My 27" iMac with 680mx first impressions

[torana355]

Ok so my iMac arrived today and here are my initial impressions.

1.This iMac is a thing of beauty, the bulge at the back is not big and i think Apple have done a terrific job here, the iMac also runs cooler then my 2008 iMac so once again Apple have done very well with cooling.

2. The screens anti glare is very good, its a MASSIVE improvement over the previous models. My panel does not have any yellowing or dead pixels but it does have some backlight bleeding issues, however i think this is normal for any LCD/LED panel.



3. I have the 3TB fusion model and it boots up very quick, 12 secs to be exact. I also get around 330MB/s write and 430MB read in blackmagic. I am currently filling up the drive of my external and i can confirm the platter HDD is whisper quiet.(currently up to 500GB used and growing.)

4. I had an issue with my existing external USB3 enclosure (its a Stardom iTank) It locks up the finder when i try and use it though the USB3 ports on the back of the iMac, when i plugged it into my wired keyboard port it works fine but at USB2 speed I ended up getting a WD My Essentials 3TB USB3 and it works perfectly.

5. I cant comment on gaming as i have the 3TB fusion, so until i replace the 3TB HDD with my 512GB SSD i am not able to bootcamp.

If you have any other questions let us know and here another pic of it setup

[Hexley]

Could you ID your SSD and HDD supplier?

[boto]

I would highly recommend a replacement before or on January 9th. Your iMac pronounces significant backlight bleeding and is not one bit normal. The colors are also not uniformed with different shades of whites and yellows.

[atteligibility]

Originally Posted by torana355

Ok so my iMac arrived today and here are my initial impressions.

1.This iMac is a thing of beauty, the bulge at the back is not big and i think Apple have done a terrific job here, the iMac also runs cooler then my 2008 iMac so once again Apple have done very well with cooling.

2. The screens anti glare is very good, its a MASSIVE improvement over the previous models. My panel does not have any yellowing or dead pixels but it does have some backlight bleeding issues, however i think this is normal for any LCD/LED panel.

Attachment 384047

3. I have the 3TB fusion model and it boots up very quick, 12 secs to be exact. I also get around 330MB/s write and 430MB read in blackmagic. I am currently filling up the drive of my external and i can confirm the platter HDD is whisper quiet.(currently up to 500GB used and growing.)

4. I had an issue with my existing external USB3 enclosure (its a Stardom iTank) It locks up the finder when i try and use it though the USB3 ports on the back of the iMac, when i plugged it into my wired keyboard port it works fine but at USB2 speed I ended up getting a WD My Essentials 3TB USB3 and it works perfectly.

5. I cant comment on gaming as i have the 3TB fusion, so until i replace the 3TB HDD with my 512GB SSD i am not able to bootcamp.

If you have any other questions let us know and here another pic of it setup

Attachment 384048

Regarding the light bleeding, I am glad you're happy with your purchase and that it doesn't bother you, but when mine come tomorrow, if the bleeding is anywhere close to that, it's going back right away

[WilliamG]

Originally Posted by boto

I would highly recommend a replacement before or on January 9th. Your iMac pronounces significant backlight bleeding and is not one bit normal. The colors are also not uniformed with different shades of whites and yellows.

Can't say I agree, necessarily. All IPS panels exhibit some "wash out" on the edges. If you move to the left/right, and take a photo, you'll see it looks different because viewing angles of BLACKS are not great on these panels. If you move to the left, the left side will be better, but the right side will was out more, and vice versa.

The other light bleed I can't speak for..., since this picture is taken under what appears to be extreme circumstances (max backlight in dark room?)

[torana355]

Originally Posted by boto

I would highly recommend a replacement before or on January 9th. Your iMac pronounces significant backlight bleeding and is not one bit normal. The colors are also not uniformed with different shades of whites and yellows.

Every LCD panel ive owned has this amount of backlight bleed or worse. The photo makes it look worse then it is. Good luck getting one with zero backlight bleed.

Here is a photo that closely represents how my panel looks at 50% brightness. This is perfectly normal. I would return it if i has any issues with it.

[WilliamG]

Originally Posted by torana355

Every LCD panel ive owned has this amount of backlight bleed or worse. The photo makes it look worse then it is. Good luck getting one with zero backlight bleed.

Agreed. Absolutely 100% not possible (with the current 27" IPS tech available).

[torana355]

Originally Posted by Hexley

Could you ID your SSD and HDD supplier?

Yes my SSD is a Samsung and my HDD is a Seagate. Im not a fan of Seagate but it seems very quiet so we will see how it goes.

