Nostalgia in tech is all the rage right now. Whether it's film cameras making a comeback, CDs seeing a resurgence or flip phones dominating headlines — old tech has somehow become cool again.
I'm not immune to the nostalgia bug either but, rather than buy something new, I decided to set myself the task of giving a 2013 Apple iMac a new lease on life.
This particular 27-inch model had been gathering dust, but with its generous display and otherwise functional hardware, throwing it away seemed like a terrible waste. Especially when a new 24-inch M4-powered iMac would set me back upwards of AU$2,000. With a little research and DIY knowledge, I could get the vintage 27-inch model humming again for under AU$500 instead.
My ambitions were relatively modest — I wanted something capable of web browsing, a little light creative work and other basic daily tasks. I wasn't expecting it to compete with my M2 MacBook Air.
After a little research, I settled on two relatively straightforward upgrades: more RAM and a new 1TB solid-state drive (SSD). And for a total outlay of approximately AU$310, I was hopeful I could give this old Mac a fighting chance.
The first thing I needed to address was the storage. My iMac originally came with a mechanical hard drive, which is hardly a recipe for speedy performance in 2026.
Swapping an old hard drive for an SSD is often one of the most effective ways to breathe new life into an aging computer.
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