iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) Customization Options

[Yebubbleman]

I have need for one final Intel Mac.

I had been long planning on this being the MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) and that may yet still be what I end up going with. But I have an older MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) and a MacBook Air (M1, 2020), so my 13-inch portable retina display-equipped Mac needs might be covered between those two. That and two of my three uses for this prospective final Intel Mac are gaming and x86-64 OS virtualization; both of which will probably suck on a smaller screen. I don't need to take this computer everywhere and the MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) is way too costly for me. So, I'm considering the iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020).

As would be the case with the MacBook Pro that I was (and still sort of am) considering, I'd opt for a 2TB SSD and 32GB of RAM; though with the iMac, I'd probably just configure it with the base 8GB of RAM and then buy an aftermarket kit to go to 32GB because hell if I'm going to pay Apple's steep costs on one of the last Macs where I don't have to.

Past this point, I'm sort of unsure as to how I'd want to configure this iMac. I know that I want to at least customize the higher-end of the three stock models and get no less than the 10th Generation 8-core Core i7. I've watched Max Tech's video comparing the 10th Generation 8-core Core i7 to the 10th Generation 10-core Core i9 and saw Vadim basically slam the latter as being almost categorically not worth the money. Similarly, I'm unsure as to which of the three video card options is going to be best for my needs, both in the long and short terms. I'd imagine that I probably don't need the Radeon Pro 5700 XT and that either the Radeon Pro 5500 XT or the Radeon Pro 5700 would be sufficient for my needs.

So, for those of you who have been in a similar position (customizing this high-end iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) for your needs), what influenced your decision to pick the Core i7 over the Core i9? Which GPU did you pick and why?

Again, if it helps, gaming, x86-64 virtualization, and Final Cut Pro/Motion/Compressor are going to be my most system resource intensive uses on this system, at least that I can predict today.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

The CPUs on intel iMacs 2020 is upgradable. You may think of CPU upgrade in the future, when your Apple Care plan ends.
The GPU is soldered on the logic board, so it's not upgradable.
Choose it wisely.

 

[Yebubbleman]

The CPUs on intel iMacs 2020 is upgradable. You may think of CPU upgrade in the future, when your Apple Care plan ends.
The GPU is soldered on the logic board, so it's not upgradable.
Choose it wisely.

You're not telling me anything I don't already know. Furthermore, opening up iMacs is a royal pain. Doing it for the SSD is impossible with this version. I'm heavily leaning toward the i7; I'm looking for takes from people that went for the i9 to see if there's any practical reason for doing so, but it sounds like there isn't, so far. I'm also looking for takes from people to see where I ought to draw the line on the GPU. I don't get the feeling that I need to max out both (let alone either).

Also, it's highly likely that after AppleCare+ ends on the would-be iMac, that Core i9 might not be available to purchase anywhere.

 

[wilberforce]

My conclusion after researching many reviews and benchmarks when buying my 2020 iMac, is that the i9 provides little performance improvement over the i7, and is thus not "worth it" (a bit of a subjective call, of course) except for those that absolutely have to have the fastest performance and are not price-sensitive.
However, the 5700XT is much faster than the other GPU options, and is definitely "worth it" for those that can benefit from a fast GPU - such as for gaming or video/animation production. If you don't do gaming or video production it would be basically underutilized.
I chose the i7 and 5500XT, but I do very little gaming and video. If I did, I would have definitely gone for i7 and 5700XT.

btw, for your usage you might benefit from 64GB RAM. With the current high prices of RAM, I suggest get 2x16GB sticks and see how it goes, and add another 2x16GB later if you find you need more.

One minor negative about the 5700XT is that there have been ongoing complaints and reports about various graphical glitches with the 5700XT, which are apparently relatively minor and infrequent, but really annoy some users. I think most put up with it in order to gain the much faster GPU performance. Little to no graphical glitches have been reported for the 5500XT, but you give up a lot of GPU performance compared to the 5700XT.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

I configured mine with the 5700XT 16GB GPU as there’s no way to upgrade it later, and GPUs fall behind the curve much faster than CPUs. I kept the 8core i7 and have had zero issues.

Went with a 1TB internal SSD which I split 75/25 Mac/Win. This way both OSes and core apps run from the fastest SSD possible.

