iMac 2020 what to expect?

[Freida]

Hey guys,

those of you that are up to date with tech, would you mind telling me whats on horizon or what can possibly be going to the next iMac? ie. what GPU, CPU etc. are being released soon etc.?
I used to be obsessed about these things but then life happened and I'm out of sync.
Also, I guess we are still realistically expecting an update march-wwdc, right?

 

[padams35]

CPU: Ice Lake? Comet Lake?
GPU: Navi, possible 5500 or 5700, probably a TBD 5600.

March is optimistic. I'm guessing May-October. Lately Apple seems to be stretching the iMac update cycle to 18-24 month intervals. Also only the low power chips have been released/announced; we're still waiting on desktop level CPUs.

 

[Freida]

CPU: Ice Lake? Comet Lake?
GPU: Navi, possible 5500 or 5700, probably a TBD 5600.

March is optimistic. I'm guessing May-October. Lately Apple seems to be stretching the iMac update cycle to 18-24 month intervals. Also only the low power chips have been released/announced; we're still waiting on desktop level CPUs.

looked at 5700 and that would be some GPU power if true. Knowing Apple they will probably not give us something like that. Hmm, so WWDC is more likely then. Fine, I'll wait a little longer
Cheers

P.s.: Hope they redesign it and remove the bezels/chin. Ideally making the screen bigger

 

[vir2l2k]

the 5700 will be outdated by 1 year release wise and 3 years performance wise by then compared with a gpu like 2080 u would expect for such an expensive mac

 

[Freida]

the 5700 will be outdated by 1 year release wise and 3 years performance wise by then compared with a gpu like 2080 u would expect for such an expensive mac

I hope you are not serious. 2080 is Top of the line Nvidia (am I right?) so that will never happen in AiO solution from Apple. So we can forget that conversation. Apple usually chooses midrange so I think its a safe bet to assume at least that.
Also, Nvidia and Apple are not on good terms so I think we can forget anything from Nvidia anyway.

 

[Fishrrman]

We won't know what "to expect" until it gets here.
Or... just before.

 

[Freida]

Awesome, so lets cancel whole site and not talk about anything, right?

Expectations can be based on reality and in this case the tech thats available and suitable (or will be in near future) for the update. That is hardly a rocket science to discuss what is possible and not and therefore, your comment is useless. Doesn't contribute anything.
If you don't want to speculate what could we get/expect in an update then why coming here in the first place?

We won't know what "to expect" until it gets here.
Or... just before.

 

[askunk]

You're right, it's just the game of speculation.

New thin design with small neck and thin bezels, with a more flexible monitor arm.

Wifi 6
BT 5
Comet Lake S up to i9 10C/20T
2933 MHz RAM DDR4
RX 5500, 5600 and 5700 (on PCI3 though)
T2 chips (or T3 in case they bring FaceID to the iMac)
100% PC3 650 nits (to get at least a decent HDR) new panel (maybe 28-30"), perhaps with some hint of a new cooling system that recalls the XDR monitor.

MAYBE two more TB3 ports, since Comet lake will offer more PCI lanes.

SSD only (I hope in two drive RAID configurations, but it might remain an iMP prerogative)

Dolby Atmos audio (2.1) via new speakers (they need to point upwards)

and I hope still accessible RAM via the back door!!! PLEASE!

Finally, since the MBP 16" seems will bring a new keyboard, it could be a chance for a new magic keyboard (with TouchID if no FaceID?) and a mouse with a better charging port.

 

[Freida]

Some nice things you have there. What components are not out yet? I guess Comet Lake is the hold up and the GPUs?

You're right, it's just the game of speculation.

New thin design with small neck and thin bezels, with a more flexible monitor arm.

Wifi 6
BT 5
Comet Lake S up to i9 10C/20T
2933 MHz RAM DDR4
RX 5500, 5600 and 5700 (on PCI3 though)
T2 chips (or T3 in case they bring FaceID to the iMac)
100% PC3 650 nits (to get at least a decent HDR) new panel (maybe 28-30"), perhaps with some hint of a new cooling system that recalls the XDR monitor.

MAYBE two more TB3 ports, since Comet lake will offer more PCI lanes.

SSD only (I hope in two drive RAID configurations, but it might remain an iMP prerogative)

Dolby Atmos audio (2.1) via new speakers (they need to point upwards)

and I hope still accessible RAM via the back door!!! PLEASE!

