M1 iMac is Up to 56% Faster Than Prior-Generation High-End 21.5-Inch iMac

[MacRumors]

Apple's M1 iMacs are set to start delivering to customers next week, and ahead of the official launch day, benchmarks for the machines have been showing up on Geekbench, likely from reviewers who are testing them.

It will come as no surprise that M1 iMac benchmarks are right on par with benchmarks for the M1 MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini, coming in with an average single-core score of 1724 and an average multi-core score of 7453, aggregated from three benchmarks that are currently available.

Benchmarks are for the iMac21,1, which is likely the entry-level option with an 8-core CPU, a 7-core GPU, and two Thunderbolt ports. The M1 iMac benchmarks list 8 CPU cores and a base frequency of 3.2GHz, and they're running macOS 11.3.

M1 iMac​

The 24-inch M1 iMac significantly outperforms the 2019 21.5-inch iMac with an Intel chip that it's replacing, and it's going to be a solid upgrade over all older 21.5-inch machines.

The previous-generation high-end 21.5-inch iMac earned a single-core score of 1109 and a multi-core score of 6014, so the M1 iMac is 56 percent faster when it comes to single-core performance and 24 percent faster when it comes to multi-core performance.

2019 high-end 21.5-inch Intel iMac​

Compared to the current high-end 27-inch iMac, the M1 Mac outperforms in single-core performance, but it is lagging behind the 10th-generation Comet Lake Intel chip in multi-core performance. The high-end 27-inch iMac earned a single-core score of 1247 and a multi-core score of 9002.

The M1 iMac's single-core performance is 38 percent faster, but the Intel iMac's multi-core performance is 25 percent faster.

With these scores, the M1 iMac is not going to be able to replace the high-end 27-inch iMac because it lags behind in multi-core performance, but Apple is working on higher-end Apple silicon chips for desktop machines and we'll likely see an even more powerful Apple-designed chip introduced when Apple is ready to replace the 27-inch iMac with a new model.

The M1 iMac does outperform lower-end 27-inch iMac models with Intel chips, beating the 6-core Intel models in both single and multi-core performance.

Pricing on the M1 iMacs starts at $1,299 for the entry-level model and $1,499 for the version with an 8-core GPU, two additional USB-C ports, Gigabit Ethernet, and additional color options. M1 iMac models ordered today will ship out in June, but those who preordered will soon be receiving their machines, and we'll learn more about them when reviews go live.

Article Link: M1 iMac is Up to 56% Faster Than Prior-Generation High-End 21.5-Inch iMac

 

[Think|Different]

That's just unreal. These are perfect for almost anyone that wants a Mac and doesn't consider themself a Pro.

 

[1258186]

I really hope they announce the replacement 27” iMac (Pro) at WWDC. Ditch the white border and chin and I will be first in line to order one.

 

[AmazeSE]

I am much more interested in seeing the included color matched braided USB-C to lightning cable. I wonder if Apple would sell it alone. If so how much will it cost?

 

[Moonjumper]

It is not quite the jump the other Apple Silicon machine have had so far because the Intel iMac had higher performance than the other Intel versions that have been replaced. I was hoping for at least more cores in the smaller iMac, and far more cores in the larger iMac to come. The first part didn't happen, but hopefully the larger iMac will be a beast compared to what has come so far in the transition.

 

[ThunderSkunk]

I never minded the chin before, and I don't now, but the missing apple logo means all my attention is just staring at that big aluminum panel. Without it supporting some other visual element, such as speaker perforations or a logo, it becomes its own visual element, & it's not apparent why the design team thought it should be. Strange.

 

[1258186]

That's just unreal. These are perfect for almost anyone that wants a Mac and doesn't consider themself a Pro.

I don’t mind the colours on the back but I couldn’t stand looking at the the white border and chin all day. I would rather buy a Mac Mini and external display.

 

[MakeAppleAwesomeAgain]

Intel should be ashamed of itself.

 

[LiE_]

means all my attention is just staring at that big aluminum panel.

Why are you looking at the chin, and say, not the screen?

 

[project_2501]

I wonder whether the next iteration of Apple ARM will be (1) faster for single-thread performance, or (2) scale sideways to more cores?

I wonder if they're already at the limit of single-thread performance?

