and fast processors are needed. If you’re just writing emails and posting on Facebook, less RAM is needed. If you’re like me, new is better than used. If you’re unlike me, that’s not so much of an issue.
I suppose my recommendation would be to assess what you’ll be using it for and in what circumstances and locations, then find a computer that fits those requirements and is within your budget. My only hard recommendation would be to get at least 16 GB of memory if you want to do anything more than send emails and browse the web.
If you’re set on a Macintosh, it’s not as though Apple makes any shoddy computers. They’re all built with the same level of quality. The choice depends on balancing what you really need with what you’re willing to pay.
Definitely Mac. Photoshop and Illustrator work mostly. Designing stuff. I have an iPad and iPhone for emails and texting if needed. Some audio but not like mixing or music production. No garage band. I just know I’ll only have one chance to get something and don’t want to make the mistake I’ve made before of only getting what I can afford and then waiting on the Mac to redraw an InDesign page.
Budget - $2,000 - $2500 and in need of display. iMac?