The best value Mac I've ever bought? The $500 iMac Project

Рет қаралды 135,272

Күн бұрын

Thanks to Privacy.com for sponsoring today's video! Head over to privacy.com/lukemiani for a FREE $5 credit! privacy.com generates virtual credit cards to keep your information safe and it's totally free!
In today's video we're talking about the best value Mac I've bought in a long time- a late 2013 27" iMac that I picked up for just $500! This late 2013 top spec 27 inch iMac packs a surprising amount of power considering it's age and pricepoint- especially for a Mac! I'll be going over the performance and value of this incredible device as well as the upgrades I'm going to give it in the near future! Make sure to Subscribe!
Follow me on Twitter: / lukemiani
Join my Subreddit! www.reddit.com/r/lukemianiyoutube
Gear:
Panasonic Lumix GH5: amzn.to/2SDQrYi
Blue Snowball Mic: amzn.to/2PwASD0
Rode VideoMic: amzn.to/2QhgfrC
Zecti Camera Slider: amzn.to/2CWmeOI
Album with the backgrounds I use (updated regularly): imgur.com/a/W8wvO7I

Пікірлер: 254

@StephenGA1982 4 жыл бұрын

Whoever sold that packaged it perfectly!! They should get 5 Stars for packaging!

@JTechWorkshop 4 жыл бұрын

I worked at Fedex Office for many years, this was packed by a store associate, you can tell right off the bat by the fedex brand tape, they only use that when they package the box. The foam inserts are also only used by Fedex, they don't sell them. When Fedex packs a fragile item they kind of go overboard sometimes and end up charging quite a bit more than necessary. No doubt this packing job cost $50+ (not including shipping).

@bananaaaaaah4285 4 жыл бұрын

YOUR BUYING ALL OF THE IMACS IM WATCHING ON EBAY

@kijahyeagher1334 4 жыл бұрын

Lmao

@jacobayon768 3 жыл бұрын

😏

@walker4541 3 жыл бұрын

*im watching imacs even tho I'll never be able to afford one**

@daktarioskarvannederhosen2568 Жыл бұрын

@@walker4541 look closely in many places and be patient. i eventually got a lovely one for very very little money.

@shirakuyanai4095 Жыл бұрын

@@walker4541 That's what I thought before I got a macbook.

@bvvv.v.gdfffc2403 4 жыл бұрын

Hi! Luke, I was wondering if you could make a video on " how to buy an iMac from eBay". Tell us how you find good deals like this? what do you look for? and how do you make sure- you aren't wasting money on the bad stuff? When I see a great deal on eBay, I immediately think that it's not possible. There must be something wrong with it. So, would love to know your process. Thank you

@huberbert 4 жыл бұрын

he did videos like that before

@xoxo-pp7ru 4 жыл бұрын

These KZfaqrs have made the resale value of these Macs go up smh 🤦 the price are not that worth it tbh and it's hard to find a good deal now

@kostasygaming7409 3 жыл бұрын

come on european ebay and see how many scammers exist

@adamlpatten 4 жыл бұрын

Luke your videos are so interesting and honestly everyone takes your artistic skills for granted as you are implementing those skills into your videos and producing higher quality videos than most tech channels. I thought to complement you on this as little to no people do

@georgemorris9616 4 жыл бұрын

After your recommendation, I just bought one of these from iPower Resale. It has the 780 with 4GB, the 3.5 processor but only 8 GB of RAM. I added another 16. Mine has the 3TB fusion drive which is delivering reasonable performance numbers. Thanks for the heads up, it was very useful!!

@moudireifan63 4 жыл бұрын

I can’t get enough of these videos !

@WarriorsPhoto 4 жыл бұрын

Those are great machines. Congratulations on the find. I am excited to see what parts you install in that computer.

@ryancooke1179 4 жыл бұрын

Watching you edit and eat ramen in fast motion felt like I was playing sims

@froekenur 4 жыл бұрын

Really looking forward to see what you will do with this one and how it will perform with your editing!