For less than the cost to upgrade the internal SSD from 1TB to 2TB, I bought an external 2TB SanDisk USB-C SSD. This gives me a total of 3TB storage. The external SSD benches at 600MB/s read and 450MB/s write so while not as fast as the internal drive, it’s no slouch. I’m booting the Monterey beta from the external SSD without issue, for example.

I do have Parallels installed, but I use Windows mostly for gaming and GPU-based rendering. These 2 functions don’t like Parallels so I just reboot into Windows when I use it.

 

[mj_]

I can't give you any specific configuration advice but if you really need a 2020 Intel iMac I advise you to look for gently used ones. The resale value of those things has tanked in the last couple of weeks, and their trade-in value on sites like sellyourmac.com is actually lower than for similarly equiped 2019 models.

 

[wilberforce]

I can't give you any specific configuration advice but if you really need a 2020 Intel iMac I advise you to look for gently used ones. The resale value of those things has tanked in the last couple of weeks, and their trade-in value on sites like sellyourmac.com is actually lower than for similarly equiped 2019 models.

There are a lot of low-spec iMacs with small SSDs for good prices, but finding a high-spec 2020 iMac with a decent size SSD is not so easy. But yes, worth a look

 

[Yebubbleman]

My conclusion after researching many reviews and benchmarks when buying my 2020 iMac, is that the i9 provides little performance improvement over the i7, and is thus not "worth it" (a bit of a subjective call, of course) except for those that absolutely have to have the fastest performance and are not price-sensitive.

The core count is the only thing that gives me pause with regards to outright ignoring the i9 option. It won't matter for the degree of Final Cut Pro/editing that I'll do (which is casual enough to probably be fine on the 4-port 2020 13" MacBook Pro that I was otherwise considering for these purposes) and gaming, but I wonder to what degree it would help me for virtualization. I certainly don't need every client OS VM under the sun running all at once, but two cores can definitely give me two more VMs.

However, the 5700XT is much faster than the other GPU options, and is definitely "worth it" for those that can benefit from a fast GPU - such as for gaming or video/animation production. If you don't do gaming or video production it would be basically underutilized.
I chose the i7 and 5500XT, but I do very little gaming and video. If I did, I would have definitely gone for i7 and 5700XT.

Admittedly, my gaming needs are somewhat casual. This is going to be the last iMac I get that can run any Windows game (as well as any Intel Mac game that survived Catalina's culling of 32-bit app support). That definitely has me at least feeling good about the 5700. I just don't know if the 5700XT might not be overkill for me. Then again, I'd probably run this computer at least until shortly before Apple declares it obsolete (and stops allowing for parts to be ordered for it).

btw, for your usage you might benefit from 64GB RAM. With the current high prices of RAM, I suggest get 2x16GB sticks and see how it goes, and add another 2x16GB later if you find you need more.

I was considering getting 2x16 to start for that very reason. I need to look into placement though as I know that, for 2-SO-DIMM configurations, the placement of the SO-DIMMs matters. But yeah, I don't know that I'll ever need 128GB before this thing turns three years old. But, certainly for virtualization, the more RAM the merrier.

One minor negative about the 5700XT is that there have been ongoing complaints and reports about various graphical glitches with the 5700XT, which are apparently relatively minor and infrequent, but really annoy some users. I think most put up with it in order to gain the much faster GPU performance. Little to no graphical glitches have been reported for the 5500XT, but you give up a lot of GPU performance compared to the 5700XT.

From everything I've read, you do sacrifice the added VRAM when going for the non-XT 5700, but that you otherwise gain a fair amount of power over the 5500XT. I'm leaning towards the 5700, so far. Again, I game, but not to any hardcore degree.

I configured mine with the 5700XT 16GB GPU as there’s no way to upgrade it later, and GPUs fall behind the curve much faster than CPUs. I kept the 8core i7 and have had zero issues.

For sure. The only thing making me not ignore the i9 outright is virtualization. Though, I go back and forth on it especially since I was otherwise going to use a 2020 4-port 13" MacBook Pro for these tasks (and there's half the core count between the i7 configuration of that and the i7 configuration of this iMac). If anything, I'd be able to do SO much more even on the i7 version that I might not feel hindered by not having the i9.

