Always had MAC towers, sold my last one around Xmas, older PowerPC and started using my PC. I wanted to use newer features in Adobe which well, newer versions didn't work on a PPC.

Anyways... looking to buy a used MAC again, and liking the appeal of the 27" screen and less space taken by an iMac, downside is the ability to upgrade as much but, with 2GB video cards and 6GB ram etc... I probably won't need to.

With that large of a screen... is there enough internal space for a 2nd hard drive?

I've taken apart a few older 19" white iMacs for drive replacements when I use to work with computers but... no idea about the 27" iMac i7 3.4. With that big of a screen, I'm assuming must be some internal space for one but... reading some stuff I hear some say yes, some say no, or yes but only with using 2 SSD drives.

Anyone know for certain? like, hands-on done it or tested it?

Thanks.

With the iMacs its super easy to change the ram, takes minutes and is very easily accessible. For hard drives, well I think Apple has some proprietary thing on the hard drive, so you need an authorized service centre to swap that out. I like the iMacs, very power, great all in ones. Going to be replacing a 24inch at work next month with a new model. Just wish they still had a 24, that was the best size in my opinion.

With the imacs there is a second SATA connector for an SSD or 2.5" HDD on the main board. so you can have two hard drive or a 3.5" hdd and a boot SSD. Its still a complicated install, AFAIK. More info here:

OWC DIYIM27SSD11 DIY Kit for all Apple 27" iMac... in stock at OWC (http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/DIYIM27SSD11/)

Always had MAC towers, sold my last one around Xmas, older PowerPC and started using my PC. I wanted to use newer features in Adobe which well, newer versions didn't work on a PPC.

Anyways... looking to buy a used MAC again, and liking the appeal of the 27" screen and less space taken by an iMac, downside is the ability to upgrade as much but, with 2GB video cards and 6GB ram etc... I probably won't need to.

With that large of a screen... is there enough internal space for a 2nd hard drive?

I've taken apart a few older 19" white iMacs for drive replacements when I use to work with computers but... no idea about the 27" iMac i7 3.4. With that big of a screen, I'm assuming must be some internal space for one but... reading some stuff I hear some say yes, some say no, or yes but only with using 2 SSD drives.

Anyone know for certain? like, hands-on done it or tested it?

Thanks.

As you have heard, the 27" will support a secondary 2.5" drive (behind the optical drive). Installing it yourself will void your warranty, so, either order it yourself from Apple, take it to an AASP for the upgrade if you want to preserve the warranty or wait a year until your original Apple Limited Warranty has expired.

Additionally, where do you get 6GB RAM? Base factory is 4GB but user upgradable to 32GB!

.

Only big downside is that glassy display. Perfect machine for a room with no windows and no light source behind the user. Otherwise screen reflections can be a big issue.

As drives get bigger and faster HD reliability is seemingly becoming more of an issue. Therefore I would spring for AppleCare, as labour to replace a HD on these machines is a lot more expensive than need be.

Well, would be buying a used 27" iMac... I never buy a new machine, simply can't afford it. So, not overly worried about warranties. :D

I use to work in IT at the College I was attending for Design, 75% was PC work, but 25% was MAC, which included taking them apart and swapping drives etc... but these were all the 19" white iMacs and older. Doing my own swap doesn't scare me, so long as I have a guide to work from. :)

RAM wise... my mistake, thought the guy posted his iMac with 6GB, he has it running 16GB ram... ya... that's run Photoshop pretty nice.

I like the towers, but just cost too much. If an iMac comes with a 2GB GDDR5 video card, and can handle 16GB ram... I may switch, so long as it can take 2 drives.

Next question I guess... with 2 drives can I dualboot? I ran a dualboot before with 1 drives partitioned, but, would prefer a dualboot with 2 drives if works as easily as it did before using bootcamp.

The other thought I've having this AM is timing. The current iMacs are over a year old. I'm thinking there could be an update of the iMacs to Ivy Bridge Processors and new video cards in the near future... like within the next 6 months or less. The old Adage stands: Buy when you need and don't look back, but if you *can* wait a month or more, it might be worth it. The Current crop will be even cheaper and the new ones might have nifty new features that might entice you.

Only big downside is that glassy display. Perfect machine for a room with no windows and no light source behind the user. Otherwise screen reflections can be a big issue.

As drives get bigger and faster HD reliability is seemingly becoming more of an issue. Therefore I would spring for AppleCare, as labour to replace a HD on these machines is a lot more expensive than need be.

Agreed... we upgraded a few designers where I last work with the newer aluminum iMacs, and they were happy for about 5min before they realized they couldn't see a thing.

... almost makes you want to take some fine steel wool to it and dull it up.

I'm sure someone has a stick on protector for those, though, getting it on bubble/dust free won't be fun.

The other thought I've having this AM is timing. The current iMacs are over a year old. I'm thinking there could be an update of the iMacs to Ivy Bridge Processors and new video cards in the near future... like within the next 6 months or less. The old Adage stands: Buy when you need and don't look back, but if you *can* wait a month or more, it might be worth it. The Current crop will be even cheaper and the new ones might have nifty new features that might entice you.