[flifish]

I concur that a photo is not going to give an accurate rendition of the back lighting issue. It looks like a beauty even at side angle. I have the 27" with the 680 3T fusion drive. it is preparing for shipping now. whoooo whoooo. I've been waiting sense summer and feeling foolish acting and peeking at my order like a young child waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve. So thanks for sharing and letting us live vicariously through your purchase. If you have any other tidbits please share.

Thanks

[WilliamG]

Originally Posted by torana355

Every LCD panel ive owned has this amount of backlight bleed or worse. The photo makes it look worse then it is. Good luck getting one with zero backlight bleed.

Here is a photo that closely represents how my panel looks at 50% brightness. This is perfectly normal. I would return it if i has any issues with it.
Attachment 384060

If that's 50% brightness in a completely dark room, I'd take that panel in a heartbeat.

[atteligibility]

Originally Posted by torana355

Every LCD panel ive owned has this amount of backlight bleed or worse.

?? damn, you're not very lucky...

One of my TV has similar bleed and it drives me crazy, I know I could not get used to a similar issue on my iMac...

But, again, not saying you should worry about it, some people just don't care or notice these things. I am not one of them, I used to get crazy about those CRT monitors that were set on 60Hz when I was working in IT, yet people would work on those things all day and not be able to tell the difference when I would switch back to 75Hz or so.
Same thing for the backlight bleed, drives me crazy, but when I try to explain it to my folks, they have no idea what I am talking about..

[torana355]

Originally Posted by WilliamG

If that's 50% brightness in a completely dark room, I'd take that panel in a heartbeat.

Exactly I think the first photo freaked people out as it was way worse then how it actually looks. That being said there is going to be some backlight bleeding issues even of the most perfect IPS panel.

----------

Originally Posted by atteligibility

?? damn, you're not very lucky...

One of my TV has similar bleed and it drives me crazy, I know I could not get used to a similar issue on my iMac...

Even the amount in my second photo?

[blanka]

Yeah, it is too bad Samsund did not push PVA/MVA a little more.
IPS is nice, but 9 out 10 times, I miss the great blacks of PVA. Static contrast of the latest VA panels was around 1:2500, IPS 1:1000 looks lousy next to it.
But marketing wins.

[WilliamG]

Originally Posted by blanka

Yeah, it is too bad Samsund did not push PVA/MVA a little more.
IPS is nice, but 9 out 10 times, I miss the great blacks of PVA. Static contrast of the latest VA panels was around 1:2500, IPS 1:1000 looks lousy next to it.
But marketing wins.

Yep, IPS black levels and black viewing angles are utterly horrible. Shame, really.

[atteligibility]

Originally Posted by torana355

Exactly I think the first photo freaked people out as it was way worse then how it actually looks. That being said there is going to be some backlight bleeding issues even of the most perfect panel.

----------



Even the amount in my second photo?

yeah even the second photo! Actually that second pic is close to what I am experiencing with that TV that's driving me nuts.

[torana355]

Originally Posted by atteligibility

yeah even the second photo! Actually that second pic is close to what I am experiencing with that TV that's driving me nuts.

The only way to get better then that is with a Plasma or OLED. No LED/LCD IPS panel will be much better. The good news is i don't sit and look at a black screen all day We have 6 LCD/LED panels in our house and they are all the same or worse lol, i have a Panasonic Plasma in my room and it has perfect blacks

[atteligibility]

Originally Posted by torana355

No LED/LCD IPS panel will be much better.

mm, ok... I just turned the screensaver on my laptop and turned all the lights off, and I can't see any kind of bleeding, but I have got to say I am not a specialist in those display technologies, so my screen may not fit in the categories you mention (Macbook Pro 2009 with matte screen, because glare drives me crazy too)

Now, I have got to say that it would also bother me a bit less than on a TV, I notice it a lot on the TV when watching movies with lot of dark scenes. I am not planning on watching a lot of videos on the iMac, so this should limit the problem if I have a similar unit. I still think I would return it..

[thekev]

Originally Posted by boto

I would highly recommend a replacement before or on January 9th. Your iMac pronounces significant backlight bleeding and is not one bit normal. The colors are also not uniformed with different shades of whites and yellows.

Originally Posted by atteligibility

Regarding the light bleeding, I am glad you're happy with your purchase and that it doesn't bother you, but when mine come tomorrow, if the bleeding is anywhere close to that, it's going back right away

I don't think either of you are familiar with the difference between photos and the way things really look. It's a general problem with lcds. The way the really expensive displays get around it is by sacrificing contrast ratio. They basically lighten the rest to match within a certain tolerance. That's the only feasible way of obtaining near perfection within acceptable yields. Some of them also bin exceptional panels and units for their high margin lines while the others are sold under different branding. Apple doesn't really have any way to sink these into a volume product with slimmer margins. Some implementations are better than others. If we eventually get away from the backlit design in favor of something like direct LED illumination, perhaps this will be a problem of the past.

