2020 iMac Teardown Reveals Internal Changes and Similarities

[MacRumors]

A teardown video, shared by OWC, reveals the internal changes in the new 2020 27-inch iMac.

The 2020 27-inch iMac was announced earlier this week with 10th-generation Intel Core processors, AMD Radeon Pro 5000 series graphics, up to 128GB of RAM, up to 8TB of storage, a 1080p front-facing FaceTime camera, a True Tone display with a nano-texture glass option, higher fidelity speakers, and studio-quality microphones.

MacRumors forum user TwoH summarizes the changes:

- Camera is attached to the LCD, so have to take extra care to remove a third cable when opening up the iMac.
- Lack of mechanical HDD (and SATA connectors on logicboard) - but this was obvious.
- Extra microphone(s) stuck to the case, notably an extra cable made connecting into the logic board close to the backlight. Other connects around the same position as the 2017/19 models.
- Solder joints for the 4 & 8TB model iMacs.

The biggest change inside the 2020 27-inch iMac is the lack of mechanical hard drive, as all models now come with SSDs by default. OWC notes that the disassembly now seems faster for this reason. There are no longer any SATA connectors in the machine and a small SSD is soldered directly to the motherboard. Instead, there are new solder joints for an expansion board to hold additional SSDs in the 4TB and 8TB configurations. In the 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB configurations, the expansion board is not present.

The lack of mechanical hard drive has left a large amount of unused free space within the machine. It is of note that Apple did not choose to implement the additional cooling present in iMac Pro in this space, likely due to cost.

Another internal change is the additional microphone adhered to the bottom of the case, with the other microphone in the same position as previous years. The new 1080p webcam is attached to the LCD, so particular care has to be taken to remove a third cable when opening the machine.

OWC did point out solder joints and mount that may be where the 4TB and 8TB models have flash storage expansion board.

Beyond these minor changes, the internals are much the same as previous models, with the same power supply, cooling, socketed CPU, and headphone jack. Although the speakers are purportedly upgraded, they do not appear to be any visually different within the machine.

Due to the 2020 iMac sharing almost all of its internal components with previous models, it will likely be no more expensive or difficult to repair than previous models. Similarly, most parts from previous years should be compatible with this new model.

The only part of the 2020 iMac that is still readily upgradeable is the RAM, which is accessible via a small door on the back of the device.

Article Link: 2020 iMac Teardown Reveals Internal Changes and Similarities

 

[Justin Cymbal]

I’m still using my 27 inch retina 5K iMac that I bought in 2014 and it still is pretty fast

It’s nice that Apple made one last Intel iMac but I am going to hold out for the redesigned iMac with Apple Silicon that will probably come out next year

 

[Zen_Arcade]

Good machine, but upgrade prices are still unconscionable.

 

[DotCom2]

I’m still using my 27 inch retina 5K iMac that I bought in 2014 and it still is pretty fast

It’s nice that Apple made one last Intel iMac but I am going to hold out for the redesigned iMac with Apple Silicon that will probably come out next year

Exactly the same for me. Still rocking' the 2014 same as you.

 

[xgman]

Kind of a shame about the fan. These are high priced units regardless of config, and the idea that the better cooling fan was too expensive to be included is curious.

 

[nathansz]

it seems pretty silly that they didn’t use that’s extra space for more cooling

 

[MacsRgr8]

I have the 2017 with Radeon 580. Great iMac.

As I love flying around with X-Plane which is so demanding CPU and GPU wise, I am thinking this 2020 iMac i7/i9 with Radeon Pro 5700 XT might be a good one to get...
I don't really want to buy a PC (which obviously is better regarding performance for X-Plane) and as I just want one computer for all my usual computer-stuff and hobby FCP-X, this latest and fastest Intel based iMac might be a good one to buy as I don't expect any Silicon based Mac being a good "X-Plane flying machine" anytime soon.

I would love an Apple Silicon iMac for all the other stuff...

 

[Jimmdean]

no go for me - these recent models get pretty noisy when pushed all the way (ex. Handbrake). we'll just have to see what the redesign is like next time...

 

[Taipan]

So Apple decided to save a dollar by removing the SATA port and replaced the possibility to add an internal drive with 3.5“ worth of air. Thank you.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

The only upside about the cooling is that the empty space where the HDD was will, at the very least, increase airflow.

But yeah very cheap of them to not include a symmetrical fan design.

 

[TwoH]

I apologize on my typo in my changes bit - was on phone at the time.
It's an underwhelming change, but it is welcome to see the removal of the HDD - just a shame the space wasn't utilized.

 

[KidPub]

Someone please tell this fellow to take his ring off when working on electronic gear.

 

[ptklenk]

I’m still using my 27 inch retina 5K iMac that I bought in 2014 and it still is pretty fast

I have the same but replaced the primary platter with a 1 TB SSD. I am deeply troubled by Apple's unwillingness to reasonably configure the OEM with respect to RAM and SSD. I looked at a new iMac and the tab was at least $2400.