I buy used only... and can barely afford that. :D

Usually I would buy a used tower that is cheap because small vid card and not a lot of ram. If about 2yrs old, can find a vid card 4x better for cheap on eBay, and ram drops in price a lot so, grab a lot of that.

It's never the most current system, but, easy/cheap to max out with last years parts.

RAM wise... my mistake, thought the guy posted his iMac with 6GB, he has it running 16GB ram... ya... that's run Photoshop pretty nice.

I like the towers, but just cost too much. If an iMac comes with a 2GB GDDR5 video card, and can handle 16GB ram... I may switch, so long as it can take 2 drives.

Next question I guess... with 2 drives can I dualboot? I ran a dualboot before with 1 drives partitioned, but, would prefer a dualboot with 2 drives if works as easily as it did before using bootcamp.

I know you prefer a used iMac, but it is possible to have the stuff you want in a new iMac. The highest level iMac 27" can be upgraded to a 2GB GDDR5 video card (AMD Radeon HD 6970M) for an extra $100 the original price ($1999).

Of course, you can always upgrade the RAM later on to offset the cost of buying 16 GB of RAM standard with Apple.

Lastly, I'm sure it would be possible to dual boot. However, if you had an SSD + Regular HD, Apple would partition it differently. I assume they install the Applications & OS X on the SSD, while the regular HD would be partitioned for anything that requires storage (music, documents, etc).

How much are you expecting to pay for a used iMac that suits your needs anyway?

delete - duplicate post

Debating an iMac... depending on the subject the iMac will almost certainly win.

I know you prefer a used iMac, but it is possible to have the stuff you want in a new iMac. The highest level iMac 27" can be upgraded to a 2GB GDDR5 video card (AMD Radeon HD 6970M) for an extra $100 the original price ($1999).

Of course, you can always upgrade the RAM later on to offset the cost of buying 16 GB of RAM standard with Apple.

Lastly, I'm sure it would be possible to dual boot. However, if you had an SSD + Regular HD, Apple would partition it differently. I assume they install the Applications & OS X on the SSD, while the regular HD would be partitioned for anything that requires storage (music, documents, etc).

How much are you expecting to pay for a used iMac that suits your needs anyway?

Hmm, my original response seems to have disappeared... so will make a brief recap. :)

Anyways, as mentioned previously, I bought MacPro's because easy to upgrade, but now that I'm seeing iMac's coming with 16GB memory and 2GB vid cards, the need to upgrade is gone, which is why the iMac is now a debate. Saw a used one, all accessories etc, under a year old for sale for $1400... saves about $800 after tax on a new one.

Looking to dual boot 2 drives, but not SSD... they cost too much and not very big. Can buy a 500GB drive for half what a 120GB SSD costs. That being said, from what I'm seeing... I guess if I want a 2nd drive installed behind the optical drive, I'd have to use a 2.5" drive from a laptop. Not my first choice though, would prefer another 3.5" SATA.

Debating an iMac... depending on the subject the iMac will almost certainly win.

:clap::clap::clap:

Yeah - I totally thought this thread was someone going head-to-head with Siri... ;)

Personally, I would prefer to get a Quad-core Mac mini server (which has the option of just running the regular OS) with a 27" NEC Pro monitor from MacDoc. Cost would be about the same as the iMac, with a FAR superior display. The displays on the iMacs are good, but not great.

I'm just waiting to see if new minis will come out this week as rumored. I really want USB3, and the new Ivy Bridge CPU would be nice too. Throw in a second Thunderbolt port and a decent graphics chip and it would be a killer machine. But I'd be willing to settle for just the HD4000 and a 2.3 Quad Ivy Bridge chip with USB3...

Personally, I would prefer to get a Quad-core Mac mini server (which has the option of just running the regular OS) with a 27" NEC Pro monitor from MacDoc. Cost would be about the same as the iMac, with a FAR superior display. The displays on the iMacs are good, but not great.

I'm just waiting to see if new minis will come out this week as rumored. I really want USB3, and the new Ivy Bridge CPU would be nice too. Throw in a second Thunderbolt port and a decent graphics chip and it would be a killer machine. But I'd be willing to settle for just the HD4000 and a 2.3 Quad Ivy Bridge chip with USB3...

... 27" NEC Pro, is that the $1400 one? Unless MAC mini's are about $50, I'm not certain how this setup would be about the same as the used $1400 iMac's I've been looking at. :)

correction, guy dropped it to $1250... sigh, which I had the $ saved up, be gone by the time I do. :D

@ THRobinson

Sometimes the refurbs are a little better than advertised

I bought a refurb mid-2010 27" iMac i7, when it arrived it had a 2Tb drive instead of the listed 1Tb

I've read where others have received more than stock Ram

I don't know why

... 27" NEC Pro, is that the $1400 one? Unless MAC mini's are about $50, I'm not certain how this setup would be about the same as the used $1400 iMac's I've been looking at. :)

correction, guy dropped it to $1250... sigh, which I had the $ saved up, be gone by the time I do. :D

Get in touch with MacDoc (either on this board or MacDoc.com (http://www.macdoc.com)), he has refurbs under 1000$ (for the 30", the 27" are even less I think), and perhaps even a Mini could be bundled with it.