The 5700XT definitely has allure. I'm wondering how much I'd regret not springing for it or if my gaming needs are so casual that, by the time I'd be ready to discontinue using the iMac, I won't have noticed the lack of performance by going with the 5500XT instead. I know that I'm at least going for the standard 5700; that might be the goldilocks card to get.

Went with a 1TB internal SSD which I split 75/25 Mac/Win. This way both OSes and core apps run from the fastest SSD possible.

For less than the cost to upgrade the internal SSD from 1TB to 2TB, I bought an external 2TB SanDisk USB-C SSD. This gives me a total of 3TB storage. The external SSD benches at 600MB/s read and 450MB/s write so while not as fast as the internal drive, it’s no slouch. I’m booting the Monterey beta from the external SSD without issue, for example.

I tend to like all of my apps to be on the internal drive and to use either externals or cloud storage for data. The only exception is my paltry music library. That's the only reason why I'm leaning toward a 2TB internal SSD. That and the fact that it can't be upgraded after the fact.

I do have Parallels installed, but I use Windows mostly for gaming and GPU-based rendering. These 2 functions don’t like Parallels so I just reboot into Windows when I use it.

My uses for Parallels and/or VMware would primarily be for non-gaming. Though, Boot Camp is also a strong consideration seeing as there are only so many 64-bit Intel native Mac games still out there. Catalina got rid of LOADS of the Intel Mac era's best games.

I can't give you any specific configuration advice but if you really need a 2020 Intel iMac I advise you to look for gently used ones. The resale value of those things has tanked in the last couple of weeks, and their trade-in value on sites like sellyourmac.com is actually lower than for similarly equiped 2019 models.

I'm noticing that the CTO options for SSDs, CPUs, and graphics are harder to find. I also have refurb.me alerts set. I do have need for at least one T2 Mac in my arsenal. If this wasn't to be that Mac, I'd definitely be after a 2019 version instead.

There are a lot of low-spec iMacs with small SSDs for good prices, but finding a high-spec 2020 iMac with a decent size SSD is not so easy. But yes, worth a look

Exactly. This is the problem I tend to have. A 256GB or 512GB SSD won't suffice. Even a 1TB SSD is not enough for what I intend to do. I'm thinking 2TB or 4TB is what I want. 8TB seems overkill, even for all of my games and VMs.

 

[haddy]

I have need for one final Intel Mac.

I had been long planning on this being the MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports) and that may yet still be what I end up going with. But I have an older MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) and a MacBook Air (M1, 2020), so my 13-inch portable retina display-equipped Mac needs might be covered between those two. That and two of my three uses for this prospective final Intel Mac are gaming and x86-64 OS virtualization; both of which will probably suck on a smaller screen. I don't need to take this computer everywhere and the MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) is way too costly for me. So, I'm considering the iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020).

As would be the case with the MacBook Pro that I was (and still sort of am) considering, I'd opt for a 2TB SSD and 32GB of RAM; though with the iMac, I'd probably just configure it with the base 8GB of RAM and then buy an aftermarket kit to go to 32GB because hell if I'm going to pay Apple's steep costs on one of the last Macs where I don't have to.

Past this point, I'm sort of unsure as to how I'd want to configure this iMac. I know that I want to at least customize the higher-end of the three stock models and get no less than the 10th Generation 8-core Core i7. I've watched Max Tech's video comparing the 10th Generation 8-core Core i7 to the 10th Generation 10-core Core i9 and saw Vadim basically slam the latter as being almost categorically not worth the money. Similarly, I'm unsure as to which of the three video card options is going to be best for my needs, both in the long and short terms. I'd imagine that I probably don't need the Radeon Pro 5700 XT and that either the Radeon Pro 5500 XT or the Radeon Pro 5700 would be sufficient for my needs.

So, for those of you who have been in a similar position (customizing this high-end iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) for your needs), what influenced your decision to pick the Core i7 over the Core i9? Which GPU did you pick and why?

Again, if it helps, gaming, x86-64 virtualization, and Final Cut Pro/Motion/Compressor are going to be my most system resource intensive uses on this system, at least that I can predict today.

