iMac $999 at Best Buy

If a 2009 computer works for you now then this will probably be fine but it's worth mentioning the main hardware in that machine is like 2017 and 2018 tech and a 256GB SSD and 8GB RAM is absolute bottom tier in 2021. IMO, it's not close to a deal for $1k, but if you need an iMac this might be the cheapest way to get a "new" one.

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Found this on sale—reg $1499.99

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Far superior processor with the same RAM and ssd. This + $200-300 worth of monitor is going to be a much better deal and “the future” for Mac products (they have another event coming up next week which will probably further obsolete the machine you’re considering)



If you insist on an iMac and can’t be bothered with a Mac mini, I would spend the additional $300 and get the m1 iMac from BB. You can get another $50 off if you’re a Costco member.


Not that Apple won’t obsolete the m1 maybe even before warranted, but they do tend to support products for quite a while. Here, you are looking at the last version of an intel machine which the company is abandoning. I would buy the new architecture over the old if in a “what the hell, I’m going to buy a new Mac” position.

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Far superior processor with the same RAM and ssd. This + $200-300 worth of monitor is going to be a much better deal and “the future” for Mac products (they have another event coming up next week which will probably further obsolete the machine you’re considering)

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This...get the M1 Mac mini instead. It's the future and a much faster machine.

I'll save you a couple of bucks.

Same M1 Mac Mini for $50 less thru the Apple education store.

This is for the higher ed store:
Apple Higher Ed

I picked up a new laptop for my son in college - saved $200. Plus you can get free AirPods or use that credit towards AirPods Pro. I picked up some AirPods Pro for $90. There is no verification required - just a statement that it will be used for education. So if you have kids, or you help educate a kid...

Quote from Apple Education site: Special pricing for individuals in education is available to college students, students accepted to college, parents buying for college students, faculty, staff, and homeschool teachers.

Awaiting the new Mac mini which MAY be released or updated very soon which I did hear. Like the idea of compact and like a few others have said. Own monitor

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If I get the mac mini, can someone recommend a monitor?

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This can be a bit of a wormhole and very much depends on what you want it to look like and how you want It to function.
You can nab a 1080p very basic 24” monitor for about $150. A probably fair thing to say is that if you’re asking these questions, this will probably be good enough.
I do like the upgrade from 1080 to 4K for desktop monitors if you do any sort of photo editing or spreadsheet work. LINK this model is $300 and rotates orientations. It’s sort of a similar silver to the aluminum chassis of the Mac mini, but it’s plastic. I find it to be generally attractive. I have a 32” version that I found on sale at Costco a while back. I like the LG monitors just fine.


I found a 49” dell ultra wide on a pretty steep discount and updated. Ultra wide + Magnet (a 2-$5ish app from the App Store that lets Windows “click” or “snap” into zones like the native Windows function) has been pretty life changing if you do any sort of work off of multiple windows. Most of these are $1200-1500 and only 1440, 60hz. It fit perfectly into a space, and the “real estate” and KVM were worth more than the finer pixels for my use.


If I just wanted “a monitor,” I would probably grab the $300 linked above, but if that function and the color isn’t a big deal, there are some cheaper 4K ones. And there are more expensive 1080p ones. But this is a case of “most are good enough, get what you want”

You just want one with HDMI. You can buy a thunderbolt one, but you almost certainly won’t gain any benefit from it without already knowing that you need it, if that makes sense (probably the biggest benefit is that you can get a built in USB hub off one cable. But you’re buying a thin client that’s attractive. So I don’t think you’re gaining much unless you are insistent upon hiding the box, putting the wires to the monitor directly, refuse to use Bluetooth, and are willing to pay a premium)

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Do I need to purchase a mouse and keyboard through Apple or will any standard one will do?

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Any mouse and keyboard will work. I dislike the Apple keyboard. I use a Logitech mechanical keyboard. Bluetooth or usb will work- you have 2 USB “a” ports on the computer. There are also 2 usb “c” ports. Consider a keyboard with USB ports if this is not enough. MacAlly makes several “lookalike” Apple keyboards that people rate highly. I don’t think any shortcuts are left off of “windows” keyboards that can’t be learned/programmed, but the Apple one will come with pictures/explanations of shortcuts which may be a useful feature to you. It wasn’t worth the premium to use a keyboard that I don’t like, and I just learn/program the shortcuts I like

I like OS X touchpad gesture controls better than mouse controls. I leave both plugged in but use the touchpad more in OSX, traditional mouse in windows. This is a preference. The touchpad is very large and expensive (about $100), but I do think there is some functionality argument for it.



Tl;DR: buy a cheap mouse/keyboard and any HDMI monitor

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It will mainly be a family computer.

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Here’s a “Mac” keyboard that’s reasonably priced. It will have all the useful shortcuts I hinted at above

Mouse for family use, you probably aren’t going to see a difference between this and anything short of the trackpad they make. It is Bluetooth natively but can be plugged in- I use it plugged in through a KVM (I actually have some gestures programmed into w10 which are ok. I find the keyboard shortcuts more useful in windows, the touchpad ones in OSX. Probably more preference than a broadly shared opinion).


For a monitor, This would be fine. I used a Samsung 1080p 32”tv for a while. If you’re gaming or heavy into things where fine detail matters (again, spreadsheets and pretty serious/near pro-level-photo editing would be the two most common ones), 4k makes a difference. But my “daily” monitor is 1440. It’s fine. You need basically anything, not something great. For what it sounds like you’re going to want out of it, this isn’t going to change the experience much. Size is going to matter more than anything else. Try even your local wal mart- we use a couple of the 24” ONN monitors in my office (needed them fast, and they work). They weren’t much more than $120. If you’ve got a spare TV that’s older/smaller, throw that on there. You’ll be happy with almost anything, I’d wager.

I still have mine from 2011 that every couple of years I break out and play around with. And it can still run the basic stuff ok. Man I loved that thing

Just traded this same computer in to Apple for $450. Bought it in 2017. It was still running flawlessly fwiw and will probably still be fast for years to come.