Apple 21.5" iMac MK142LL/A Desktop (2015)

Apple 21.5" iMac MK142LL/A Desktop (2015)

Most likely to lose update support with the next OS release. Do not buy.

Given this still runs Monterey, security and feature updates for that OS will traditionally run for five years. On a price/performance ratio, it’s not a dead-end machine. The biggest downside is the i5-5250U is hardly a screaming CPU and while the Intel GPU are okay for general purpose, this will never be a gaming machine even running BootCamp with a Windows install. The 8GB of RAM and 1TB HDD (5400 RPM) add to the slower performance. RAM is fixed but the HDD can be upgraded. Adding an SSD will show a performance boost for startup and application loading.

Longest you get on a macOS release is ~3 years for updates with 2 of those years being security only.

If apple drops support on the next OS release, that then starts the two year countdown. Which would mean this mac would be patched/updated/secured/supported for two more years.

I could buy a windows laptop for this price that’ll get support for the next 5+ years.