They really need to fix the SSD wear issue - there is no excuse for terabytes of I/O for just a few weeks of normal use.

 

[CmdrLaForge]

Such a wonderful machine. I really like the new iMacs. To bad I really don't need one...

Also - I love the white bezel. Has always been like this and its still great after all those years.

 

[Sasparilla]

Wonderful to see these kinds of numbers for the lower end iMac, just awesome for Apple's customers. Expecting the 27 inch replacement to be a monster, but we'll see.

 

[poematik13]

I'll stick with the 10 core i9 and 16GB vram 5700xt, thanks. And it runs 10.15.7 so bootcamp and egpu's are still supported, external display support isn't nerfed, and it doesn't need a translation layer to run most apps.

 

[kalafalas]

I really hope they announce the replacement 27” iMac (Pro) at WWDC. Ditch the white border and chin and I will be first in line to order one.

My guess is the chin is sticking around so the pro model can have an XDR display with the cheese grater like thermal setup on the back for high sustained brightness, and all the iMac models can stay consistent with design/not have the pro one be the only one with a chin pushing people to the sleeker cheaper one

 

[benshive]

Pretty crazy the same chip can then be dropped right in an iPad and work great too. I think Apple really hit it out of the park with the M1. Very impressive for their first Intel replacement chip.

 

[1258186]

Intel should be ashamed of itself.

Let’s not bash Intel. They did a good job powering the Mac for many years. Quantum leaps like this happen every so often in computing. ARM have done a fantastic job.

 

[brofkand]

Depending on how iPadOS 15 changes decides if I buy an iMac or iPad Pro. I am willing and would prefer to accept the iPad paradigm but will stick with a desktop if need be.

 

[LiE_]

I mean let’s have some perspective here. This is an Intel 8th gen, the 8700. Desktop chips are on 10th/11th gen now which would be a better comparison.

i7 10700

1262
Single-Core Score
7759
Multi-Core Score

i7 11700

1562
Single-Core Score
9219
Multi-Core Score


This isn’t to say the M1 isn’t competitive because it is, especially when you consider M1 is entry level and sips power. But comparisons like the article aren’t great when the previous model wasn’t refreshed for ages.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I mean let’s have some perspective here. This is an Intel 8th gen, the 8700. Desktop chips are on 10th/11th gen now which would be a better comparison.

i7 10700

1262
Single-Core Score
7759
Multi-Core Score

i7 11700

1562
Single-Core Score
9219
Multi-Core Score


This isn’t to say the M1 isn’t competitive because it is, especially when you consider M1 is entry level and sips power. But comparisons like the article aren’t great when the previous model wasn’t refreshed for ages.

Nice to see a voice of reason in here.
Excellent post and a much more relevant comparison.

The M1 and ASi is great, but people need to get off Apple's jock a little.
It's nauseating.

 

[performa_6400]

Awesome benchmarks. Is there a difference in this M1 chip and the one in the 13" MBP? Same power consumption?

 

[Xavier]

This just makes me even more excited for the 27" M1 replacement!

 

[pinkpanther97]

Intel should go into liquidation

 

[ikramerica]

The fact that the M1 iMac is still 3.2GHz despite opportunity for better cooling is disappointing. I was expecting 3.5 at least.

It’s disappointing on many levels. It demonstrates the lack of headroom, the lack of progress in 6 months. It shows the difficulty they may have with the M2.

During the PPC transition higher clocks and dot revisions came within a few months.

This means the M2 will need a significantly more powerful core design to make sense, not just more cores.

 

[turbineseaplane]

The fact that the M1 iMac is still 3.2GHz despite opportunity for better cooling is disappointing. I was expecting 3.5 at least.

Completely agree.
This article is about comparisons to the old 21" - which is "meh" to me.
I was more interested in how this would stack up to the existing M1 MBA and MBP

(I was hoping it would be another level up with desktop cooling)

 

[apparatchik]

I'll stick with the 10 core i9 and 16GB vram 5700xt, thanks. And it runs 10.15.7 so bootcamp and egpu's are still supported, external display support isn't nerfed, and it doesn't need a translation layer to run most apps.

Sounds like you have a very capable setup that should last you at near top performance for a few more years, although official Windows support is on its way to ARM Macs (including x86 Windows applications) and gpu performance on M2/M2X systems should be on par with what you have.