 

[jagganatha2020]

The complaint about its case styling is so dumb, as its appearance with that great screen is WHY people buy them, and I know, as I have two older models still going strong, BUT, this 2020 iMac 27" is completely obsolete as from the SSD read write test results I have seen online (around the 2K mark only) the logic board must still be PCIe 3.0!, and ANY recent AMD board at PCIe 4.0 is going to be (and they are!) more than double the read-write speed of this machine. SSDs in AMD machines run over 4200Mb/s write speeds WITHOUT being fitted as raid in a sonnet or something PCIE card. And the benefits of PCIe4.0 extend throughout the motherboards, such that only the Thunderbolt 3 missing from them makes you wish you had a Mac.
My chief reason to upgrade from my old Trashcan 12 core Mac Pro 6,1 is therefore gone, as, if I upgrade my 1Tb SSD (still at a lowly 800Mb/s) I can get to go at 2K as well. And yes, I have checked with OWC, so I may do just that.

What does this mean for us all? Are we all still going to be a generation behind anybody on a PC? Does the welcome T2 chip speed up ALL video encoding and decoding, or only some, some of the time?

LIke a beautiful woman can be rotten and corrupt as a bad Apple on the inside, all of us together could design a far better insides, and heat generation-wise the GPU is quite obviously a laptop cut-down model here. BIG question therefore is whether the 5700XT (vraiment) is what you get in a computer, or is it a laptop version of lesser performance/

I have spent several long days checking these PCs out, and reviews of the 5700XT GPU video card state it uses a fan blower to expel its heated air and still runs hot in a large fan-equipped box, whereas even this model has no fans in the vast spaces where they could be.

When it was announced that they would all have SSDs, I rejoiced, but with a 2014 motherboard like that, what guys, IS the point?

 

[ilikewhey]

cooling a 10 core with that tiny heatsink is going to be hilarious.

 

[FlyingTexan]

I have the 2017 with Radeon 580. Great iMac.

As I love flying around with X-Plane which is so demanding CPU and GPU wise, I am thinking this 2020 iMac i7/i9 with Radeon Pro 5700 XT might be a good one to get...
I don't really want to buy a PC (which obviously is better regarding performance for X-Plane) and as I just want one computer for all my usual computer-stuff and hobby FCP-X, this latest and fastest Intel based iMac might be a good one to buy as I don't expect any Silicon based Mac being a good "X-Plane flying machine" anytime soon.

I would love an Apple Silicon iMac for all the other stuff...

You'd be better served at the moment to get an eGPU and the card you want.

 

[femike]

" It is of note that Apple did not choose to implement the additional cooling present in iMac Pro in this space, likely due to cost."
This is pathetic. From a trillion dollar company selling one of their core computers, they cannot spend some time engineering in a 2nd fan to help with the already poor thermal performance. Not to mention the paltry 256gb upgradable storage for an almost $3000 desktop computer (in this country). This is just a don't-care and greedy attitude and shows utter contempt for it customers.

 

[joeblough]

just a bit of pedanticism - those aren't solder joints, they are solder pads (or in the vernacular, just "pads"). a solder joint is where two things are soldered together. a pad is where the pin/leg of a surface mount component is soldered to the PCB.

 

[Regbial]

Yeah I hate how user customization and expansion options are a "premium" thing at Apple... same thing with the missing RAM slot in the smaller iMacs..

 

[steve09090]

When Apple Silicon comes to iMac, people will love the thinness, but will complain when the RAM is not upgradeable

 

[az431]

Kind of a shame about the fan. These are high priced units regardless of config, and the idea that the better cooling fan was too expensive to be included is curious.

If increased cooling was necessary, Apple would have implemented it.
[automerge]1596930518[/automerge]

" It is of note that Apple did not choose to implement the additional cooling present in iMac Pro in this space, likely due to cost."
This is pathetic. From a trillion dollar company selling one of their core computers, they cannot spend some time engineering in a 2nd fan to help with the already poor thermal performance. Not to mention the paltry 256gb upgradable storage for an almost $3000 desktop computer (in this country). This is just a don't-care and greedy attitude and shows utter contempt for it customers.

Poor thermal performance? So you've tested a 2020 iMac and experienced this yourself? Or did you read it in a review somewhere?

 

[az431]

cooling a 10 core with that tiny heatsink is going to be hilarious.

Yes because Apple likely overlooked this when engineering the new iMacs ?‍♂️

 

[az431]

Someone please tell this fellow to take his ring off when working on electronic gear.

Why don't you email him? support@owc.com

 

[az431]

I’m still using my 27 inch retina 5K iMac that I bought in 2014 and it still is pretty fast

It’s nice that Apple made one last Intel iMac but I am going to hold out for the redesigned iMac with Apple Silicon that will probably come out next year

It won't be out next year. It will likely be the next to last Mac that moves to ASi.

 

[az431]

no go for me - these recent models get pretty noisy when pushed all the way (ex. Handbrake). we'll just have to see what the redesign is like next time...

I have a 2015 iMac 27", and never heard the fan come on once in the entire time I've owned it, and that's using Handbrake, Blender, and most Adobe apps.