Okay I got the i7 5700XT 16GB vRAM 2TB SSD running 10.15.7 since August 2020. Nano glass and 10Gbase-T.
Brilliant machine....best Mac I have ever had, since 1988

 

[Yebubbleman]

Okay I got the i7 5700XT 16GB vRAM 2TB SSD running 10.15.7 since August 2020. Nano glass and 10Gbase-T.
Brilliant machine....best Mac I have ever had, since 1988

Do you do much in the way of virtualization? And if so, how much? That's my main limiting thing on the i7 vs. i9 debate. Certainly if money were no issue, I'd just get the 5700XT, but it is and I'm unsure that I'll need the difference between that and the 5700. The HP Zbook 15 G3 in my signature has either 1GB or 2GB of VRAM and it runs most games that I want to play just fine. I don't know that I'm going to need the 5700XT for any of my other use cases for this machine. 10GbE is definitely something I'm doing. Nano-glass kind of spooks me as I hear it scratches easily. I don't need matte THAT badly, especially since the lighting schemes that I would have in the room(s) that this iMac would live in wouldn't be overbearing (I detest overhead lighting in most cases).

 

[haddy]

Do you do much in the way of virtualization? And if so, how much? That's my main limiting thing on the i7 vs. i9 debate. Certainly if money were no issue, I'd just get the 5700XT, but it is and I'm unsure that I'll need the difference between that and the 5700. The HP Zbook 15 G3 in my signature has either 1GB or 2GB of VRAM and it runs most games that I want to play just fine. I don't know that I'm going to need the 5700XT for any of my other use cases for this machine. 10GbE is definitely something I'm doing. Nano-glass kind of spooks me as I hear it scratches easily. I don't need matte THAT badly, especially since the lighting schemes that I would have in the room(s) that this iMac would live in wouldn't be overbearing (I detest overhead lighting in most cases).

Nope no "virtualization".Well the nano glass comes with a cloth to keep the dust off and it works well and I love it.
No scratches. My startup disk is T3 connected enclosure with 2TB 980 EVO pro.

 

[Yebubbleman]

Nope no "virtualization".Well the nano glass comes with a cloth to keep the dust off and it works well and I love it.
No scratches. My startup disk is T3 connected enclosure with 2TB 980 EVO pro.

Curious as to why your startup disk is an external SSD and not the super fast internal. Or is that so that you don't have to pay the Apple premium on a larger internal SSD?

 

[ADGrant]

I went with the i9 10 core. For virtualization more cores are better IMHO. I saw Max Tech's video recommending the 8 core i7 but since he is a video editor so I didn't find his advice particularly relevant.

I also went with the 5700XT so I can game on this should I want to and a 2TB SSD to give me plenty of space for VMs and a bootcamp partition.

Finally I bought my own 64Gb of RAM and replaced the Apple RAM. Again for VMs the more RAM the better and the self upgradeable RAM makes this a fairly cheap option. Its also a huge advantage over the M1 Macs.

 

[Yebubbleman]

I went with the i9 10 core. For virtualization more cores are better IMHO. I saw Max Tech's video recommending the 8 core i7 but since he is a video editor so I didn't find his advice particularly relevant.

I also went with the 5700XT so I can game on this should I want to and a 2TB SSD to give me plenty of space for VMs and a bootcamp partition.

Finally I bought my own 64Gb of RAM and replaced the Apple RAM. Again for VMs the more RAM the better and the self upgradeable RAM makes this a fairly cheap option. Its also a huge advantage over the M1 Macs.

Yeah, it seems like the i9 is clearly a better choice for virtualization. The only thing making me think that I might not need it is that I was completely prepared to buy a near top of the line MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports) (the SSD being 2TB instead of 4TB would've been the only thing not maxed out) and use it for these purposes. Quad-Core isn't horrible, but it's certainly not 8-core, and it's REALLY not 10-core; though, my idea was that I'd probably not go as crazy with it as I can on the iMac. So, maybe, if I was prepared to live fine with four cores, eight is okay?

Similarly, I game so casually; the number of compatible games for post-Mojave macOS releases that I have and have interest in playing is so small. It'd obviously be for Boot Camp, but even then, there are only a small handful of games that I own that are newer than 2015. Certainly the 5700XT would help future proof gaming on the Windows side by a fair degree, but I'm unsure if I'd ever appreciate the difference between it and the 5700.

