Which iMac to buy in 2022?

August 30, 2022 3:53 PM

I’m shopping for a desktop computer for work. Ideally, I would have done this several months ago and spent the minimum amount of time on this task, but 1) spending money and 2) choosing from among many similar options both give me a hard time, so I’m asking for help here so I can pull the trigger and move on.

My computing requirements are not high, but I would like to stay in the Mac system so I can sync between all my devices. Since I hate buying things, I always used to add as much storage and memory as possible when buying a computer (n.b., I have not bought a desktop since the end of the 20th century), but I can’t tell if that is as important as it used to be. A lot of my work files are backed up on hard drives and/or on cloud services, and my daily tasks (word processing, pdf viewing, occasional light video editing) are not super resource heavy.

The decisions I have to make are 7 or 8 cores? 8GB or 16GB memory? How much SSD storage? Which, if any, of these will make a big difference in keeping this machine going for awhile? Thanks in advance.

posted by mustard seeds to Computers & Internet (13 answers total)

Best answer: How much storage are you currently using?

If shopping iMac to keep awhile, I would probably get the model with extra ports. That means you have to get the 8 core GPU. For longevity, I think you need 16GB RAM and 512GB. The rest you can keep on external drives. If you get a 1TB drive instead of 512GB, I don't think you'll be wasting money, though, because it is pretty convenient.
posted by michaelh at 4:16 PM on August 30, 2022

I've been a big believer in maxing out RAM as much as possible, even more so if it isn't user upgradable. Same with the CPU, but it isn't a huge difference between 7-8 cores performance wise (but extra USB-C/Thunderbolt ports are always good, as michaelh mentions). The built in SSD is going to be faster than most external, so as long as it covers your general storage needs plus the OS, I wouldn't be too concerned about going overboard. Examine where you are now and try to project where you'll be in 5 years - you can always get an external SSD later if need be.

Overall the current M1 iMac should be enough to keep you happy for quite a while. I'm still satisfied with my souped up 2017 27 inch iMac (with 24gb of RAM, upgraded GPU & CPU and lots of external drives), even though the current Apple Silicon 24 inch runs circles around it in every metric, but the display...

I don't think this is an issue for you, but just keep in mind it only supports one extra external monitor.
posted by rambling wanderlust at 4:23 PM on August 30, 2022

First of all, I would question whether you'll be best served by a desktop. The current generation of MacBook Airs is great, and will be so far beyond what you're used to that you'll think you're in a Star Trek episode. This gives you some flexibility in terms of display options—that is, you can hook up a 27" external monitor as your primary display (or bigger, if you want). The new M2 Air with 512 GB would be my choice.

If you do get an iMac, I'd get the middle option if for no other reason than to get touch ID, and goose the storage to 512 GB.

I wouldn't worry too much about increasing the RAM above the default 8 GB.
posted by adamrice at 4:23 PM on August 30, 2022 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: If I did get another laptop, what external monitor should I get (must be available in Canada)? I’m not prepared to solve one decision-making problem by creating another.
posted by mustard seeds at 4:40 PM on August 30, 2022

I really would be really leery of going with the minimum 8GB - my wife made the mistake of getting an 8GB M1 MacBook Air for work and it suffers horribly when she has a ton of browser tabs open in Chrome as well as all of the other applications she uses daily. If you only use a couple of apps at a time, and don't want to do things like video/photo editing then it is okay. But you really aren't future proofing the machine at all.

As adamrice mentions, don't forget to check out laptops too... But keep in mind the monitor limits of the MacBooks below 14 inches in size. (As for monitors 4k retina and up, but I say that as a graphics orientated person.)
posted by rambling wanderlust at 4:41 PM on August 30, 2022 [1 favorite]

Good advice on product selection above, for general use.

I always recommend perusing the refurb options from Apple; they’re like-new but cheaper. Looks like you can presently save a few bucks on this model if you don’t mind pink.