Originally Posted by torana355

Exactly I think the first photo freaked people out as it was way worse then how it actually looks. That being said there is going to be some backlight bleeding issues even of the most perfect panel.

I agree. I just mentioned a couple methods used to compensate for it on displays designed for critical use (color grading, medical use, etc.). If it's enough to bother you in actual use, you can take your chances on an exchange. I've read posts by people on here that have exchanged six or more products looking for the perfect ipad. My macbook pro gets some really bad backlight bleed when it's running hot. That worries me a little, as I'm concerned what is shifting to cause that.

[WilliamG]

Originally Posted by atteligibility

mm, ok... I just turned the screensaver on my laptop and turned all the lights off, and I can't see any kind of bleeding, but I have got to say I am not a specialist in those display technologies, so my screen may not fit in the categories you mention (Macbook Pro 2009 with matte screen, because glare drives me crazy too)

Now, I have got to say that it would also bother me a bit less than on a TV, I notice it a lot on the TV when watching movies with lot of dark scenes. I am not planning on watching a lot of videos on the iMac, so this should limit the problem if I have a similar unit. I still think I would return it..

That's a TN panel in your MacBook Pro. VERY different panel type. No bleed (that I ever noticed on my 2009 MBP).

[torana355]

Originally Posted by atteligibility

mm, ok... I just turned the screensaver on my laptop and turned all the lights off, and I can't see any kind of bleeding, but I have got to say I am not a specialist in those display technologies, so my screen may not fit in the categories you mention (Macbook Pro 2009 with matte screen, because glare drives me crazy too)

Now, I have got to say that it would also bother me a bit less than on a TV, I notice it a lot on the TV when watching movies with lot of dark scenes. I am not planning on watching a lot of videos on the iMac, so this should limit the problem if I have a similar unit. I still think I would return it..

Backlight bleed will be much less prevalent on a smaller TN panel, i just did the same test on my 13" MBA and it does not have any bleed either. On a 27" IPS screen you are going to have some bleed issues.

Here is a photo of my MBA and imac screen together on similar brightness.

[atteligibility]

Originally Posted by torana355

Backlight bleed will be much less prevalent on a smaller TN panel, i just did the same test on my 13" MBA and it does not have any bleed either. On a 27" IPS screen you are going to have some bleed issues.

I understand, well that sucks then, looks like I am gonna have to just accept it...

I know not everybody has the same priorities and sensitivities when it comes to display quality, but I have a hard time understanding how the new iMac screen gets so much praise when it sounds like it has bleeding and glare(even if less than previous model), when my almost 4 y old macbook pro has none of those...

I was actually excited about the macbook pro retina back in the summer, and went to the Apple Store to buy it. I changed my mind when trying it in the store, I just preferred my 3 y old matte screen than the glossy retina...

[torana355]

Originally Posted by atteligibility

I understand, well that sucks then, looks like I am gonna have to just accept it...

I know not everybody has the same priorities and sensitivities when it comes to display quality, but I have a hard time understanding how the new iMac screen gets so much praise when it sounds like it has bleeding and glare(even if less than previous model), when my almost 4 y old macbook pro has none of those...

I was actually excited about the macbook pro retina back in the summer, and went to the Apple Store to buy it. I changed my mind when trying it in the store, I just preferred my 3 y old matte screen than the glossy retina...

I hate it aswell hence why i have a plasma for watching movies (backlight bleeding pisses me off when watching movies on a dark screen), im actually OCD but ive had to learn to not get worked up over smaller issues. I used to return everything i purchased cause i could find a problem with anything. Ive come to accept things are not perfect and my life is better for it.

[Hexley]

Originally Posted by torana355

Yes my SSD is a Samsung and my HDD is a Seagate. Im not a fan of Seagate but it seems very quiet so we will see how it goes.

Model number of the Samsung and seagate. Seagate has fast drives in their 7200.14 series.

[torana355]

Originally Posted by Hexley

Model number of the Samsung and seagate. Seagate has fast drives in their 7200.14 series.

Seagate ST3000DM001, so yes its the 7200.14 series.

[Hexley]

Originally Posted by torana355

Seagate ST3000DM001, so yes its the 7200.14 series.

Lucky you! I hope the 1TB I get is a top performer for me too!

Seagate ST3000DM001

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum...unleashed.html

vs

the latest HDD tested.

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum...-review-5.html