Can someone please explain to me, why Apple chooses to put laptop cpu and gpu´s into a desktop machine?
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Imacs - why the mobile hardware?
- Thread starter Grassgreen
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My guess is heat and room. When you think about it the iMac is basically a 27" laptop attached to a stand.
If you want desktop components, the MacPro covers that space.
If you want desktop components, the MacPro covers that space.
It's for thermal and design reasons.
Desktop CPUs and GPUs draw a fair bit of power and generate a fair bit of heat, so you can't have a thin design like the iMac with them without needing high-speed (and loud) fans and even then, that is not always conducive to long component life.
I had an old HP Pavillion 17" that used a desktop Pentium (3.4GHz) and a desktop nVidia GPU and it's fans had to run high to keep it cool and even then, the model line suffered CPU and GPU failures due to heat issues.
The Imacs are gorgeous, but wouldn´t mind them being thicker if that means more power. Or they could go back to making the macminis with quadcores again, that would be nice..
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According to Steve Jobs, you don't know what you need. Apple knows what you need, just relax and accept everything they think you need.
Afterall, everyone needs the thinnest desktop computer possible, right? I mean, all those 5~7 centimeters of thickness would ruin my desktop environment.
The CPUs are actually desktop CPUs, except the lowest-end iMac 21.5".
For instance, the i7 in the retina iMac is an i7-4790K, with an unlocked multiplier.
I'll list the CPUs:
21.5" iMac with MacBook Air parts:
i5-4260U (1.4GHz 2c/4t)
21.5" iMac with quad-core CPUs:
i5-4570R (2.7GHz, 4c/4t)
i5-4570S (2.9GHz, 4c/4t)
i7-4770S (3.1GHz, 4c/8t)
27" non-retina iMac:
i5-4570 (3.2GHz, 4c/4t)
i5-4670 (3.4GHz, 4c/4t)
i7-4771 (3.5GHz, 4c/8t)
27" retina 5K iMac:
i5-4690 (3.5GHz, 4c/4t)
i7-4790K (4GHz, 4c/8t)
The GPUs are mobile GPUs because the iMac is so thin. A desktop GPU is too thick to fit inside an iMac.
And besides, just because they're mobile GPUs doesn't mean they're underpowered. The GTX 780M is a pretty powerful card, along with the R9 M295X.
Since the top-spec retina iMac -- using "laptop" components -- is faster at most things than a quad-core new Mac Pro, the question should be why not?
You buy a MP because you need the dual GPU, you have your own displays, you need ECC RAM, more RAM, and you want an upgradable processor. People buy workstations to do a specific task, and they are spec'ed to reflect that. If you want a good desktop experience you buy a desktop not a workstation.
I agree, the use of mobile components isn't hampering performance that much. My maxed out 2013 iMac handle's everything I throw at it with ease.