Comparing two iMacs

[rjmacs]

Obviously the newer machine is faster. The question was about whether the speed difference would be notably different, given its use. I'm typing this from a 2009 iMac which gets used for generally mundane tasks. It's fine for what it's used for. I doubt a 2014 iMac would be noticeably better.

[freeradical]

Another concern with the older machine is how much longer will it be usable/supported.

What's the newest OS you can run on it? Is there a good browser option for this OS? What kind of software can you run on it. Etc.