@Bmiguelpaiva 2 жыл бұрын

Another great vídeo !

@JohnDoe-tn3tx 2 жыл бұрын

I bought one of these machine new and specced it up with the 780M, i7 quad core and 500GB SSD. I then upgraded it to 32Gb with high quality Crucial RAM. Back in early 2014 it cost me a lot of cash to set it all up, but i'm still using it today so my ROI is getting better and better with every passing year. For 95% of activities it is perfect. Apple has dropped support for it, but Big Sur appears to run perfectly on it.

@ChrisLee-UK 4 жыл бұрын

Still rocking my late 2013 27" iMac, added 32gb of ram and will be soon upgrading to SSD using the iFixIt tool kit and new adhesive strips. Subbed and looking forward to your upgrade video Luke :D Chris - UK

@marcosphotography 4 жыл бұрын

I have one like this, and I’m looking to upgrade!! Looking forward for the next video

@TheSteinbitt 3 жыл бұрын

I got this exact imac after watching your vid, typing on it right now lol Its perfect, even if I had to pay 700$ instead of 500$. The screen and performance is awsome!

@Agora_Digital_Solutions 3 жыл бұрын

I just got mine late 2013 27 inches with 24GB ram for $450. With Catalina just installed that thing looks still amazing in 2021

@calgarycowboy2 4 жыл бұрын

I have a 2009 and a 2011 IMac both have been upgraded to 1TB SSDs and they work fine. Ram has been improved too to 12GB. Saved me a fortune over buying new. Best bang for your buck

@donatoazavedo5120 4 жыл бұрын

Congrats on 70K subs.

@DavidBakhash 4 жыл бұрын

Yo this is the one I have! I did all the upgrades (with the NVME SSD), and it is a screamer to this day 🤘

@qwerkygurly3778 4 жыл бұрын

Have same iMac and was considering upgrading or selling. Will wait for next installment before deciding!

@MrUPSman 4 жыл бұрын

I have this exact iMac except with 512gb SSD and 32gb ram. I bought it specifically for the graphics power!

@chrisw443 3 ай бұрын

I also enjoy the icat desktop accessory for the imacs.

@oosra 4 жыл бұрын

My first mac arrives tomorrow

@keomo 4 жыл бұрын

Loving the used Mac videos. Have you tried bootcamp on your Trashcan Mac Pro with updated AMD drivers and enabling crossfire yet? Bet you'd be surprised!

@diegobragado50 4 жыл бұрын

Nice video!

4 жыл бұрын

I do also have exactly the same machine, upgraded it with a 1TB SSD and 18GB Ram. Still running like the first day, FCP runs smooth, Affinity Photo, Designer, everythings so fast an smooth. No reason to upgrade the next years, i guess.

@hughbatchelor8599 4 жыл бұрын

Hi Luke. Thanks for the great video. Always very well presented. So which 2013 iMac is the best one to get? Early mid or late 2013? Many thanks. Cheers.

@dennisud 4 жыл бұрын

Love this machine, will be looking for one of these.with an SSD of course. Also, with the move to ARM chips is it worth to wait if Im getting a new Mac in a year???

@MrRelevance02 4 жыл бұрын

Great video

@SyzuderCon 4 жыл бұрын

ur videos r great

@DanRustle 4 жыл бұрын

do you ever sell you macs that you have accumulated? I deff would buy if you ever put them for sale online .

@mohameddarkaoui2636 5 ай бұрын

i just bought an imac 2013 27 inch with 16gb ram and 128gb ssd with a 2tb hdd for 150 bucks and i used opencore legacy and now i have a perfecttly fast imac with one of the latest macos versions.