Finally, since the MBP 16" seems will bring a new keyboard, it could be a chance for a new magic keyboard (with TouchID if no FaceID?) and a mouse with a better charging port.

 

[ThisBougieLife]

In addition to CPU/GPU upgrades, in the non-Pro I would think that they will put in a T2 chip, finally do away with spinning drives, and potentially update the webcam to the 1080p webcam in the iMac Pro. I would not expect any biometrics like TouchID or FaceID.

 

[askunk]

Oh yes, I forgot. A better webcam, damn. With the T2/T3 it will change for sure.

What components are not out yet?

CPUs are starting to circulate (lab prototypes benchmarks of i3 and i5) and Apple should have already some i3, i5 and perhaps even i7 and i9 to test. Production should start in week 51-52, with a February market distribution to the public. Yet again, Apple could receive early batches even in January.

GPUs, we're still far. Only the 5700 and 5700XT (too hot for an iMac, apparently) and the 5500 are out. But lately Apple has shown us custom cards (Vega II on the Mac Pro) even with world previews of AMD cards (e.g. Vega with the iMac Pro) that sometimes are underclocked to meet thermal restrictions.

The iMac will sport an on board (or hopefully daughther-board) GPU, therefore I wouldn't be surprised to see something different than what you find on shelves in PC stores. Nevertheless, it's again speculation. The reality is that the best candidates for the iMac full line have still to come out. Perhaps in November AMD could surprise us and there are a few exhibitions where they can present new cards.

About the rest, it's up to Apple. They just need to build it and bring it to us.

@

 

[Zdigital2015]

You're right, it's just the game of speculation.

New thin design with small neck and thin bezels, with a more flexible monitor arm.

Wifi 6
BT 5
Comet Lake S up to i9 10C/20T
2933 MHz RAM DDR4
RX 5500, 5600 and 5700 (on PCI3 though)
T2 chips (or T3 in case they bring FaceID to the iMac)
100% PC3 650 nits (to get at least a decent HDR) new panel (maybe 28-30"), perhaps with some hint of a new cooling system that recalls the XDR monitor.

MAYBE two more TB3 ports, since Comet lake will offer more PCI lanes.

SSD only (I hope in two drive RAID configurations, but it might remain an iMP prerogative)

Dolby Atmos audio (2.1) via new speakers (they need to point upwards)

and I hope still accessible RAM via the back door!!! PLEASE!

Finally, since the MBP 16" seems will bring a new keyboard, it could be a chance for a new magic keyboard (with TouchID if no FaceID?) and a mouse with a better charging port.

Comet Lake-S is still expected to have x16 lanes of PCIe 3.0, all of which will be allocated to the GPU. Apple seems loathe to run more than the SSD and a single TB3 controller through the PCH since the DMI 3.0 bus ends up being the constraint there, so I find it unlikely Apple will add a second Titan Ridge controller to the iMac. That’s the beauty of the Xeon W in the iMac Pro and Mac Pro with x48 and x64 lanes.

Given the new socket, the new PCH and the higher 125w TDP of Comet Lake, a new chassis is almost a given considering the extra heat being generated. An XDR display derived chassis would be quite nice.

 

[DotCom2]

I just want Face ID and a machine that runs cooler than my current late 2014 27" 5K iMac. It's an oven.

 

[Florida Gator]

My best guess is Apple won't substantially redesign the iMac until they move to ARM. They may refresh it with the same case, a brighter screen, and a new Intel chip, but that's all.

Once they go ARM, possibly in summer of 2020, we'll likely get a new case FaceID and some other cool stuff.

 

[kschendel]

I don't see any significant CPU advance unless they switch to Ryzen (unlikely). The ARM thing gets a lot of talk but I'm a bit of a doubting Thomas on that score; at the very least they would have to bundle one hell of an x86 emulator. On the GPU front we can hope for rDNA to at least reduce power and heat if nothing else. I would think they'd go all-SSD but I expected that two years ago, so whatever. Wifi 6, maybe. Better camera, maybe.

 

[vir2l2k]

I hope you are not serious. 2080 is Top of the line Nvidia (am I right?) so that will never happen in AiO solution from Apple. So we can forget that conversation. Apple usually chooses midrange so I think its a safe bet to assume at least that.
Also, Nvidia and Apple are not on good terms so I think we can forget anything from Nvidia anyway.

why? apple charges upgrade fees for the price u can get a 2080 for since they want a 200-250% premium for the gpu they sell. so I could as well get a proper gpu for that price

 

[sublunar]

Let's not forget at the moment that the iMac Pro already exists. Apple could choose to continue selling the existing model with price cuts passed down from Intel. The W2145 8 core part is 40% cheaper for example - and could be worth upwards of $400 off depending on the deal Apple cut with Intel in the first place.