Even furthermore, I probably will only be able to afford one of those two upgrades. And deciding between them is almost a Sophie's Choice in and of itself.

 

[ADGrant]

Yeah, it seems like the i9 is clearly a better choice for virtualization. The only thing making me think that I might not need it is that I was completely prepared to buy a near top of the line MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports) (the SSD being 2TB instead of 4TB would've been the only thing not maxed out) and use it for these purposes. Quad-Core isn't horrible, but it's certainly not 8-core, and it's REALLY not 10-core; though, my idea was that I'd probably not go as crazy with it as I can on the iMac. So, maybe, if I was prepared to live fine with four cores, eight is okay?

Similarly, I game so casually; the number of compatible games for post-Mojave macOS releases that I have and have interest in playing is so small. It'd obviously be for Boot Camp, but even then, there are only a small handful of games that I own that are newer than 2015. Certainly the 5700XT would help future proof gaming on the Windows side by a fair degree, but I'm unsure if I'd ever appreciate the difference between it and the 5700.

Even furthermore, I probably will only be able to afford one of those two upgrades. And deciding between them is almost a Sophie's Choice in and of itself.

It is a difficult choice. The deciding factor on the 5700XT for me was the 16GB of VRAM. In every other PC or Mac I have owned the GPU was the first component to feel dated (assume the machine had an SSD of course).

OTOH, I probably get more immediate use out of the 10 cores. As well as focusing almost exclusively on video editing, MaxTech's tests were all based on single work loads, not running multiple workloads at the same time, some on VMs.

I was considering the i7 with the the 5700 but since this was probably the last Intel Mac I will ever buy I decided to go all in. I keep my Macs for a long time so I am not worried about resale. I am not too worried about the cost either. I find it harder to justify the cost of a higher end iPhone or iPad.

BTW I was considering a 16" MacBook before buying the iMac. The announcement of Apple Silicon made buying an Intel MacBook seem very unappealing to me.

 

[Yebubbleman]

It is a difficult choice. The deciding factor on the 5700XT for me was the 16GB of VRAM. In every other PC or Mac I have owned the GPU was the first component to feel dated (assume the machine had an SSD of course).

I'm probably so casual of a gamer that I wouldn't ever appreciate it. Then again, this iMac is, ironically going to be the most affordable desktop machine that I'll ever be able to afford with a discrete GPU in 2021.

I'm not ruling it out as it seems like a much more immediately noticeable upgrade than the i9.

OTOH, I probably get more immediate use out of the 10 cores. As well as focusing almost exclusively on video editing, MaxTech's tests were all based on single work loads, not running multiple workloads at the same time, some on VMs.

I kind of interpreted their buyer's guide on a case by case basis. Like, if you do VMs, get the i9, if you do gaming get the 5700XT, etc. And they did seem to stress that the i9 would be ideal for virtualization and that the 5700XT would be ideal for gaming. I guess where I'm not sure is whether or not I'd be fine with the i7 or non-XT 5700. It is a large screen, which would be perfect for engaging with many VMs at once (which is sort of where I've been less interested in the 2020 Intel 4-port 13" MacBook Pro for these purposes). And, like you said, it IS the last Intel iMac (and effectively the last consumer affordable Mac with a discrete GPU in tow). So, that may be enough of a reason to splurge.

I was considering the i7 with the the 5700 but since this was probably the last Intel Mac I will ever buy I decided to go all in. I keep my Macs for a long time so I am not worried about resale. I am not too worried about the cost either. I find it harder to justify the cost of a higher end iPhone or iPad.

I can justify the higher-end iPads (though given that a current 12.9" iPad Pro now STARTS at $1099, where it originally started at $799 in 2015, I'm not as happy to buy new there).

BTW I was considering a 16" MacBook before buying the iMac. The announcement of Apple Silicon made buying an Intel MacBook seem very unappealing to me.

The 16" MacBook Pro definitely has caught my attention too. Seems poor bang for buck next to the 27" iMac, especially since I'm WAY less likely to want to take it places than I would a 13" MacBook Pro; it just means I can relocate it from table to couch to bed; but I have iPads, PC laptops, and smaller (albeit older) MacBooks for that task.