@PastelBeachMusic 4 жыл бұрын

I got this exact one for 400. But with a cracked screen. Still usable though. Drive is in decent shape. I didn’t know it was still upgradable other than the hdd

@rosalesgabriel4751 4 жыл бұрын

Great video, as usual. Lot of knowledge and information. Congratulations for your channel!! I'm a spanish subscriber and owner of a 27 inch mid 2011 i5, 4GB RAM 1TB HDD imac and a mid 2010 mbp Intel Core 2 Duo upgraded with a SSD. I know I may continue to upgrade both for higher speed and performance, but which option should I go for when it comes to 4K edition? I wouldn't mind to buy a used device and upgrade it. Thank you very much!

@oristechreviews 4 жыл бұрын

amazing!

@joshpayne4015 4 жыл бұрын

My take-away from this video was at 9:45: What a beautiful cat you have!

@balisbest 2 жыл бұрын

Luke love your content. What about the late 2014 imac model? I found one 27 5k version online but i cant find alot of upgrading videos about it online you dont have a video on this model do you?

@isaacinternet 2 жыл бұрын

I’d like to see another video like this but updated from the perspective of 2022

@nataliesnyder4087 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Luke, Can you please tell me how I would check the viability of my hard drive? You state the essential need to do this, but give no detail on how. Thought I'd ask. I too just purchased a late model 2013 iMac.

@GS0CK6 4 жыл бұрын

My dads 27 inch late 2013 iMac is at 99% drive health. Beast computers

@nathmorris1 2 жыл бұрын

My best value Mac so far is a 21.5" iMac 18,1 for $25.00. Someone had taken it to a London Drugs as the HDD failed and the owner was told to replace the logic board. I bought it, got the tools, installed an old SSD, and less than $100.00 later have a perfect computer.

@gbwillson 4 жыл бұрын

Luke, is there a source for showing which parts of an iMac or Mackbook pro are upgradable? I've seen sites such s iFixit and OWC with some available parts, but not any recommendations for finding 2nd hand parts or the best parts for the price. I'd love to see your thoughts and recommendations or even a video. As always, thank you!

@HOLLYWOODUNAPOLOGETIC 4 жыл бұрын

Nice! Good for you, man. I'm looking for one to replace my 21".

@MD-ry4eu 4 жыл бұрын

Great video! So what's the best Mac OS to use with it?

@PastelBeachMusic 4 жыл бұрын

Also can you show how to fix the hinge? That’s one of the caveats for this unit?

@nicolleanne7315 3 жыл бұрын

How did you check the hard drive condition? What did you use?

@MannyPHX 4 жыл бұрын

Nice, I just bought the same thing on Facebook marketplace for $420

@justins2631 Жыл бұрын

Just bought a 2013 i7 3.5ghz with 500gb SSD, 32gb ram and the gtx 780m, £250 all in with keyboard and mouse, stuck on Catalina but runs windows 10 like a dream

@bricecenter 4 жыл бұрын

@LukeMiani, what program did you use to check the hard drive health?

@jaems5567 4 жыл бұрын

Yo Luke! Great vid as always. Question.. I have one of these but with the 3.2 GHz Intel Core i5 DUO core. Would I be able to upgrade this as well? I've been looking into upgrading to a MBP and selling mine but perhaps I could just upgrade my machine and keep it for a few more years and have the MBP as well. I'm a music producer and duo core was a bad choice. lol. Thanks!

@DavidRudley 4 жыл бұрын

I want it!!! I only have a 20 inch Mid 2009 iMac 4GB ram 160GB Hard Drive!

@manueljesus3147 Жыл бұрын

Just gone one for $150 on EBAY. Going to load it up with RAM I've got lying around, do the newest OS install and Windows... another 3 years of life out of this ewaste. Further to this running the HD Homerun APP it will become a 27" TV in the basement eventually but now a lab PC.

@stewartmac9568 3 жыл бұрын

Luke Miani:ThanksLucky.I’ll be back.Mac.2021.

