Hands-On With Apple's New 27-Inch 5K 8-Core iMac

[Colonel Blimp]

A computer this expensive shouldn't need all those peripherals.

And how about an iMac Pro? That’s even more expensive. It’s got four Thunderbolt 3 ports on two separate controllers (vs the iMac’s two Thunderbolt 3 ports on one controller) for even more peripherals. Care to complain about that?

 

[AxiomaticRubric]

Wouldn't mind seeing a 32" iMac. Not lying, I would buy it. If it never comes, I'll ride out my 2015 5K 27" into the sunset. Processing wise, I don't need more of anything.
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The iMac could use a thinner bezel, 32" option, and a standard VESA mount on the back. The lack of a 100mm mount is frustrating... how could this be overlooked for so long?

I thought a VESA mount on iMac has always been a build-to-order option?

 

[-BigMac-]

Add an eGPU on one side and a thunderbolt storage box on the other side and this will be an awesome set up for just about any home, gaming or professional use. Slick.

Gaming, at any but the most basic level, for this price - should have a >60hz screen.

 

[Shivetya]

I don’t really understand why people are so obsessed with thinner bezels.

because it gives them an excuse to not buy or just complain.

it certainly has no impact on usability and going with reduced bezels would probably make the iMac even harder to cool.

My only issue with the new iMac is lack of T2 chip and that is because of Apple's refusal to ditch spinning media in the machines. It also contributes to why there was no change in cooling

 

[Colonel Blimp]

Add an eGPU on one side and a thunderbolt storage box on the other side and this will be an awesome set up for just about any home, gaming or professional use. Slick.

Gaming, at any but the most basic level, for this price - should have a >60hz screen.

If you add an eGPU, then you can have a >60Hz screen.

 

[wilsonlaidlaw]

Does anyone know what drives the new 21.5 and 27 inch 4 and 5K iMacs use, when the 1TB Fusion drive is the purchase option selected? Is it a standard 3½" or 2½" (9mm or 7mm) eSATA drive, which I could get upgraded by a Mac specialist to a 2 or 4TB SSD like I have done on my Mac Mini, albeit that was a home screwdriver job? I know this would be a professional job, due to glued in items, like the screen etc. This would be a far more economical option than buying a big SSD from Apple. I can buy a 4TB Samsung 860 SSD for £599. The Samsung 850 2TB SSD has been a flawless performer in my Mac Mini. However, if possible, it would run faster if I could add a Samsung 970 SSD drive to the PCIE bus rather than an 860 to the slower SATA III bus.

I know I would have to accept invalidating the warranty, if I did this on a new iMac but the excellent Mac specialist i use in the UK provides his own warranty. He upgraded my old iMac to a 1TB Fusion Drive, which again, has been flawless over the last 6 years.

 

[avkills]

Add an eGPU on one side and a thunderbolt storage box on the other side and this will be an awesome set up for just about any home, gaming or professional use. Slick.

Agree with all except the gaming part; unless somehow by a miracle Apple starts supporting Nvidia GPU in the eGPU enclosures under Mojave.

You really think that Vega48 is going to cut it at gaming with a 5k monitor?

 

[iReality85]

The bezels are large by 2019 standards, and are exacerbated by a fat chin as well. But more than big bezels, the lack of any height adjustment for iMacs seems to me like a glaring oversight. I know people's preferences vary, but for me those monitors are very high up. It would never work for me.

The MS Surface Studio is a great example of an elegant looking AIO. It's something that, frankly, I would have expected Apple to produce, not MS. I think the iMac design in general is dated these days.

If you add an eGPU, then you can have a >60Hz screen.

Hz is tied to your screen's refresh rate, and has nothing to do with your GPU. You're thinking fps.

 

[WrightBrain]

Max Yuryev addresses thermals and fan noise in this video:

93 Degrees under stress even without throttling is still too bloody high. Even the i5 gets up to the 90s. I'd love to see what happens to the temps when you turn off Turbo Boost with Turbo Boost Switcher.