This is due in part to the new CPUs coming out at reduced prices thanks to competition from AMD and is the new bit of information to come out since before summer.

It would be really easy for Apple to simply create new SKUs with 512Gb SSD, 16Gb RAM while re-aligning the iMac Pro offer in light of the new Mac Pro coming out. Making Vega64 standard for example.

Some folks would want iMac Pro to start offering FaceID camera for unlocking which is the other feature, I'd suggest that could be saved for an ARM variant in the future.

Comet Lake S would still be of interest, plus the iMac Pro cooling system and a move to all SSD (and trapped RAM) with T2 co-processor in time for the 2020 model.

 

[Icaras]

Once they go ARM, possibly in summer of 2020, we'll likely get a new case FaceID and some other cool stuff.

"Possibly in summer of 2020" would be the next scheduled iMac update anyway.

And if we're talking ARM, if they do decide to make the iMac eligible for it, then i bet it will only be for the 21.5" model.

 

[Zdigital2015]

I just want Face ID and a machine that runs cooler than my current late 2014 27" 5K iMac. It's an oven.

The Radeon M295x is noted for its heat generation.

CPU: Ice Lake? Comet Lake?
GPU: Navi, possible 5500 or 5700, probably a TBD 5600.

March is optimistic. I'm guessing May-October. Lately Apple seems to be stretching the iMac update cycle to 18-24 month intervals. Also only the low power chips have been released/announced; we're still waiting on desktop level CPUs.

Comet Lake-S...Ice Lake-S is never going to be a shipping product. Intel will skip 10nm on S-Series and head right to 7/5nm. 10nm is a complete disaster, no matter how Intel tries to spin things.

 

[Freida]

You seem to be new here so let me explain why its very very unlikely:

Apple was always bad with GPUs. Thermal design of iMac wouldn't allow for 2080 and Apple is not friends with Nvidia. Top of the line GPU won't happen for iMac unless they change their business model.
iMac Pro - possibly but not Nvidia
Mac Pro is where you can expect high end GPUs but even there there is no Nvidia.
So no, this is not gonna happen. We all wanted it for years but Apple is just stubborn

why? apple charges upgrade fees for the price u can get a 2080 for since they want a 200-250% premium for the gpu they sell. so I could as well get a proper gpu for that price

 

[askunk]

Besides, the Mac Pro's Vega II Duo very likely beats any 2080ti by far.

 

[askunk]

BTW I solemly swear that I will personalli drill a door to the RAM with a mini-flex on the back of my next iMac if Apple takes it off the high-end model. (and will send pics!)

 

[Wolf1701]

BTW I solemly swear that I will personalli drill a door to the RAM with a mini-flex on the back of my next iMac if Apple takes it off the high-end model. (and will send pics!)

Apple: we appreciate your feedback and we will provide to solder it, thanks

 

[askunk]

Apparently the i9 (10c) 10900K will be in the range of 125 to 250W, while the 9900K mounted in the present iMacs ranges 95 to 210.

Apple already keeps the thermals quite low but this time they will have to face a cooling radical change or we will face a similar destiny as those who had to wait for the Mac Pro since the trashMac.

I am starting to be quite worried that the RAM will be moved. Apple, I really don't care if the door is not symmetrical: put a bloody door to let us upgrade it! At least the RAM, guys!

 

[sublunar]

Apparently the i9 (10c) 10900K will be in the range of 125 to 250W, while the 9900K mounted in the present iMacs ranges 95 to 210.

Apple already keeps the thermals quite low but this time they will have to face a cooling radical change or we will face a similar destiny as those who had to wait for the Mac Pro since the trashMac.

I am starting to be quite worried that the RAM will be moved. Apple, I really don't care if the door is not symmetrical: put a bloody door to let us upgrade it! At least the RAM, guys!

The fact that the iMac Pro exists means there should be little surprise if they decide to go that way for the next iMac as the engineering work has been done already.

all I would say is that Apple ought to make 16gb the standard baseline ram if they lock away the access door.

I’d also expect SSD to be standard too, 512gb minimum would be good too.

I’d like to see a 24” 4K imac with the access door though.