@sangharramesh 4 жыл бұрын

I subscribed your channel in past but now it's gone? So i subscribed again.

@yothere1209 4 жыл бұрын

In future reviews make sure to factor in the cost of shipping. You did in this video. But in other videos you don't and shipping a'int exactly cheap for these things. If shipping is over $50 I'd say it definitely factors in and is information that is relevant for viewers. For example, in the iMac $200 frankenstein video you neglected to factor in shipping which is a significant cost for larger and heavier computers. In this case shipping was included which is PHENOMENAL and makes it that much of a better deal. Thanks for mentioning it this time.

@Michael999 4 жыл бұрын

Someone got some sun 🌞

@williameverets2736 2 жыл бұрын

I bought 27" iMac late 2013 with i7 4771 with GTX 780M 4Gb I ordered a Ssd 512GB with Catalina already installed I already own27" iMac late 2013 with 32Gb Ram Thank You

@masterkamen371 4 жыл бұрын

The best deal at a computer I got is the iMac I'm typing this on. It's a 20 inch mid spec system from early 2008. It can run Catalina if you upgrade the ram to 4GB! I got it for just 29$!

@SandroS123 3 жыл бұрын

No wayyy!! Just 29$???

@user-vz5ow2kw5m 4 жыл бұрын

I found a 27inch maxed out late 2017 that is 3 months old in February for like £1800/ just over $2000

@mikef9321 4 жыл бұрын

I just picked up a late 2013 with 32gb ram, gtx780m, i7 quad core, and 1tb fusion drive. $650

@sazonovandrey 4 жыл бұрын

What is that video that you mentioned and we can see how NVMe can be installed with simple adapter?

@alexandrecouture2462 4 жыл бұрын

I bought a year ago a 2.0ghz G5 iMac for 30$. I know there is no comparison, but it works quite well

@alexandrecouture2462 4 жыл бұрын

@C Rizzy Hi! This machine is part of my collection; it's not my everyday computer. The web browser that I use on it is TenFourFox. Their team is doing quite good work at keeping it secure, and as it is another cpu architecture, it is believed to be very safe, since it can't execute x86 or amd64 code.

@ripjones5294 4 жыл бұрын

Okay, if I want to just get my feet wet with an Apple iMac, what should I buy ? One of these, or a 21", or Mac Mini ???

@schadlarry 4 жыл бұрын

What's the practicality of changing out the video card? Found the same computer except it only has a 1gb card. It does have a 500gb SSD however at a price of $450. Want to do some light video editing.

@chasefeller1279 4 жыл бұрын

can you also upgrade the wifi/bluetooth card to a more modern one?

@azclaimjumper 3 жыл бұрын

I'd like to know how to change out the 2.0 USB ports to 3.0 USB ports.

@Julianlwy 4 жыл бұрын

what software do you use to check your hard drives?

@darrencritchley5425 4 жыл бұрын

10 out of 10 for packaging

@ShadesOfTech 4 жыл бұрын

I have a base model late 2013 27 iMac and I will upgrade cpu ram and ssd!

@davidhardinge1214 3 жыл бұрын

Nice haircut, who's you're barber?

@TheTechGuyYT 4 жыл бұрын

This is the same iMac I picked up for $360 it was sold for parts but I got the old girl working

@muddy111 4 жыл бұрын

Girl?

@Sephiyroth 4 жыл бұрын

What was wrong with it?

@jlpeng9036 4 жыл бұрын

it is a 6 yr old girl! it is still kid-girl LOL

@NEVER--MIND 3 жыл бұрын

@@muddy111 The computer had 'Mac Vagina' installed.

@kazoodac 4 жыл бұрын

Have this exact Mac, but with the upgraded CPU too. Trying to decide if I want to sell it and buy a Mac Mini and an eGPU, or upgrade to NVMe and use it for awhile longer. Thoughts?