It's these crazy temps, prices and older tech which are seriously making me consider switching.
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[doublepost=1554279356][/doublepost]The bezels are interesting. When I use a single unit they don't bother me at all. My main desk however has a couple of 5k monitors on ....then you notice the bezels.

Regarding your desktops: Walp you know what you like? Cheers!

 

[SSDGUY]

I saw the headline "8-core" and for a second I was excited that perhaps there was some new unannounced iMac model, but then looking at the photo, it immediately killed the excitement.

Those big. fat. bezels. In 2019.

When I'm busy working I don't see the bezel. If anything, it brings a bit of separation of my screen view with what's around it.

 

[nutmac]

I’ll offer another reason for preferring bezels on a single-display desktop:

If you’re watching a movie or playing a game on that gorgeous Retina 5K 27-inch display, the black bezels help block out the visual clutter and distraction of whatever is behind your iMac.

That is just ridiculous. Why not just get rid of distractions behind your iMac? Extra 0.75" bezel isn't going to block out that much more visual distractions behind the screen.

1" bezel and 5" chin are inexcusable in 2019. Look at any monitors released in the last couple of years. Almost all have less than 0.5" bezel, some approaching 0.25".

2019 iMac sticks out like a computer from previous era.

 

[SSDGUY]

After a few towers, then driving a 30" ACD display w/ MacBook pros (ie. heat-related logic board disasters), my 2015 5K iMac is the best most reliable mac computer I've owned since '93. Other than the somewhat sharp edge on the cord pass-through hole, which over time, shaves away white rubbery cord material even with nominal desk/display mount wobble, the design still looks great and is the least of my concerns. Well, if I'm honest, the rear ports an be a pain at times, though I like the clean unencumbered look. Still wish they get a truly modular MacPro and a lovely display back into their product line.

 

[emailnotebox]

I don’t really understand why people are so obsessed with thinner bezels.

Some people find it unappealing.

 

[Jack Burton]

I can see why someone with big secondary displays (especially multiple big secondary displays) would not like the bezels. There is nothing quite like tiny bezels when aligning monitors next to each other. I did that with my PC tower and it was nice while my monitors lasted.

 

[PickUrPoison]

Some people find it unappealing.

And some people find the natural aluminum color unappealing and would rather have space gray or white. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[btgamble]

I plan on retiring (or donating) my 2012 21" IMAC. Today I will order a 27" iMac, 3.7 6-Core Intel i5, 8GB Ram (and will upgrade to 32GB after purchase), Standard graphics card, and 1TB SSD card. Should be a BIG improvement!! Any further suggestions?

 

[emailnotebox]

And some people find the natural aluminum color unappealing and would rather have space gray or white. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Its really a matter of preference.

 

[ignatius345]

I don’t really understand why people are so obsessed with thinner bezels.

I get it on phones, I guess, where you're trying to prioritize it fitting in your pocket and your hand while getting as much "screen" in as possible. I guess a laptop is similarly size-constrained -- but on a desktop computer, who cares? It's sitting on my desk, not going in my pocket or my bag.

By these people's flimsy aesthetic logic, no pictures would have frames either.

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Exactly.

Exactly (although for those tiling multiple displays, this reason might not be so small).

Indeed.

I’ll offer another reason for preferring bezels on a single-display desktop:

If you’re watching a movie or playing a game on that gorgeous Retina 5K 27-inch display, the black bezels help block out the visual clutter and distraction of whatever is behind your iMac.

Yep, this. The black area around the edges provides great visual contrast for the edges of the display. Everyone here kvetching about "chins" and "bezels" just learned these terms and are now convinced they must be a problem.

 

[CWallace]

If a Mac Mini can have 10Gb Ethernet, why can't the iMac?

One of the major uses of Mac Minis are in data centers where 10GbE is (more) common. If you really need 10GbE at home or in the office, there are third-party options that connect via TB3 or you can get the iMac Pro, which has 10GbE standard.

Also a 'consumer-grade' iMac beats out a 'pro-grade' iMac Pro costing in excess of £1500 more? Apple's lineup is a mess right now.