Side note on preview: Chrome is a notorious memory hog so if you prefer it and you’re a ten-thousand-tabs type more memory is in fact a reasonable idea.
posted by doomsey at 4:43 PM on August 30, 2022

Regarding displays, it really depends on whether you care what a display looks like. If you care about these things, and I do, the iMac is pretty appealing. I use a display that’s $1000+ USD and, while larger, it’s frankly not quite as good as the one you’d get in that iMac. If you don’t care that much, you can take a pick of any 4K monitor at 27” and it will be fine, at a much lower price point than a display that’s closer to the quality of the integrated one on the iMac.
posted by doomsey at 4:48 PM on August 30, 2022

Response by poster: Thank you for the answers so far, everyone. I would like to reiterate that putting this decision-making process behind me is my top priority. If there is a specific display (or whatever), that’s great, but general suggestions to look into categories of items are less helpful. Is there a consensus that 8 cores, 16 GB, and 512 GB SSD is the way to go, if the goal is to have a desktop that will keep going for awhile?
posted by mustard seeds at 5:16 PM on August 30, 2022

Best answer: My dad needed a new iMac earlier this year and I engaged a local company to order it and set it up. I talked to the guy on the phone and then they placed the order and invoiced us. These were the specs they recommended:


24-inch M1 iMac (8-core CPU / 8-core GPU with 4 Thunderbolt / USB 4 Ports)
+ AppleCare+ for iMac ($169.00 ea.)
+ Magic Keyboard with Touch ID
+ 16GB Memory
+ 256GB SSD
posted by radioamy at 5:27 PM on August 30, 2022

Best answer: I have the M1 Mini and it screams even with 8GB of RAM, but I'd really like it more if it had 16GB. If you're just using it as a desktop and don't already have a really great monitor, iMac is the way to go, because you really cannot beat that screen quality for the price.

For your use cases, I'd go: 7-core GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB storage.
posted by General Malaise at 5:50 PM on August 30, 2022 [1 favorite]

If you get a laptop, I recommend getting a 27" monitor with 4K resolution. Make sure it has USB-C connectivity. Because of the same supply-chain problems you've been hearing about, you may not have a lot of options, but they're almost commodity items.
posted by adamrice at 8:49 PM on August 30, 2022

For future-proofing, get 16 gb of ram. Your 512 GB SSD will be fine, especially if you save a lot to the cloud. But if you work with large files (your video files?), and like to keep them on your computer, go up to 1 tb - it's not just your files, but all of your programs also end up eating up a lot of space on your computer too.
posted by hydra77 at 9:07 AM on August 31, 2022

I suddenly needed a new MacBook at the end of May this year. Since I'm a developer by profession I've always tended to buy high-end MacBook Pros for my personal computer and upgrade the RAM and HD but in May supply-chain issues made it so I couldn't get an upgraded MacBook Air or Pro for months.

In March my employer sent me an M1 MBP with only 8MB of RAM which seemed distressingly low but it's been mostly OK. In May the specs on the base model M1 MacBook Air were almost equal to those of my work MBP, including the 8MB of RAM and I got that one the same day I ordered it.

I use two external monitors and have the HyperDrive USB-C hub which works, though it tends to be finicky on the MBA - sometimes I have to reboot or power-cycle one of the monitors.

I have two Dell monitors, a P2415Q and a U2415. Neither are the latest or greatest models and I think if I upgrade I'll have a better experience.

My advice for you would be:
The decisions I have to make are 7 or 8 cores?
I'd base this decision on my comfort with the price and how quickly I need the machine balanced with how quickly it would be available and go with the highest amount.

8GB or 16GB memory?
Again, I'd base this decision on my comfort with the price and how quickly I need the machine balanced with how quickly it would be available and go with the highest amount.

How much SSD storage?
How much SSD storage do you use right now? Do you need more? The cheapest version of my iPhone has a 128GB hard drive and I'm only using slightly more than half of that. I have 125GB free out of 500GB on my personal MBA. Just consider your needs and your future needs.
posted by bendy at 10:33 PM on August 31, 2022