@rexe3139 4 жыл бұрын

I just bought a late 2013 MacBook Pro 13 inch for only $285

@mr-vet 2 жыл бұрын

I’m looking for a new/newer iMac. I have a 2017 Retina 4K iMac 21.5”, 3.4Ghz quad-core Intel i5 w/ 8gb of RAM, Radeon Pro 560 (4GB), and a 1TB fusion drive (have a 2007 iMc 21.5 that is still going strong, but already maxed out on upgrades/OS-use it to store photos, music, etc….) The problem is that editing videos is a painstakingly slow process; with a lot of lag-time. Sometimes. I have to just walk away for a few minutes, before I can continue to edit, as iMovie becomes unresponsive. I’d thought about trying to upgrade the RAM, but don’t want to go through the hassle of removing the screen, etc….

@geraldbrown9279 4 жыл бұрын

Hey Luke, enjoying your KZfaq videos. I have a question for you, I’m a disabled veteran and I’m getting back into music. Specifically the writing, production side. My question or big favor is can I get one of your MacBook pros, we have a refurbished iMac and we live it, but I want to do music from my powerchair when we are on the road or I’m at the VA. I’m glad we are able n lockdown right now, but now I realize how much I need a better laptop. I have a MacBook Air from 2017. Everyone, including yourself, have bashed it. It doesn’t have enough cores I know. But if that is possible I think we can scrap together some money. My wife is a teacher and her hours have been cut, to help save the school. But something can get put together. Thanks Gerald

@SDKhaulingass 2 жыл бұрын

I can not decided between a 2013 IMAC or a Thunderbolt Display I run a late 2015 Mackbook air and need my computers to talk and screen share well. What do you suggest!

@ResignedRationalist 4 жыл бұрын

I just found one on Craigslist with the 500GB SSD in excellent shape for $600. Hopefully it hasn't sold yet.

@yuzch3931 4 жыл бұрын

8:09 "plenty of horsepower to compete with modern macs" Wait that sounds familiar

@MrCarzo 4 жыл бұрын

9:42 is the most important info in this video

@ted356 Жыл бұрын

In 2022, is this still a good value? I think some are being dumped even cheaper now that M series Macs are out there.

@lemon9807 4 жыл бұрын

Awesome vid man! I was wondering if a 2009 iMac would be a cool project? I’m bored .-.

@rajb7619 4 жыл бұрын

Get a 2011 27” and start off with ram upgrade and also upgrade to an ssd would be a good project and give you a decent size and spec computer

@smokinjoe2122 4 жыл бұрын

@Stacey Alexandria You can flash a 2009 4,1 to a 5,1 and upgrade them to Mojave...and I'd bet money that DosDude1 will come up with a patch for Catalina. I've already heard people booting it "unofficially", so I don't think they're dead in the water.

@smokinjoe2122 4 жыл бұрын

Stacey Alexandria You’re correct. I read that as Mac Pro. My bad

@lemon9807 4 жыл бұрын

lol yeah they are dead but it was free so \._./

@BotflowDotIO 4 жыл бұрын

I can sell you a 2009 $200 shiped

@HackDaBox 4 жыл бұрын

I loved my fist 17" intel core duo iMac but its dvd rom died so I replaced it , then the power supply died so I replaced it then the replacement dvd rom died so I replaced it then the power supply and or motherboard was dead. I replaced with a 20" intel i5 iMac and loved it too but the dvd rom died and then the graphics card died so I got an old intel core 2 duo MacBook on eBay and it does the trick. no more iMacs for me their a thermal nightmare and apple will never change it , I have a cousin that had a 27" iMac and its graphics card died too !

@HoppiHopp 4 жыл бұрын

I have the same :) BTO iMac and upgraded everything except the SSD-only option. Too bad, my hinge broke and I live sooo far away from any Apple store, it's not reasonable to get this fixed.