No it is Intel's lineup that is a mess right now. The W-Series Xeons in the 2017 iMac Pro are the latest generation Intel offers, but that is an older generation than the i9-9900K in the 2019 iMac. Intel is supposed to ship newer generation (Basin Falls) W-Series Xeons this Fall so if they actually do so, then the 2019 iMac Pro with them should see a performance boost vis-a-vis the 2017 model.

93 Degrees under stress even without throttling is still too bloody high. Even the i5 gets up to the 90s. I'd love to see what happens to the temps when you turn off Turbo Boost with Turbo Boost Switcher.

Again, this is an Intel issue - the 2017 iMac should have had much cooler 10nm CPUs, much less the 2019 model. Intel just keeps cranking the TDP on 14nm to get performance boosts and any AIO or SFF machine suffers for it.

 

[ignatius345]

I plan on retiring (or donating) my 2012 21" IMAC. Today I will order a 27" iMac, 3.7 6-Core Intel i5, 8GB Ram (and will upgrade to 32GB after purchase), Standard graphics card, and 1TB SSD card. Should be a BIG improvement!! Any further suggestions?

It's gonna feel like a rocket compared to your old one, honestly. I have a 2014 iMac 5K and even with its (much) more modest specs than the one you're getting, it's just a joy to use for everything. I'm not sure what kind of work you're doing with it, but I'm sure it'll fly.

 

[WrightBrain]

, this is an Intel issue - the 2017 iMac should have had much cooler 10nm CPUs, much less the 2019 model. Intel just keeps cranking the TDP on 14nm to get performance boosts and any AIO or SFF machine suffers for it.

Actually this IS an Apple problem. Knowing how those chip perform (esp on the 2017 iMacs) they should have redesigned the cooling to incorporate two fans like the iMac Pros.

And it's our problem now if we purchase a model that incurs damage due to the heat.

 

[nutmac]

I get it on phones, I guess, where you're trying to prioritize it fitting in your pocket and your hand while getting as much "screen" in as possible. I guess a laptop is similarly size-constrained -- but on a desktop computer, who cares? It's sitting on my desk, not going in my pocket or my bag.

By these people's flimsy aesthetic logic, no pictures would have frames either.

I can tell you few reasons.

Why is the bezel so thick (1") and bottom chin so big (5") in the first place? They contribute to iMac's thinner looking profile. As you said, I don't need my desktop computer to look super thin. I much rather have thicker iMac if it means smaller looking iMac.

27" iMac is 25.6" wide. Many modern monitors, such as LG 27UL85-W are 24.1" wide. While 1.5" may not seem like a big deal, when you have other things on your desk, it can definitely matter.

Heck, 27" iMac is roughly midway between modern 27" and 32" monitors.

Also, as many people stated, smaller bezel is very beneficial if you have dual monitors setup. Much smaller gap.

And thinner bezel would be more consistent with other Apple products like MacBook Pro and iPad Pro.

 

[name99]

Add an eGPU on one side and a thunderbolt storage box on the other side and this will be an awesome set up for just about any home, gaming or professional use. Slick.

Why not buy an iMac Pro in that case? You'll get basically EVERY part of the machine upgraded to higher performance.

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

A computer this expensive shouldn't need all those peripherals.

Bro I know there are newcomers around but what you have said has been said for 30+ years and will be said for 30+ years more. You aren't going to get a Mac for PC prices. I wish we could but that's not practical and millions of businesses and people are more than happy to pay extra for design and macOS. There are thousands upon thousands of business dependent on macOS because they can't live without Labels, Quick Look, easy navigation, easy to find options.

When we buy a Mac we aren't just paying for some OEM hardware and an OS license. We pay for the amount of time we save using these computers and we pay for the massive R&D budget at Apple that makes these computers the best (even if you include bad decisions such as T2 bugs and overpriced SSDs).

 

[WillemSleegers]

Instead of the thermal throttling issue, what about just idle fan noise? The iMac is actually audible when it is doing nearly nothing. 1200 rpm is quite noisy.