@EloyV 3 жыл бұрын

I just fixed mine by myself

@daktarioskarvannederhosen2568 Жыл бұрын

although i have a late 2012 iMac 27 i would greatly prefer one year-model earlier -i.e. before the they switched over to the ridiculous slimline 5mm profile edge and its associated deficiencies.

@christianseidl6355 4 жыл бұрын

Here in Europe, I never found a 2013 iMac for 500 $. The specific modell is rare and costs at least double the price 😭

@langhilau 4 жыл бұрын

How about giving one of these gems away.

@jameswallace6249 4 жыл бұрын

You can't even get one with 2gb DG for less than 750 in the uk so this really is an amazing deal. you must be watching eBay like a hawk!

@Rendell001 4 жыл бұрын

Hi Luke, do you think that the GTX card in this 2013 iMac could, theoretically, be taken out and successfully installed in a 27" 2011 iMac?

@hamzaqadi 4 жыл бұрын

I really hope you read this message and help me out, I recently bought a late 2012 iMac comes with top specs. And I wanna upgrade both drives in it but I don’t know what type of blade ssd it could take. Is it PCIE or SATA?

@stupid_samm884 4 жыл бұрын

grate vid bro

@oristechreviews 4 жыл бұрын

only if my pc was faster I could've been first xD

@stupid_samm884 4 жыл бұрын

@@oristechreviews get a mac

@oristechreviews 4 жыл бұрын

@@stupid_samm884 SoonTM

@NegroRotary 2 жыл бұрын

I guess you answered my question lol but still, just like the other question, this still hold in 2021? 2014 is the cutout for new OS

@lucuslopez6866 4 жыл бұрын

I brought a new 2011 macbook pro for 2k a decade ago. It died on me after 2 years and I swore to never buy an Apple computer every again. I owned over 3 diff pc laptops and 2 diff desktops, never had any of it die on me.

@MartySteinberg 4 жыл бұрын

I have a late 2013 iMac with an i7 and 3TB fusion drive. I’d like to replace the fusion drive with a 2TB ssd. When you do the upgrades to this machine can you touch on what would be different when upgrading from a larger fusion drive to a smaller ssd? Any references for cloning a larger drive to a smaller replacement? Thanks a lot.

@EloyV 3 жыл бұрын

I just upgraded mine, the kit comes with an adapter and everything you need

@MikeDancy 4 жыл бұрын

you must have quite the collection. you ever going to make a video about it? I currently have maybe 18 computers in my house..

@mrfranklin81 4 жыл бұрын

I have a general question I have a 2008 I Mac the 27'' and I finally had the screen go out on me I had grafics card sodered twice already and recommendation how to get it working again or anything replacement grafics card that you recommend to replace the bad one with???

@tommih597 4 жыл бұрын

The graphics comparison wasn't against the VEGA 20 though...

@Porthos57 4 жыл бұрын

Is it possible to upgrade my 2009 i5 iMac with a 4850 gpu with a 770m. Or is my only option with this older one to cook the GPU in the oven because the graphic card failed like a lot of the older macs have. I ´ve had this MAC for ten years, and would love to be able to upgrade it like you have with the 2011.

@Maiko-Yoko 2 жыл бұрын

How do i find out what i can build out my old imac up to. I have a 21.5 late 2015 model iMac16,2

@tehg33k 4 жыл бұрын

What do you do with all the Macs you buy for videos? Sell them back on eBay?

@pasteltiara Жыл бұрын

Hi Luke, today being 6 Aug, 2022, which is now the best value Mac you have ever bought?

@rasmusmogensen7444 3 жыл бұрын

Have been watching a lot of your vids. Great work mate. But im a little confused as through your time you have claimed diffrent things. Yes we all learn and times changes as well. But if you should pick right now between iMac 2011, 2012 or 2013 regards the upgrades difficulties vs. price for a novice to be able to handle video editing and photo editing ... WHAT would you recommend?

@theartistchair_ 3 жыл бұрын

I recommend the 2012-2013 ones!